New Joseph Audio Pulsar Graphene 2

The uber expensive Peal 3s seem at first glance to be a luxury redux of the fabled Naim SBL, a design that was decades ahead of its time. A pic here, 
https://www.springair.de/en/naim-sbl/h67133

I'd also add my voice to others who urge patience and care buying used. Buying new seems too risky at these prices. 

Certainly an extended listen as I get nervous whenever I hear a designer state they've lowered the crossover point for the tweeter.

Far, far more problems are caused by too low a crossover point than the other way around. It can do terrible things for the veracity of the male voice for one.

It's always a difficult road searching for magic and it always will be. But as some say, if you keep looking everything comes to those who wait.

Perhaps even a used pair of mint condition Perspectives!

https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2019/10/10/the-occasional-podcast-s3e3-jeff-joseph-of-joseph-audio-an...

Good interview with Jeff Joseph from around 23mins in.

He keeps his cards close to his chest (esp regarding assembly techniques) but his story is interesting and seems analogous to the one of John DeVore.

Prejudice is a very useful tool in life but sometimes, especially in audio, it can blind us from seeing what we may actually be ardently searching.

The Pulsar 2's according to Joseph Audio's website feature "a newly developed precision cast Graphene coated Magnesium cone long throw woofer". 

A few years ago this statement would have set several alarm bells ringing (sorry!) in my head. Until recently I had never heard a metal driver which sounded entirely natural or life-like - and I had heard a few, including some highly acclaimed Vivid Audio models. 

However having recently listened to various Bluetooth speakers using metal drivers I can now appreciate some of their strengths, especially in areas such as clarity, precision and lack of overhang.
Some of the vocals coming through my Tribit X Sound Go Bluetooth speaker were at least as clear as I'd heard on any loudspeaker previously.

Dare I say it, the clarity of diction was as good as that on my Tannoy Berkeley speakers which I believe feature a metal tweeter crossed at 2kHz.

This leads me to conclude that perhaps state of the art metal drivers, at least magnesium ones, have finally kicked ringing artefacts into touch for good, whilst retaining all their usual advantages.

Perhaps this is finally a genuine step forward in the development of loudspeakers? Hopefully it's also one that will eventually trickle into more widespread usage.

There you go, one prejudice now replaced by hopefully a more accurate one.

prof

"..the Thiels were as usual a somewhat richer, thicker sound, with very dense, round imaging, very organic and relaxing, but also dynamic. The main thing missing in the Thiels vs the Perspectives is the exquisite refinement of timbre up in to the higher frequencies. They miss that gorgeous sparkle and aliveness of the Perspectives."


I wonder if that difference might be, at least partially, down to the use of aluminium drivers in the 2.7s against the magnesium drivers of the Perspectives.

In any case I have also noticed that exquisite timbre in the higher frequencies, (perhaps 5-8kHz?) that most metal drivers seem to bring, along with an almost crystal clear leading edge speed which can make other drivers appear slightly blurred in comparison. It’s not night and day, but it’s there.

Of course, as you found in your response to the differences in comparitive bass reproduction, all loudspeakers seem to present a balancing act of various strengths and unfortunately unavoidable compromises.

Even so, it’s still those strengths we all ultimately strive for.

prof,

On my Thiels it's a big, rich, dense sound, satisfying in it's own way. There is what I'd call a "generalized organic tone" to everything.

However, that same track played on the Joseph Perspective2s had a timbral aliveness, variety and vividness the Thiels can't seem to match.The exact tonal difference of the muted trumpets appearing, the wood/metal sound of the saxes, the guitar, are so timbrally distinct and vivid it's sort of like beholding a timbral display of fireworks.

......

IMO.Listening to other such speakers feels like listening in black and white in timbral terms - the Josephs more like listening "in color."



Yes.

For me it's also a bit like LED v OLED.
Neither are strictly accurate but one has that extra touch of heightened reality, which renders the comparison a no-contest.