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The Defense For Multiple Pairs of Speakers

Would you want to eat the same food every day, even if it was your favorite food? Variety is the spice of life.

My Magnepans sound different than my ADS which are different from the DQ-10s. Each have their charms. Sometimes I like to listen to music on the Definitive Technologies home theater system in 2.2 mode (front speakers with twin subs). The big sound of the Bose 901s hanging in my wood shop sound great when messing about with tools.

I like wearing different clothes every day too. Call me crazy!
 
musichal said:
Sure. But sometimes I want music in the master bedroom (Emotiva PT-100, Adcom 535-II and Klipsch Forte), and I keep a modest system in the guest bedroom (NuForce pre, Emotiva Flex-amp and Debut B6). Most of the real dough went into the main system in my sig, though.
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It's interesting that I have never owned more than one actual system before in my experience of 45 years of audio.

I never hang out in the bedroom long enough to justify a system there, and the entire downstairs is more like one big room so the l200's fill that easily.

I have a tiny room down under the house with a small workbench where I recently bought some jbl lsr 305s but they are overkill there so have them plugged into the tv.

If I ever get around to building my shop I may put the L200's in there which would open up the living room for something new, perhaps spend some more serious money on newer JBL but that is a good long ways away.. Till then, just one system is all I can hope for.
 
I'll say here what I said on another similar thread, and that is, one pair of speakers per system is enough for me. As long as a piano sounds like a piano, a woman's voice, an acoustic bass, a sax, etc... sound like they are supposed to sound and all appear to be in the same room in front of me, the speaker has done its job and I don't need anything else for a different presentation.

I personally can't understand the need for more than one pair unless of course there are deficiencies in the sound being reproduced by the speaker itself. JMO.

I know, I know ....... different strokes for different folks. Agreed 100%.

ps: I answering the OP, the only defense I can think of for multiple pairs of speakers is multiple systems, one pair per system, please. ;)
 
living room has 2 systems
avr / mission 770 with polk center and polk rti a4 [high on wall]
main rig running emotiva and Yamaha apms to kef 104/2 and kef 105/2 , if i want loud, all 4 will play
another pair of polk rti a4 sitting on top of the 104's ... testers for junk i bring home :)
11 regular use speakers in one room

not counting a room full of very good speakers waiting for me to have time off to rotate :)
since kid #1 moved i have storage

i get ya totally
and my GF does not complain, and in fact points me to more when she see's it
 
Only one pair/system, but five systems set up with more in the batter's box waiting.

All systems doing dual duty music/tv so it's kind of a necessity, plus I like the gear.

Between the two main rigs, living rm/music rm, I like the "you are there" presentation of the Infinitys, and the "they are here" presentation of the Klipsch, surf & turf, why not have it all.

As for WAF, my lady likes music, and for some reason loves me and not only tolerates my illness but gave me records for Christmas to help with my addiction lol, she's such an enabler.
 
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I have more sets of speakers but am allowed only one set in use at any given time with my in house system. My sets tend to be heavy so I am less inclines to swap them around and piss off the old lady so they sit in the garage. That's where I get to play with as many sets as I want
 
I have 7 sets right now after thinning the herd down. I have a small music room (9' X 9') that is my primary listening area. I've had a bunch of bookshelf speakers go through there. I currently have a pair of ESS Performance Series Model 8 which I'm very happy with. I'm putting in a man cave in the basement and I'll be knocking out a wall between 2 rooms so the final dimensions will be about 10' X 24'. I have a pair of Dahlquist DQ-10 going in there. The others are Lafayette/Goodmans full range boxes (big), EPI Model 5, Avid 102, Snell JII and ADS B7. My stereo budget is not big, so all of these have been from GW or yard sales.
 
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I like having the musical voices of different speaker designs to listen to, rotating in and out of the main system. Finding Wonderment at the ebb and flow of synergy. I do remember a good piece of audiokarma advice:

-try to keep just one pair of speakers in the listening room,

Being fairly immune to clutter, I know I could quickly have multiple sets of speakers in the room, a combination for me, of laziness and ease of swapping. (Stacked speakers count as one). So I try to stick to that rule mainly because the listening room is a “presentable” room in the house. Now the garage, that’s another story.
 
musichal said:
No need to defend what you like. I just like one pair in a room, myself, but that's me. I do enjoy a variety of presentations, too. I just get it by having three systems in three different rooms. I do not seek to proselytize my beliefs about multiples in a room to anyone, though I have offered them. I think everyone should do whatever they enjoy for listening to music.

