JBL L80, $400 at the BX in 1992.
Totem Model 1, $1200 dealer demo in 94', plus $400 for Target R4 stands.
Reference 3A MM. $1500, used.
Sonus Faber Electa Amator, with matching steel/walnut stands. Original version, $3200 dealer demo in 99'. I will never let these go! Occassionally they're augmented with a Sunfire True Sub Mk II, used $900, depending on the need for the last 12Hz. I feel I'll have to spend significantly more money to improve upon these. They get better with my evolving system, and only when I have a house with a dedicated room, AC, etc., will I "upgrade." Then it will be a coin toss between B&W 800 Matrix, (if I can find a pair,) Vandersteen 5A's, sonus Faber Extremas, or something I haven't come across yet. |
My first was a little cheap receiver and speaker system sold by JC Penny with their brand on it. It was awful sounding, even by standards back in the late sixties when I bought it. The speakers were small monitors, six inch two ways I believe.
1973-1979. Pioneer CS-R300 monitors
They were two way with an 8" or 10" woofer and horn loaded dome tweeter. They were mated with a Kenwood receiver and actually sounded pretty good. I could not quite afford the JBL L-100's that all my buddies either owned or wanted back then. The Pioneers in this series sported a brightly colored cloth grill covering the top half of the speaker and black covering the lower half.
1979-1994. Genesis Physics II+. Paired those with a Yamaha receiver. They sounded pretty nice, but were a tad bit boomy in the low end.
1994 to present. Klipsch KG5.5
After hearing a pair of La Scalas that I could not afford, I just had to have Klipsch, as I fell in love with their superior dynamics. Although at times the KG's can sound a little harsh in the upper mids, I have been quite pleased with them over time. They come with dual 10" woofers and the horn driver. They have been played with Harman Kardon, Yamaha, JoLida and now Emotiva receivers or amps, and actually sound quite a bit better now with the Emotiva power than any other used before.
I am presently shopping for a good deal on some new or good used speakers to replace the KG's. I am leaning toward Klipsch Cornwall III's, but I have not heard them before and won't make a purchase until I have done so. If anyone has any idea where I can hear them within the state of Texas, please advise. |
Macdad -- That's essentially what I did -- a whole new system in one rather significant bite. Seriously upgraded my two-channel capabilities with the Ayre stack and 5a's. Will say I got what I consider a screaming deal on demos from my local dealer. They've been "tuned" to my room now and I'm loving them.
Happy listening. |
Dawg-Fish, love the 5a's. I keep thinking about moving to those, what a great speaker. But then I would have to change all of my upstream components too. Well, maybe that's a great plan, a whole new system!! |
When I was in junior high, I received a Christmas present of my first stereo: a Curtis-Mathes (they made TVs) with 8" two-way speakers. Terrible.
My senior year in high school, I scrimped and saved and bought by first "real" system, featuring Electro-Voice ETR-18 (12" three-way, four driver) speakers.
After graduating college, I upgraded to a pair of ADS 810 (dual 8" woofers), which served me well for about 15 years.
Then it was major upgrade to five Dunlavy speakers, SC-II's for the front left and right, with SC-1a's for center and surrounds.
Then, last month, the biggest jump yet. New electronics (Ayre) and Vandersteen 5a's for the front L+R. These will be my traveling companions for many years to come
Happy listening. |
Radio Shack DIY, ADS 310(?), Linn Kans, Activ Linn Kabers, Wisdom Audio Adreneline D75 and now the Magico V2. |
1. Dynaco when I was a kid
2. Snell E-II when I got out of college
3. Soliloquy 6.5
4. Merlin TSM-SE
Current: Silverline SR17.5 with reworked crossovers - Duelund components
And no complaints about any of them! |
Magnepan MMGs
Magnepan 1.6QRs
Dynaudio Contour MK something or other (didn't keep long)
Von Schweikert VR-1s
Cain & Cain Abbys
Zu Soul Superflys on order! |
haha, nice idea for a thread. =)
1. first hifi, speakers and all: soundesign k-mart special all-in-one turntable/cassette/tuner
2. 'acoustics', model ?? - got 'em as hand-me-downs
3. klipsch cornwall II [which i left with my sister when i moved to europe, she still has them]
4. mission 7-something bookshelf [for my new apartment, it was small]
5. JBL 4311 monitors
6. Thiel CS 0.5
i'll be upgrading soon, see my thread!
