Best speaker brands for transient response

172 responses so far. Who would have thought transient response was such an important thing for audiophiles? I figured it was at the bottom of the list.

@cdc I just can't express how grateful I am with everyone pitching in with their feedback. I've learned so much and can, because of this thread, make a purchase decision with confidence.

@celtic66 thank you this really helps tell me that I'm likely not quite ready for ATCs. Like the ATCs, the Spendor D7.2s  are described as achieving the qualities I'm looking for most, and will be more flexible with amp matching. 

Interesting that most the OP's description of transients relate more to midrange and high frequencies, not bass.

Correct -- this is something I look for in mids and highs, also it also applies to what may be described as "fast bass" at the cost of bass extension.

This sounds about right:

Yes that’s it. Thank you for posting that.

@mtbiker29 @vthokie83 thank you this is great. I was worried especially about the Borresens that there were not local dealers for that brand--they feature Borresen on their website. I've got a few recommendations for Holm, too. And Libertyville isn't that far -- I just moved to Elmhurst.

@jasonbourne71 thank you the Revelas look great and are in budget.

Thank you for your response, I'll research that brand.

The Spendor D series are extremely fast speakers.

Thank you @avanti1960 that is a great suggestion and just under my target budget. Much appreciated!

Electrostatics are the best transducers for revealing inner detail and transients beyond any others,

Thank you for your response. I have a ML dealer close to my house and I'm going to go do a serious audition of their electrostatics. They have the Neolith in their showroom, too.

If you want dynamic drivers and looking to take it to a higher level, consider designs that leverage field coils, like some Classic Audio Design models.

Thank you -- I did a quick peruse of their website and I'm betting they cost more than my son's Volvo ;)

@ghdprentice thank you for the suggestion, was not aware of that brand and will look for dealers in Chicago.

@mapman it is true that the KLH 3s are in by far my best room. But in AB testing in my previous home the 3s did better than the 590s. But that may not be true for my 4305Ps. I should AB test them. Thank you for that suggestion..

@mofojo thank you I'll look into Paradigms -- appreciate the suggestion.

@mitchagain thank you, those speakers are stunning. Need to find pricing info on them.

@james633 thank you for your response. The first target speaker I had in mind was the 4349 (I LOVE my 4035Ps). The 4367 is not in my budget.

The target effects I use to test transiency are the crash-to-ring transient of a cymbal, fingers going across guitar strings, snare drum tightness, the added nasal ring of an out-of-phase Fender strat, the breaths a singer takes, etc. I have a few songs that I use for test purposes.

I've AB tested the KLH 3s and the 590s at my old house in a well-treated room and for my ears the 3s bested the 590s in transiency. The 3s are in a equally good room in my new house and I'm going to AB test them with the 4305s. I've been reluctant to do it because of the size difference and active vs passive, and I've only used the 4305s in near field, but it's worth seeing what I learn.

And thank you for your offer to AB your 590s and your 4367s but I'll save you from back strain ;) I know my 590s very well and my listening experience with my 4305s have already made clear to me that those best the 590s in a lot of ways.

The ASR review of the 4349 identified the crossover on the compression driver as a potential concern (the commentors, not Amir). But I have no doubt based on the price points of my current gear that I will be blown away by them. 

Thanks to all the ESL recommendations -- I clearly need to take a close look at them and they were not on my radar at all.

@jkf011 thanks I will be buying Parasound (either the Hint 6 or separates) so I should be able to handle maggies. I need to see where their Chicago dealers are. I've never heard them.

@jji666 thank you, yes I've got a pretty good room that I've further treated at its weak spot (an exposed beam basement ceiling).

@mgattmch I heard the La Scala at a dealer that no longer has any heritage line products in their showroom. I plan on demo'ing the Forte IVs at a dealer in the city. The La Scalas sounded surreal but I didn't get enough time with them to get a more critical listen (some guy kept fiddling with the McIntosh integrated they were connected to).

