XR290 Listening Impressions

[twiiii]

When I really want to really know whether I like a speaker or not I drag out some dubs of my original masters I recorded in the 70's and 80's. The recordings range from 10 ft Steinways, The Presidents own, Basie, Ray Charles, and live steam engines. Thunderbirds and Blue Angels. There some Orchestra recordings, Theatre Organ, String quartets with Harpsicord or piano and believe it or not solo Concert Harp. If you ever want to know if your bass is colored pull out a Harp recording. My recordings of Buddy Rich were so dynamic the tapes self destructed magnetically and became unlistenable. Print through was also a big issue. So I use Sheffields Track records. One of these days I want to update my Stax headphones. Any way why do I mention the Stax, well because you get to hear the sound of the recordings without room issues. Sort of like dragging your speakers out doors and suspending you and the speakers thirty feet off the ground. Its not like listening in an anechoic chamber, but you get the idea. I admit my recordings are colored but I recognize the colors and if the speaker doesn't get the coloring right I even know more about the speakers.

 

[Velocityboat]

When I really want to really know whether I like a speaker or not I drag out some dubs of my original masters I recorded in the 70's and 80's. The recordings range from 10 ft Steinways, The Presidents own, Basie, Ray Charles, and live steam engines. Thunderbirds and Blue Angels. There some Orchestra recordings, Theatre Organ, String quartets with Harpsicord or piano and believe it or not solo Concert Harp. If you ever want to know if your bass is colored pull out a Harp recording. My recordings of Buddy Rich were so dynamic the tapes self destructed magnetically and became unlistenable. Print through was also a big issue. So I use Sheffields Track records. One of these days I want to update my Stax headphones. Any way why do I mention the Stax, well because you get to hear the sound of the recordings without room issues. Sort of like dragging your speakers out doors and suspending you and the speakers thirty feet off the ground. Its not like listening in an anechoic chamber, but you get the idea. I admit my recordings are colored but I recognize the colors and if the speaker doesn't get the coloring right I even know more about the speakers.

I have never spent a great deal of time with decent headphones. I know your points on removing room interactions. I have found taming room interactions makes the music sound great with clarity detail as much away from the listening room as it does in the sweet spot. I guess that is why I like my outdoor and boat sound systems. Sometimes i think their the greatest until I walk back int house and hear the XR290s playing fed room perfect signal. I consider myself fortunate

 

[Velocityboat]

When I really want to really know whether I like a speaker or not I drag out some dubs of my original masters I recorded in the 70's and 80's. The recordings range from 10 ft Steinways, The Presidents own, Basie, Ray Charles, and live steam engines. Thunderbirds and Blue Angels. There some Orchestra recordings, Theatre Organ, String quartets with Harpsicord or piano and believe it or not solo Concert Harp. If you ever want to know if your bass is colored pull out a Harp recording. My recordings of Buddy Rich were so dynamic the tapes self destructed magnetically and became unlistenable. Print through was also a big issue. So I use Sheffields Track records. One of these days I want to update my Stax headphones. Any way why do I mention the Stax, well because you get to hear the sound of the recordings without room issues. Sort of like dragging your speakers out doors and suspending you and the speakers thirty feet off the ground. Its not like listening in an anechoic chamber, but you get the idea. I admit my recordings are colored but I recognize the colors and if the speaker doesn't get the coloring right I even know more about the speakers.

Twiiii,
Can you suggest some good solo concert harp selections? I would like to see what these XR290s can do. The wife and I have been doing Hawaiian Music tonight quite amazing strings. Some good Harp would be welcome.

 

[Velocityboat]

Blue Moon Revisited; I'm so lonesome I could cry. - Cowboy Junkies, Trinity Sessions, Sweet Jane, Bass and Drums far Right Channel, Electric Guitar left and se back. Vocals perfect center slightly forward. Some pure bliss

 

[twiiii]

I couldn't find a reissue but this album has one of the original works. Bach Handle Harp Concertos. DG: 469544

 

[Velocityboat]

I'm Glad you like the IDS-25. I also appreciate you taking the time to explain the differences in sound. Its like hearing the difference between an Altec 604 and a Klipsch corner horn. The Klipsch is louder has more bass, but the imaging and staging is all screwed up compared to the Altec might be a vlid relative comparison.

