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Speaker Shootout

Chad Michael said:
When considering the purchase of something, I ask myself:

"I may be thrilled with this right away, but will I still be happy with it in 5+ years?"

Back in the late '80's, when I was making $5.07 an hour, it was a very big deal for me to spend $425 on my Celestion DL8 series II. 25 years later, I still wouldn't part with them.. my friends praised their sound when new, and still do today. Funny thing is, you could probably buy a decent ebay set right now, for a Ben Franklin :music:

Would my DL8's compare to anything you have auditioned? Not likely, but that's not the point. Think long-term ... good luck
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Very good point. That's something I had to ask myself when I recently purchased my LS50s - are these going to satisfy me as much as they do now, as they will say, 5 years down the road? I constantly read from guys here who bought speakers new and still own them some 20 years later. I want to have a story like that, because that means you own something you really, genuinely love.

By the way I owned a pair of DL12 Series IIs, those are nice sounding speakers. I miss them!
 
Thanks, guys. I was getting cold feet even before I committed.

And I'm happy to say that I'm TAKEN! Ordered and waiting for delivery.

Thank you, Kef LS50, for flaunting at my heart, but you and I are not meant to be together. Dynaudio X34, you are such a wholesome speaker, anybody would be lucky to have you. Proac Studio 140mk2, it was fun while it lasted, but I need a bit more meaning in my life...
 
canuckaudiog said:
You would do that wouldn't ya. :D

OK I guess it's been what, over a year? I suppose I can wait a little longer..

..OK no, I lied. I must know. C'mon spill the beans!!
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No beans will be spillt, but there will be teasers. Just go chill with your LS50's for a bit. :yes:
 
In the Meantime

A couple of speakers that I forgot to mention and listened to recently...

PMC Twenty 23 - This is a very 'safe' sounding speaker. Not that it's dull or anything. Detail is all there with good neutrality. It either struggles or won't play loud. It was a very strange feeling. The volume was enough to hear everything, but I could never get emotionally involved. Also, there was no height to the soundstage. I'm tempted to say the tweeter sounds dark, but that's not quite correct, either. Three dimensionality is not its strength it seems. I can picture big Bryston amplifiers putting some fire under these.

PSB Imagine B - Squeaky clean sound that borders on being sterile, it was refreshing to hear this kind of speaker after so many 'dirty' ones. I really prefer this to many. There's no bass extension to speak of, and it doesn't even try to fool you. Smart choice, because when it got busy, images stayed locked in and uncompressed, unlike the similarly sized Kef LS50. It's not the wrap-around-you kind of sound that I like, and a bit bleached in terms color, but that is exactly its strength. A blank canvas for your source and amp. It's your job to mess it up.

Amplification - Simaudio Pre/Power
 
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Your review of the PSB Imagine B reminds me that we think in similar ways about what makes a speaker's strengths and weaknesses.
 
Trying to get ready for the arrival of my new speakers...I need stands!

There, I said it. It's not a floorstander. :D
 
Chad Michael said:
When considering the purchase of something, I ask myself:

"I may be thrilled with this right away, but will I still be happy with it in 5+ years?"

Back in the late '80's, when I was making $5.07 an hour, it was a very big deal for me to spend $425 on my Celestion DL8 series II. 25 years later, I still wouldn't part with them.. my friends praised their sound when new, and still do today. Funny thing is, you could probably buy a decent ebay set right now, for a Ben Franklin :music:

Would my DL8's compare to anything you have auditioned? Not likely, but that's not the point. Think long-term ... good luck
Click to expand...

Yes because Celestion made very nice sounding loudspeakers - very underrated. My first really good speaker was the Audio Note K/Spe which is often Compared to and being a kind of upgraded Celestion SL6. It's no wonder Audio Note hired Celestion's(and Rogers') Andy Whittle as one of their design leads.

I bought the K - then soon the J - I have had the J since 2004 and I currently own the KEF LS50 - (the J ad K are better). I like the KEF but it's not going to be the kind of "25 year keeper" kind of thing. I'm already planning on my 25 year keeper speaker - the Audio Note E. It's a matter of which one. I've heard a LOT of loudspeakers since 1990 and when I factor in things like domestic space and ease of drive and "full enough range" (25hz flat in room) etc etc I struggle to find speakers that are as good.

The Teresonic Ingenium I like but the price jumped from $12,000 to $20,000 since 2010. And I ultimately struggle with the slightly washed out dynamics of single drivers - it hides it better than Zu Audo but it's there.