@jheppe815 thank you, I will do that. I definitely did not want to make the mistake of telling myself only sealed speakers would achieve my goals. That was the biggest driver of starting this thread, as there are few sealed options out there and I don't have nearly enough experience with more expensive speakers to just rule out ported designs. My 4305Ps are ported and have a ton of snap and speed to them.

The 4349s are what I "want" to buy, and I'm just making sure I look at every feasible option before dropping that kind of money.

I am very grateful to everyone taking the time to provide feedback. Greatly appreciated.

@mbmi that's the second recommendation for Borresen and the 2s are within budget. Gorgeous design, too. Thank you for the recommendation.

@james633 thank you for the heads up, I'll see if I can get a sale price out of them. I've heard from other chatter on forums that they can be purchased for around $7,500/pr if you shop around.

That chiming strat guitar line is exactly what I'm talking about. Great song, great suggestion.

Life is a compromise. Don’t make the mistake of giving up one desireable parameter for another.

My goal here is to nail transients first, then on to some mix of soundstage, dynamics, and imaging. I don't want to spend serious $ on speakers and find that it can't do what the KLH 3s do in transients, even if it outperforms in other areas (which the 590s do in dynamics, for example). That will just bug me.

@boomerbillone thanks for the maggie recommendation, I need to go here them. They have an enthusiastic following which to me is no better endorsement of a product.

What is a transient response?  I have not heard of that term before.

This link gives a good overview to augment @helomech's explanation.

https://www.hifireport.com/understanding-transient-response-in-audio-a-beginners-guide/?utm_content=cmp-true

@helomech thanks I am getting a lot of Borresen recommendations and the X2 is in my price range. Only found a dealer in Jacksonville so far, long drive for a demo ;) I definitely need to research more.

Also have gotten strong endorsements for Spendor K series and Maggies.

@whoopycat thanks for the recommendation I have looked hard at the Unions and Union Supremes.

They would fit the room very well and I love the look of them. The reviews are great.

@vthokie83 thank you for your recommendation. They have a very JBL 4349/S3900 look/design to them which is very appealing because those were the models I felt were likely the best option for me at bigger price points.

@calvinandhobbes thank you for your recommendation.

The KLH 3 and 5 have often been described the same way in that they sound like horn speakers. And I thought that may be why I like them so much because my experience was only with JBL horns before I bought them.

Will look into Monitor -- that's a brand I've heard of and seen reviewed widely.

Steve59 and Ozzy62 (Sabbath fan?)

I agree too and have researched and demo'd McIntosh and Parasound. I have a dealer nearby for both so will be able to try both with my speaker purchase. I'm leaning strong toward Parasound but that could change by the time the checkbook creaks open ;)

My KLH 3s are driven by a Cambridge CXA 61, purchased on sale after reading several positive reviews of the CXA 81. It is a great match (I got lucky) and would recommend anyone match a KLH 3/5 with a Cambridge CXA. My CXA is a little underpowered for the 3s -- they need a lot of power to dance.

@james633

Everything that comes from the 4367’s horn has snap and more inner texture. The notes are much more separated. The 590s horn is dull and splashy with no life in comparison.

This has been my exact experience listening to my 590s after purchasing and listening to my KLH 3s and 4305Ps over the past year. I thought maybe it was just that I was getting "bored" of the 590s after 4 years of ownership but no, they just don’t deliver that sound as you describe it, and it makes them sound lifeless in comparison (even with those big dynamics and soundstage...)

Thank for your running the test. I’m doing the AB of my KLH 3s and 4305Ps tomorrow. If the 4305Ps get the same result in the same room as the 3s, I’m going with the 4349s. If not, probably leaning Borresen.

@mtbiker29 thank you for that recommendation -- he's in uptown and I'm west, that's a haul but worth it to hear those brands. I'll try to get up there on a Monday when traffic should be manageable. 