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?cspkr&1260210396 |
Bose (the little double cube doodads) ->
B&W 685 ->
Focal 1027be ->
Currently in a state of happiness |
Like most budding audiophile, I started with some budget gear and... (pretty much stayed there)!
When I first went off to college in '89, I used my roommates awful speakers. They were so bad, I wondered why I sprung the $$$ on a Dynaco 70 amplifier.
Then I bought a pair of RS4B Infinity tower speakers with the Emit tweeter. Not a good match with the tube gear. 35Ws of EL34 wasn't enough to control these 'solid state' speakers.
Pair of DIY Dynaudio monitors. Not very efficient, but a pretty good sound with the Dynaco Mark IVs I was running at the time.
1991 Apartment fire! Afterwards, through an audio dealer friend, I got a pair of Snell JIIIs. They never sounded good with my new H-K Citation V / Adcom 565 combo.
Homemade Jensen cabinets with 12" Stephens trusonic coax drivers. Sounded quite good with SE 2A3 or PP 6B4G amplifiers. Not WAF friendly, so they were sold to a friend. Last I heard, they were being used as PA speakers for a community theater!
Altec 755s in someone else's homemade cabinets. No treble, but a nice midrange.
(the dark years start). Onkyo bookshelf speakers as we need something out of the toddler's way.
Wharfedale W60s - nice midrange, no treble and a bloated bass.
Adire HE10.1 kit speakers. Efficient enough for SE 300B amps, but a little hard sounding.
Altec-Lansing Model 15 speakers. 32B horn with a 12" woofer. A little grainy sounding, but a step up in the sound department. I ended up parting them out as they were worth more that way!
UREI 813A studio monitors. Basically a time-aligned Altec 604-8K driver with an Eminence 15" 'helper' woofer on the bottom. The best I've ever heard for bass and dynamics. Forward sounding and not very kind for less-than-stellar sources.
and finally Magnepan 1.6/QRs. I lost the big dynamics, but gained imaging, smoothness and better soundstaging. I love the planar sound. |
3 way US made $150 speakers -- 1983 - 1990
2 way 1979 vintage EPI bookshelves on stands, modified crossovers with good components -- 1990 - 2005
Kef Reference 102 on stands -- 2005 - 2010
Quad ESL-63 on Arcici stands -- March 28, 2010 - ?
The Kefs are really decent speakers. But, I am ecstatic to own the Quads. I have been waiting for them since working in high-end audio from 1989 to 1992. The Kef 102's were one of my favorite 2 way speakers while working in audio. |
1976 BIC Venturi-$150 New
1979 POLK AUDIO MONITOR 7-$200 New
1982 3D ACOUSTICS-$300 New
1986 Thiel CS2-$1,200 New
2002 Magnepan MMG-$800 New (went back to Thiel three weeks later)
2004 VON SCHWEIKERT VR 2's-$2500 New |
Cerwin Vega D-1......1985 (high school)
Cerwin Vega D-5......1988 (high school)
Mirage M-790...........1992 (college years)
JM Lab 926................2003 (working years)
JM Lab Alto Utopia...2005 (good bonus year!) |
From the 70's to today...
- Avid 103's
- Ultralinears (don't remember model)
- Spendor SP1's
- Magnepan 2.5R's
- B&W 804's
- Energy Veritas
- Revel F32's
Upgrading this year - probables: Thiel, Revel Ultima, or Wilson... |
From 1960's through the 80's, just random crapola speakers from department stores / here & there.
Got interested in home theater in 90's and bought:
Bose Acoustimass set-up for $900.00
Then Polk Audio RT something or anothers with 15" Polk Sub, about $800.+-
Then finally B&W N 804's, B&W ASW 2500 subs, B&W HTM2 and N surrounds $9,700.
B&W 601 S3's $150.00 (used)
Audioanalyst Phase Matrix M8's (recent vintage purchase)$60.00. |
* ESS with Heil Air Motion tweeters. $100? NO bottom!
* Belle Klipsch $1100. Still have them. Talked my dad into buying them from a private party and he threw in a turntable.
* JBLs - traded for a window air conditioner!
