The Two Channel Advice Thread

Discussion in 'Advice Threads' started by purr1n, Nov 10, 2016.

  1. crazychile

    crazychile Eastern Iowa's Spiciest Pepper

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    @lithium i haven’t heard the Triangles but most of what I’ve read in the past seems to indicate they tend to lean to the brighter side. So make sure you demo them.

    I have the same amp and pre. Have you tried any Klipsch? Klipsch can sound aggressive with the wrong electronics, but the Aegir/ Freya S worked really well on some Heresys. I would see if you can find a used pair of Forte IIs. You might like those.
     
  2. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    Budget?

    Agree with @crazychile Triangle tend to be more lean and bright/ v-shaped. Definitely watch the reviews. Not sure why you would be looking towards those if you wanted something more warmish unless you’re focused more on the sensitivity ratings.
     
  3. lithium

    lithium Almost "Made"

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    thank you both. I have to admit I was focused on sensitivity, and I was hoping that the warmth of the bifrost 2 would be balanced by the speaker ( maybe that made more sense in my head). I was looking at the Antal Ez floorstander- my budget is around 3k.

    sorry, I don't like how they look. I know I should care less about the looks, but the classic look doesn't work for me unfortunately.

    Can i just say that I love your stand mount reviews, I wanted to get that out of my system as well.
     
  4. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    Aegir/Freya owner here, too. One manufacturer I'd kept on my shortlist if I'd been considering upgrading from my AN AZ-Twos is Reference 3a. And seeing as it seems I'm the resident Audio Note schill, imho, AN-J or AN-K could be worth auditioning, too.
     
  5. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    Ref 3A may also run bright and cool in my experience. At least the MM De Capo BE that I owned briefly we’re definitely that. Also they measure like crap. Not sure about the towers...
     
  6. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    Yeah, never heard them, but the design (minimal order x-over slope and wide range on the woofer) seems to appeal to my preferences, but who knows. Need to put ears on them!
     
  7. lithium

    lithium Almost "Made"

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    Thank you. I am hoping to stick to sensitive compact floor standers mostly.
    There are so many options that I feel I need to focus on a distinct subset, or else It will devolve to madness.
    I also considered Fyne and Spendor, but my understanding is that they are even hotter in the treble. That's what i take away when reviewers refer to "needs care in partnering electronics".
     
  8. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    What speakers have you heard/owned that you like?
     
  9. lithium

    lithium Almost "Made"

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    I lack significant experience in speakers and wanted to try them now that I am finally out of living in apartments. I live in a state with no hifi dealers where I can demo speakers so that doesn't help.
    My reference is primarily headphones with current HD6xx. Currently using it with Jot2 and BF2 - I almost never find this chain to be very hot in the treble with the music I listen to. Thank you so much for your help!
     
  10. EagleWings

    EagleWings Friend

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    With the Aegir, compact modern floorstanders can be a hit or a miss. A friend of mine after trying it on many systems (Spendor, Focal, Klipsch, ProAc, B&W), realized that the Aegir worked best only with very sensitive speakers like the Klipsches. He said that it did drive some modern floorstanders quite well for the most part. Just would run out of steam or not have enough headroom for high dynamic range content. If you are set on buying modern speakers, you may want to consider selling the Aegir and getting a Vidar.
     
  11. crazychile

    crazychile Eastern Iowa's Spiciest Pepper

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    To add to what @EagleWings said, I’d shoot for speakers at least 95dB efficient if using an Aegir. Unless it’s a really small room and you’re listening quasi-nearfield. Then 91-93dB might be ok.

    For “science” I briefly ran some Magneplanars (86dB) on my Aegir and it sounded nice at background levels but it didn’t have the balls to make them sound full at moderate volume. I knew this going into it but felt the need to experiment because I could.
     
  12. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    Tekton Designs seem to get decent reviews and almost all models offer 92+ dB/W sensitivity - but I've only heard them at shows under not-so-great conditions.
     
  13. ogodei

    ogodei MOT: Austin AudioWorks

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    I've had a pair of the "Perfect Set" in my house. I was massively underwhelmed by the speaker quality and the service I received from the company.

    If you want to try Tektons they can be found readily on the used market as their 'risk free trial' is something of a joke.
     
  14. lithium

    lithium Almost "Made"

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    Thank you all for the input, I appreciate it. The range of 95 db modern speakers is very limited, so I will have to give some thought to this. I am not planning for near field listening but I am careful about my volumes in general. Will keep everyone updated.
     
  15. crazychile

    crazychile Eastern Iowa's Spiciest Pepper

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    @lithium , if you have the ability to make simple cabinets, maybe try building some single driver speakers. If you go with Tang Band, Audio Nirvana, or Fostex drivers you could probably build something for <$700 a pair. Mid 90s efficiency would be pretty attainable.
     
  16. lithium

    lithium Almost "Made"

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    I thank you for your confidence in my abilities, but I am not there yet.
    I am hoping to build an amp at some point, but that is the extent of my ambitions at this time.

    I will admit that I find the sensitive designs using widebanders to be very interesting.
     
  17. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    Sensitive modern floorstanders in the price range you’re looking for with a highish sensitivity and a non-agressive sound seem to be somewhat rare. I was going to recommend one of Polk’s new Reserve series (R600 or R700), but they only seem to run around 88dB sensitive. Might be ok at moderate listening levels with 1 Aegir. I believe Crutchfield sells them and has free returns (minus shipping). Might be worth looking into. Check out the recent YouTube reviews for the R500 and R600. I’ll keep looking around a bit and let you know if I find anything else.
     
    Last edited: May 4, 2021
  18. zonto

    zonto Friend

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    @lithium, I don’t have first-hand experience with Aegir, but from what I’ve read monoblock Aegirs could get you a little more flexibility with speakers with slightly lower sensitivity. However, careful attention would need to be paid to the impedance curve of the speakers (i.e., their minimum impedance and at what frequency/ies). Aegirs are not going to have the balls required for speakers with impedance dips in the bass region and are not rated as 4-ohm stable. Schiit should be releasing their ballsy monoblock amplifier this year, so could wait and see. Otherwise, the Vidar is going to be more versatile.

    However, I would try to demo speakers if you can before buying. Reading online can only get you so far. If there are no dealers closeby, perhaps you can plan an overnight road trip one weekend to drive to the closest dealer with the brands you’d like to try (or hit a few dealers along the way). I’ve done that once and it was a very helpful experience. You may also find members here or on other HiFi fora or Facebook groups that live near you and would let you listen to their systems. That’s also helpful, and the impressions you’ll get are often more candid than what a dealer will give you. Plus there’s no dealer pressure / sales pitch.
     
  19. lithium

    lithium Almost "Made"

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    Thank you for your help. I am looking into possibly going to the Triangle distributor to try them for myself.
    I will definitely try to get some actual listening with my own music prior to a decision- I am definitely conscious that "slightly bright" for older reviewers can be searing for others.
     
  20. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    Home auditions is the only true way to know if you will like something. Hopefully they work out for you. The Triangles are a very nice looking speaker and may be a bit more “tilted up” rather than aggressive or fatiguing, which plenty of people like. Good luck.
     

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