@yogiboy thank you for your recommendation. I had not heard of ATC until maybe a week ago and saw their models on Music Direct. It's not a crazy drive there after morning rush hour and will make the trip. Thanks again.

Is that transient response?

Haha yes that is a good adjective to use ;)

@phusis: regarding active design, I know that my 4305Ps really ruined my 590s for me and I think the active design of those JBLs were a big reason -- it was taking all that I loved about the 590s and making it sound more alive.

I'm down to Borresen X2s, ATC SCM40s (I'm going with the passive version) and JBL 4349 for auditions.

This was my first post on here and I'm just blown away by so many wanting to jump in and help a noob like me think through options. Thanks to everyone, what a great community on here!

@phusis  @james633

Yes I've considered the 4329Ps but this is where inexperience comes in -- the 4329Ps are regularly on sale for $3,500 which is way below my budget and I worry I would not be getting the same quality as something in the $5k+ range in passive designs.

I also would have no problem buying passives used but do worry about used actives -- just a lot more could go wrong with them. 

I have read on threads that the 4349s and 4367s can be purchased at good discounts from dealers, there's at least two Chicago dealers I've found for them including Music Direct that also carries the ATCs.

@doyle3433 thank you that is very generous of you to offer that!

I am worried about the no return policy -- I am not worried they won't sound amazing more I just worry they may overwhelm the room (12 ft from wall to listening position, low ceiling exposed beams treated with sound panels).

@larryi thank you for your recommendations -- i really like the Cubes but appear to be outside my target budget. Gorgeous products.

I have also considered the new Mofi sourcepoint 888 as Music Direct in Chicago owns Mofi and I can get an audition there. And that's in my budget. I'm going to Music Direct anyway for the JBLs so plan to listen to the 888s while I'm there.

One of the challenges with ATC is properly pairing their sealed cabinets and rather large magnets with stable current to control the drivers.  

I'm going to assume this is why they offer so many of their models in active designs.

The interesting thing about horn systems is that they sound particularly good at lower volume levels and tend to work well in small rooms

Yes in my old house I used the Studio 590s practically as near field (4 ft away) and they worked great with these massive speakers the size of coffins. Horns do some special things.

For their relatively low price I could take the risk, but for the price points we're talking about I'm just worried I don't have enough of a room for them.

Even if you get to audition candidates, if you don’t hear them in your own room, you still have that uncertainty.

Agree 100% and don’t view in-showroom auditions as the final step. I haven’t bought the amp that will drive them yet -- I wanted to narrow down to a few models and then research amp options that appear will be the best match to my speaker candidates (with a bias toward wanting to buy a Parasound Hint 6 if it appears it will be a good match).

A good example are the ATC SCM40s, which based on feedback on various forums and reviews will require a bigger investment in amps compared to say the Spendor 7.2. The Spendor also, based on better sensitivity, will probably play better at low volumes while the ATC appears to need to get a little loud to open up (true of my KLH 3s as well). I don’t play music particularly loud so this is something I need to consider, as well as the Spendor probably being more flexible with amp choice.

I agree the Mofis may be a safer choice that enables some additional learning/experience to make a more informed choice at higher price points down the road.

@grislybutter sorry must have missed your post earlier.

It’s not a buzzword in my experience

https://www.hifireport.com/understanding-transient-response-in-audio-a-beginners-guide/?utm_content=cmp-true

https://pubs.aip.org/asa/jasa/article/20/4_Supplement/596/661993/The-Transient-Response-of-Loudspeakers

@grislybutter yes that's it to me: lively and sharp that some may describe as bright or harsh if it's not their listening preference, with fast bass at the cost of bass extension.

But I’ve also heard little 3/4" doped silk dome tweeters sound every bit as fast. It always amazes me that a little soft piece of silk with rubbery goo on it can sound like a high pitched metal bell when asked to.

