I like vintage speakers better than what's on the market today. I have some JBL L150A's that sounds better than anything on the market period! I think these JBL's were the best that they ever made. You can find these speakers cheap sometimes, I found some for only $190 ! Good Luck
First round of auditions disappointing
Well, I finally got out and did some actual listening over the weekend, and I can see that I have quite an adventure ahead of me.
I listened to the Focal Profile 928, Polk LSi15 and a couple of Martin Logan's (Vista and Vantage). The Focal was by far the worst of the bunch; as a matter of fact, it was downright awful, and at a price of $5K for the pair?????????? Good grief...
The Polk LSi15 was better, but far and away from what I expected, given the good press. I use to own Martin Logan Sequel II's, and liked them for their midrange qualities. The newer Logan's were pretty nice, but far too dead in the dynamics department. Very nice rendition of vocals though, and great soundstage presentation.
The more I listened to the typical box speaker, the more I believe that design won't satisfy me. My wife, who is really not "in" to music, commented to me that the Focal sounded "like a box," so there you have it.
I'll probably have to wait until CES, because there is little in the way of "high end" in my area.
I listened to the Focal Profile 928, Polk LSi15 and a couple of Martin Logan's (Vista and Vantage). The Focal was by far the worst of the bunch; as a matter of fact, it was downright awful, and at a price of $5K for the pair?????????? Good grief...
The Polk LSi15 was better, but far and away from what I expected, given the good press. I use to own Martin Logan Sequel II's, and liked them for their midrange qualities. The newer Logan's were pretty nice, but far too dead in the dynamics department. Very nice rendition of vocals though, and great soundstage presentation.
The more I listened to the typical box speaker, the more I believe that design won't satisfy me. My wife, who is really not "in" to music, commented to me that the Focal sounded "like a box," so there you have it.
I'll probably have to wait until CES, because there is little in the way of "high end" in my area.
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Looking at the range of speakers discussed in your threads suggests that you really need to get out and listen to MANY speakers in order to narrow the field a bit. Like most people, you will probably come away from CES with a sense that 2 or 3 systems connected, and the rest did not. But if you can, listen in people's homes, because they have taken months, if not years, to hone the sound and the room. Where are you located? Perhaps there are folks in your area who would welcome a visit. |
Tvad and others, Tvad, I noticed the Shahinians - a big caveat, note that they use a driver which may not be obtainable to a user if one (or more) needed to be replaced. :-( Re comments of Seadweller's wife that the speaker sounded boxy. Am I the only one who finds this term too ambiguious to be useful. Are we talking about a coloration in tone due to resonances in the wood and construction used in the box. If that is all we are talking about then wouldn't the set up of panels/electro's/dipoles be just as likely to introduce tonal variations due to set up issues which many folks cannot overcome? I've been able to set up box speakers with minimal resonance issues more easily and as successfully as any panels or electrostat's in my home(s). I'm not suggesting that one sounds better than another, its horses for courses as always. BTW, Tvad I bet you don't hear any boxiness in your set up! :-) |
I agree that the only way to best determine whether a speaker will work for an individual, is for that individual to get the speaker in their own environment. Unfortunately, it's not very practical. At this point, I'm trying to determine the general characteristics of a particular brand. To complicate things, I'm sure that model ranges within a brand may or may not sound different! I guess the only way to really get a picture of what's out there is to put this endeavor to rest until I head out to the CES show. Although side-by-side and/or equipment matched comparisons will be nearly impossible, it will certainly help narrow the playing field. I haven't given up on boxes completely, but the few I listened to recently sounded hollow for some reason. Cabinet resonances? Poor placement? Voicing? Driver selection? Who knows...... |
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