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Who stole the Dynamics?

Bigerik

Bigerik

AK Subscriber
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Due to my small listening space, I made the move to stand mounted, small monitor speakers. Opera Primas, with 6.5 inch Seas metal woofers and Seas dome tweeters. I have been listening to a lot of jazz recently, and never had much complaints about how they sounded. Not overly dynamic (my entire system is WAY on the warm, tubey side), but not THAT much of an issue.....

However, today I decided to throw on Face the Music by ELO. If any of you know the first cut, Fire on High, once the weird sound effects stop, and the orchestra comes in, the dynamics of it should hit you like a punch in the stomach. Well, I played it today and it was so nice and polite and TOTALLY boring! Yawn. I mean, this stuff is supposed to rock, and it sure doesn't.

I wish I could find a speaker that was smooth and clean in the highs, moved a lot of air so that it could provide the kind of dynamics and punch I am looking for, while being small enough to fit in the room, without making so much bass that I will piss off the neighbors. Sure ain't found anything like that yet...

Sigh.
Just venting.
 
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At least they look nice....

opera-prima.jpg
 
botrytis said:
If you want dynamics - need big speakers. Mini-monitors are not known for dynamics.
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I know. About time someone did something about the laws of physics or something. I mean, I would love to have a pair of big Altecs like Billfort has (man, those things are fun to listen to) but they would just never fit. Or work in the space.....
 
Maybe the Harbeth HL5? I know it's smooth and I thought reasonable dynamics. It's not going to make you go ooof when it hits you but only a big speaker is going to do that.
 
Best punch I have heard in my room was a short listen to a pair of JBL 4312A's. The highs and mids were not what I wanted, but the dynamics were awesome.
 
jcmjrt said:
Maybe the Harbeth HL5? I know it's smooth and I thought reasonable dynamics. It's not going to make you go ooof when it hits you but only a big speaker is going to do that.
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Interesting. Will have to have a look.
 
The digital mastering litterally sucks on that CD. No fair until you hear the vinyl of Fire on high, then we are talking seriously good dynamics. Somewhere around here I have a nice transfer of it from open reel to DAT and it has great dynamics.

Sorry mastering is the major culpret here.
 
BillR mastering said:
The digital mastering litterally sucks on that CD. No fair until you hear the vinyl of Fire on high, then we are talking seriously good dynamics. Somewhere around here I have a nice transfer of it from open reel to DAT and it has great dynamics.

Sorry mastering is the major culpret here.
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That WAS the vinyl. Spun on a Sota Sapphire with a Zyx Fuji cartridge. Now, the Sota is not what anyone would call a dynamic table, but bass it does have...
 
I feel your pain to some extent Erik. As much as I love my speakers, which are 8" Fostex full range drivers custom made by Tekton, they're still technically bookshelf speakers and I feel like I'm always chasing better dynamics. Now, there's still much room for improvement as far as major things like an amplifier and better phono cartridge go, but I think to get what I'm seeking is ultimately going to take much larger speakers and a mix of solid state and tubes.

However, those are really sweet looking speakers, they've got to sound nice. Maybe your tubes are to blame for the overly-polite sound?
 
Mr. Lin said:
I feel your pain to some extent Erik. As much as I love my speakers, which are 8" Fostex full range drivers custom made by Tekton, they're still technically bookshelf speakers and I feel like I'm always chasing better dynamics. Now, there's still much room for improvement as far as major things like an amplifier and better phono cartridge go, but I think to get what I'm seeking is ultimately going to take much larger speakers and a mix of solid state and tubes.

However, those are really sweet looking speakers, they've got to sound nice. Maybe your tubes are to blame for the overly-polite sound?
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MUCH truth to that tho.
Right now running an older CJ pre-amp, which is certainly on the warm and smooth side. As mentioned, so is the Sota and Zyx combo.

Tried them with both the CJ and with my old backup, the Carver 1.0t. Not that the Carver is the most dynamic of SS amps, but it should do something.

To be honest, I think the Operas are going deep enough. They are just not moving enough air. Maybe I need something with a 10 inch woofer with a f3 or 50hz or so????
 
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