I have two JBL horn-loaded compression drivers and a pair of sealed boxes with aluminum tweeters. I haven’t heard soft dome tweeters (yet) but also amazed they can be so effective at reproducing metallic sounds. I'm leaning hard toward the Spendor D7.2s and they are soft dome. Will be buying with a solid return policy just in case ;) Still need to find a place to audition them.

Other speaker types might be a hit or miss depending on what the OP would subjectively accept. 

I agree -- I've AB tested my KLH Model 3s against my JBL 4305Ps and Studio 590s and the KLHs best them in this category even though it has dome aluminum tweeters vs the JBL horns. It's why the 4349 is on my short list against a couple of other options that are dome tweeters.

@greenngoldcheesehead thank you for your recommendation. I love that Marten names their speakers after jazz legends (huge Coltrane fan).

The trios look beautiful, regretfully out of my budget range (unless I hit the lottery in the next month). The Borresen X2 is within budget and there's a dealer not far from me.

@ditusa thanks for these links. I found this especially interesting:

If you hear a system (hopefully not yours) that sounds "fast" or "slow" in the bass, enough that you have noticed anyway, that system has a problem.

Then my KLH setup has a problem because on tracks with complex percussion (Solange Seat at the Table is my favorite test recording for this) the bass behaves with appreciably more tightness and speed compared to my two JBL models. It's then a question of if I subjectively enjoy that presentation of the music better or worse than the JBLs, and for me the answer is that I do, realizing that many would likely prefer the bass presentation of the JBLs.

I really appreciate the enthusiasm for Volti. That's a long trip and I am worried about the absence of a return policy, but I'm going to research more.

And I checked out Heil but their website doesn't give any information on speakers or did I miss something?

@james633  thank you for the heads up on Voltis.

@deep_333  thanks and I do enjoy / have enjoyed my JBL horns (still love my 4035Ps). The goal of this thread was for me to find the best higher-end options that give me the transients/speed of my KLH Model 3s in a better overall offering. Thanks to this great community, I think I've found the 3-4 options that are going to offer that. I'm not looking at it like finding the perfect speaker, more like a watch enthusiast that has a dress watch, diving watch, etc.

I'm down to the ATC SCM40s, Borresen X2s, Spendor D7.2s, and Marten Oscar Trios. The Martens are out of my range but there's a dealer nearby so I'm going to have a listen. I'm still looking for a local Spendor dealer.

@jayctoy congrats on your X1s! Love the look of them.

Once I heard and owned ribbons (1984 to present) I could never settle for anything else for mid-bass to high treble reproduction. 

That's not the first time I've read a post like this @classicalpiano ;) Thank you for your response. It's the big reason the Borresens are on the list.

@jayctoy I know the KLH brand is now under new ownership -- do wonder if they would ever do a panel speaker, based on the owner being from Klipsch I'm betting not...

Thanks for the feedback on Borresen -- I love their design but they are larger than my other options and worry they may overwhelm the room (although in reviews they are noted to sound great at low volumes).

I'll look for that sound signature when I demo them -- my KLH 3s are very fast but definitely not a digital or mechanical sound.

@livinon2wheels have you heard other models in the Heritage line? I heard the La Scalas for a moment and they were surreal, could not spend more time with them bc some guy kept fiddling with the Mcintosh amp that was driving them. I was amazed by the holographic imaging, but didn't have the chance to test them for transients.

There are a couple of heritage line dealers in the city that I plan on visiting and will try out the Forte. The CW is too big for the space i have to work with.

@mbmi and @simonmoon thank you for your comments on the Borresens.

I've done the measurements in my room vs the recommended spacing from the back wall and spacing between speakers and I think I can make them work. They have a dealer just north of me. Based on reviews and youtube videos they have the exact sound signature I'm looking for. Just need to see if it translates to the room.

I was worried they looked too modern but it's a look I can get used to ;)

The Spendor D7.2 are still very much in the running but they lack outrigger feet, and with two dogs and a cat that's actually an important consideration. I do realize I can buy outriggers for them.