Just wanted to update my prior thread where this topic may have gotten lost. As many of you may know by now, Joseph Audio has come out with the new Pulsar Graphene 2. This new iteration of the venerable Pulsars has a graphene coated magnesium midrange-woofer cone, and the drive motor, suspension system, etc., have been revamped. From what I have been told, the upgrade is pretty significant ... the sound is fuller and has greater ease, yet is very resolved. Jeff Joseph advises that an upgrade path will be available for existing owners of the Pulsars, too. Also, note that the price quoted in the Soundstage piece was in Canadian dollars ... Jeff informs me that the price in USD is $8,999 per pair. I am eager to hear the new Pulsars.
Prof yeah I agree about Joseph similarities to mbl. Coincidentally I had just stated that over on the Ohm Micro Walsh tall thread.
The mbls are so unique though. I’d just hate to give them up for that reason alone. But I also know they are not easy to set up optimally and perhaps not really practical in many cases.
I'm pretty close, but I'm holding off pulling the trigger until I figure a couple things out.
mapman, I didn't quite follow your last post.
IMO: The Joseph Perspectives have a disappearing/soundstaging/imaging act that can remind me of the MBLs to a degree, and a similar type of transparency (though hard to beat the MBL), but with some more richness in the midrange and a more traditional sense of drive in the bass.
Rich, this post makes me happy. Let us know when you obtain the Perspectives. I'm waiting on Jeff Joseph to tell me what the graphene upgrade cost is going to be on Pearl 3s.
Heh, I just set up the MBLs because the buyer wants to listen before buying. I played some stuff and thought "what am I crazy? These are insane!" But...they just don’t end up getting as much play in my system as they deserve, and ultimately a pair of fuller range floor standing speakers will suit me better.
The Joseph speakers are something of a gamble too. I know what I really like about them, but also remember an issue or two, but as it sounds like the Graphene version addressed those issues it looks like I’ll roll the dice. I have back up speakers I love if they don’t work out :-)
It's looking more like I will have some Perspectives in my early future.Local dealers are selling off their demo models. I have money left over from selling my Thiel 3.7 speakers and I just listed my MBL 121 monitors. They literally sold in 5 minutes!
I hope to grab a pair of used Perspective (1s) within the next week, if things go as hoped. Then the plan would be to upgrade them to the Graphene version when I can.
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!
"I could have gone Vandersteen, Wilson, or YG but my heart kept returning to the Joseph Pearl 3 with Berkeley Audio Design sourcing Doshi Audio power. Even in a smallish room the sound was effortless, and brimming with musicality and warmth. Take my money, please."
Joseph has been demoing versions of the Pearl for years, often garnering among the best-of-show mentions, so it's seems odd that it's never been reviewed anywhere! I'd really enjoy reading what TAS of Stereophile would say of Joseph's flagship.
The Joseph audio speakers are always among those I enjoy most at shows. Soundstage imaging and detail always seems uniquely good but they do tend to be smaller than most for the price. That's a good thing for those with space limitations which is often the case.
I have no clue what use of Graphene accomplishes with a speaker driver. Is that mostly for marketing appeal?
Believe me that would be my plan if possible. The whole "it costs money" thing is sort of in the way, though. I hope I can count on audiogon member contribution to my up-coming Go-Fund-Me campaign to get me a pair of Perspectives! ;-)
@prof Buy the Perspectives used, have the seller ship them to Jeff Joseph for the upgrade and then have him ship them to you. Please Prof, you need to do this.
However JA price increases have gone too far for me.
Same here.
I’d planned on buying new Perspectives a year ago, had to wait, and now the Perspective 2s are too much too afford (much worse here in Canada). So my only hope at this point is snagging a pair of used original Perspectives. (And then when money permits, send them to Jeff for the upgrade them to graphene 2).
@goose Yep, the price tags in this hobby are perplexing. Having said that, for me, I haven't heard a speaker in the $35K-50K price range that I like better. I like the Vivid line of speakers but their profile is never going to get my spouse's approval...and I don't blame her.
I thought the new pearl with the graphene upgrade at RMAF sounded wonderful. I just have to gulp at the price of $35K+ for this speaker. It was one of my top 5 or 10.
