Pipedreams vs. Soundlabs

They are quite different. For one thing, Pipedreams have separate subwoofers which have to be carefully placed in the room to try to get integration with the main towers. Secondly, they must be biamped. Another difference is the room size required: in all situations where I have heard them, Pipedreams have been in large rooms. The subwoofers seem to dictate this.

Sound Labs, being full range dipoles and designed as virtual line sources (not flat panels), tend to be much more independent of room size and in fact can work very well in small rooms. As a Sound Lab dealer I have customers with identical speakers (A-1PX, for example) in fairly large rooms (about 17 ft. by 48 ft.) and small rooms (12 ft. by 19 ft.) with good success. My own room is on the small side, with U-1s, which are very similar to M-1s.

Pipedreams will play very loud, given enough power. Their subwoofers will give chest-thumping bass, whereas Sound Labs' dipole bass is of a different variety, where it envelops you instead of being in your face. Sound Labs will play loud but not at insane levels - 100 dB or so is about the max. They are more of a finesse speaker with lots of low level detail, texture and timbre.

You might also try listening to the Pipedreams at various volume levels, especially lower volumes, to see how they perform. Sound Labs do fine in this regard.

Your choice depends upon the kinds of music you listen to and at what volumes as well as your room. Find out about recommended placement and room treatment for optimum performance in your room, and decide whether this is acceptable to you and yours. Also look at recommended associated electronics and accessories to see what works best and will be compatible with the rest of your system.

Good luck and listening!

Brian

Dracule1, from the standpoint of chest thumping bass one gets from cones, you are correct. But when the large (often 48" diameter or more) bass drum is hit at the symphony, do you get that effect? I think not. You sense the sudden air movement as the sound waves wash over you. Double (string) bass and grand piano also are quite different. The bass you hear at a rock concert is coming from cone woofers, not from instruments. Rock music, except for amateur bootleg recordings, is mainly recorded direct from the instruments' outputs, not by microphones picking up the speakers' output.
Brian

Thanks, Rwd, I try to explain things as clearly as possible. I've been into high end for going on 35 years and have seen many companies come and go, especially speaker manufacturers. I try to stick to what I know best and avoid criticizing competitors because it is uncalled for and may be seen as unprofessional.
Brian