* Magnepan MG-IC $75. Autioneer did not even know they were speakers. Asked me what I wanted the strange room dividers for. LOL. Still have them.
* Infinity Preludes? (Little speakers with powered sub on side) $600 at Computer City. Still have them. MUDDY sound! Anybody wanna buy 'em?
* Speakerlab $200 last week. I WISH someone could tell me what model they are. Tweeter and mid in front, sub-woofer in the rear with no grill. Oak cabinet. NO label of any kind except on front grill. Maybe home built but still should have a model #. Great big rock and roll sound.
I have NEVER owned a speaker that I truly love; everything has been a compromise. The Klipsch are FANTASTIC, but not for easy listening and NOT for a small room. |
Update to 11/18/08
Klipsch KG3.5 (oiled oak)
Celestion DL-8
Mission 70 mkII
RogerSoundLab CG-6
Boston Acoustics A-200
Wharfedale CRS-5
Mission 700 LE
Wharfedale Delta 70 |
Main Rig
60's 6-9yrs old
Stand alone RCA record player changer with 1 speaker
Main Rig
70's Jr/SrHigh
3way York Radio w/Pioneer SS (stolen)
Late 80's
Klipsh La Scalla's (sold)
mid 90's
Mirage 3si (still have don't use)
2005
VSA 4sr mkII
Second system
Dynaco somethings (moved to son's room) He is 9
SF Guarnieri Homage (w/Aerial SW-12)
Daughters System she is 12
Vienna Acoustics Hayden Grands
Assorted speaker for each room and HT |
ElectroVoice 14 1970
Sansui SP6000x 1976
Cizek Model 1 1977
Fried A3a 1984
Energy ProRef Connoisseur 1989
Near 50me 1992
Tyler Acoustics Tylo Monitors 2000
Tyler Acoustics Linbrook Monitors 2004
PSB Synchrony One 2010 |
Ohm Model H's in 1980. Then changed to Nestorovic type 5's 1983. Now using Hales T8's, puchased in 2000. If the economy ever straightens out I will be looking at Verity Sarastro, YG Kipod, Vandersteen Model 7's, and a few others to put on my short list. |
Dynaco A-25s (1970s) ?
Spica TC-50s (1990s) $550 new
Martin-Logan CLS I (1990s) $1500 used
Maggie MMG (2001) $550 new
Maggie 1.6QR (2002-present) $1700 new |
Rogers LS2a 1988, Yamaha NS1000x 2004, B&W 805N 2009 all still in use at home. |
Mordaunt Short MS 10 (used)
B&W DM 302 (new)- 601 (new)
Kef Coda 8
Kef Coda 9.2 (new first floor-standers)
All during my student years - very fondly remembered.
"Graduate" speakers
Mission 750 LE (new)
Monitor Audio Monitor 4 (used)
Audio Physic Step (new)
OPERA CALLAS monitors(magnificent speakers)
SONUS FABER CONCERTO GP
TRIANGLE VENTIS XS (new)
Triangle Naia (new)
Penaudio Rebel & Chara (used)
CHARIO CONSTELLATION URSA MAJOR (new) |
Electrophonic
Advents
Bose 301
JBL100
JBL112
Klipsch La Scalla
Thiel 1.0
Thiel 1.2
Thiel 2.0
Thiel 2.3 |
well, I'm a Dyn addict.
It started with Dynaudio Audience 42. It impressed me after an indepth comparison with the equivalent B&W (too much bass), Focal (too thin) or the Dyn Audience floorstander (forgot the model, 62 or 72).
After a year or so I jumped to Dyn Contour 1.3 mk2. An eye opener especially in terms of bass.
Now I'm using Confidence 3, bought it used as I can't afford C1. I think I'm settled with the Dyn sound at the moment.
Perhaps for my next journey, I'm gonna try ribbon speakers. next time, I guess |
AR-2ax
Energy 22
Dynaco A15
Sound Dynamics 300ti
Magnepan MG12 |
This is in order, however, I've had occasional regressions to older speakers. (Prices are from when new)
Infinity 1001 ($200)
B&W DM110 ($350)
Paradigm 5SEMKII($450)
Paradigm Titans ($250)
Paradigm Studio 80 ($1600)
Infinity Quantum 3 ($1050)
Linn Isobarik ($6500)
Boston Acoustics A70 ($330)
Boston Acoustics T830 ($600)
Boston Acoustics VR965 ($1000)
Magnepan MG-1C ($800) |
as you can see i tend to keep speakers for a long time
1977 JBL (no idea of model number)
1994 Klipsch kg3.5 (now in HT system)
2009 Dynaudio C1 |
~1975: Pioneer 10" woofer, ~2.5" DOME midrange, ~2" cone tweeter. Part of a system I bought for $400 in HS. These served me until 1984!
