When I get to hear a really excellent system, that's when I know that the speakers are excellent.
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Forget about the looks, specs and demo them on your amp.I have found the only way to really cover the spectrum is to use 2 or 3 pairs of different speakers.That will fill the gaps in the spectrum and let you adjust tone/volume to support your lounge etc...every room is different with audio.
I run 3 pairs, only stereo.AR8's with qsc/qst speakers from an active lead guitar amp combo.Sony 3 way from a MHC-G77.Aiwa from a retro hi power NSX90, 7 speakers in each box.And sometimes i switch on the G77 with the aux in from the main system which is running JBL control one pro's.Not a single frequency missed.Took some time to sort it out as I have vinyl strip floor....did not have the problem when it was carpeted.
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A good speaker for me is one which lets you enjoy the musicality of a wide genres of music and is able to emlighten me as to the instruments involved.
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You just know, may not be someone elses choice but if it sounds good to you then it's good !
I've had so many speakers.... dozens but most were not able to convey that "live sound" that blows you away . I remember years ago i visited a small dealer who sold Mc Intosh and Klipsch. When I walked in I was blown away by the opening of the track "Crossfire" by Stevie Ray coming through a pair of LaScalas.... it was awesome and was somewhat the benchmark for me when it comes to capturing the dynamics and huge soundstage of a live performance.
Fast foward 25 years later, I walked into a dealer and there was some weird Bjork song playing, the image was huge and instruments floated way beyond the physical box. I could not believe it was a pair of Klipsch Heresy III. I auditioned a few other speakers in their price range and after that I knew that was a great speaker for me...
I've them about a year and can honestly say I love them . They aren't perfect but are a lot of speaker for the money. You have to let your ears decide. |
One of the best i ever owned were the pioneer S910's...those did a good job from a 40-100wrms amp,Ran them on my first new HIFI technics suv2..1978.In the late 80's picked up a monster pioneer system...
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You absolutely hit the nail on the head Cleeds!
Not only will a good speaker faithfully reproduce the "true" sound of an instrument, you will be able to tell what is making the instrument produce sound - air (for brass and woodwind instruments), a variety of 'sticks' for percussion instruments, or fingers and/or a bow for string instruments... |
But the 'true' sound of an instrument does not translate well with electric instruments. Once saw Andy Summers on a TV documentary make synthesized piano notes with his guitar demonstrating that with the available tech, he could generate any sound he wanted to with his guitar. |
Agreed with @shadorne. Harbeth comes to mind with their classic design that haven’t changed much but updated with kept up with new development in technology....
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For the most part, all speakers designed for HiFi are "good" speakers provided they are in good working order. What you really need to determine is "what's good for you." Consider your room size, application, and listening preferences. If you are building a system, I recommend starting with speakers, then selecting complementary electronics. You will end up with entirely different systems if you are designing for a small room and listening to chamber music late at night vs. a large party room where you are playing rock music at high volumes. If you listen by yourself from a designated listening position you will likely choose something different than if you have music on as background music and are moving about.
Then there are practical considerations and aesthetics. Most of us need to choose speakers that are deemed acceptable to other family members and "fit" into the room's decor and furniture arrangement. Speakers often need to be child-proof and pet-proof. Many times it is impractical to optimally place speakers, and they must go against a wall or in corners. Often home users need something that will integrate into their home theater.
Some speakers, like the Harbeths mentioned in another post, are fairly good "all-arounders". But you still need to apply due diligence in selecting the right size and placement. If flexibility is needed, sometimes a 2.1 system with one or two subs can be easier to integrate into a challenging room.
Essentially, there are no "bad" speakers. Just bad systems. |
To me a good speaker is one that I really enjoy listening to and equally as important I want a speaker that will sound better with each upgrade I can afford to add, whether that is a better amplifier preamplifier Dac even a cable upgrade. I want a speaker that will sound mellow with a mellow sounding amplifier or sound bright with a bright sounding amplifier. If the amp has higher resolution I want to hear it. If the amp is not very good I want to hear that.
That has been my experience and it works for me.
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Speakers are First Personal because everyones ears are different.
They should also have Transparency.
A Speaker should sound like the sound is Not Coming from them.
They should sound like you are listening in Person.
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I think Magnepan and Martin-Logan engineers who eschew boxes and simplify the crossover to first order: a capacitor to the tweeter and a coil to the mid-bass regard the very complicated crossovers, notch filters that attempt to tame the wild variability of impedance with respect to frequency and the bracing of cabinets to try to minimize the effect of a speaker varying the pressure on a cabinet as what John Northrup called "inventing rubber gloves for leaky fountain-pens." These simplifications and auditioning made my choice very easy. But these first-order crossover designs and their planar diaphragms take extra power to duplicate the volume of the orchestra and singers in an opera house. I also like the simplicity of the single ended triode amplifier which, in the case of the usual choices like the 300-B, are not powerful enough. So if you want both the open purity of a planar speaker and that SET refinement you have to drive the speakers with something like an 822-A single ended triode amplifier, which is not as difficult as you think to design and build.
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A good speaker for low volume classics and jazz? I have been trying since 1970 for a low volume speaker with decent bass and imagining. I am not an expert by any means. Here is what works for me, when listening and conversing. 1 pair of Magnepan MMG, 1 pair of Magnepan DWM, 1 pair of Heil AMT large transformers. Each DWM is used in mono mode for a 2 ohm load. The AMT is wired to one output of the DWM and then a 10 watt 4 ohm resistor from + to - and a 2.2 capacitor to the AMT. This presents a 1.8 ohm load to the amplifier. Two Dennon 6600 monoblocks are the amplifiers used. The living room is 15 by 19, the speakers are 5 feet from the wall.I have musician friends over to listen. The clarity and imaging seem superb at any volume, imo. All speakers were purchased used, except for the DWMs. The DWM is only rated to 40 hz.
In the search for a compatible subwoofer, happened on a Distributed Bass site. Yesterday, 2 kicker 10's, each in a sealed 2 cubic foot enclosure were placed woofer to wall with 3/4 inches of clearance space. Power is from old mosfet MTX/Soundcraftsman s800 in mono, the two present the amp with a 1.8 ohm load. My DBX 223XL gave up yesterday, so far no external xover. It sounds very good to me. I solicit honest opinions from my visitor friends. My first decent speakers were ESS AMT4's in 1973.
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First off I agree with those who have stated that the best pair of speakers are the ones that ultimately put a smile on your face.
That said, Specs - especially Frequency Response should only be used as a guide as to how to filter down your purchasing decisions.
MIT and NASA concur that the natural environment in which humans process sound has a Frequency Response of 15Hz to 150Khz.
The questions that you need to answer for yourself is how relevant is that information to you? Are you after the purest sound replication or are you more into convenience or aesthetics? What kind of investment are you willing to make to accomplish your goals? There are no wrong answers.
If you are truly dedicated to pure sound replication then your goal should be to try to work towards creating an environment as close to 15Hz to 150Khz as you can get. The listed specs from manufacturers should be able to narrow this field down for you. It will take actual listening on your part to decide which one replicates the right violin, cello, piano, human voice for you.
I know one person who does not believe MIT and NASA. The set up he has is good enough for him and his needs.
Another person believes in the findings, however just likes the sweet mid range sound staging that EL 34 tubes create and has worked towards accomplishing those goals.
There are only a handful of companies that list that they have speakers that match the 15Hz-150Khz spec. These are all listed at astronomical prices.
Another audiophile I know does believe in the MIT/NASA findings and has the scratch to throw $250K++ just at speakers alone. However he has learned that the speakers are just one ingredient in creating this environment as there several other components to factor in.
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