I think my Apogee Duetta Signatures do this very well, best I've had. I also have a pair of Vmps Supertowers, deeper bass but not as real sounding. I watched Diana Krall live in Paris Dvd last night and that was one of the things that struck me about the Apogee's. Great Dvd by the way, DTS surround!!
Dave |
Go with horns. The secret to drums is dynamics, and you just can't beat the dynamics of a well designed horn system. Of course there's a huge gap between a well designed horn system and the average horn system, so YMMV.
Enjoy,
Bob |
Wilsons...the bigger the better. On a more modest scale, ProAcs. This is one area where box speakers have it all over panels. |
And / Or fix the bottom end by getting a really good subwoofer like a REL Stadium, Stento, or Studio. |
The best I have ever heard was reproduced on the Avantgard Duo's. |
Perhaps the more appropriate question is: What amp accurately reproduces a drum set?
Find the answer to that question, then your question becomes much easier to answer.
-IMO |
Finesse at the loudest and quietest passages are, for me the most important elements of reproducing traps convincingly. The three systems that I have found most convincing were tubed, and contained Wilson Watt/Puppy 7s. |
Ditto on the Avantgarde Duos. |
An extremely tall order to ask of any rig! To recreate a full drum kit at anywhere near live concert levels, you had better have a very good room as well.In my experience...Planars are commendable but really don't have a chance, further more: as Stehno alluded to,You better have a top shelf amplifier to get even a reasonable facsimilee of the drum kit.Bob said it best..BIG well designed horn loaded speakers will get you the closest. |
I had a pair of Altec VOTT's. Did the best for drum reproduction I've ever heard. You lost a little on composure, but you had force and speed galore. Did'nt play below 60 hz though. But 70 to 100 was in full attendance. at about 107db you could not go wrong with just about anything to run them. |
I can't help but think getting recordings that accurately reproduces drums is probably a bigger challange. That said the Wilsons with the right amps in the right room might do it. |
The Shahinian Diapasons can reproduce a drum solo at live levels or higher. My brother is a drummer and he was amazed when he heard my system. His immediate comment once I turned down the volume was that it sounded like there was a drum set being played in my living room. Neil Pearts latest drum solo on the RIO cd is awesome. The transients are clear precise and completely in tact. The bass pressure is chest thumping. Oh yeah-- these are way cool! |
Ptmconsulting makes a good point as well. The real key is dynamics which comes from having the right amplifier in conjunction with a dedicated (preferably 20 amp) AC line for the amplifier.
Dynamic passages force an amp to draw much current from the AC. Even a lowly current draw like a 36 watt preamp sharing the same AC line with high-powered amplifer is enough to rob the amp of the AC juice required for such passages and thus render dynamics rather flat and lifeless.
-IMO |
Go audition the new Paradigm Signature S8's. I listend to them w/ the Shefield Labs Drum & Track cd and was highly impressed. |
After listening to the horn setup certainly you realize that drumsets sound fast as the lightspeed but after auditioning for 15 min you realize that jingle in your ears stays much more than you've listened to the music. Such sonical residue may turn out as distortion in further listening.:-) |
The best loudspeakers I have heard for drumkit is the Classic Audio Reproductions Hartsfield, a 3-way corner horn. I've heard a lot of other fine speakers (including several mentioned in this thread), but the CAR Hartsfields came the closest to getting the combination of dynamics, pitch definition, richness of timbre, and (last but not least) visceral impact of a drum kit correct. There are others that go deeper, but don't sound as natural - they don't get the tone right. Nope, I don't sell 'em.
Duke |
Hey Duke. Good call,mesmerizing really. Unbelievable impact and scale on a full drum kit! not to mention the big Klipch corner horn,and the incredible Tannoy Westminster. |
Anything with a HEIL air motion transformer in it. |
There are many good speakers out there that can do this but for my money, the new Silverline Sonata MK.lll is the best bang for the buck. |
PMC, particularly the bigger ones like the MB-2 and BB-5. Transmission line. Most serious studios use 'em. Gargantuan dynamics and speed. Not even many of the big horns can do what a pair of BB-5's are capable of. They are compared with live music all day long in most of the serious studios on the planet. |
Unsound has it right. It must begin with the recording. I was using a system test CD a while ago and it included a bit on percussion. I had no idea my system could sound so good!
Oh, Kef Referance speakers. |
Timpany bass panels...hands down!!!
Rol |
I have a pair of PMC MB2's and they are just supreme. They will get the job done! You could throw any type of drum trakc at them and they will handle it with accuracy. |