1984: 3D Acoustics sat/passive sub system, excellent for $500.
1994? B&W DM601 original series $400, ran 3D sub with old Yamaha A-700 integrated amp, drove sats with Dynaco SCA-35.
2002: Triangle Titus 202EX (upgraded tweeter cap in 2005). NHT SubOne powered sub. Now have Bottlehead 300B Paramounts. |
1979 Radio Shack Minimus 7 ($100)
1983 or 84 Fried C3L (Can't remember how much)
1989 Mirage M760 ($1000 new)
1993 Mirage M-5si ($1800 new)
1997 Added Paradigm Servo 15 to M-5si's (1500 new)
2004 Legacy Focus ($2800 used)
2005 Legacy Whisper ($6000 used)
2005 Added Legacy LF Xtreme sub for bellow 30 hz for Whispers ($2800 new)
2008 Tyler Taylo 7u ($1200 used)
2008 Legacy Victoria LE w/LF Xtreme rolled in below 40 hz ($1900 used with stands)
2008 Emerald Physics CS-2 ($3000 new)
2009 Intuitive Design Summit and Path stands ($4200 used including shipping and 6 Stillpoint resonance dampeners)Also bought 6 more Stillpoints.
2009 Velodyne DD-12 ($1500 as store demo)
I blame my brother for getting me started on this as he was the one who talked me into the Fried C3L's. My ex wife got them in a divorce. I asked about them a couple of years later and she said she threw them out because one of the woofer surrounds glue had failed and she thought they were then junk. (You did WHAT???) I wish I still had them.
I liked the M-5si's very much but they did not work out in my listening room in my new house and ended up buying the Focus with Steradian processor. I ended up getting a great deal on a pair of Whispers and bought them as well as an LF Xtreme to augment the very lowest frequencies.
I intended to keep the Whispers as we intended to sell our house and I was going to have a listening room large enough for them. They did suprisingly well in my medium sized room, but they ended up being just too big.
I then went on a quest to find speakers that were more appropriate for the room and would not limit house choices once our current house sells. The Tyler Taylo 7U's were next and were probably the biggest disappointment out of all that I have ever owned. I don't know how much was system/room related but I never really found them involving at all. Even my wife, who couldn't care less, commented on how little she liked them.
Next came the Legacy Victoria LE augmented by the Legacy sub. These sounded very, very good in my room. they were very nearly the equal of the Whispers and were the right size. Where they lost to the Whisper was the resolution provided by the open panel bass drivers.
Looking for the open panel bass performance, I was intrigued by the EP CS-2's and traded the Victoria/LF Xtreme package for them. There were many things I liked about them but could never warm up to the compression horn tweeter. It was just not my cup of tea and I ended up selling them.
My current speakers are the Intuitive Design Summits and it was like hitting the lottery finding these. They are clearly the best sounding speakers I have had in this room. Incredibly fast yet somehow smooth speakers with as high quality of bass as I have heard anywhere. They just completely disappear and leave you there with the music. These may be the best kept secret in audio and at their price are a tremendous value as well. I have blended in a Velodyne DD-12 to augment the low end. These have put an end to my speaker search for the forseeable future.
|
This is pretty easy:
The cheap speakers that came with my "all-in-one" (turntable, receiver in the same box) college system.
