what are "kabuki speakers"???

[ka7niq]

I've had a couple of pairs of Pioneer CS-88a speakers that I thought sounded very good indeed.

I have some old vintage Pioneers with a multi cell horn tweeter.
Don't know model numbers off hand.
Very musical, with excellent highs.
i happened to be watching TV on them one day, and I heard BOX.
So, into the closet they went, where they remain to this day.

I have 11 other pairs of speakers to play with, but I really liked the Pioneers musically.
Same with these old Sansui SP 550X "Kabuki" speakers I am playing with at the moment.
No, they are not as "refined" as my B&W Matrix 801's, in an "audiophile" sense.
But somehow, they manage to sometimes sound like music.
As with the old Pioneers, I frequently find myself saying "Wow" listening to them.

Accurate ?
Probably not
Kabuki ?
Probably
Fun ?
Absolutely

 

[ka7niq]

Kabuki Or Not Kabuki ?

I am gonna TRY and post a couple of pictures Of "Kabuki Speakers"
Can you tell what one, if any, is Kabuki, and why ?

 

[ponderbear]

what about the Rectilinears and Micro Acoustics ?

Interesting, I wonder how those MAs with the tweeter "pods" were actually wired. Would a speaker with 5 tweeters reproducing the same frequency with a woofer be considered a two-way or a (gulp!) six-way?

 

[ka7niq]

I actually owned the Micro Acoustics FRM 1's.
The tweeter array was an attempt at broadening the dispersion in the horizontal plane.
So, this would make it technically a 2 way, but Kabuki nonetheless in some areas.

 

[kfa888]

"Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by its performers."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabuki

-stylization (lots of drivers)
-elaborate make-up (big woofers, lattice grills)

 

[JesusChrysler]

Ok. Crown me King.



6-way, 7-drivers. And she sounds good, baby; let me tell you.


Don't anyone pass out. It's just me; with yet another worthless opinion.

But I like my Corals. Alot.


Matt

 

[kfa888]

Ok. Crown me King.



6-way, 7-drivers. And she sounds good, baby; let me tell you.


Don't anyone pass out. It's just me; with yet another worthless opinion.

But I like my Corals. Alot.


Matt

That advanced wiring scheme and hard EQing must be the ticket

 

[JesusChrysler]

HEY!

I just moved ALL the sh!t in my basement (mancave) so I could have Stereo and VideoGames all in one Dammit!!!


Why must everyone be so damned critical!!!!

I think I may cry.





Matt

 

[ka7niq]

"Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by its performers."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabuki

-stylization (lots of drivers)
-elaborate make-up (big woofers, lattice grills)

Well .... this thread gives Kabuki a "New" meaning, as it applies to speakers.

I was going through your gallery.
Dude, you are even MORE addicted to this stuff then me !
BTW, I lived up in Seatle from 1976 to 1989.
My old friends Jim and Mark own Definitive Audio in the U District.

I live in Tampa now, but I still miss the Pacific North West.

My friend Mark tells me Seattle has turned into L.A. with trees.
He told me to remember Seattle as it WAS, said it has changed.

You are right across river from Oregon - NO SALES TAX

We used to drive down to Beaverton, Oregon and buy tires, then drive back home to Washington, LOL

If you ever went to a Pacific Northwest Audio Society Meeting up in Seattle, you might have seem a pair of Acoustat Model 8's ?

Those were my old speakers.

I donated them to the Audio Society.

 

[ka7niq]

Ok. Crown me King.



6-way, 7-drivers. And she sounds good, baby; let me tell you.


Don't anyone pass out. It's just me; with yet another worthless opinion.

But I like my Corals. Alot.


Matt

Yes, you should be crowned "King of Kabuki" with those Corals :yes:
But ... I haven't the authority to crown you

The ONLY one with the authority to CROWN you "King of Kabuki" is Don from the Lansing Heritage Forum

My Kabuki Speakers also sound like music
They break "all the rules"

When I built racing engines, we used flow benches and dynamometers.
We had an old saying "If it measures bad, but goes faster, invent a new way to measure"

 

[Zilch]

15 drivers here, folks....

Kabuki or JBL "Arrays?"

[Don McR will like this one.... : ]

I'd say if the manufacturer has labeled each driver with a purported function to prove it's not gratuitous, we're almost certainly talking Kabuki. :yes:

 

[Starrider1]

These may qualify, they really crank and sound good a low volume. I used the ar-4s for speaker stands

 

[ka7niq]

These may qualify, they really crank and sound good a low volume. I used the ar-4s for speaker stands

Kabuki to the GILLS

BTW, I am using the Event 20/20 passive studio monitors as speaker stands for my Kabuki Sansui SP 5500X speakers.

 

[jpciii]

holy thread from three and a half years ago, batman!

 

[ka7niq]

Kabuki or JBL "Arrays?"

[Don McR will like this one.... : ]

I'd say if the manufacturer has labeled each driver with a purported function to prove it's not gratuitous, we're almost certainly talking Kabuki. :yes:

Kabuki to the MAX, IMHO.
How can someone take the Japanese to task for chrome rings, drivers everywhere, and woofers that "get bigger every year" when their OWN company does the same crap ?

These speakers you posted are JBL's! :yes:

Now good old JBL TOLD us that their tweeter goes out PAST 25 K.
So, what the heck is the super tweeter doing above a tweeter that ALREADY goes out PAST 25 K ?

Calling Bats ?

I am sure the chrome rings "aid sound" too, LOL

These contraptions LOOK a LOT like Yamaha's

It would appear that JBL is copying Yamaha.

