Judging speakers to purchase.
What are the key attributes in your sound system that you would like your new speakers to enhance or at least not diminish.
Not taking doubt efficiency or port vs sealed or price or finish or footprint. None of that stuff. What are the sonic attributes you appreciate can.t live without.
ghdprenticeSo what makes that happen.. |
@o_holter Your reply highlighted a lot of things I suspect most of us experience...especially the last part about small group sounding fine, only to have things intensifying during the refrain and sort of falling apart. I can't say for sure, but since it's not true of all recordings, my best guess is that it's due to noise and compression in the recording. Not something a system can fix without mucking up several other things, but maybe a good remix could help. Best bet is to build a system around the music you like best and listen to most often. |
soix - something the speakers are actively doing, vs effortless performance - good point, I agree. When my system sounds good, I don't think it is "doing" a lot, I just get into the music. Trouble is, there is a huge middle zone. Music is quite good but something is not right. Like a too insistent tweeter. But then I find out that the problem is clear with some music, not all. Very often I have suspected problems in my system, only to find that I (mainly) hear the same problem in my system nr 2, and from digital as well as analog, and so on. It is (mainly) in the recording. Can better speakers help with that? Or - should they? What about the raw truth? I think we are often chasing problems in our systems that are in fact problems of the recording and production of the music. Although I do agree that speakers can exaggerate recording problems, like sibilance, too hot takes, etc. In my experience, there is one problem that dominates. The music sounds fine as long as it is fairly subdued, sparse, not too many instruments, etc. Often the verse is fine, but then comes the refrain and chorus. The whole band rocks on. Not to speak of the band AND a full orchestra! What happens? Distortion! My impulse is to turn the volume down. And then, up again, at the next quiet passage. I have not yet found a speaker that "cures" this impulse. Although some hide the distortion better than others. |
@immatthewj
In a nutshell, the idea is to create a music wave that sounds natural when it reaches your ear, as if it’s coming from a single source. For example, splitting the female voice between a woofer and a midrange means creating a uniform wave from two sources, so the timing of those two drivers to create the illusion of a single source poses challenges, or it won't sound natural. The slope of the rolloff of both drivers and the crossovers all come into play, along with reflections of the baffle. One of the appeals of full range drivers is that they are a single source, though there are other downsides, as there are with every option...never a free lunch.
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Speakers are the only component that can affect sound radiation pattern. There are qualities not found in “typical box speakers” that you find in varying amounts in dipoles/bipoles/omnidirectional speakers/open baffles/wide dispersion box speakers. If you haven’t heard any from these categories worth a listen before you decide. Huge soundstage and they disappear. |
Transparent, balanced, and natural sounding with a believable 3D soundstage and imaging if it’s in the recording. To me, if you sense you’re listening to speakers or something they’re actively doing instead of feeling like you’re just fully and effortlessly experiencing an unfettered performance then something is wrong. That’s my take anyway and what I’ve always strived for in building/improving my system. |
It’s a given that speakers have to play well in your room, especially in the sub-200 hz range to have any chance of sounding like music. But for me, having see-thru clarity and stellar phase coherency is huge, then they can pass along what they’re fed with minimal coloration and veiling. A great soundstage is a must, but is usually present if the clarity and phase coherency are good (dispersion is factor here too). That level of clarity also tends to bring excellent micro dynamics. Yep...superior clarity is up there on my wish list, but it also makes them revealing of the rest of the system, which can set you up well for the rest of the journey. |