Some generic speakers from Pacific Stereo
Design Acoustics (from AudioTechnica)
Cambridge Soundworks bookshelf speakers
Paradigm Studio 20s
Joseph Audio Rm7si (for the past 10 years). |
Homemade speakers my cousin gave me -- 1980 to 1983(plywood boxes with no back on them)
Radio Shack Mach One -- 1983 to 1992 (but not the original, good ones; the cheap imitation model sold after about '80 or '81)
Celestion Model 100 -- 1992 to 2009 (still in use on second system)
PSB Synchrony 2 -- August 2009 to present |
1972 Pacific Stereo generics $?
1974 JBL Century 100s $250 (employee's discount)
1987 Definitive Technology BP ? $?
1996 Martin Logan SL3 $2000
1997 Definitive Technology Subwoofer
1997 Velodyne 1800 FR
1999 Martin Logan CLS IIz $2400
1999 Martin Logan Logos $1500
1999 Kinegistic sw-800 subwoofers $2000
2009 Rel Storm III subwoofer $600 |
JBL L40 circa 1976 $450
Bose 501 circa 1989 $500
Definitive Technology BP7000SC circa 2005 $5000 |
I have tried a number of speakers in the almost 50 years of my pursuit of the high end . . . . I have listed my speakers on a couple of previous occasions in this thread, but as the quest goes on, here is an update.
ELECTROVOICE EV-2 (1963)
DYNACO 25
TANDBERG LOUDSPEAKER
DOUBLE LARGE ADVENTS
KLH-9
ACOUSTIC RESEARCH AR 3A
MAGNEPLANAR TYMPANI IU
ALTEC VOICE OF THE THEATER
GALE LOUDSPEAKER (in my opinion, this was an awful speaker)
KLIPSCHORN - corner horn
OHM F
MAGNEPAN MG II
MAGNEPAN MG 3
MAGNEPLANAR TYMPANI IV (Loved these great big things)
MAGNEPAN MG 3.3
MAGNEPAN MG 3.6r
THIEL CS 3
THIEL CS 3.5
THIEL CS 3.6
THIEL CS 5i
WILSON WATT
WILSON WATT 3 PUPPY 2
GENESIS 200
EGGLESTONWORKS ANDRA
AVALON EIDOLON
MAGNEPAN 20.1
VERITY PARSIFAL ENCORE
QUAD ESL 63 CROSBY MODS
JOSEPH AUDIO PEARLS (Possibly the best I've ever heard in my system - wish I hadn't sold them.)
PSB PLATINUM M-2 MONITORS (In second system)
JM LAB 907Be (Second system)
JM LAB MICRO UTOPIA Be (in a second system)
JM LAB SUB UTOPIA Be ( Used with the Micro Utopia Be speakers)
SONUS FABER CREMONA AUDITOR (second system) SWEET!
KHARMA 3.2 FE (I don't like the titanium tweeter - gives me a headache)
MARTIN LOGAN SUMMIT (A great speaker)
EGGLESTON ANDRA II
SONUS FABER GUARNERI MEMENTO (The best little speakers in the world - I can't afford the Magico so this one will have to do . . . . )
Currently, I'm llistening to the wonderful Avalon Eidolons in my first system and the Sonus Faber Guarneri Mementos in the second. Couldn't be happier!
Perhaps I'll stop looking.
|
cann't remember the prices, here is the history.
EV two way book shelf (1971)
Sansui three way (1974)
ESS amt4 (1976)
KEF 104ab (1978)
Home brew: ESS AMT1/Peerless mid. Kef bass drivers in subwoofer. (Now) |
My father's OHM F and SNELL A (70s to 80s)
AR14 and Fostex speakers (80s to 90s)
Mission 731i (late 90s)
PSB STRATUS BRONZE (2000s)
JBL S38
JBL L300 SUMMIT (best)
Athena Floorstanders
Polk R15
EPOS M12
DALI IKON 6 (2nd best)
PARADIGM ATOM v.5
b&w 686 (current) |
Home-made walsh-aligned(by accident) 5 1/4" full range
Altec-Lansing 100 series
Fisher XP66b
Ohm E (Sister still has)
AR 2 (Dad still has)
ESS Performance series w/10" and passive radiator
ESS AMT 1a
Ohm F (3) two plus one for "center channel"
Dozens of home-brewed designs
EPI 100 early Burhoe (still have)
Bose 4.2 (mod w/dome tweeter and new x-over) still have
Ohm F2 (still have)
Ohm Walsh 1 (4 of them) still have
Ohm Walsh 4XO (still have)
several others long forgotten |
Technics (bought used at $50), 1987
DBX satellite systems new at $250, 1989
Celestion Impact 20, 1993
Klipsch KLF-20, 2000 (still used in HT setting with KLF-7 and ksp S6)
B&W DM603, 2005
Tyler Taylo 7U, 2006
Tyler Linbrook Signature Systems, 2009 |
(1) 1990: Very old Bose 901s
(2) 1992: Mirage M5-si
(3) 2001: Coincident Super Eclipse
(4) 2008: Guru QM-10
Next? Guru QM-60s or some yet to be discovered Uber-monolith. |
Speaker history of an obsessive hoarder:
Advent 101 (Still own)
Rogers LS3/5a (Still own)
B&W 801F's (Still own)
Meadowlark Blue Heron II (Still own, in main system)
Harbeth 7-3es (Still own, but putting on sale)
Merlin VSM-MXe (Took place of Harbeths)
My wife says I need therapy since I can't seeem to let go of 'things'. |
My system was Vienna Acoustics Baby Beethoven speakers , REL R 505 sub, Primare integrated amp (I21) and the Classic SqueezeBox 3. Cables are made by Cobalt for speakers; audioquest for the RCA link between SB3 and the integrated amp. I bought my system in 2005 (except the SB3 which I bought in 2006).