Now I would never say the 290 bass is fuzzy thats a term only we Bozak Concert grand users can claim before bi-amping. But I catch your drift. And yes Room perfect improves the sound while maintaining the basic sound of the speaker, if thats as far as you want to go. So Room perfect might be just the ticket for the IDS 25. I'm glad to hear the IDS doesn't fall apart with a 601. The boys at Audio Classics were given a choice to sell the IDS 25. Steve said they had to pass. He loves ML and XR bass, as I do and I guess the IDS didn't tow the mark. I'll let him answer the question for the company. The question is how much are you willing to give up to gain the the imaging and staging of the IDS 25. Being a low brass player and my better half a lower register reed player, the speakers would never be accepted in our house. Maybe that's unfortunate. I'm curious about what you thought about the emissions above 7 kHz. That could be a real issue with large cones and so many different arrival times for a very long array.

Way back when I use to believe that I would rather have great signal to noise ratio and low distortion, which is a form of noise, than super wide frequency response and very high dynamic range. I still believe that way to day though I find low bass below 40 hz very necessary today more than I did so 50 years ago,

I was listening to and watching the latest video of the UP 844 break in run on the internet. And like all commercial video recordings, the guys are interested in getting the picture right and have no clue what to do with the sound. So I got out my CD dubs or recordings I made with a Nagra and Neumann microphones, Even my recording on video setting the gain properly without going into the limiter with a Audio Technica Stereo mic were much more life like with the bass rolled off starting at 70 hz. If you want to challenge your system some time find a Original Masters LP of UP 8444 flying buy at 75 mph with the mics placed with in 8 ft off the RR tracks. If your system can't put out 115 db, and produce 30 hz you will be very disappointed. It will be like listening to a Volkwagom compared to a full throttle DODGE Hemi with straight pipes. I've measured over 120 A db continuous at 30 ft from the RR tracks with 8444 flying long between Larime and Cheyenne. I almost fainted the first time I heard Shirley Muldonney race Big Daddy Garletts at a drag strip. .

I wonder if some one could make big money selling accurate Noise Fi systems?

I recalibrated room perfect finally after I had ajusted XR290s for best soundfield uncorrected; to be more specific a flatter toe in. I had a chance to hear Eagles When Hell Freezes Over acoustic Hotel California. I had heard this on IDS-25 I found the XR290 set to Globlal mode ends up emulating the IDS-25 sound stage quite well. The XR290 just still brings the low bass you totally feel in your body. I tend to like neutral Room Perfect but the Global sure opened up soundstage on this song. Almost makes me rethink what mode to listen to all the time. Percussion goes to the XR290. But strings and voice the IDS-25 is hard to forget.

I am in a Quandry whether a MX150 or uprading my DAC is my next move. A Shitt Yggrasilu intrests me as does a D1100.

 

[damacman]

I recalibrated room perfect finally after I had ajusted XR290s for best soundfield uncorrected; to be more specific a flatter toe in. I had a chance to hear Eagles When Hell Freezes Over acoustic Hotel California. I had heard this on IDS-25 I found the XR290 set to Globlal mode ends up emulating the IDS-25 sound stage quite well. The XR290 just still brings the low bass you totally feel in your body. I tend to like neutral Room Perfect but the Global sure opened up soundstage on this song. Almost makes me rethink what mode to listen to all the time. Percussion goes to the XR290. But strings and voice the IDS-25 is hard to forget.

I am in a Quandry whether a MC-150 or uprading my DAC is my next move. A Shitt Yggrasilu intrests me as does a D1100.

So ... How's it sound all analog?

 

[twiiii]

If you want to take the full advantage of the 151. you use the analog inputs for stereo with their specific modes and the digital inputs for another specific set of modes. Thats why the 891 and 861 take two inputs each, one analog and one digital for my system. Remember with a 151 you can have as many inputs as you have dedicated digital connections including HDMI, Coaxial, optical, etc. plus the pairs of analog inputs.

 

[Velocityboat]

Had a discussion with better half on XRT20s versus XR290s. Her description was timeless. Think of unplugged music XRT20s versus plugged in XR290s. I want everything give me the plugged in version unless it is time to sleep or have....... yep XRT20s bedroom speakers.