I have heard a number of box speakers and only the cream of the crop are just about tolerable. In other words there is nothing out there that can truly impress me regardless of price.
The KEF LS50 is a state of the art world class loudspeaker. It has won multiple awards and is used by John himself. A few years ago I decided to go and listen to a pair to see what the fuss was about. They were not setup perfectly but there was no bass. All i could hear was typical uneven ported bass response. The highs were a bit bright and off axis response was uneven. Horrible. I then got a chance to hear the kef Ref ones which were supposed to be the finest speaker that could be made by mankind. They failed to impress me. No bass at all. Then i heard the blades and finally i heard proper bass below 40hz. But the blades were not perfect either. And given their cost they should have been perfect. They didnt sound very refined. Imaging was a bit average.
Gang, I have come to the realization that either most speakers out there are a hoax (overpriced and overrated) OR my standards are simply so high that the worlds finest 'peaker engineers cannot produce anything that can satisfy my perfect standards.
The only answer to this riddle is to train audiophiles to understand that the speakers currently on the market are substandard goods.We need to also attract better quality minds to the world of speaker design and weed out the people that dont know what theyre doing. There are obviously some people who are better at doing things than others. Am I right? If we can get rid of the worst speaker designers out there and replace them with superior designers, then we will end up with much better speakers on the market for us to enjoy. Its a win win
"Whatever - you do really think that you can buy a speaker which will make your bedroom sound like that?"
"Audio at home is an illusion, but at least it is one where you get shape your delusions."
That’s a hugely relevant point since hardly anyone talks about the limitations (or expectations) of audio playback. The usual mantra is that every new product is wonderful, much better than the previous one. All you need to do is to keep on upgrading, blah, blah, blah..
I think some folks will inevitably drift into serious audio from the world of Walmart / Bluetooth systems etc without any real idea of what is or is not actually possible.
Their initial expectations may or may not meet with disappointment many years and many dollars later upon discovering what is actually possible by domestic audio, at any price.
So to entirely avoid this dilemma it’s a great idea to listen to what are considered the best systems currently available and see if they work for you.
If they don’t, then although it’s not impossible, it’s unlikely that anything else will either.
At least the OP has managed to listen to both the KEF LS50s and the Blades and whilst his opinions might be shared by some, others might feel different, ie they are both awesome designs pushing the sonic envelope at their price points.
Giving the OP the benefit of the doubt, it could simply be that his views are a reflection of the difference between comparing against an absolute sonic ideal or merely comparing against the existing competition.
It’s quite clear by now that he’s dissatisfied with most of what is currently available. Maybe, just maybe he really does believe he is on some evangelical mission to raise the prevalent sonic standards of domestic audio playback?
Folks, last time the OP did this, his entire thread was removed. That was a good thing. Since he is clearly trolling, all you have to do is report this activity to the moderators. The 'Report this' text appears at the bottom right of any post including the OP; hover the mouse there and click on it, then select 'other' and in the text box explain that the opening post is trolling. If we all do that maybe this thread will go away.
Are your standards too high ? Yes they are, I’d just give up and buy the “Professional BY1050 Outdoor HIFI Column Speaker Wireless Bluetooth Speaker Subwoofer Sound Box” on Wish.
simply download the Wish app, they sell for 2 dollars.
What are you comparing what you hear at home to? A particular concert hall you like? A certain orchestra you love to hear playing there? U2 on pyramid stage at Glastonbury? Phantom of the Opera in the West End or Broadway? Whatever - you do really think that you can buy a speaker which will make your bedroom sound like that? Of course not. Unless your bedroom is the Royal Albert Hall with the London Symphony Orchestra in it, it won’t sound like the Royal Albert Hall with the London Symphony Orchestra in it. Audio at home is an illusion, but at least it is one where you get shape your delusions.
Kenjit, he can ask the same question, you prove you are a better audiophile than him. I’d say you’ve pretty much disproven that, as according* to you, there are no good speakers, when that is not the case. You just don’t seem to have the ability to hear well enough, and/ or the knowledge to understand what you’re hearing to discern what is good from what is not. Your made that clear to us over time, which is why people are saying you’re not an audiophile. It would be hard for a deaf person to be an audiophile also. We cannot worry about what people will listen to in a few hundred years, as we won’t be here. And that’s a battle you can never win, the technology will always improve so there will always be something better over time. We have to deal with the tools we have at our disposal today, and base decisions on those choices.
The Kef ls 50 is a moderate speaker at Best ,not even in the same bad breath as say any world class Monitor say $10-$20k. it a very good speaker in the under $2k range for midrange treble no midBass or bass ,leave it at that. It’s a respectable class C speaker in Audiophile terms, The upper Kef Line is a different story.
Standards too high? No, your ability to manipulate current technology is too low.
But I have heard the cream of the crop Mijostyn. I have heard the KEF blades. These are very expensive cream of the crop state of the art speakers supposedly. Yet in my opinion, the level of standard is not good enough. What does that tell you about the engineers behind these things? That they aren't good enough?
@steve59
Hey Kenjit, sometimes I read your posts and just have to wonder when you're just going to accept that you're just not an audiophile.Like me going into a flyfishing forum and asking what the point of wasting time making your own lures when you can buy them for pennies.
What makes you think I am not an audiophile? I think you have got it the wrong way around. I am a supreme audiophile. I am so great that the best speakers on the market that other audiophiles find brilliant are merely acceptable to me.
