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Oh, the frustrations of the speaker search

Yesterday I had a nice opportunity to audition a couple of speakers I felt fit my potential budget and listening preferences. To clear that up:

Budget = $1,200 MAX
Music preferences = 70% prog metal/rock (Tool, Opeth, Dream Theater, Rush, etc.), the rest is a mix of female/male vocalists, movie soundtracks, jazz.

The speakers I went in to audition were Golden Ear Aon 3's and PSB Imagine B's. The shop had an Ayre CD player connected to an NAD C 356BEE integrated amp. Tracks used for demo: Alison Balsom (Trumpet Concerto in E Flat); Tool (Forty Six & Two); Porcupine Tree (The Sound of Muzak); Zac Brown Band (Free); Hans Zimmer (Man of Steel - Terraforming).

My impressions: the Aon 3 ribbon tweeters were doing some really cool things in the treble region, but I didn't like the timbre up there. The midrange was very distant, lacked PRAT, but smooth. Bass was very present (most bass I've ever heard for a bookshelf), but had a rather "bloated" sound to it. I just got the sense that the midbass was bleeding too much into the midrange, causing the lack of presence in vocals and guitars. Soundstage was very nice, but not a whole lot of instrument separation going on. Decent in the detail department. Imaging was solid.

When he switched to the PSBs, I immediately noticed a more defined, taut bass section. Not as much quantity as the Aon 3's, but much tighter and cleaner, IMO. I preferred the midrange handily with the Imagine B's, but definitely noticed the glariness of the metal dome tweeter (as compared to the ribbon in the Aon 3). Overall, I felt the Imagine B was better balanced and the midrange had much more life (positive sense) to it. Soundstage was maybe a bit less in width, same in depth. One thing that I felt was lacking, though, was instrument separation. Imaging was solid.

It was at this point that I felt truly torn. These speakers did things so differently that I really had no idea which one I'd go with (if I had to choose). What made this even more complicated, is the salesman placed a pair of Aerial Acoustics Model 5B on the stands...

Crap. I was glad and mad at the same time after listening to these speakers. Immediately apparent: INSTRUMENT SEPARATION!!! Details, clarity, resolution, timbre. All those words started flooding in my head. Truly balanced sound with a beautifully rendered midrange. Absolutely no glare or harshness to the treble (despite being aluminum dome tweeters...implementation!). Bass quantity was nice, but actually sounded muddy (was very surprised by this).

In the end, it made me realize that even a $2000+/pair speaker can have its flaws (granted still being run by a mid-grade integrated in the NAD). So now I have a reference point, however I don't know if I'd ever be able to achieve that kind of midrange/treble bliss at my price point for the genres I enjoy.

I realized, in the end, that I can live with some bass misfortune (as it can be corrected by cables, electronics, placement, room treatment, etc.)...but I really MUST have that type of midrange/treble that can be so well rendered and discernable, while also being able to ROCK.

This search just got a lot more complicated...
heywaj10

Showing 4 responses by heywaj10

heywaj10 OP
17 posts
 
Mapman: I've thought of the OHM Walsh Micro-Talls and the Tekton Lores. I don't think I'd have room for something the size of the OHM Ls. My fiancee and I are in the beginning stages of house hunting. Chances are, I'll probably have (at best) a 12x14 room to work with, I imagine.

This was my initial reason for thinking of just going bookshelfs. That being said, my concern with the Tekton and Ohms would be instrument separation, detail retrieval, and bass impact. I imagine both excel with bass impact by design, but will detail be strong and will there be a high level of instrument separation, so not to get more of the "wall of sound" that usually accompanies speakers ~$1000?

Amp-wise, that will be a decision made depending on the sound of speaker I choose. Because of this, I fear the prospect of being able to audition Ohms and/or Tektons in-home, only to potentially have to return (if disliked) and pay the restocking fees + shipping costs. That's not a small investment for a "trial" in the case it doesn't work to my liking.
heywaj10 OP
17 posts
 
French_fries: A bit confused of your first statement, as I noted in my OP that I listen to 70% prog rock/metal. I even omitted bringing some of my "harder" stuff knowing that some compressed recordings may not help me evaluate the actual nature of the speakers. The music I used in this particular audition gave me a good range to listen to and understand how these speakers perform across the board.

Good point, however, on the importance of auditioning REALLY GOOD equipment. I just don't know how good is feasible for my future budget. I may not be able to push past the $1,000 envelope for an amp once that time comes.

In terms of auditioning, though, how does one really draw significant conclusions about specific equipment? Often times, different equipment is in different show rooms (not to mention stores), with different speakers, and different cables, etc. I for sure will not have the free reign to go through the merry-go-round (WAF) to continuously swap in/out different components in home for audition.
heywaj10 OP
17 posts
 
Thank you all for your well thought out responses and advice. It's certainly a long journey ahead. Forunately, time is on my side, as the new home situation isn't even resolved yet. I will try and follow the path of simply auditioning as many speakers as I can to see what flavors work best with my musical tastes.

Hopefully I don't go pissing off some audio shop owners/salesman for repeatedly visiting but purchasing nothing...here's to hoping!
heywaj10 OP
17 posts
 
Hey guys,

After some solid thought process going into all this, I think I'm starting to come through the clouds. Re-evaluating everything, I have a solid plan (which will obviously take some time to play out).

Step 1: Save for speakers, audition, audition, audition. Budget will up to $2,000/pair.

Step 2: Buy a receiver/amp that will suffice to begin with (even something from Craigslist locally for ~$200). Utilize my Bifrost from the headphone rig as my source. Sell off other items of the headphone rig to help pay for the speakers.

Step 3: Save for an integrated amp: I really have my eyes set on the likes of a Wyred 4 Sound STI-500.

Step 4: Save up for and upgrade the dac to a high*er end unit (the likes of Wyred 4 Sound Dac-2, or even Schiit Statement).

Step 5: Save up for a sub. Something like an SVS12 sealed.

With proper planning and budgeting, I imagine I could assemble such a system within a year or so (from the initial starting point). Not a bad deal. Obviously this is kicking my budget way up. However, I have a hard time with the fear of purchasing something sooner, of lesser quality, and having severe buyers remorse quickly.

The bear in all of this is speakers, which actually makes me wonder if I should swap steps 1 and 3, and skip #2 entirely. I think I truly need to first determine what "sound signature" I like with my music: forward with "pop" (i.e. bookshelf monitors) or setback with "openness" (i.e. planars, omnis). Oye.
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