All my music is lossless stored on a computer (more than 700 CDs that now sit in the garage) and played wireless through SB3; this way there is no mechanical noise from the player (like a CD/SACD player would have). Of course the computer that stores the music is in a different room - all those noisy computer fans I can't stand...
The MSRP cost of the VA/Primare/REL system is 3995$ (VA) + 1995$ (REL) + 1495 (I21) + 130$ (10 AWG Cobalt cables) + 8.25% CA taxes = 8.243$
I am as happy as I can be with my system BUT (here I go) I am always reading reviews and listening to (too) many speakers (including some I couldn't afford) at many dealers.
Long story short, I heard about the NHT XDa an active crossover system with DEQX crossovers and Power Physics amplifier(s) in 2006 but it was just a few months after I bought my system so I wasn't very interested. Plus, at that time "digital" amplifier was a bad word, a profanity in the boutique oriented audiophile world and NHT is not quite an exotique brand - they are down to earth guys.
Here we are today in 2009 with the economy in the toilet and NHT slashes prices - XD* Active 2.2 is down to 2999$.
In the meantime I read quite a bit about class D amplifiers and learned they are (or at least could be) actually pretty good. So I order the NHT XD* Active 2.2 in special dark, factory-direct.
Here I am, I got the Beethovens/Primare/REL + the NHT XD* Active 2.2.
I also had to order a preamp and I chose the Parasound Halo P3 I heard it many times and I like it. That set me back another 850$ (tax included).
*I was thinking - if a don't like the NHT I will sell them on Audiogon (yes I will loose some money but there is no place that let's me audition them). If I like them better than my current setup (I thought that was unlikely) I might keep both. After all, the VA/Primare/REL combination is as good as I can afford.
Or so I thought. The only speakers I like better than my Beethovens and under 15k$ are the Martin Logan Summit X. Now that is way above budget and my wife wouldn't approve either way (don't you bring those UFOs in our house, OK?). Speakers more expensive than that make no sense to me. A lot of doubtful (pseudo) technology go in such esoteric and expensive speakers - my 2c. Also - do not try justifying me k$ cables - it makes me laugh.
See this
http://www.audioholics.com/education...-you-snake-oil
on one of my preferred websites.
So, how do 8243$ spent at Magnolia HiFi stack up against 4100$ ( 3247$ is 3k$ + taxes then add 850$ for the Halo P3) spent buying factory direct gear from NHT + the Parasound P3 preamp?
Looks and appearance first:
The VA are some gorgeous lookers - the kind of finish you rarely see. If you look at the binding posts in the back then it'll be clear for you - the Austrians from VA mean quality. And that is not only outside, to be seen; read up on their website about their crossovers... Unless you are willing to spend a lot more I'd say the VA Beethovens are as good as it gets for a mortal's audio system.
The Primare amplifier is also a beautiful amplifier, simple, elegant and classy.
The RELL sub is also very nicely finished - a true black piano high gloss - really nice.
The NHT XDs speakers are very nicely finished - on par with the VA. I even consider the dark red chocolate/black piano high gloss finish better than the VA/RELL. The spikes that come with the stand are in a beautiful metallic gun color (and no, I don't like guns) - nicest spikes I've seen in a long time. Now there are two things I am not really thrilled in the looks of the NHT XDs:
*a) the cable that comes standard is not that cool looking
*b) there is a sticker on the back of the speakers with their serial #. Nicer/better finish and look than the VA yet a piece of sticker on their back!
