General Speaker Advice and Recommendations

Discussion in 'Speakers' started by shotgunshane, Mar 7, 2017.

  1. Argopo

    Argopo Facebook Friend

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    Yeah... I didn't want to be an asshole and push to raise the volume or insist on my playlist. The room was a bit big and I doubt they would have beamed and screamed.

    Anyways, I live with Heresys 8-9 feet away. So, I'm used to a forward aggressive sound.

    Yeah.. everything is overpriced. People complaining to me about the price of Baltic Birch, the price of Bamboo, the price of whatever. I accept the fact that when it comes to drivers, either I go cheap or pay up. I'm willing to pay up if it interests me.

    I've seen that stated by others, who do prefer the 5" drivers or smaller, especially in small or near-field configurations.

    Right now I am still investigating, and trying to see what my options are.
     
  2. murphythecat

    murphythecat GRU-powered uniformed trumpkin

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    ok, well unless you were playing them way too loud, why would he rush to lower the volume?

    do report if your able to compare voxativ to cheaper options such as fostex, mark-audio, lowther. dont forget vintage wideband. ime, the wider the wideband, the more intolerable when they get too loud or rather then really need EQ to sound good. maybe those voxativ are really special and dont need EQ?

    the best wideband Ive heard in a familiar setting Id say is the altec 755a. truly magical, but these need a woofer and are vintage but a good pair is incredibly unique. Gotta say one of the most, if not the most captivating sound ive heard in speakers land.
     
    Last edited: Oct 8, 2020
  3. Raicorl

    Raicorl Acquaintance

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    Are used lower end bookshelf like Dynaudio x16/ Atc scm 11/ Dali rubicon 2 worth spending/messing around?

    Should I just go for active speakers for those price range?
     
  4. crazychile

    crazychile Eastern Iowa's Spiciest Pepper

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    @Argopo I’m just now seeing your posts, but having a lot of experience with Klipsch heritage speakers like you, I would recommend at least taking a look at the Pure Audio Project variants. Check out the PAP thread. They aren’t a strict single driver, but can use the Voxativ or Tang Band drivers and the Xover is pretty minimal. I think there are a couple of guys in the NYC area that have DIYd them so maybe they would let you have a listen.

    I currently have the version with the Heil ESS tweeters and they have some Klipsch similarities combined with the ability to image pretty close to Magneplanars. Because they are modular I’m considering trying out the Tang Band version as well. The Voxativs are probably a bit much for me.
     
  5. Argopo

    Argopo Facebook Friend

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    @crazychile Thanks for your suggestions.

    Yes, I have given serious consideration for the PAP Trios and also the Duo. I just don’t think the OB design will work in my asymmetrical setup. As much as I would like to try them out, I won’t be able to place them ~2ft away from room boundaries.
     
  6. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    For what type of listening setup/environment Raicorl? And what gear would you use with them? Need way more context - active speakers have pluses for sure, but so do passives, it just depends.
     
  7. murphythecat

    murphythecat GRU-powered uniformed trumpkin

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    at that price range, no active speakers have good inner amp. going the passive route is always the best
     
  8. Raicorl

    Raicorl Acquaintance

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    @rlow : I'm a headphone guy just wanted to build a first nearfield system in small apartment..willing to setup a stand, new desk, not just for the computer speaker.

    So.. I'm p much starting from 0 here with Schiit Modius and source components.
     
  9. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    Ok sounds good. I’ll generally defer to others on the nearfield thing, since my experience is limited. However as @murphythecat says, most lower cost actives have shitty amps that tend to hiss and also have cheap A/D and D/A with digital crossovers and DSP to correct for shitty drivers. So if you’re looking for actives, do your research. No doubt there are some good ones out there - check the nearfields thread for some input: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/nearfields-for-audiophile-listening.1466/

    Personally I prefer passives, but the convenience of all-in-one actives is nice for nearfield/desk setup.

    What kind of price range are you thinking for everything (speakers and amps)? And what kind of size do you think you’ll be able to accommodate?
     
  10. sinfuzz

    sinfuzz New

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    Hey everyone!

    I’m thinking about upgrading my Klipsch KG2s to something different. I love them and will be keeping them, just putting them in the bedroom soon I think. I also recently picked up an Outlaw RR2150 and as great as it is it’s just too much for my Klipsch/not a great match.

    The receiver kicks out 100w at 8ohms and 160w at 4ohms, so should be able to run some reasonably inefficient speakers. It also has a couple different ways I could hook up a sub, either with the sub out or if I add a minidsp between the External Loop out and in. Whenever I end up adding a sub, I’ll probably go the minidsp route.

    My setup is in my basement’s main room, 13’ wide by 20’+ deep and 8 foot ceilings. For my source it’s either Roon via RPi with an ALLO boss or YouTube on my tv through some Fiio.

    I’m open to any suggestions but a speaker that I’m interested in is the Micca RB42. I’ve heard it scales well with better power and I wonder if these would be a good match for my Outlaw. I also thought the Elac 6.2 looked interesting.

    Lemme know what you think and Thanks!
     
