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Under rated speakers due to price....?

AND the resulting associated equipment?

I have a theory and am interested what others think about it. Is it possible that we underrate some speakers because they sell for a reasonable price and therefor listen to them with similar equipment?

I have a decent system consisting of the Rowland integrated amp, SCD-777ES and normally Aerial Model 6 speakers with a Storm III. I have frequently purchased many "cheap" speakers for second systems and I always try them in the good system just for kicks. Some sound OK, but some sound great. I recently tried a pair of less than $300 (Circuit City price) Polk RT35i speakers in the good system and could not believe how awesome they sounded for 1/10 the price of the Aerials. I could easily see some new high end company selling a similar sounding product for 5 times the price and getting it with happy customers.
I then thought about it - - how often do you hear about 2-500 dollar speakers being paired with a 10k system? Has anyone ever checked the associated equipment in Stereophile's class A speakers against the class B or C's? I didn't have the patience. But I bet as a rule that exotic speakers like Grand Utopias or Pipe Dreams are NOT listened to with low hi-end equipment like the lesser speakers are. If you pair some Vandersteen 2c's or B&W CDM-1's with Boulder amps, (and list the speakers at 10 grand) might people call them "some of the best?"
jimmy2615
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
I have a pair of B&W P5. They listed for $1500. I bought a new pair when they were discontinued for $1000. They have a big impedance curve like many expensive speakers from nominal 8 ohms down to 3.5 ohms. So they need a good amp. A lot of folks would complain they are bright, mainly because they would run them with receivers and budget solid state amplifiers. My amp and preamp list new for $4400 and the P5 are a great match for this level of equipment.

I have demo'd them extensively in my home first against the Matrix 804 and 805, and more recently against the Nautilus 804. The midrange of the P5 was better than the M804, which (the 804) sounded uneven in comparison playing string instruments. They were more open and airy than the M805. The P5 have the same strenghts as the Nautilus 804 in the highs with vocals, etc, but are warmer/softer in the midrange, (the N804 sounded harsh in comparison).

I also tried them against the CDM-7SE which in some regards replaced them. The CDM-7 were dark and very closed in when compared. Not even in the same league as the P5.

The P5 are very sensitive 90dB and I know people who runs them with low power SET tube amps successfully.

Most B&W speakers sound good when run with good equipment regardless of price. I heard the DM602 played on high end equipment. I thought the sound was coming from some high-end speakers next to them. The bass can be a little muddy on the 602s with cheap gear. Even the $250. DM302 dip down to 3.2ohms, which will cause some cheap amps problems. I assume Stereophile used good equipment when they won the Editor's Choice award.

cornfedboy
1,645 posts
 
jimmy: there's a fly in your ointment. i've listened to <$2k speakers played on $100k worth of electronics and they sounded great. but most $20k speakers played with the same electronics in the same environment sounded much better. i know you and others may find it hard to believe, but most reviewers aren't idiots. while their "associated equipment" used to audition speakers may not be the best of the best, its not generally crappy either. when it gets really tricky is where most of us come in, figuring the best synergy (god, i hate that word) among components of the same relative price range. besides, how long do you think it would take for the niche market of audiophiles to figure out that a vaunted "budget" speaker REQUIRES $100k in electronics? -cfb
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
The reverse happens also. Great speakers will reveal the weakness in electronics and many people blame the speakers. Somewhere in Audioreview is someone who bashed the Nautilus speakers because they sounded crappy played through his Yamaha receiver system.
tsugury
208 posts
 
Stereophile rates the speakers against each other useing class "A" electronics, then they place them in the catagory they feel is appropriate. I do think that alot of speaker owners never realize their speakers full potential because they mate them with poor quality electronics. However it would not make much sense to pair 2-$500. speakers with a 10K system, because they would become the weak link in the chain, and you would not hear all of your 10K worth of system. The old silk purse from a sows ear type of thing. Just MHO. TG
swampwalker's avatar
swampwalker
5,132 posts
 
I think maybe the point Jimmy is making is that good speakers that have no major sins of commission, will continue to improve in quality when mated with very good electronics. I have had the same experience recently, substituting a pair of Linn Indexes for the Vandersteen 2cis I have in my main system. The Linns sounded surprising good with a system in which the digital source, preamp and amp EACH retailed for about 2.5-3x the price of the speakers. Sure you won't get the great results when you bring the speakers up to the level of the electronics, but I believe that the results would generally be better than the converse; speakers much higher end than electronics and source.
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