These speakers are about as Kabuki as it gets, IMHO.

BTW, the twin woofers operate together, all the way up to crossover too.
Gotta be some comb filtering going on, huh ?

The latest scam is that we now NEED tweeters that go out to 35 K, LOL

Even though most of us can no longer even hear 12 K.

And, those are not just ANY chrome rings around the speaker drivers either

They are hollowed out Canadian Frisbees developed at the NRC in double blind snowball fights by Floyd Toole, ex head of JBL and Harman Engineering.

More Kabuki JBL's, chrome rings, 4 way design, useless super tweeter, comb filter woofers, drivers everywhere, no wasted space.

Thank YOU for posting these :thmbsp:

And remember, if it Looks Kabuki, it just might BE Kabuki ?

 

[spkrman57]

Looks like, but are not necessarily so....

JBL spent much time on crossover and time/phase alignment to present a coherent sound source.

Kabuki's generally has basic crossovers and sound best at low volume where the phase distortion is less noticable.

Just my 2 cents worth of course!!!

Ron

Kabuki to the MAX, IMHO.
How can someone take the Japanese to task for chrome rings, drivers everywhere, and woofers that "get bigger every year" when their OWN company does the same crap ?

These speakers you posted are JBL's! :yes:

Now good old JBL TOLD us that their tweeter goes out PAST 25 K.
So, what the heck is the super tweeter doing above a tweeter that ALREADY goes out PAST 25 K ?

Calling Bats ?

I am sure the chrome rings "aid sound" too, LOL

These contraptions LOOK a LOT like Yamaha's

It would appear that JBL is copying Yamaha.

These speakers are about as Kabuki as it gets, IMHO.

BTW, the twin woofers operate together, all the way up to crossover too.
Gotta be some comb filtering going on, huh ?

The latest scam is that we now NEED tweeters that go out to 35 K, LOL

Even though most of us can no longer even hear 12 K.

And, those are not just ANY chrome rings around the speaker drivers either

They are hollowed out Canadian Frisbees developed at the NRC in double blind snowball fights by Floyd Toole, ex head of JBL and Harman Engineering.

More Kabuki JBL's, chrome rings, 4 way design, useless super tweeter, comb filter woofers, drivers everywhere, no wasted space.

Thank YOU for posting these :thmbsp:

And remember, if it Looks Kabuki, it just might BE Kabuki ?

 

[kfa888]

I was going through your gallery.
Dude, you are even MORE addicted to this stuff then me !

Well as scary as it is that's about half the stuff I have, i have not been updating that and it is incomplete. Needless to say i have found my sound and am selling off a lot of stuff that i previously thought i could never part with. I'm over the hording phase and just keeping the 20 plus sets i really like

 

[ka7niq]

JBL spent much time on crossover and time/phase alignment to present a coherent sound source.

Kabuki's generally has basic crossovers and sound best at low volume where the phase distortion is less noticable.

Just my 2 cents worth of course!!!

Ron

Oh, I am JUST KIDDING about the JBL's, LOL
I did not realize this is a THREE year old thread I "revived".

Don, the great web master of the wonderful Lansing Heritage site, coined the phrase "Kabuki Speakers".
We are just having a little fun with it.

KEF started the craze to super tweeters.
They SAY they effect what we hear, even though we cant hear it :sigh:

These JBL's now have the super tweeters, and chrome rings

So, I thought it only fair to Don to "poke fun back" since he called MY speaker Kabuki.

The bottom line ?

Jbl and Sansui respond to what they THINK will sell speakers.

 

[ka7niq]

Well as scary as it is that's about half the stuff I have, i have not been updating that and it is incomplete. Needless to say i have found my sound and am selling off a lot of stuff that i previously thought i could never part with. I'm over the hording phase and just keeping the 20 plus sets i really like

Yeah, I am DOWN to about 12 pairs myself.

What did you finally wind up with, Maggies ?

I had 3A's, and Tympani 4a's too.
I liked the little SMG A's the very best.
Imaged all over, were efficient for Maggie's, warm, musical, and forgiving.

I like the sound of Maggies, I really do.

Tell me about your system ?

 

[hjames]

Don, the great web master of the wonderful Lansing Heritage site, coined the phrase "Kabuki Speakers".
We are just having a little fun with it.

KEF started the craze to super tweeters.
They SAY they effect what we hear, even though we cant hear it :sigh:

These JBL's now have the super tweeters, and chrome rings

So, I thought it only fair to Don to "poke fun back" since he called MY speaker Kabuki.

The bottom line ?

Jbl and Sansui respond to what they THINK will sell speakers.

No no - you don't understand - its all about hitting the right "price point" - then all the fanboys can go crazy!

Besides, with the serious lack of serious hi-fi chains, the limited number of audiophile shops, and the boom in Walmart and BB/CC type Home Theater surround systems, is it any wonder there are so few place to even show or sell the kind of vintage gear many of us fell in love with in the 60s/70s/80s?

What store or who would be selling the big Altecs these days, JBL 250s, Sansuis or even the big Pioneer HPM speakers that have been under discussion lately? Magnolia seems stuck on Bose (there must be a good price break in those puppies, eh?) ...

Of course, with the over-compressed CDs and music for sale these days, the younger crowd doesn't even know what they're missing. iPods and Zunes are just fine when all you ever hear is sub-FM quality recordings.
No wonder they don't think music matters ...
They never heard Miles (or Santana) play his heart out on a sweet set of speakers ...

kabuki! It even sounds like pop music!