I have tested Kimber Kable 12 TCs and I experienced harshness in the higher frequencies and muted base. Because my experience with Kimber was positive I tried their BiFocal XLs and there was a significant improvement in the sound quality
I have NOVA V's and I am not happy
I have a Mark Levinson 585 and a pair of Sonus Faber Olympica Nova V's and although I admittedly have some room acoustic issues that I am working on I am not happy with the sound.
I listen to music LOUD. This Pairing thru a pair of Kimber Cable 8TC's gets bright in what I think is the 2 to 4 khz range and the sonus faber nova's seem to mute the lower end of female vocals, artist like Macy Gray or Tina Turner dont seem to have the same drive in the lower octaves. At the same time the upper end of vocals like Sheryl Crow can get too bright and cause fatigue (I am assuming this is in the 2 to 4khz range) I have tried every speaker placement you can think of, toe in, toe out. distance from front wall and I am adding acoustic treatments as fast as they can be shipped.
Here is my question, I had Mark Levinson 436 Mono Blocks in the past connected to a pair of B&W Nautilus 802's thru a pair of MIT Shotgun bi-wire speaker cables and I never noticed that system to be bright. Granted that system was in a different room in a different house. Everyone is telling me that B&W is a brighter sounding speaker by far over Sonus Faber. If I decide after all my room treatments that I am not a fan of the Sonus Faber sound where should I turn for my replacement speaker? Or is it Mark Levinson's Fault? I want Rich Lush Loud Musical sound. I like a decent sound stage, I also really love it when when you hear decay from the instruments. I don't really care if that's what is neutral or not that's what I like :)
Where did I go wrong and what can I do to fix it?
Thanks Lee
Showing 3 responses by overthemoon
@mckinneymike I tend to listen to music in the high 70s and low 80s db. I think there’s significantly better equipment at lower relative prices in comparison to the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. And there’s more options with equipment with different characteristics. I have SF Nova Vs and they sound different using different amps (I have owned McIntosh and Moon). They sound different than other speakers include B&W, Proac, Wilson DeVore, etc. Different tastes for different folks. And use of a sub may be worth considering |
@mckinneymike Good luck in your search. There are a lot of options and I was in a similar situation about 10 years ago. I was very unimpressed with many speakers that had strong reputations - B&W, Mission, Martin Logan and others were close but there was something missing. And I have noticed my tastes change. I was really happy with both NAD and McIntosh previously and now I am much more drawn into Moon and Audio Research. I encourage you to create an audition list of music you like and have listening sessions at retailers and if possible friends systems. good luck |