Many years ago (okay, decades) I once had six pair all playing simultaneously in one room and loved that at the time. Over time I came around to just one pair, sometimes - as now - with subwoofers. However, if I were at onwardjames for a listening session, I am sure I'd enjoy his gear.
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Musichal, should you ever make it to the Bluegrass state, I'm almost always off on weekends, and I'll have either a nice glass of tea, coffee, or an adult beverage waiting, you make the call. :beerchug:

Alobar said:
I'd love to have more speakers, more amps, more of everything. The nagging question arises however. Would one not be better served by spending their audio funds on the best SINGLE system he can afford?
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King Alobar, that notion is the reason I own these McIntosh. With great fear and trepidation, I traded 800 clams and my 9090db that Echowars had turned into a beautiful beast, with the notion that I'd aim high just once.
Cannot say I'd go back, nope. I do love those XRT20's.
Currently, I'm selling what will sell (most won't, as we all know) and focusing on a killer, single setup. In the meantime, tho, I'm enjoying all I have. :rockon:

the_nines said:
I'll say here what I said on another similar thread, and that is, one pair of speakers per system is enough for me. As long as a piano sounds like a piano, a woman's voice, an acoustic bass, a sax, etc... sound like they are supposed to sound and all appear to be in the same room in front of me, the speaker has done its job and I don't need anything else for a different presentation.

I personally can't understand the need for more than one pair unless of course there are deficiencies in the sound being reproduced by the speaker itself. JMO.

I know, I know ....... different strokes for different folks. Agreed 100%.

ps: I answering the OP, the only defense I can think of for multiple pairs of speakers is multiple systems, one pair per system, please. ;)
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Hey, glad that is working for you! Life would be easier for me if I could go that route. Thanks for the input.

bobsvinyl said:
I have 7 sets right now after thinning the herd down. I have a small music room (9' X 9') that is my primary listening area. I've had a bunch of bookshelf speakers go through there. I currently have a pair of ESS Performance Series Model 8 which I'm very happy with. I'm putting in a man cave in the basement and I'll be knocking out a wall between 2 rooms so the final dimensions will be about 10' X 24". I have a pair of Dahlquist DQ-10 going in there. The others are Lafayette/Goodmans full range boxes (big), EPI Model 5, Avid 102, Snell JII and ADS B7. My stereo budget is not big, so all of these have been from GW or yard sales.
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Y'know Bob, I've read hundreds of your great posts (voted for you for AKOY at least twice) and yet, I didn't know what you listened to, speakerwise. Thanks for sharing. Dahlquist DQ-10's are still on my radar, anxious to hear your comments on them once you're up and going.
 
Count me in as another proponent of multiple loudspeakers - with the caveat that there are some combinations of speakers will not combine well at all.

I have noticed a very slight blurring or stereo image can result however the advantages of improved LF response and lower distortion more than justify the tradeoff in my book. YMMV.

Main system uses 3 amplifiers with 3 pairs of speakers - 2 in front; 1 pair as rears. Together the sound is glorious to my ears.
 
onwardjames said:
Hello everyone!
Last night, I pulled out my tiny little NHT Super Zeros, which are the size of a Game of Thrones Season 1-6 box set, or in other words, a TRUE bookshelf. Tiny little things.

Hooked them to my Marantz PM84D, a nice 80 wpc amp (first 30 are in Class A) and played Rumours on cd.

What I heard was a soundstage and depth of field unlike much of anything I've experienced.

What they do is nothing short of astounding, and this was without the sub (which I have, but was too lazy to connect).
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Yes, yes, yes about those SuperZeros. They are the finest very small speakers I've ever encountered. I remember the first time I listened to well-recorded solo piano through them. Goosebumps. I've used my pair in several systems and places, and they always make me smile. Right now my brother (also a music/audio nut) is using them with a little Dayton T-amp in a small system. They continue to shine.
 
Ah yes,the good old days ! Receivers with A+B...... and C speaker selectors! Niles switch boxes, Floor to ceiling ,wall to wall speakers! Throw out the couch,need more room! MORE AMPS turn it up. WHAT! T U R N I T UUUP! Hows that? Need more speaker wire ; where's the beer?
 
SuperLead100 said:
Wait, we have to defend that? Nope!:no:
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Honestly, Superlead100, it was more of a "thought experiment" as to why I don't relinquish speakers that aren't as good as my McIntosh.

Now, speakers that hurt my tinnitus? They had to go. But those I enjoy? I still enjoy them, even if they don't best the mighty McIntosh's.

I figured many of us were like this. We enjoy finding the magic of well-matched components.

kickitagain said:
Ah yes,the good old days ! Receivers with A+B...... and C speaker selectors! Niles switch boxes, Floor to ceiling ,wall to wall speakers! Throw out the couch,need more room! MORE AMPS turn it up. WHAT! T U R N I T UUUP! Hows that? Need more speaker wire ; where's the beer?
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Hell, I'm always asking where the beer is!
 
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