Dave***t said:
(...) Not heard the models mostly mentioned here myself, but I’d favour something that has the right kind of lower mid weight to carry off the guitar tone of Like An Everflowing Stream, and doesn’t turn Det Som Engang Var or A Blaze In The Northern Sky into static. That may well point to speakers that are generally considered on the warmer side, rather than punchy or aggressive.
Well I agree. But... All my speakers have done that before but I need to tell the whole story, it's a chain of equipments afterall. I've owned may DACs, even more CDPs, some including the famous Flea clock from here (Hi Martin C!).
And source does play a major role in our music! Few days ago I've tried a simple cheap HAT sound card for Raspberry. See it as a whole DAC, the digital side being a powerful computer, the DAC HAT just the last stage of digital to analog. Long story short this -say- 60€ combo sounded not that bad, far better than a crappy Topping D30 and maybe on par with the Project S2 Pre something which I both tried on my system. They do "static" instead of music, when I shifted to my own DAC the quite easy Immortal song "Sons of Northen Darkness" sounded just as clear as any other clean music. Other tiny DACs can't cope, no notes, guitars becoming meat mixers.
I conclude that all gear must be top notch to play metal.
And I made a mistake in only talking of speakers without mentioning my gear. You'll see that it makes sense and matches what you said in the end:
- DAC (fed by a top CD transport and top RPI based streamer) is a Twisted Pear Audio Buffalo with a class A analog stage (35W DAC!), some saying it's a tiny tiny bit on the warm side,
- amplifier is a dual mono UcD400HG HxR DC coupled, some saying it's not on the older class D cold side but... a tiny tiny bit on the warm side,
- then the JBL 4313B (one of Greg Timber's design) being super neutral, top mid bass on these.
Night Of The Blasphemy, from Behexen, sounds splendid! Un-listenable if you swap the DAC or the amp out.
Let's then state in my case DAC and amp are better than the speakers (and I do really think so), hence the "I want more" and better speakers in all points. And that allows me in the same neutral dynamic sounding speakers search as the DAC/amp provide that supposed touch of weight in bottom. And I can even add a bit of bass with the parametric EQ in the RPi. (JBL 3677 are back in the race?)
Quoting DRSBest for going on:
DRSBest said:
(...) ATC they have a very live sound. They do bass but don’t have the mid bass lift you might be looking for when listing to rock/metal etc. If the recording has bass you'll hear it - but if the recording is poor quality they will be very revealing of this and it might not be too your taste - hence recommending try before you buy.
That is exactly how I would describe my current speakers. Of less quality for sure but the same. Tracks without bass sound without, but heavy bass track you wonder if someone plugged back the woofers. They are "not", no real sound by themselves, just not "the best". But damn good. And then you discover that many speakers do "fake" bass. And your favourite track don't have any bass at all, it was a lie from your cheap speakers! Take again that Behexen album, heavy load of bass on it I've never heard before on this record! If the previous statements about my gear with a tiny touch of mid bass/bass warmth are true, then it can be the perfect match. Don't get me wrong about my tiny JBLs, it's still missing some bass volume/impact on drum pedal, they are just what they are and bass rolls off quite quickly. They are what I consider as the "that's it, that's what I like to hear, now I have speakers reference I just need to find better with the same "sound"".
Go there, try, listen would be best. But I can't and that's where your experience guys is
invaluable.
Anyway, thanks all for sharing, that's an real effort to try to figure out other's views.
Experience is a candle that illuminates the wearer. Only, sadly.