Incoming ... Joseph Audio Pulsars

Thanks. I'm using a JL Audio e110 Subwoofer with the Pulsars and high pass it to my power amp. When I turn off the cross over, the bass coming from the sub becomes louder. Is that because it's just taking a direct signal and doubling the speakers? Does this do any harm to the sub, or should I keep the cross over engaged?

Yeah, I know. But, I look at it this way ... I got on a trade-in almost 60% of what I paid for the B&Ws new, 17 years ago. So, factoring in my net cost (i.e., purchase price less trade-in amount), I essentially rented those speakers for about $9 a month over a 17 year period. Not bad. With the trade-in credit of about 60%, the Pulsars became less expensive new than some of their competitors used. And, I’ve loved their sound for a long time, but always was reluctant to pull the trigger ’cuz I didn’t want to spend the dough. Finally, I decided that since I rarely buy anything for myself, it was time to make ME happy for a change. The wife was all for it, so nothing to stand in the way but me, and that became a non-issue.

It was MSRP, but I got a very competitive trade-in credit for the 17 year old B&Ws, so that saved me a lot of trouble in putting ’em up for sale privately and perhaps waiting a long time for a local pick up. Sure, I probably left a few bucks on the table by trading them in instead of selling them here, but it’s done, I’m happy, and the Pulsars are not going anywhere for a long time, if ever.

Right. This hobby is an expensive one since generally we go through a lot of equipment over time before we find the "right one," or so we think. Upgradeitis is a curse to which we all succumb. I've been pretty lucky over time in that I haven't changed equipment much, although I have gone through a bunch of cables along the way. The Persona B is an excellent speaker; I hope you can get it for the price you want.

The Perspectives are great, but were out of my budget and likely would not have worked well in my tiny 10x10x8 room. Does anyone know the -3dB rating of the Pulsars? I'm trying to dial in the sub, and the -3dB number will help with the crossover setting. Thanks.

@djohnson54 ... unfortunately, the Stereophile measurements don’t give the -3dB rating. But, that's OK. I spoke to Jeff Joseph himself who told me that the Pulsars work great with the sub xover set to 80Hz. So, that's where I set the xover and it sounds fantastic. 

@djohnson54  ... thanks for the approximation of the -3dB point. I'm not very good with those types of calulations.

@avanti1960 ... thanks. The Pulsars are really a cut above the rest. Paired with my JL Audio e110 subwoofer, the sound is sublime. Everything sounds "right," and I now appreciate the superiority of a fabric dome tweeter over an aluminum dome one, like in the B&Ws. And, the looks are just amazing ... absolutely beautiful. I wish I would have bought the Pulsars years ago; however, better late than never.

@mlschneid ... I find it interesting that you use the Pulsars without a sub. I've tried it both ways in my small room, and have found that the sub really adds a lot to the sound of the Pulsars in terms of depth and dimension of instruments. There's just so much a 5.5" midrange/bass driver can do. Since you have a medium sized room, what was it about the sub that you didn't like in that environment?

@kalali ... thanks. I'm using an older Musical Fidelity A300cr amp (225 wpc/dual mono ... and made in England at the time) and a BAT VK-3i preamp. The only thing that sucks is the piano black gloss finish on the front, top and back, which is prone to micro-scratches and fingerprints. I guess that's just part of the overall experience.

If I were going for floorstanders, I’d get the Perspectives, too. Also, just a note that Jeff Joseph is one of THE nicest amd most helpful guys in all of hi-end audio. He's a real gentleman all around.

It was a tough choice for me between sapele and maple. I chose the sapele and it's really gorgeous.

@prof ... I agree wih you completely. Last night, I listened to the Regatta de Blanc CD by the Police. I noticed just how lifelike the cymbals and hi-hats sounded. As a drummer myself, I know exactly how they should sound, and the Pulsars did a great job. The fabric dome tweeter is simply a joy. Oh, and listening to Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here through the Pulsars reminded me of the good ’ole days at the Hayden Planetarium in NYC, when Laser Floyd ruled the night. Such imaging! Wow! I am really loving the Pulsars.

@prof  ... right on! Copeland is an amazing drummer, and you can really hear every hi-hat stroke through the Pulsars.  Also, check out "Walking on the Moon" ... I have listened to that song a gazillion times through my B&Ws and had never before heard Andy Summers' guitar doing the rhythm "chuck" in between verses. Now, it's loud and clear. I love those moments. It's like having a whole new CD collection. Amazing!

Also from the latest Soundstage report ... "The new Pulsar 2 Graphene is priced at $12,000 per pair ..." That’s an increase of $4,300 over the price of the original Pulsars. Unless the upgrade is a spectacular game changer, and unless an upgrade would be offered to existing Pulsar owners at a significant discount, I likely would pass.

As far as I can tell, the new SEAS cone is still cast-magnesium (like in the original Pulsar), but is now "coated" with graphene. Not sure that this is a night and day difference; however, the fact that they are using the same base material (i.e., magnesium) with a mere coating of graphene leads me to believe that any sonic improvement may be slight. I wonder if existing Pulsars can be upgraded to the new woofer and, if so, whether it would be worth it. See www.audioxpress.com/news/seas-announces-new-excel-graphene-woofer-series