Now the XDa (XD's amplifier) is not very nice looking - plastic front plate. Nowhere close to the Primare look.
The XDw are very nice looking - better looking than the RELL.
I like listening to baroque (I love organ) music and all kind of fast, ear blasting punk/heavy metal. This (strange) combination music I like makes me hard to please when it comes to sound reproduction.
Sound comparison:
The VAs sound very relaxed with good imaging and clear mids while the highs sound silky smooth and mellow. They almost sound like they are meant to play Baroque music (even organ - with the REL subs) and Jazz. There is a sense of calm and precision (made in Vienna/Austria, remember?) in the sound of these speakers that gives you years of enjoyment listening to them.
The bass integration with the RELL is pretty good and the RELL never rattles and never booms - a sealed subwoofer, the only type of sub I like.
I could go on and on about their sound qualities but I'd rather skip to the critique part.
The high bass - low mids sounds a bit lifeless even with the RELL - almost missing a bit of energy/speed. At low levels there is plenty of details but when turned on a bit too loud the speakers distort a bit and the sound is not so relaxed anymore and no, it is not the amp; the knob is around 30 out of 75 when this is noticeable (there is some decent reserve in the amp). During my 4 years with this setup I noticed the piano sounds a bit boxy at times, especially in the low mids. As good as they are these speakers will not rock the house - they just don't play that clear at (acceptably) loud volume.
NHT.
On par with the best I ever listened to then some. I have listened to a lot of gear in the 10-15K$ range and even above - Mahler from VA 13k$, Amati from SF 28K$, Summit and Summit X from ML 10 respective 14 k$, the 801/802 from B&W, old/new Tannoys, etc.
NHT is nothing less. If anything the NHT are better.
The XD system can rock very LOUD and can play jazz very relaxed. With the 2.2 and the filter that sets the system to go down to 20Hz you can listen to organ music and it sounds real. You put the filter for high SPL and you can rock the house and still have plenty of bass down to 25Hz.
The best part - these speakers do not distort at (very) loud volume. One day I asked a friend of mine who is a motocross enthusiast: What kind of cars do you like? The answer came without a blink: The kind of car you can drive at 120Mph and makes you think you're driving 60 Mph, well controlled, balanced cars with sharp steering.
That's how I feel about the NHT Xds - they can rock and sound effortless. They can play organ effortlessly and have all the detail. And this comes from somebody who went to many concerts and operas. Many.
The mids are very fast - I dare to say on par with the best electrostats - don't take my word for it, try them out.
The bass is fast, never boomy and never rattles. The highs are crisp, detailed never too harsh but never mellow.
And the speakers, both bass and monitors are sealed.
Again - unbelievable sound, hard to describe. Precise, effortless and fast.
Instruments like piano and the organ never sounded more life like, ever. Large orchestras, rock bands never sounded so crisp.
After listening to the NHT I decided I have to part with the VA Beethovens/Primare/REL (Audiogon anybody?) - they make no makes no sense to me anymore; they were dwarfed by the NHT XD.
Now, in all fairness below are the things I don't like in the NHT XD active setup:
There is a the setting for the XDa that allows you to start the XDa with a music signal. During quiet passages the amp shuts down - annoying. The easy way I fixed that was to use the external trigger input on the XDa: I plugged wires from my preamp's trigger output to the XDa trigger input. It takes 1 minute and a simple wire to do that. Read your preamp manual to locate the 12V trigger output and send that to the trigger input in the XDa. Ok - this was easy.
Another thing is that whenever XDa starts there is a small sound pop in the tweeters.
I guess these speakers will not be easily accepted by everybody - progress isn't easy to accept. In a world polluted by mediocre sounding 15k$ there are a very few of them that sound quite good.
And NHT XD active system sounds better than those. |
My audiojourney started in 1997 with ,
JBL L20 bought the for 800 DMARK in Germany, have them for 12 years now!
