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Speaker Shootout

Spektre said:
An exception would be the Spendor SA1 I owned that had a soft doped fabric tweeter. Although the upper treble was rolled off and smooth there was region in lower treble frequency range that I found both persistent and annoying, I've read of one other owner that mentions this, it could have been the cabinet or crossover, I don't know but I did find them tiring to listen to over extended sessions.
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I agree about the SA1. Not one of Spendors best efforts. Pretty though.
 
MudSlideSlim said:
I'd like to see a bigger LS-50 - one that uses an 8 inch driver and a Beryllium tweeter
RGA



Beryllium tweeters (Yamaha NS1000) do seem to have more of smoothness to them compared to Aluminum. Aluminum tweeters can be bright, especially near field. I often find the various B&W 805s are bright (but not always) depending on the setup or material. Fantastic but bright. I seem to own a lot of bright and poorly mastered Redbook CDs.

I'm wondering what makes Spendor speakers sound so smooth? Do the use some exotic material for their tweeters?
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Just heard Focal Diablo Utopia that has Beryllium tweeter. I didn't even think in terms of brightness. It was just great sound from top to bottom. So open, so easy, so detailed. I really have to stop listening to these extravagant speakers, even for fun. :sigh:
 
newworld said:
Just heard Focal Diablo Utopia that has Beryllium tweeter. I didn't even think in terms of brightness. It was just great sound from top to bottom. So open, so easy, so detailed. I really have to stop listening to these extravagant speakers, even for fun. :sigh:
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That's one of my very favorite offerings in the market right now.
 
I agree with you on the KEF LS50's but even then I'm not sure I could live with them for a long time


Mike T


These have been very excellent and informative posts for me. It is easy to blame all my audio (or the worlds)
problems on aluminum tweeters an/or switching power supplies. Both of which can be configured for excellent results. But 'Bright and Fatiguing' can be very relative and very material driven.

As Audio evolves I (and others) are getting into nearfield desktop systems (plus FLAC files). So many speakers and I'll use my 805 matrix as an example might sound nice and detailed from a distance but 'Bright and Fatiguing' 3 feet away. They may be great for 1or 2 hour depending on the material but ultimately the there are issues. So I'm thinking back to the nostalgic days when I owned my Spendor BC1s. They were great but everyone seemed to have a velvety BBC bloom to their voice but they were never 'Bright and Fatiguing' But there is also lots more detail and 'you are there' presents with modern speakers. So I swing both ways.

When it comes to tweeter, it just doesn't get smoother than Spendor. They are almost 'liquid'

neworld

Maybe Spendors (or Audio Note) are the answers to all the worlds ...or speakers with more zing!

Michael
 
Step It Up

With the unexpected day off due to inclement weather, I can resume contemplating and reviewing on the speakers.

I think I now have a better idea not only about the sound but also the function of each speaker. If you are trying to find an all-around speaker, you can waste a lot of time looking in the wrong direction or make a purchase that won't eventually suit your needs. If you stick to your budget, space, and music, you can quickly narrow down to a handful. That didn't keep me from trying EVERYTHING, but now it's easy for me to weed them out from the crowd.

Revisited:

Kef LS50 - I kept going back to see if there is any way possible to use these as I need. It soon became about what THEY need. They needed a smaller room to keep from straining. They needed an awesome amplifier to do them justice. They needed only half of my music collection to play properly. But what about my needs?
 
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So from the reports it seems the LS50s don't quite have that uncanny room-filling sound for mini-monitors?
For mini-monitors Australia's Lenehan ML1s had just that. So do the Tiny Dancers. And I hear Totem Mani 2s are like that, too.
 
davidro said:
So from the reports it seems the LS50s don't quite have that uncanny room-filling sound for mini-monitors?
For mini-monitors Australia's Lenehan ML1s had just that. So do the Tiny Dancers. And I hear Totem Mani 2s are like that, too.
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Not for orchestral music, I'm afraid. I don't know what kind of classical music reviewers listen to, but it's simply beyond its limitations. Chamber music sounds great though, and singers with piano accompaniment.

Orchestral music is just too demanding for speakers, and it's unattainable at my price point. But when it happens, it's unforgettable. It's not the kind of 'punch' that people talk about. That is for pop music. It's not the room-loading sensation, either. That is for subwoofers.

Proac Studio 140 mk2 had that ability which was unbelievable. I could 'see' the bass section lined up in the back. But it was at the expense of everything else, which is a high price to pay. I tried to ignore the shortcomings of this speaker, but it fell short on tonal purity and detail.

This inadvertently turned out to be another mini-review from the revisits. I think at the price that I'm able to afford, I have to give up in one major area. I just have to choose which one I can live without. :yes:
 
newworld said:
Just made an unintentionally short visit at a dealer who carries Dali and Revel. Typical of stores whose main focus is in home installation, there were only a few speakers on display.

Dali Mentor Menuet - Very smooth...very small. In this price range and size, it should compete directly with the Kef LS50. Quite similar in presentation, but even more limited in lower extensions. Since it doesn't even try to do what it's not capable of, it plays cleaner when played louder in complex orchestral materials. It's just missing about half of recording materials.

Revel M106 - Home theater speaker is what came to mind. It's much bigger than the Dali's and more efficient. Plays loud with funny effects. Yes, effects. Good for Thor, not for Beethoven.

Disappointing demo overall, but that's also part of this fun process, right?

Amplifier - Peachtree Nova. Sounded fine.
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You know....I have a pair of these sitting in my basement (M106) for the last 3 or 4 months. They just cant come near,to the refined sound of the Vento's. They are really out classed by the Vento's.

