Julf
Facts are our friends
Kind of my point. Commercial manufacturers employ designers who design good-looking, not good-sounding, speakers.
best sound I have ever heard from hifi
- Thread starter audiojoy
- Start date
Kind of my point. Commercial manufacturers employ designers who design good-looking, not good-sounding, speakers.
Still
he said his naim was ralph
istm that may be true for some, but obviously not all.
Would you include the speakers Kieth of Purite promotes?
Julf
Facts are our friends
If you mean the Kii's, I would classify them in the butique/small-scale category for now - and they are still at a stage where the original innovators own and run the company. My comment was describing more mainstream manufacturers. There are of course always exceptions.
Lee T
pfm Member
Care to name a few of these awful sounding great looking comercial speakers.
I imagine you have heard them.
Julf
Facts are our friends
No. I don't care to name them.
I have had experiences like OP's with a few systems and been listening longer than 25 years. You visit someone. You feel good,you are receptive and they have a good room for listening, one that matches the speakers etc. Great listening experience. You can light campfires on many trips, but some are more special than others. The air, the mind, the place, the time.
Someone else may not like these speakers and it might not sound as good in your own room. This is Audio I think. Lots of commercial speakers are built by engineers too.
Someone else may not like these speakers and it might not sound as good in your own room. This is Audio I think. Lots of commercial speakers are built by engineers too.
Lee T
pfm Member
Why not
Surely if you make such a sweeping statement, you need to give examples of models you have either owned or listened to which fit into this category.
Julf
Facts are our friends
No, I don't. I made an observation about the industry in general. Whatever stuff I happened to have owned has no relevance to that observation.
As for a data point illustrating my observation, I suggest you look at any modern ultra-thin floorstander speaker with 1, 2 or even 3 tiny 6 1/2" drivers. Very modern interior friendly, but try playing any organ music or modern electronica at decent volumes...
I too have arrived at the same conclusion, 1970s Tannoys are the best speakers I too have yet heard.
They do need a little care in setting up, perhaps a tweak or two to avoid sounding muddy, or being a bit rough in the treble. Get them set up right and well, they're sheer luxurious pleasure.
Mynamemynaim
38yrs a Naim owner
So are we saying that .. source first..no longer applies as electronics have progressed?
Rug Doc
pfm Member
Still haven't heard a set of Tannoys properly. 
I was once at Jethro Tulls house and there was an enormous pair of Tannoy corner boxes that I was gagging to hear.
Then I once delivered a Garrard turntable to a restorer (guru?!) in Farnham and he sat me down in his converted garage and played me a pair of 15" jobs on the end of home built valves, but I was to naive to know what I was meant to be listening to back then... I'd love to go back and have another listen... he must be on here I'm sure ... hi!
I was once at Jethro Tulls house and there was an enormous pair of Tannoy corner boxes that I was gagging to hear.
Then I once delivered a Garrard turntable to a restorer (guru?!) in Farnham and he sat me down in his converted garage and played me a pair of 15" jobs on the end of home built valves, but I was to naive to know what I was meant to be listening to back then... I'd love to go back and have another listen... he must be on here I'm sure ... hi!
If you're looking at any system performance it should never have been source first. It far better to address any potential bottlenecks first. This source first business was just another example of clever marketing.
For example, with a personal computer performance you would identify and address any CPU/RAM/GPU/internet speed/software bottleneck first etc. Or if it was car performance you would look at the engine/ transmission/ tyres/ fuel/ suspension/ driver etc.
Back in the 1970s turntables were holding things back. Nobody now talks about great record players of the 50s and the 60s, because in comparison to what followed there weren't any.
It is generally accepted that CD players, amplifiers, cables etc do sound much alike whereas no one could make the same claim for loudspeakers.
The biggest bottleneck in domestic audio today is loudspeaker performance.
darrenyeats
pfm Member
I agree given typical equipment and rooms there is much more to be gained spending money, time and attention on speakers and acoustics instead of the source equipment. My active speakers were about 70% of total spend, acoustics 15%, DAC/pre 15%. (Acoustic treatments might not be needed in larger rooms.)
That doesn't imply there can never be anything gained by spending (money, time, attention) on the source end - that statement goes too far IMO.
That doesn't imply there can never be anything gained by spending (money, time, attention) on the source end - that statement goes too far IMO.
gassor
There may be more posts after this.
Went to local B&O shop at start of week to listen to their £50,000 feckers. AC/DC were playing in the shop when I got there! DSP gives such a clear sound for all the instruments it sounds a tad artificial to me, but the scale is incredible. It literally feels like the band are there in the room. Then went home and was not disatisfied, which I thought I would be.
https://www.bang-olufsen.com/en/collection/speakers/beolab-90
https://www.bang-olufsen.com/en/collection/speakers/beolab-90
Arkless Electronics
Trade: Amp design and repairs.
Well cables obviously sound identical to each other but amps and CD players certainly don't. It never ceases to amaze me how much difference good amplifiers (phono stages and power amps but also integrated amps) can make to an already good system.
The difference between a £100 CD player and a £100,000 one is....? My KI Marantz CD player sounds good, but then so did a friends dirt cheap Alba he lent me. Well, at least after a few weeks use, it suddenly 'blossomed'.
The difference between a £200 amplifier and a £20,000 one is...? (valves don't count, they are a law unto themselves). My Creek Destiny integrated sounds remarkably similar to my previous budget amp.
Yet the difference between a good £100 loudspeaker and one for £1000 can (and should) be apparent to any listener. My Rega RS1s will never sound like my DC Tannoys.
As for vinyl, I imagine that discernible sonic improvements from a good budget Project/Rega deck continue all the way up to something offered by Continuum Audio Labs. But now we are talking £40k+.
The era of budget floating magnetic platters and laser pickups has not dawned yet.
So if you are looking for high end sound on a budget just get a cheap CD player and amp and spend extra on speakers you like.
The difference between a £200 amplifier and a £20,000 one is...? (valves don't count, they are a law unto themselves). My Creek Destiny integrated sounds remarkably similar to my previous budget amp.
Yet the difference between a good £100 loudspeaker and one for £1000 can (and should) be apparent to any listener. My Rega RS1s will never sound like my DC Tannoys.
As for vinyl, I imagine that discernible sonic improvements from a good budget Project/Rega deck continue all the way up to something offered by Continuum Audio Labs. But now we are talking £40k+.
The era of budget floating magnetic platters and laser pickups has not dawned yet.
So if you are looking for high end sound on a budget just get a cheap CD player and amp and spend extra on speakers you like.
Still haven't heard a set of Tannoys properly.
I was once at Jethro Tulls house and there was an enormous pair of Tannoy corner boxes that I was gagging to hear.
Then I once delivered a Garrard turntable to a restorer (guru?!) in Farnham and he sat me down in his converted garage and played me a pair of 15" jobs on the end of home built valves, but I was to naive to know what I was meant to be listening to back then... I'd love to go back and have another listen... he must be on here I'm sure ... hi!
I now have a Tannoy 15" Mansfield 15" Berkeley. pair of Windsors and pair of Tannoy GRF Corners!!! All at the same time!!! Just had to try them all, that's how much I fell in love with their sound