  11. Salamero

    Salamero New

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    So I have the opportunity to locally acquire a pair of Focal Aria 936s at less than half of MSRP ($2200). I have a pair of Paradigm Studio 60 v5 which I love but they are a little bright at times and and have a dip in the midrange that I am sensitive to (definitely not a huge issue but I hear it depending on the music). I know I'm getting a deal but $2200 is still a lot of money so the question is, do you all think this a no-brainer and the improvement in quality is worth or is it more a lateral? This is through craigslist so I won't be able to test them out at home. I've been trying to "fix" the brightness and midrange dip by looking for a new amp, blaming it on my 15 yr old Pioneer Elite AVR. A reply to a post here on SBFA pointed out the 1khz-1.5khz dip/suckout shown by stereophile and confirmed by soundstage measurements (and my ears) so it's clear now its not my Pioneer and measurements I found for it bear that out (though I still plan on upgrading). These Focals seem to have a more linear response in the midrange and have a sound (from reviews I've read) that's similar to my Paradigms but with a "smoother" top end. Thought?
     
  12. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    Have you tried taping a couple layer of toilet paper in front of the tweeter? I'm not saying the speakers couldn't be an upgrade, but spend $0.02 and 30 seconds of time before dropping $2k
     
  13. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    There’s so many factors that go into whether you will like these better or not. And you may end up liking some aspects and not others. They are well reviewed and well measuring speakers, so you have a better chance than ones that are reviewed poorly obviously.

    Ultimately at this point, you are motivated enough to move away from the Paradigms, so if you can’t listen in advance, the best option you have is to find the best used deal you absolutely can, so that you will lose the least if they don’t turn out for you and you need to resell them. If you feel comfortable with the potential loss from a resale, I say go for it. Ultimately you won’t know until they’re in your room and on your equipment. This is why, for those who can’t listen first, IMO buying used is the only way to go.
     
  14. monacelli

    monacelli Friend

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    Honestly I think the speakers you mentioned would be a sidegrade at best from your Klipsch KG2. You also have a decently big room, so I don't think the Micca RB42's are going to cut it. If you want to stick with a standmount setup, I recommend going with at least a 5--6" woofer. As a rule of thumb, I would also avoid setups where your amp costs a lot more than your speakers. I think the RR2150 retailed for around $700, so I would try to save up until you can afford speakers in that price range. If you're already a fan of Klipsch, some people are really into the RP-600M. That would be a better choice in terms of size and equitable distribution of investment among your system components. For Elac, maybe you could consider the Uni-Fi UB52, but I would avoid the Debut line personally (seems like an overpriced Pioneer BS22). There has been some chatter on the web about the Triangle Borea BR03 too, but I haven't seen any impressions on SBAF. If you are DIY-inclined, you could consider a kit like [this one], which would get you better drivers and crossover components than you'd find in similarly priced off-the-shelf products. Also, if you don't already have good stands, make sure to budget for them too. I would probably go with something [like these], but make sure the top plate is big enough to support what ever speakers you choose. To be clear, I'm not trying to convince you to spend more money. I'm saying that if you aren't interested in spending more money, that it would probably make more sense to just stick with what you have. Good luck~
     
    Last edited: Nov 17, 2020
  15. Metro

    Metro Friend

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    Not just any toilet paper: https://www.schiit.com/products/toilet-paper
    The next audiophile trend will be rolling toilet paper.
     
  16. murray

    murray Friend

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  17. Salamero

    Salamero New

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    After a couple of conversations with the guy selling them, he actually offered to let me try them out at home! The Focals sound fantastic so I bought them. The music sounds a bit "fuller?" and smoother than the Paradigms. Makes me think there's something to the descriptors sometimes used by reviewers that I thought were horseshit like "rich and textured". I have been so used to the sound of the Paradigms which are in comparison forward/in-your-face/bright that it took my brain a second to adjust. I was incorrectly equating clarity & detail with brightness and was worried that the smoother/"less aggressive" sound of the Focal's wouldn't be to my liking but I was wrong on both counts. The Focal's are dynamic, more detailed, with greater clarity but with no brightness, at least not to my ears and in my listening room which has a lot of reflective surfaces. They're like the more mature/grown-up speakers were as the paradigms are trying hard to get your attention. I still really like how the Paradigms sound but I was able to listen to the Focal's for two hours straight yesterday and never once did it feel fatiguing or overbearing, even at loud volumes-something I've never been able to do with the paradigms. In any case, very happy with the upgrade. They definitely don't feel like the lateral.
     
  18. Salamero

    Salamero New

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    AND the midrange dip is gone!
     
  19. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    Congrats. Yes the people who like the Aria really seem to like them. I had the 906s but they weren’t my cup of tea, I found them a touch too bright for my liking - not too too bad, but just a bit too much. I tend to not like most metal dome tweeters however. I know the Paradigms are supposed to be extremely bright and etched up top, so in comparison I’m sure they are a big relief. Plus lots of people find the tweeter on the Aria to be great. The Aria are fairly sensitive speakers as well, so very easy to drive from something like a receiver. Glad they worked out for you. Enjoy!
     
  20. Salamero

    Salamero New

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    Thanks rlow. Totally agree. The Arias are not bright/warmer in comparison to the Paradigms but I'm sure that wouldn't be the case when compared to speakers with soft dome tweeters (that's on my to-do list of things to try along with trying a class A amp and a tube amp. )Now that my main listening complaints have been addressed I can take my time in upgrading from my AVR to a good 2 channel amp/pre-amp.
     

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