Having heard various Joseph Audio speakers on multiple occasions, I can assure people they are among the best sounding out there and worth whatever price people are willing to pay for them.
FWIW Jeff Joseph just showed his new Pearl 3 model with the Graphene upgrade at RMAF 2019. This model will now be called something different (I think Pearl 20.20 but that could be incorrect). Jeff hasn't determined what it will cost current Pearl 3 owners to upgrade.
Theres nothing special about joseph audio speakers. They are as conventional as you could get for a two way speaker. Its a wooden box with a bit of damping material, a passive crossover and a pair of cone drivers. Dont see why it needs to cost ten thousand dollars
Hello everyone,, I am a Jhonmicky Audio fan. I've heard them at shows in medium sized rooms and small rooms. At home, I have run Perspectives and now run Pearl 3s. I've compared them directly to other speakers with the idea that if I heard something I liked more in the same price range or somewhat higher, I would consider changing speakers. https://showbox.bio/https://tutuapp.uno/https://vidmate.vet/ So far, I haven't heard anything I enjoyed more. IMO Jeff Joseph's build quality, beauty and sound quality are very high value at their comparative price points. That doesn't mean they aren't expensive, but it does mean that they truly compete with other brands that cost significantly more…
It's astonishingly amateurish, unprofessional, wrong and insulting.
Here was my question: " ..Can you please tell me if the woofer/tweeter are 'bolted-in' (or wood-screwed-in) "
It raises alarm bells ? The company felt 'threatened' when a customer
took the time to contact them directly inquiring about simple, basic
design elements -FOR A $10K loudspeaker !!! Too funny.
You don't agree and that's as close as we'll get.
Consumers do not have a right to know everything about a speaker they
are buying. There is no right to have a schematic and part list either.
I will repeat that I would not have replied how he did, but I also can see his point of view. The mistake was in the tone. He should have said to please evaluate the speakers based on their sound quality and see if they are right for you.
I do suspect that JA gets an inordinate amount of attention from DIY'ers who want to clone his speakers, and that may predispose him to being more firm in his replies. I don't know.
Some people keep mistaking their "opinion" as objective reality.
Yes KEF Reference speakers get good reviews.
So do the Joseph speakers, which you just ignore because you are so fixated on dissing them and pumping up KEF speakers.
I could absolutely FLOOD this page with rave reviews for the Joseph speakers, from pro reviews to show reports to owners.
But why bother? Not gonna make a dent in your bizarre obsession with trying to push people to the KEF speakers. Why does it mean so much to you to enter a thread on Joseph speakers and trumpet "The speaker I like is WAY better than the speaker YOU like!!"
There are many fine products, the Joseph speakers are one of them getting constant rave reviews.
People have different tastes than you.
Why not deal with that in a more mature way instead of producing flame bait?
It's astonishingly amateurish, unprofessional, wrong and insulting.
Here was my question: " ..Can you please tell me if the woofer/tweeter are 'bolted-in' (or wood-screwed-in) "
It raises alarm bells ? The company felt 'threatened' when a customer took the time to contact them directly inquiring about simple, basic design elements -FOR A $10K loudspeaker !!! Too funny.
That one single, simple exchange told me everything I needed to know about the man/product. Amateur.
Any (current) KEF Reference loudspeaker is light-years ahead of Joey Joseph's Infinitely-Crossed-Over rip-off of a ($8-10K) 2-way stand-mount: The "Joey's" aren't even close; in performance, sound qulaity, driver and enclsosure quality or sophistication.
If one has not had the opportunity to experience these fantastic loudspeakers, simply look to any world-wide reviews, you'll get the idea -in no uncertain terms.
Heck, if you ask, I'm confident KEF will send you/direct you to their Reference White paper; a highly recommended 'read'.
Hello everyone,, I am a Jhonmicky Audio fan. I've heard them at shows in medium sized rooms and small rooms. At home, I have run Perspectives and now run Pearl 3s. I've compared them directly to other speakers with the idea that if I heard something I liked more in the same price range or somewhat higher, I would consider changing speakers. So far, I haven't heard anything I enjoyed more. IMO Jeff Joseph's build quality, beauty and sound quality are very high value at their comparative price points. That doesn't mean they aren't expensive, but it does mean that they truly compete with other brands that cost significantly more…
A few years back, I contacted Joey Audio to inquire about basic build
quality/construction details of a particular model. Specifically
driver-to-baffle attachment method (bolted or wood-screwed) and baffle
material -wood, metal, composite whatever. In no time flat did I
receive an accusatory response suggesting I was looking for information
regarding a DIY build -for myself !!!!???
