Advantages of beryllium?

@erik_squires

LOL The author is entirely correct about smiley EQ curve speakers with the standard industry midrange scoop ....however this is INDUSTRY WIDE - you can hardly blame Stereophile or JA for what consumers want and buy in huge quantities. Junk food is bad for you too but people love it and but it in large quantity! This has been called mid scoop or BBC dip but it is highly prevalent - B&W dominate this style sound.

If you don’t like industry standard smiley EQ (presumably because you don’t yet need hearing aids) then get ATC which are flat (but actually sound midrange forward compared to most everything else.)

The market largely consists of elderly white men with degenerated hearing who claim to have golden ears. It is ironic indeed, but the result of this combination is that the market is now gutted with overly bright speakers that are tiring to listen to.

I don't actually have a problem with smile shaped FR curves, as they are ideal for low-volume listening. I also don't have a problem with buyers who like a particular flavor of speaker.

Notice what JA likes is more than a smile, but a hype curve. The selective exaggeration of a couple of bands in the treble, and suppression of others, and then JA has the nerve to call neutral speakers "colored."

Of course, buy what you like. Enjoy what you like, but the "High End" sound as promoted by JA is a very particular set of colors.

Best,

E

@willemj 

This is a side note: extrapolating from your post one would think that audiophilia will die with baby boomers. It is an interesting hypothesis and I feel that it contains more than just a nugget of truth.

@willemj

yeeeap.

And there is nothing wrong with buying speakers that make you feel younger! :) but call it what it is.

Best,

E