In search for speakers of "natural" sound


Hello,
I am using a pair of Harbeth speakers. However, I am not satisfied with the 'naturalness' of the sound (it could be that I am so demanding). I am looking for a pair of speakers that can produce the more natural and organic sound than Harbeth if there is any.

I know that it depends on the amp, cables, and other variables. However, let's assume that with the appropriate gears, which speakers do you think can produce the "most natural sound"? By "natural", I mean the sound that we hear directly from musical instruments, from the singer without going through any amplification.

There is a user mentioning that speakers from the past used that 'natural sound' as a reference when designed speakers. In contrast, the sound today (even the hi-end one) is to "hi-fi". He guessed it could be less people have chance to listen to live / acoustic music than before.  

Is it right?

Thank you for your experience and recommendation!
Best,
Huy.

P.S: I know that my questions are silly and dumb, please bear with me.


Ag insider logo xs@2xquanghuy147
Hi everyone,
I have searched quite extensively recently, some names that come up are:- Josheph Audio Pulsars
- JMR Offrande Suppreme V2- Spendor SP100 or SP100R2
The seller are not in my area so I can't demo them.

I used to have Klipsch Chorus 2. I still remember the big sound stage, the weight and mass of the bass. However, the mid and hi-mid is quite harsh and grainy.

Is there anything in the list can offer big sound stage, weighty bass and the organic mid of Harbeth?

Thank you.
Digital has a natural sound. It’s the sound of paper mache.
This just goes to show that talk with someone enough, and some commonality can be found 99% of the time. 

To anyone who posts with a specific model or brand of loudspeaker to the OP, you have exhibited your own foolishness. There are only conceptual answers to be given validly to the OP, not specific. His choice of source has already self-limited his experience. 

I don't care which Harbeth he has or whether he has Harbeths at all. He could have 30 year old Realistic by Radio Shack (rip) speakers for all I care. Get a better source, preferably analogue, and position your speakers properly, make sure your room is not causing problems, and you will be on the right course. 

The problem with this Board (well, among lots of others) is that it does not allow posting of photos. I would love to see good photos of the OP's listening room. I bet his Harbeths are up against the front wall with a flat screen in between or close. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't fix a wife. That's a WAF joke. 
Hi fsonicsmith,
Thank you for your input. You are correct. There is a flat screen between (but not close to) 2 Harbeth speakers and they are quite close the the wall. How does it badly influence the sound (even when the TV is off?). Please bear with my ignorance.

I tried to place it further away from the wall, the sound is clearer but the bass is weaker (the weight in the bass decreases).

I have Nakamichi 1000 tape player. Is it counted as a good source of analogue? Sound from Nakamichi is much better than the DAC I use but that analogue sound not close to the 'natural' I am looking for. I know I'm very demanding in sound but I get familiar with any sound although it's good enough and search for more refined.

Thank you.



Huy; again, I am not in your room. Everything matters. The flatscreen in between the speakers has to go. It is not about being on or off, it is about that highly reflective surface where you need a sound absorbing surface.  If it can’t go, you must find a way to temporarily cover it up with sound absorbing material. Look up GIK Acoustics. Your Harbeths coming out into the room will decrease gross bass but once you get out of the room nodes (look this up), your bass will sound tight and more realistic (less bloated). Tiny changes make a huge difference, most times. The only proper way to do this is to lay down painters tape into grids so that you can keep your changes consistent. Let me say it again because it can not be said enough, everything matters. You must nullify first reflection points at the side walls and ceiling. You must have complimentary cabling. You must have a clean power supply. You must have the right seating position. Pick up Jim Smith’s book "Get Better Sound". Jim has a hundred or more tips and some will apply and some will not. If you take the time to try his tips, most of which are labor intensive but not expensive, you will find the sound you are missing. Please trust me-it is not your speakers and simply looking for some magic speaker to obtain your desired "natural sound" is, uh, not natural.
Ohm Walsh with patented CLS (Coherent Line Source) driver would be worth a listen for something totally different and very natural sounding.    I think they have a demo room at upcoming Capital Audifest in DC area.