They belong to a dealer friend of mine who left them at my house and he is in no hurry to pick them up. I had the duty of running them in to see if they would open up. They are a darker presentation...more so than I like. But they are not slanted towards home theater use only. A good speaker can do both home theater as well as 2 channel. Proper system matching is required with all speakers...in most cases only listening in a store is not the end result of what a speaker can do in your home system. For the Revel M106, which are very different sounding than the previous Revels, I believe a amp that leans to the bright and analytical sound of thing may get the best out of the M106's. And perhaps the same for interconnect and speaker cables. The Revels are not really my cup of tea...but I'm sure I could find the right amp/cable and they would be ok. But to label them as home theater speaks in flat out not a correct label.
 
slippers-on said:
You know....I have a pair of these sitting in my basement (M106) for the last 3 or 4 months. They just cant come near,to the refined sound of the Vento's. They are really out classed by the Vento's.

They belong to a dealer friend of mine who left them at my house and he is in no hurry to pick them up. I had the duty of running them in to see if they would open up. They are a darker presentation...more so than I like. But they are not slanted towards home theater use only. A good speaker can do both home theater as well as 2 channel. Proper system matching is required with all speakers...in most cases only listening in a store is not the end result of what a speaker can do in your home system. For the Revel M106, which are very different sounding than the previous Revels, I believe a amp that leans to the bright and analytical sound of thing may get the best out of the M106's. And perhaps the same for interconnect and speaker cables. The Revels are not really my cup of tea...but I'm sure I could find the right amp/cable and they would be ok. But to label them as home theater speaks in flat out not a correct label.
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Fair enough.
 
This thread continues to be a fun read.

That thing in post #170 about satisfying the needs of the speakers has been a pet peeve of mine since I used to run PA systems for bands in the '80s. I must admit that I've never quite seen it articulated that way though.
I can think of a certain person who just brought a pair of those KEFs home who will likely be thoroughly satisfied with them. I'm not sure if he's speaker-broken or naturally inclines towards the kinds of music that will excel with those speakers.

It's interesting how the trade-offs one must accept vary by who one is and how for some folks, what would be considered a compromise worth or not worth trading-off isn't even a consideration for some other folks.

Thank you all for helping me continue to stretch in this hobby.
 
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audiodon said:
This thread continues to be a fun read.

That thing in post #170 about satisfying the needs of the speakers has been a pet peeve of mine since I used to run PA systems for bands in the '80s. I must admit that I've never quite seen it articulated that way though.
I can think of a certain person who just brought a pair of those KEFs home who will likely be thoroughly satisfied with them. I'm not sure if he's speaker-broken or naturally inclines towards the kinds of music that will excel with those speakers.

It's interesting how the trade-offs one must accept vary by who one is and how for some folks, what would be considered a compromise worth or not worth trading-off isn't even a consideration for some other folks.

Thank you all for helping me continue to stretch in this hobby.
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I'm glad you are enjoying my thread. It's rewarding to see someone getting something positive out of my experience.

I think we are sometimes too obssessed with minute differences that we forget to see the big picture. That's when people start to buy subwoofers, then add bass traps, then get a bigger room, then sell your kids, and etc.

Starting point could be higher for everyone, I believe. Get what you NEED, then enjoy the small increments of success with whatever the change you might be able to afford.
 
Sorry, but adding room treatment makes much more sense then switching out gear all the time so I would hardly call that a "minute" difference.
 
Some questions and comments as I am in the process of a speaker hunt as well-
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Did you happen to listen to the KEF R500? these are on my short list at the moment.
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I am trying hard not to get sucked into the hype surrounding the LS-50- although my demo tomorrow in Chicago should confirm or deny any notions. Based on my room, musical tastes and volume preference there can be no way a single 5-1/4" bass driver will satisfy, especially when the F3 is 79Hz- with or without subwoofer.
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Listened to Revel Concerta F12. Had high expectations given the pedigree and driver configuration. Some of the flattest, dullest speakers I have ever heard.
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B&W 683. Once the sales rep turned off the sub there was no hiding the fact that these are ordinary speakers with a high price. Very strained high midrange (harsh) on challenging recordings.
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B&W 684. I liked these a little better than the 683s. Lack of high frequency air and sparkle ruled them out though.
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Klipsch Hersey iii. Liked these a lot. Still on the list.
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Paradigm Monitor 9. Much maligned or praised in the audio world- no in between or so it seems. They are "veiled" and tend to reduce midrange / high frequency detail BUT the bass response was very good and the kicker for me was that there was zero harshness even with the most challenging of my recordings. Everything I threw at it -and I brought my thinnest, most harsh if not fingernails on the chalkboard grating material- sounded pleasant and listenable at the highest of volume settings. Here is an example-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaes2MGql0U&list=PLECDB47550A392B56&index=11
The Paradigms made this song sound good. However I am not yet sold and have others to audition in addition to the KEFs including PSB T6, Imagine T; Monitor Audio Bronze and Silver floorstanders and the curious Golden Ear Triton 7.
 
Polarbear said:
Sorry, but adding room treatment makes much more sense then switching out gear all the time so I would hardly call that a "minute" difference.
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I agree with you...one must be able to HEAR his gear before he goes down that swamp every thing out "road". Like they say...if it aint broke don't fix it...many cats don't know their room is broken, so they never fix it.
 
newworld said:
Not for orchestral music, I'm afraid. I don't know what kind of classical music reviewers listen to, but it's simply beyond its limitations. Chamber music sounds great though, and singers with piano accompaniment.
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Thats the reason I've been reticent to buy a pair of LS50's, about 85% of my collection is classical and it sometimes feels as if reviewers loose their objectivity so bowled over are they by other aspects of its performance. I have a small room with a very good basic acoustic that is sympathetic to smaller monitors but the cabinet dimensions of the KEF really have me wondering.
 
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