No Hurt Feelings - What speakers do you think sound terrible?
- Thread starter Hanleyster
- Start date
Rob-F
Likes Vintage Gear and DIY
JBL speakers usually sounded bass-shy and lacking in warmth, too aggressive in the midrange. I didn't like the Allison speakers that had the triangular prism shape. Allison one, I think it was. I really liked the looks of it, but not the sound. Like the AR-3, it sounded like it was full of maple syrup. I didn't like the AR-3 either. And any speakers made by McIntosh sounded awful to me.
Is it OK to say what we do like? My all-time favorites through the years have been: The Bozak B-4000 Symphony; Altec Lansing A7 Voice of The Theater (in theaters, not at close distance); KLH 6; and of course my Dahlquist DQ-10s. Have always been tempted by the Magneplanars, but never bought them.
Is it OK to say what we do like? My all-time favorites through the years have been: The Bozak B-4000 Symphony; Altec Lansing A7 Voice of The Theater (in theaters, not at close distance); KLH 6; and of course my Dahlquist DQ-10s. Have always been tempted by the Magneplanars, but never bought them.
That would be the marketing department pissing off the engineers.
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chathamdad
Piano Trios Rule
I heard a set of big B&Ws at Axpona over the weekend that made me flee the room.
trinescope
Member
A few I had in the past that I didn't care for:
Pioneer CS-99: Incoherent sound overall, virtually no bass from the 15" woofer. This was the circa-1969 version, not the later CS-99A
Wharfedale W60: DULLLLLLLLLL
Jensen TF-4: A shallow bookcase speaker from about 1964, with five drivers total (10" woofer, 8" midrange, two 3" tweeters, and a "sonodome" super tweeter). Severe one-note bass problem, highs nearly non existent. The "Sonodomes" either were failed or they just didn't put out any sound I could detect. Easily the worst one on this list.
Infinity SM-112: Very bass-shy given its largish woofer, unnatural razor sharp piercing highs that cut your ears to ribbons
Cerwin-Vega AT-15: Boom Boom Tizz Tizz. Great party music speaker.
I agree with comments further above about Vandersteen 2C (Ci, etc). I have the 2C version here now; they do deep bass and that's about it. Dynamics are slow, stick in the mud variety. Takes a lot of amplifier power to drive them.
Pioneer CS-99: Incoherent sound overall, virtually no bass from the 15" woofer. This was the circa-1969 version, not the later CS-99A
Wharfedale W60: DULLLLLLLLLL
Jensen TF-4: A shallow bookcase speaker from about 1964, with five drivers total (10" woofer, 8" midrange, two 3" tweeters, and a "sonodome" super tweeter). Severe one-note bass problem, highs nearly non existent. The "Sonodomes" either were failed or they just didn't put out any sound I could detect. Easily the worst one on this list.
Infinity SM-112: Very bass-shy given its largish woofer, unnatural razor sharp piercing highs that cut your ears to ribbons
Cerwin-Vega AT-15: Boom Boom Tizz Tizz. Great party music speaker.
I agree with comments further above about Vandersteen 2C (Ci, etc). I have the 2C version here now; they do deep bass and that's about it. Dynamics are slow, stick in the mud variety. Takes a lot of amplifier power to drive them.
Jimbo40
Super Member
Yamaha Ns 1000m.
When they are on I can hear stuff in the songs that I never even heard before. Like I can tell the drummer is hitting wood, brass, tin, leather. Hearing the vocalist breath and when her nose bumps the microphone. All the flaws of finger nails on stringed instruments. I mean most of the time I feel like the band is standing right in the room with me and I want private time dang it all.
There's so intrusive.
I need some like Panasonic thruster or something good where the entire stage is not in the room with you. And it's embarrassing having your friends tell you all the time that they never heard those notes or things in that song before. They sit there with this dumb look on there faces all quiet like they hate it, I think. One guy hated them so much he even offered the take them to the dump for me. I said, but they won't fit in your little car, and he said he would just strap them to the roof. I have very nice friends .
When they are on I can hear stuff in the songs that I never even heard before. Like I can tell the drummer is hitting wood, brass, tin, leather. Hearing the vocalist breath and when her nose bumps the microphone. All the flaws of finger nails on stringed instruments. I mean most of the time I feel like the band is standing right in the room with me and I want private time dang it all.
There's so intrusive.
I need some like Panasonic thruster or something good where the entire stage is not in the room with you. And it's embarrassing having your friends tell you all the time that they never heard those notes or things in that song before. They sit there with this dumb look on there faces all quiet like they hate it, I think. One guy hated them so much he even offered the take them to the dump for me. I said, but they won't fit in your little car, and he said he would just strap them to the roof. I have very nice friends .
When I was in the Air Force stationed in Germany in the mid 60's, I ordered a pair of UTAH HS-1B's. Hadn't heard a pair, but ordered them strictly from pictures and advertisement hype. Had them shipped to my sisters home, waiting for me when I got home. Couldn't wait to unpack them, and hook them up to my Knightkit amp when I got home. Big disappointment. Some of the worst speakers I have ever heard. Beautiful big walnut cabinets, but sounded terrible. Bill
freQ(*)Oddio
Super Member
My friends jbl L100s ripping my head off with midrange, and i love mids, but not like this, There will be no relaxing with them, possibly the designers choice sound, and Jbl has certainly sold many.