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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
herman
1,974 posts
 
I agree with cornfedboy, a fly your ointment there is. best worst < review I've heard
jeffloistarca
1,004 posts
 
I tend to agree with Jimmy, but only to a point. When you throw a pair of modest speakers in with good associated components the results can be quite surprising. Having said that it's easy to hear where the design compromises were made in the budget speakers and the sound becomes fatiguing. It's all about balance (Kelly, notice how I avoided the "s" word?). As for the Stereophile and TAS writers and their arbitrary classification schemes, well, I'll say nothing cuz I have nothing positive to say.
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
Another example from Vandersteen line. I personally believe that 1ce is the flagship speaker of Vandersteen line. The cheapest and the most natural. If combined with 2Wq they are unbeatable even with 3s.
jimmy2615 OP
232 posts
 
Perhaps I should elaborate. I do not question the fact that the best products must inherently cost more to build an therefor to buy (and most likely are better in every respect), but rather that many may be stuck on price almost solely in some situations, to the point where brand name means more than sound; or as another specific illustration, a person who buys Krell or Levinson would NEVER consider even listening to names like Polk or Definitive (they just KNOW they don't match up? - What is it, omniscience?). Now, notice I did not say I sold my Aerials in favor of the Polks! There was certainly a noticeable difference between the two. But I think that manufacturers know what the public is willing to pay for certain items, and then within certain market niches, and of course captilalize on it. As another example, look at B&W speakers. I bet that the nautilus technology in the 801's cost much more to develop than that of the new Krell LAT designs, but cost 1/3 of the amount. Why? Because B&W knows that their countrymen are much more sane than Americans. Americans will spend 30k for Krell speakers, and so Krell is smart for exploiting it. But B&W has spent numerous man hours developing their technology but sell it for much less. My point is that many of us consumers, especially in America, are impressed by factors other than just sound.
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
I thought later to mention that my B&W P5 have the same tweeter, kevlar midrange and cobex woofer as the Matrix series, so I am not surprised they perform well. They also have a first order crossover, not a mass produced crossover found in most lower cost speakers. They just don't have a matrix cabinet. But the cabinet design is excellent and they look nice. Beautiful natural cherry veneer like the light cherry Nautilus.

Also the $4400 list I quote for my preamp and amplifier I run them with is for both pieces, NOT $4400 each.

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