Confuse about speakers performance

[Noel198]

Originally Posted by Fors*

IMO, sound is soooo subjective....you would have to really listen to a few manufacturers and find the sound you like. Furthermore, your tastes usually transform or change over time as your ears do as well.

I really liked the Polk sound at first, but then I started to listen to other brands, and found that Polks seemed a bit bright to me as compared to some others. I settled on the sound of Paradigm, as I think they sounded more laid back and provided a better balanced separation of the highs, mids and lows than the Polks were doing.

Of course, you have to keep in mind that certain "lines" have better materials and design structure to them over another 'line" for the same manufacturer. Thus further proves just how many variables there are to consider when determining what your ears like.

I agree with you, sound is so subjective and depends of each personal taste.

Looks like no one dares to place a top list, this issue is very controversial

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by Noel198

I agree with you, sound is so subjective and depends of each personal taste.

Looks like no one dares to place a top list, this issue is very controversial

Not at all. Read your first sentence in this post....that is your answer. Go and audition as many speakers as you can.

If you want us to list speakers brands you'll get like 10-20-30 brands.....what purpose does that really serve? I'll give you a hint though...here are some of mine.

Totem
Dali
Dynaudio
JM/Focal Lab
MartinLogan
Quad (yes....beautiful)
Sonus Faber

These are just a few......

John

[Twitch9]

Just want to point out the problems about auditioning speakers to find what sounds best to you, the downfalls are,

the equipment the store uses will almost always be better than what you own or will be using and this will effect how the speakers sound in the store

typically the room you audition the speakers will be treated and sonically better than your room you will be using the speakers in with exceptions of BB/FS and most big box stores they might sound worse and give you a negative impression. There are more reasons but these are main 2.

I understand how important it is to listen for yourself method but it really doesn't hurt to get peoples opinions on the speakers they are using in their homes. If i was the OP i would list the receiver you are using and the speakers you are most interested in owning, this way you might get some members with the same equipment you have and want to purchase to get the best review of how it sounds together and in a more typical listening environment.

Hope this helps the Op find the perfect set of speakers

[callas01]

I will give you my list, but you have to understand that I see a speaker one way, and others will disagree

Bright
Kef, Klipsch, JBL, Polk**, Definitive Tech, Boston Acoustics

Warm Mid-range and Forward highs
PSB, Paradigm, B&W, Martin Logan, Monitor Audio, Def Tech

Warm Mid-range and Laidback highs
Energy, PSB, Tannoy*

Nuetral
Dali, Canton

Neutral and Airy highs
Vienna Acoustics, Dali

**I wouldn't actually call them Bright speakers, at least not compared to what they are being compared too.
*I have not personally heard, but all the people I have talked to said that Energy and Tannoy sound really similar.

Understand that they all don't sound the same either. So classifying this way is based on what I have experienced. Also, some brands are listed more then once, because different lines have different sounds. Many brands have a similar tone, but there are always differences from one line to the next.

[Noel198]

Originally Posted by callas01

I will give you my list, but you have to understand that I see a speaker one way, and others will disagree

Bright
Kef, Klipsch, JBL, Polk**, Definitive Tech, Boston Acoustics

Warm Mid-range and Forward highs
PSB, Paradigm, B&W, Martin Logan, Monitor Audio, Def Tech

Warm Mid-range and Laidback highs
Energy, PSB, Tannoy*

Nuetral
Dali, Canton

Neutral and Airy highs
Vienna Acoustics, Dali

**I wouldn't actually call them Bright speakers, at least not compared to what they are being compared too.
*I have not personally heard, but all the people I have talked to said that Energy and Tannoy sound really similar.

Understand that they all don't sound the same either. So classifying this way is based on what I have experienced. Also, some brands are listed more then once, because different lines have different sounds. Many brands have a similar tone, but there are always differences from one line to the next.

Thanks callas!, that was i looking for(personal list) , i respect all particular experiences and opinions

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by callas01

I will give you my list, but you have to understand that I see a speaker one way, and others will disagree

Bright
Kef, Klipsch, JBL, Polk**, Definitive Tech, Boston Acoustics

Warm Mid-range and Forward highs
PSB, Paradigm, B&W, Martin Logan, Monitor Audio, Def Tech

Warm Mid-range and Laidback highs
Energy, PSB, Tannoy*

Nuetral
Dali, Canton

Neutral and Airy highs
Vienna Acoustics, Dali

**I wouldn't actually call them Bright speakers, at least not compared to what they are being compared too.
*I have not personally heard, but all the people I have talked to said that Energy and Tannoy sound really similar.

Understand that they all don't sound the same either. So classifying this way is based on what I have experienced. Also, some brands are listed more then once, because different lines have different sounds. Many brands have a similar tone, but there are always differences from one line to the next.

Glad you brought up CANTON. Another wonderful speaker and I would agree with your assessment of their sound. They aren't easy to locate though.

John

[SammyG]

Originally Posted by John72953

Glad you brought up CANTON. Another wonderful speaker and I would agree with your assessment of their sound. They aren't easy to locate though.

John

My local shop carries Canton, I own one of their smaller subs for my bedroom.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by SammyG

My local shop carries Canton, I own one of their smaller subs for my bedroom.

I really like their sound. Mind you, they were paired with a Jeff Rowland setup at one of the local dealers here, so it's not like your basic "INSERT NAME" AVR.

John

[SammyG]

Originally Posted by John72953

I really like their sound. Mind you, they were paired with a Jeff Rowland setup at one of the local dealers here, so it's not like your basic "INSERT NAME" AVR.

