Bookshelf Speakers vs. Floorstanding Speakers

I'm sad to hear you're disappointed in your newest speakers. Whenever I've taken on a pair of speakers that were as out of sorts as what you describe they were usually just that. They never came around to a point of being anything I wanted to listen to.
Good luck on your search for sound.
 
I honestly don't have any recent experience in speaker hunting but I'm tending to agree with awillia6 post #78 and quiet post #81 above.
If they don't knock your socks off at first listen chances are they never will.
BTW, is Crutchfield located next door or something? You're swapping speakers on a daily basis it seems.
 
I had a pair of BP-8's back in the 90's that I did not like the sound of at first. I put them in a closet and ran them for a few days and they were much better. They had really recessed kids that opened up a lot after break in.
 
I had a pair of BP-8's back in the 90's that I did not like the sound of at first. I put them in a closet and ran them for a few days and they were much better. They had really recessed kids that opened up a lot after break in.

Exception, rule, proven. Thanks.
 
I'm sad to hear you're disappointed in your newest speakers. Whenever I've taken on a pair of speakers that were as out of sorts as what you describe they were usually just that. They never came around to a point of being anything I wanted to listen to.
Good luck on your search for sound.
Thanks!
 
I honestly don't have any recent experience in speaker hunting but I'm tending to agree with awillia6 post #78 and quiet post #81 above.
If they don't knock your socks off at first listen chances are they never will.
BTW, is Crutchfield located next door or something? You're swapping speakers on a daily basis it seems.
Yeah...they ship to me within one day! They are terrific w customer service.
 
Good sound is where you find it ... and size is really only an issue in an undedicated room.

That said... I've found tighter, more integrated upper bass response in good floorstanders. Vandersteens, JBL's and Magnepan's than in subwoofered arrangements...
It can be tough to integrate that subwoofer accurately ..
 
Am going to give these guys some time...as beautiful as they are, would love to have them open up and warm up a bit...if they did, they could work for me.
 
I would give em a good 100 hours, just to be sure. Just leave them on or whatever.
Makes one wonder why the manufacturers don't burn them in.
 
I would give em a good 100 hours, just to be sure. Just leave them on or whatever.
Makes one wonder why the manufacturers don't burn them in.
Because doing so would add considerably to the complexity and cost of the manufacturing and distribution process and those costs would need to be passed on to the consumer. :)
 
Because doing so would add considerably to the complexity and cost of the manufacturing and distribution process and those costs would need to be passed on to the consumer. :)

My next curiosity then would be how many buyers end up not liking what they hear and either return them or bad mouth them. Maybe most just eventually get there if they wait it out. And maybe dealers need to do a better job of telling their customers to give them some time.

It's kinda like a new restaurant opening before they are ready. First impressions.
 
It's kinda like a new restaurant opening before they are ready.
No it's more like buying a new car or motorcycle and not flogging the living hell out of it until the prescribed breaking in procedure has occurred.

It's unfortunate that listening to a new speaker fresh out of the box has gotten be the only way one gets their first impression of how that speaker sounds.
 
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Tin Bird, if you find yourself looking for something else, I'd recommend the Polk LSiM703, the bookshelf model from the top of Polk's line. I've always preferred bigger speakers, but then I found the LSiM703 in a package deal with the larger floor-standing 705s from Adorama. I figured I would keep the 705 and sell off the 703. I found that the 703s sounded 95% as good as the 705s, but in a much more wife-friendly size. They sound huge, but not overpowering. They're clear and articulate on the top, with a fantastic mid range. They have a bit of a mid-bass hump which I think contributes to their big sound. I don't mind it. It makes them sound fat and warm. I haven't heard Polk's S series, but I imagine it has a similar sound profile, but these would be a significant step up. Oh, and they're beautifully built. The most solid, perfectly finished speaker I've ever had the pleasure of owning.
 
This is a great discussion. I am on the hunt for my next set of speakers and this is very helpful. To the OP, I have a pair of older Wharfedales that I was listening to on a Sansui 3000. They sounded amazing! I did not need a subwoofer at all. The bass was great. I needed to bring the Sansui in for repair and put a 90s Denon temporarily in its place. The highs and mids were fine but the bass was gone! the Wharfedales sounded terrible! I had no idea the receiver would make that much difference. Maybe the newer speakers are the same. Nothing scientific there just my personal experience. Thanks again for the great post.
 
This is a great discussion. I am on the hunt for my next set of speakers and this is very helpful. To the OP, I have a pair of older Wharfedales that I was listening to on a Sansui 3000. They sounded amazing! I did not need a subwoofer at all. The bass was great. I needed to bring the Sansui in for repair and put a 90s Denon temporarily in its place. The highs and mids were fine but the bass was gone! the Wharfedales sounded terrible! I had no idea the receiver would make that much difference. Maybe the newer speakers are the same. Nothing scientific there just my personal experience. Thanks again for the great post.
The break-in/worn-out ratio in play here;)
 
If they were worn out, they wouldn't still sound right on the Sansui. They may be ready for a little restoration but my point was way more about different systems running different speakers differently.
 
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