The Best Midrange in the World Right Now



There seem to be a growing number of posts which lament the fact that hi fi has gotten too hi fi, too neurotic, and just doesn't sound good.

As I thought about this, I realized that many of the most enduring, classic audio products (Quads? LS35a's? ARC tube amps & preamps? Apogees?) were noted not for their "transparency", thunderous bass, "resolution" or high frequency "extension".

No, what seems to have stood the test of time was old fashioned, middle of the road MIDrange. Is midrange the best benchmark for our hobby?

In many threads, a mention of midrange seems almost quaint and/or apologetic:

" the classic ________ doesn't have the "resolution" of many of today's products in the $150 to $200,000 category, but it still boasts MIDrange which will put all of them to shame!.."

I find this very curious, as to me, there is no high end without glorious, gorgeous, natural, startlingly lifelike MIDrange.

Please, support midrange.

And tell us: what components or combination of components can still deliver good old fashioned midrange today?
cwlondon
Mikelavigne,
Did you sell VR-9SE? If you did, it would've surprised me.
I agree completely with your statement about how "the overall balance affecting midrange quality".
I have found that in my system a slight peak at about 4000kHz combined with a dip at 80-100 hZ rendered about 80% of my CD's unlistenable.
Maril; yes, i sold the VR9's last summer; but only because i intended to move 'up' to the VR-11's.....which i ordered last July....they have still not started building them. i did not sell the '9's due to any dissatisfaction with them. the 11's were a dream speaker for me. Von Schweikert's are great speakers.

i have heard the VR-11, VR-9SE, VR7SE (in my room for the last 6 months), VR4SR, and VR4JR. i have not heard the VR5SE. i like every Von Schweikert speaker at it's price point.....to me they are musical and dynamically involving.

in the meantime; i love the MM3's.

regarding your system frequency imbalance; were you able to solve it?
I don't know about best in the world, but right now i'm loving the ARC 100.2's midrange portrayal(among other things). Very rich yet lucid and transparent, with zero trace of grain or harsness. Marry this with a nice preamp and good speakers and I think you would agree.

I do agree with the theme of your post... does the quest for absolute accuracy kill musicality and enjoyment? Maybe, depends on the total system. Like others I have heard a few mega buck rigs that are totally uninteresting and annoying. Must be a synergy thing right ? For my tastes if the mid's are not open and natural sounding, nothing else matters. I just wish I had more time to listen these days!
Dpac996. I had a 100.2 and couldn't agree more. Great amp. I just ran too hot for my in-cabinet installation. The 150.2 gets pretty close but runs cool as a cucumber.
Mike,
I'm glad you didn't sell 9se's because you didn't like them.
As to my frequency imbalance problem- trying different pre- power combinations in my system (BAT-75SE/Supratek Chenin/Arcam solid state preamp/EAR 534), I traced the problem back to less than ideal synergy b/w BAT and Supratek, which are outstanding components each in their own rights.
I was going to replace BAT-75SE anyway in favor of all-Supratek system (Cortese preamp and Mondeuse power monoblocks), but this experiment only confirmed my concerns about matching components from different manufacturers and design philosophies.