Audio Physic Tempo 3 (2 years),
Audio Physic Tempo 3i(1 year),
Audio Physic Tempo 3JE(1 year),
Audio Physic Virgo 2(1 year),
Konus Audio Essence(5 years),
Thiel cs 1.6(1 year),
Avalon Symbol(4 years),
Avalon Opus clone speakers(1 year),
Avalon Studio Pro (2 years),
Hyperion HPS 936 (5 years)
Audio Physic Step SLE(1 year).
Still have the first and the last two speakersets.
Since the AP Tempo 3 , I always had multiple speakersets in my house:)
|
Sony Midi System -New
Bose Acoustimass AM-10 £825 - New (3 years)
Acoustic Energy AE109 $450 -New (1 year)
B&W CDM 1SE $1,000 -New (11 years!!)
B&W N805 $1,500 - Used (3 months)
Sonus Faber Concerto Grand Piano $1,500 -Used (2.5 years)
PMC LB1 Signature + PMC TLE1 sub $6,000 -New (3 years)
Harbeth Super HL-5 -New + PMC TLE1 sub (current) |
scott something or another. 8" alinco woofer 2.5" paper tweeter pick them up on my way home from work when i was 16 some set them out for the trash. carried them home on a bike.
Pair i made had a sony 6920 6x9 remover the tweeter and glued on a dust cap and added a radio shack horn tweeter.
polk audio 5b loved these but just could not play loud.
pair i made 8" kicker with a 3x7 peizeo horn loud and clean.
went back to my 5bs' for a while
polk audio 10b
Advent Maestro
pair of subs I built using jbl 128h
sub i build using a JBL 2240g in a 10cuft box 124db at 40hz at 10feet 131 at 3 and could still do 118 db at 20hz at 3feet.
pair i built using klipsch 1079sv 5.25" drivers and a vifa d-19 tweeter
bought a pair of Panasonic sb600 at a gearge sale just to hear what they sounded like (awfull)
various speakers i have upgrade along the way.
latest project is to be
a 2 way using a jbl 2206 or a jbl 2214 as the 12" lf driver and selium d210ti drivers ona 6x11 horn crossover at 800hz
expetecd response should be 40-20k flat with 96db /1w/m and a max output around 116db with the 2214 and 124db with the 2206. |
My 1st speakers were Klipsch KG 4's. I bought them in 1985 in MD at a little shop. I was thinking about a pr of Allisons.
Boston Acoustics VR 30's (1994)
Martin Logan Aerius i's
Aerial Acoustic 7B's (still have them)
McIntosh LS 360's
Montana XPS
EGGLESTON WORKS ANDRA III'S WOW! |
Let's see if my memory fails me here or not: for fun I listed each speaker with a 0 to 10 scale, with 10 providing the highest "enjoyment" factor along with top strength. Also time frame owned.
Mirage 360 = 7 balanced and smooth, 5 years
Mirage i90 = 8.5 overachievers, 16 years, still have them
Legacy Classic = 7.5 nice loud, 5 years
Dynaudio Audience 50 = 8.5 rockers, very capable, 7 years
Dynaudio Contour 1.8 Mk II = 9.5 accurate timber, 3 years
Paradigm reference 100 Mk III = 7 nice mids, 4 months
Vienna Acoustics Mahler = 9 scary macro dynamics, 2 years
Monitor Audio RS 6 = 8 punchy, 6 months
Klipsch RF7 = 6 scary loud, 3 months
Stone Image Audio Rothchild A2 = 9.5 amazing micro dynamics
Totem Forest = 9 fast and airy, 4 months
Meadowlark Heron = 8 nice bass, 6 months
Mirage 290i = 5 colored, 2 months
Dynaudio Audience 52 = 8.5 Fun and capable, 4 months
Dynaudio Focus 140 = 8 dynamic envelop, 4 months
Dayton RS722 kit = 8.5 imaging champs, 4 months
ATC SCM 12 = 10 Wow, Wow, Wow, Keepers Keepers! since 11/08
ProAc Response 2.5 = 9 lifelike, currently for sale no room.
Moved in 06 and now have a difficult square room which may explain the shorter ownership period these last few years trying to find the right balance. |
Well I've been putting this off long enough:
Maggie MMG
Pinnacle Gold
JM Labs Cobalt
Maggie 1.6
Montana SPX
Inffinity 2.6
Quad 988
Tyler Ref 3
JM Labs 1007
Montana EPS2
wow..... |
Shrinermonkey?
I would love to know what inspired that moniker :^). |