John

Canton's styling is very modern, I almost bought the GLE series I think, but my listening is geared more toward movies and they were not exactly what I was looking for.

[SammyG]

Originally Posted by callas01

I will give you my list, but you have to understand that I see a speaker one way, and others will disagree

Bright
Kef, Klipsch, JBL, Polk**, Definitive Tech, Boston Acoustics

Warm Mid-range and Forward highs
PSB, Paradigm, B&W, Martin Logan, Monitor Audio, Def Tech

Warm Mid-range and Laidback highs
Energy, PSB, Tannoy*

Nuetral
Dali, Canton

Neutral and Airy highs
Vienna Acoustics, Dali

**I wouldn't actually call them Bright speakers, at least not compared to what they are being compared too.
*I have not personally heard, but all the people I have talked to said that Energy and Tannoy sound really similar.

Understand that they all don't sound the same either. So classifying this way is based on what I have experienced. Also, some brands are listed more then once, because different lines have different sounds. Many brands have a similar tone, but there are always differences from one line to the next.

I think you've added the same speakers to multiple lists. You have Def Tech as bright and warm? Amplification and the model of speaker plays a giant role in this subject matter. Almost everyone just labels a speaker as bright, if it sounded that way in a store, not a fair assessment at all. Pairing your speakers with the proper amplifier is crucial. I went through numerous amplifiers before I found one that gave me the sound I was looking for. To the OP, there is no answer or list that could be considered correct or accurate. Demo, demo, and more demos is the only answer IMO.

[callas01]

Originally Posted by SammyG

I think you've added the same speakers to multiple lists. You have Def Tech as bright and warm? Amplification and the model of speaker plays a giant role in this subject matter. Almost everyone just labels a speaker as bright, if it sounded that way in a store, not a fair assessment at all. Pairing your speakers with the proper amplifier is crucial. I went through numerous amplifiers before I found one that gave me the sound I was looking for. To the OP, there is no answer or list that could be considered correct or accurate. Demo, demo, and more demos is the only answer IMO.

Sammy, if you read through the thread I said that some speakers depending on the line can fall into different sound characteristic categories. I find the Mythos to be pretty warm sounding, and I have heard them on Pioneer, Denon and Yamaha receivers. I find the BP series to be bright, and I have heard them on Denons, Yamahas, Pioneer, Sony and Integra. I have heard the BP series at BB and at Big Daddys house. I think I have had some experience with most of the speakers I have listed, there are others that I have heard, but don't have enough time with them to accurate tell you what I think of them.

Kefs, I have heard the XQ 30s, iQ series and some HTiB type, I have heard them on Denon, Pioneer and a Marantz, I must say that with each receiver they sounded bright in the highs, esp. on the Pioneer, however with the Marantz I thought that even though the highs were still brighter then I really like, overall the tone was much softer and tolerable to me. I do recall saying to the dealer at that time, well they sound kinda like Paradigms powered by a Pioneer receiver.

John, I have to say that I really didn't like the Cantons. I heard them on a Parasound Pre/Pro and Amp combo, they were along side some Dali Ikon 7s and Concept 8s and Monitor Audio RS6s. To me the Cantons were pretty neutral, however overall, the Ikons outclassed them IMO, and the Concepts weren't that far off. I will say that the Cantons were the speakers I heard the least of in my almost 3-4 hours at the dealer. But I guess I should really say that I didn't like them compared to the Dali's that I was falling in love with while I was there, so I am sure that had something to do with it.

[SammyG]

Yeah, I caught that after I posted, didn't have time to edit. I'm not a big fan of using the AVR's internal amplifiers due to the fact that most do seem to make certain speakers sound bright. You're dead on with your Pioneer assessment, I hooked my RF-5's to my AVR and wasn't impressed. I went through several amps and found that the Rotel, Marantz monoblocks, Parasound seemed to be the best suited with my speakers. I listen to more music in the car than at home, which is the reason I went with Klipsch. They IMO are outstanding for HT use. I do have older Paradigm monitors in the bedroom and music sounds great on them. There are just so many factors to take into consideration when listening to speakers, I know you are fully aware of that. In the end, picking the right speakers is the hardest thing you can do.

[jomari]

as twitch has mentioned, auditioning speakers has its good points, and downpoints as well. but nothing beats the learning experience from such auditions.

you find out whats driving the speakers, the details, the room acoustics (very important in my books, allowing you to listen to the speakers and not the room), and so on.

the auditioning phase would give you the opportunity to find out what is tasteful towards your preferences.

id love to say auditioning them in your home is the ideal setting, but its a rarity to find mom and pop stores allowing that nowadays, but ID companies still do, with shipping cost as a price.

my personal favorites have been mentioned already, and i do agree on certain perceptions as callas and others noted.

[prerich]

Also remember that your room plays a huge part on the way a speaker sounds. You may audition a speaker at an audio salon and it sounds great there, but when you get it home - somethings missing - what's missing? The room you auditioned the speakers in. Make sure they have a good return policy. It also pays to study the designers concept on building a particular model. You will learn the best listening circumstances for your particular pair of speakers. My main speakers love boundaries while my monitors enjoy free space. Some speakers are designed to use room reflections while others prefer a dead enviornment. Believe it or not - earlier Polks (80's early 90's) where classified as either "warm" or even "dark". It will eventually come down to personal taste. Whatever you choose, however, enjoy the audio ride - its going to be a blast!!!!!