Blind men and an elephant
A group of blind men heard that a strange animal, called an elephant,
had been brought to the town, but none of them were aware of its shape
and form. Out of curiosity, they said: "We must inspect and know it by
touch, of which we are capable". So, they sought it out, and when they
found it they groped about it. The first person, whose hand landed on
the trunk, said, "This being is like a thick snake". For another one
whose hand reached its ear, it seemed like a kind of fan. As for another
person, whose hand was upon its leg, said, the elephant is a pillar
like a tree-trunk. The blind man who placed his hand upon its side said
the elephant, "is a wall". Another who felt its tail, described it as a
rope. The last felt its tusk, stating the elephant is that which is
hard, smooth and like a spear.
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And the crazy thing about that answer is considering the question it is actually pretty good. If you think lldd anyone can tell you the difference between two speakers based on size you might as well be asking to tell you the difference between an elephant and a horse. Four legs, two eyes, only difference is size, right? Nevermind the fact there are many different species of both, there is a world of difference between a Clydesdale and a Kentucky Walker. What is their profile?
There isn't one. You do not compare speakers like this. You want the largest speaker you have room and money for. That is the "profile" of size. Then you want the one with sensitivity at least 92dB that sounds the best.
As to that last point, do not dismiss that as "with each properly matched to their amp" as if you screw up and buy low sensitivity speakers that one thing alone makes finding a good amp a whole lot harder and more expensive. If there's one single thing to keep in mind that is it. |
These are going to be vastly different sounding speakers. If I understand you correctly these are $12K speakers. A choice like this requires careful matching of electronic with the speakers and with your tastes in kinds of music and the character you are going for. Typically a well matched system will have say 25 - 30% in the speakers... I have typically had the ratio in driving electronics higher. Do you like highly detailed sound, natural, bass heavy... what kind of music? Rock, Jazz, classical, world, all?
To learn the character you want to read reviews from professional reviewers... ones that understand the vocabulary of high end sound. Think Strereophile, The Absolute Sound, Tone, Positive Feedback. Don’t listen too much to forum posts until you are completely familiar with the literature. Professional reviewers have much wider experience and work to try and give unbiased views. While most forum people will as well they generally have very narrow experience and one of two experiences may have strongly shaped their views. |
long answer short...
devores 0/96 will sound somewhat more like real music
monitor audios will sound more like a really excellent, expensive hifi |
Two good answers, two ridiculous answers.
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50% is not bad for here lowrider, where is kenjit when you need him? I hear he is on vacation .. ;-) |
Okay, this is tough. A big part of the difference in these is going to be how the tweeters (silk dome vs. AMT) are going to present sound and engage you in the soundstage. Making the assumption that you have the right equipment driving, etc... and are in an appropriately sized room that will create the right reflections. These are key
The more traditional Devore is going to present the sound to you. You will be sitting in front of the image and you may hear things around you but really only on Q sound tracks. How in your face the sound is vs distant will be driven by amplification and setup.
The AMT disperses high frequencies more and leads to a more immersive feeling. It will seem less like the sound is in front of you and more that you are immersed. This will fall short of the more immersive experience that planars, electrostats and omni-directionals (Magneplanar, Martin Logan, MBL) but will be more immersive than a more traditional speaker like the Devore.
It very much depends on the experience that you want. Neither is good nor bad, they are just different. I can make generalizations about which type of speaker is better for types of music but that would be based on general preferences, like 60/40. More likely than not, a classical fan will prefer Devores but I can introduce you to many folks who love classical on MA Platinums of Maggies or MBLs.
Hopefully this helps. |
A pair of Ohm Walsh coherent wave speakers will kill those Devore's and Monitor's! 3-D imaging from anywhere in the room! |
Thanks everyone, and apologies for falling off the face of the earth for a few months before responding.
Millercarbon, not sure where you got the idea this had anything to do with size. As stated, I was looking for a comparison of their sonics and sound profiles.
I think Verdantaudio's response was most helpful. I keep hearing the terms "musical vs hifi" and was trying to understand the difference. Probably better to go listen instead of doing more reading.
Clearly the question could have been better written on my part.
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but with each properly matched to an amp, what is the difference in their sound profiles?
Good question. The Monitor Audio speakers will likely sound more “neutral” and revealing while the DeVores will sound a little richer, fuller, and a little less detailed in the treble region. Both are outstanding speakers, so it really comes down to a matter of personal taste and equipment matching/synergies. My advice, go listen to some Joseph Audio speakers because, to me, they do everything well and shoot straight down the fairway. Using them as a benchmark of neutrality, go from there. Hope this helps, and best of luck.
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