The DeVore Orangutan is almost as good - it sounds strikingly similar but it costs double the entry E models and the E models for the same money with Alnico have a vastly better upper midrange and treble resolution. The Devore is easier to drive but requires more space for positioning. And the other 8-10 speakers that would garner serious attention are either way too big or way too costly. Even the E isn't exactly inexpensive. Part of this for me is that as a reviewer we tend to get forced into owning "new" products so that most readers are somewhat familiar with what we have or and they have access to auditioning it. Hence the KEF.

I see a LOT of people changing speakers every year or three and yes there is the ole "I want a change" routine - but I can honestly say that after 10 years of owning the AN J/Spe - there has not been even a one second flash that crossed my mind that I wanted something else except perhaps a better AN J or a the bigger brother E - which uses the exact same drivers in a cabinet 3 times the volume. If Celestion does it for you then keep it. I heard an old beat up pair in a second hand shop years back and I said - wow - this just destroys everything the audio shop sells a few stores down at new car prices. Involving, held my attention - made me want to listen to music. A lot of stuff makes you listen to the wow factor. Great at an audio show or a showroom floor but not for longer term.
 
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newworld said:
Hello all,

I've auditioned the following speakers since last year and thought it would be fun and hopefully helpful to leave some of my impressions for those who have limited access to dealers:

A musician by trade, I've only begun to realize what I was looking for in speakers, after years of owning a well-reviewed set of speakers and then restarting my search over a long period of time. To my surprise, it is vastly different from where I started and certainly has been enjoyable.

Interested?
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Yes please publish...

Which selections are you using in your evaluation, the same for each speaker?

For me, it always seems to be female voices that the systems have the hardest time reproducing, the other thing I like for evaluation is a minimum number of instruments, acoustic because you know what to expect in the sound. aka slow blue grass

The artist I have had the most luck with is Alison Krauss, "Now that I found you" is pretty clean and should sound lifelike.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvKtxTsVoMo

Her Hundred Miles or More Cd has destroyed more than one demo system at show rooms.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WNpwyP0_IA

My two cents
 
Bubo said:
Yes please publish...

Which selections are you using in your evaluation, the same for each speaker?

For me, it always seems to be female voices that the systems have the hardest time reproducing, the other thing I like for evaluation is a minimum number of instruments, acoustic because you know what to expect in the sound. aka slow blue grass

The artist I have had the most luck with is Alison Krauss, "Now that I found you" is pretty clean and should sound lifelike.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvKtxTsVoMo

Her Hundred Miles or More Cd has destroyed more than one demo system at show rooms.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WNpwyP0_IA

My two cents
Click to expand...

Ummmm....my reviews are dispersed throughout the thread, so you will have to read the whole thing. :D You can try a search function within the thread, I think.

In terms of music selection, I've used jazz and classical including chamber, piano, orchestral, and opera. Sometimes I stayed longer with a particular album because of the enjoyment or cut short because of disappointment.

When I revisited certain speakers I listened to different music to keep things fresh, but always stayed within the said genre with a bit of popular music thrown in. To give you an idea:

Verdi Falstaff - Solti, Evans
Stravinsky Rite of Spring - Gergiev, London Symphony
Bach Goldberg Variations - Perahia
Schumann Cello Concerto - Du Pre
Heifetz, Billie Holiday, and etc...
 
newworld said:
When I revisited certain speakers I listened to different music to keep things fresh, but always stayed within the said genre with a bit of popular music thrown in. To give you an idea:

Verdi Falstaff - Solti, Evans
Stravinsky Rite of Spring - Gergiev, London Symphony
Bach Goldberg Variations - Perahia
Schumann Cello Concerto - Du Pre
Heifetz, Billie Holiday, and etc...
Click to expand...

Strings and female voice, OK!
 
davidro said:
You found mini monitors that satisfy yout bass requirements?
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Starting a process of elimination to guess what I'm getting? ;) It's not a mini-monitor but rather a hefty monitor. Actually, it's quite difficult finding a pair of stands that is tall enough with a large top plate. The speakers should be arriving at the dealer, soon!
 
newworld said:
Starting a process of elimination to guess what I'm getting? ;) It's not a mini-monitor but rather a hefty monitor. Actually, it's quite difficult finding a pair of stands that is tall enough with a large top plate. The speakers should be arriving at the dealer, soon!
Click to expand...

How about another hint, is it one you listened to in this thread? :)
 
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