@speedbump6
Kenjit, it’s not the speakers that are sub standard. Maybe have a hearing test done.
Of course its the speakers. Do you think the current speakers on the market cannot be improved? In 500 years do you think we are still going to be listening to horrible wooden boxed with drivers in 'em? They will look back at the archives and laugh at what their ancestors had to put up with back in the year 2020! They will be reading this in the year 2500, and see what a brilliant audiophile i was. It's ok if people cant see it now.
Rarely has a troll been so successful in reformulating the same basic "provocation" dozens of times and getting people to bite every single time.
There is no evidence whatsoever that a troll cannot be a brilliant speaker engineer and an audiophile. You cannot claim victory by accusing me of being a troll. If you think you are a better audiophile than me I would like to see evidence please.
Thanks for the CC approval of 15,000.00 I'll keep looking and settle with the AGon folks as soon as your done.. No, I don't do commissions. I'm retired. This one is one me.
It's a REALLY good deal, K. Folks really thought you were kidding, post the pic when they are set up.. Enjoy, I'll fly out if there is any problems, setting them up.. The four servo BASS columns will be done in about 6-10 weeks... No one in the lower 48 will have a better "SMALL" system. Excellent, choice..ONE in the world..
The only (different) options, is bearded stands, EL34 mids/highs. and SS servo bass, FOR ME. It would be perfect for the pickiest of listeners. RIGHT NOW, pick a source and pure Nirvana.
That system was made by a musician, FOR a musician/mixing studio customer.. FINELY tuned and hand built and matched gear. ALL of it.. Amps an all.
Kenjit, it’s not the speakers that are sub standard. Maybe have a hearing test done. With some training, even with hearing issues, you can learn to recognize the atrophied sounds you hear for what they really are, even if you don’t fully hear them. You will never be happy with what you hear if you don’t realize the real issues and why you arnt hearing what you expected.
tlehma18 posts09-26-2020 7:27pmHuh??!!?? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot that! I’m coming out of hibernation to say you have stepped beyond ridiculous and entered into “Ludicrous” speed! Why do we, as a community, continue to support this claptrap?
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Because "YOU" ain't part of that community. Silly person... Easy to chime in with insults. Now chime in with an IDEA!
@kenjit just buy Kii Threes, all your speaker problems solved, you will be so busy listening to the best speakers in the world, you won’t have time to ever post here again.
mapman, re 'champagne vs. beer'...My problem in a nutshell, but approached as a challenge instead of a roadblock....;)
oldhvymech....re your challenge of sending K a pair (No, not 'those'...geez...*L*)....
I'll volunteer a pair of mine. Imperfect? Never claimed perfection, so...*shrug* To paraphrase, 'beauty is in the ears of the beholder'.
Like most DIY, hours spent wrestling within limits to do Something. Significant, even if only to ones' self. Much like anyones' system, but instead of throwing $ (or ones' currency of locale), heart, soul, and sweat. Blood when something slips...
In any case... ...it'll finally answer the Bigger Question.
Does K 'have' a pair of speakers?
(They're lightweight, too. No concrete. *G* Since I've no clue as to where K 'is' (physically....), donations gratefully accepted for packing & posting. Oh, and an address....no 'care of postmaster, to be picked up by receipiant' stuff. It Has to go to a door....)
I'll expect a Serious Critque'. No 'obviously trash, so they got tossed into the street/trash/over the fence BS.
Sweeps, graphs, measurements....all that has been claimed as 'the real deal' is mandatory.
The only answer to this riddle is to train audiophiles to understand that the speakers currently on the market are substandard goods.
Why in the world would we want to be trained? Just so we can all be as miserable as you? I am happy with the sound of my crappy speakers.
If we can get rid of the worst speaker designers out there and replace them with superior designers...
Can you please elaborate on what you mean by "get rid of"......since it sort of sounds like what happens when Dr. Evil gets angry and Mr. Bigglesworth gets upset.......
Huh??!!?? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot that! I’m coming out of hibernation to say you have stepped beyond ridiculous and entered into “Ludicrous” speed! Why do we, as a community, continue to support this claptrap?
Kenjit, I don’t know if your post is serious, but I’ll give you a serious response. All speakers necessarily are made with compromises, both to cost and to physics. The notion of perfection is entirely subjective, and moreover since I don’t know what your criteria are, I cannot begin to answer your question.
A transducer also interacts with the room dynamics and the associated equipment, the latter in often unpredictable ways. Active EQ such as Room Perfect can get you a long way to a great sound (or so I understand, as I haven’t been able to use it myself).
So, there is no speaker that would sound perfect to everyone in every situation. Hence, how can the universe of speaker designers anticipate your particular requirements?
If you really want to try to get perfect speakers, put together your requirements/critera along with a hefty check to a speaker designer and see if they will make you something custom. Who knows? Maybe for a 100 grand the designer of the LS50 would be happy to take on a side project. You can certainly pay more for imperfect (for you) speakers and besides, can you really put a price on perfection?
Time to follow someone's previous advice on how to deal with the Kenidjit and report the thread as obvious trolling. Last time it worked??? Remember the round speakers???
Kenjit won’t go away until ya’ll stop commenting. Who gives a rats %~> what he says. Gotta give the guy some credit, he keeps getting responses to idiotic posts.
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