I can totally see that. These are not really questions which are often asked except by people looking for trade/construction secrets. While he could have simply declined to answer, I can also see his view point.
As I've written before, compared to a lot of commercial speakers, the part to purchase cost is very fair here. You could pay a lot more if the speakers said Gamut or Wilson. JA speakers are a decent value, based on parts alone, more so if you like the sound quality.
Of course, some keep trying to price the steak they eat and insist that's how much the meal should cost. Woe to them.
For anyone who doesn't have a Stereophile subscription and who was interested in JA's follow up review of the Perspective 2 Graphene, that follow up review is not online here:
The Blades were universally raved, and the LS50 were so widely praised they became a hugely popular modern classic.
Note also that reviews for the Joseph Pulsar speakers are universally RAVE reviews.
But don’t let that little "consistency" problem bother you of ignoring opinions that don’t support your claims. You go right on telling us what’s-what in the hi-fi world.
" ...I'm sure it was Jeff Joseph who was being the jerk in that conversation. I'm never going to buy a pair of his speakers!"
EXACTLY. Why would one ? Joey has more technical resources/ expertise than KEF (who reportedly spent millions-of-dollars toward the Blade/Reference R&D) ? Too funny.
" .. I'm definitely going to heed your balanced, considered words of wisdom ..."
No, not mine, but perhaps every single professional review on any of the current KEF Reference -and critical/expert listener's/owners themselves.
They way you tell it, I'm sure it was Jeff Joseph who was being the jerk in that conversation.
I'm never going to buy a pair of his speakers!
And thanks for the insight on those speakers! I'm definitely going to heed your balanced, considered words of wisdom on the sound of Joseph speakers, Kef LS50 and Blades, over the many rave reviews and my own ears.
A few years back, I contacted Joey Audio to inquire about basic build quality/construction details of a particular model. Specifically driver-to-baffle attachment method (bolted or wood-screwed) and baffle material -wood, metal, composite whatever. In no time flat did I receive an accusatory response suggesting I was looking for information regarding a DIY build -for myself !!!!??? It didn't take long at all for me to lay-into this a-hole to set the record straight. I couldn't believe this idiots disposition, remarks and frankly, insults. The guy I was speaking to ? Why it was Joseph himself (Joker).
I reminded him it was of interest to me (as a consumer) to know some basic loudspeaker construction details concerning a $10K loudspeaker investment before I promptly ended communication.
Sooo, you want to talk "goofy" ? There's your goofy.
pj (P.S> Kef Blades and/or LS50 are the shitty KEF's (with plastic enclosures). The KEF Reference are considerably better)
I have experienced the Kef blades, and the Kef LS50, both of which sounded very nice, though I prefer the Joseph sound.
Both the Joseph and the Kefs are world class speakers and it comes down to taste. If you prefer the Kefs, good for you. It’s too bad you have to be so goofy about it.
Thought I'd stop by before heading to another thread to bash the KEF Ref 1s. I've never heard them, but what the hell -- it didn't stop @allhifi from posting here.
prof, while I don't have any experience with the Perspectives, I do have considerable experience with the Pulsars, both the originals and now the Graphenes and based on that, I would venture to say the Perspectives are going to need a fair amount of breathing room. Hell, the Pulsars need a medium size room.
With the Joseph Perspectives I think it would be difficult to overload a medium-sized room simply because the rear porting comes with plugs that you can adjust to your taste/needs. If memory serves me correctly the Perspectives manual recommends the front baffle be 36" or more from the wall behind the speakers. So, if you have that much room to play with, you're going to be fine with Perspectives IMO. I have no experience with Pulsars. I'm currently running Pearl 3s (which have small rear port on the "satellite" and large bottom port) approximately 69" from the back of the shelving directly behind the speakers. The room probably measures somewhat more than 4500 cubic feet taking into account the open stairwell with high ceiling that feeds into the listening room itself.
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