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Speakers which always sound good

This is brought up because I'm home shopping, but I'm not actually looking for speakers right now, so please don't take this as a request for advice so much as opinions.

As I shop for homes I've realized how few are really equipped for the audiophile.  Too many fireplaces and windows and damn kitchens and bathrooms placed completely inappropriately for us! :-)

And as you may know, I'm a big fan of appropriate room treatments.

So, wanted to step away from this world for a bit and ask, what are speaker brands that you feel always work?  Or at least, work really well without having to think about the room acoustics or placements?  Reminder that this is 99% of the buying public.  We who have laser line levelers, a closet full of measurement microphones and a chair which bolts our head into a fixed location may not believe it is true, but this is the majority of the buying public. 

What do we, the audiophile community recommend to them to actually be helpful in getting them as many positive music listening experiences as possible?

Best,

Erik
erik_squires

Showing 13 responses by erik_squires

erik_squires OP
15,902 posts
 
One candidate I'd like to think about too is the Audio Note Snell derived speakers.  They thrive in corner placement, but then seem to sound very consistent. 
erik_squires OP
15,902 posts
 
I wonder about Avantgarde, just because their horns radiate so differently than most. It is my belief, based on the literature, they attempt a spherical wavefront, right?

Seems like they want to be in a more controlled environment.

I have only heard them at shows in hotel rooms, I can tell you that in those cases I was not impressed, so for this use case, of putting them anywhere, they seem to have missed for me.  What do others think??
erik_squires OP
15,902 posts
 
You know in another thread some one reminded me of the KEF Kube and then I thought of the B&W equivalents.

Having an electronic contour for speaker's bass response is such a wonderful thing I wish it was more popular.  Those makers were very much thinking of how much speaker placement would vary in homes, and the features they included are not easily or completely replaced by tone controls even as advanced as the Schiit Loki.
erik_squires OP
15,902 posts
 
To be clear, this is not really me shopping.  This was for discussion.


erik_squires OP
15,902 posts
 
Well, I think Monitor Audio is a good British brand, but not sure about how well it plays in the avg. vs. ideal setting.
erik_squires OP
15,902 posts
 
@sokogear

Have you listened to KEF's in a variety of environments??
erik_squires OP
15,902 posts
 
I just have to say, it is true, I have yet to see a house that has a good room for a stereo. It is frustrating. But then again audiophiles are probably in the 1% category.


I can say that I'm firmly in the below 50% category.
erik_squires OP
15,902 posts
 
You know I was actually thinking of Revel and Magico for the same reason.  One thing they share is really great off-axis listening.  They maintain a stable stereo image almost anywhere in front of them.


Best,

Erik
erik_squires OP
15,902 posts
 
Really kind of surprised no one has brought up JBL studio monitors with the butt-cheek tweets, or line arrays. 
erik_squires OP
15,902 posts
 
Infinity RS speakers of the 70-80 were great too,



How do they sound great in any room?  You needed a huge room to put them in!   ;-)
erik_squires OP
15,902 posts
 
The so called "open floor plans" are the bane of an audiophile's existence. Got to love the clanking dishes and pots banging on the stove. Erik, I believe you live in CA, the open floor plan capital of the world. Try to find a house with an upstairs "bonus room".


I do now and i love them, but I'm moving to South Carolina this year for cost saving reasons.  I have to say the alternative to open floor plans is basically a packed shoe box.  Really hard to let go of this.
erik_squires OP
15,902 posts
 
The goal here is not for one audiophile to isolate and listen, but to listen to music with others. Headphones are right out for this particular discussion.
erik_squires OP
15,902 posts
 
If we are talking the SF Stradivari, I'm with you.  Those wide baffle speakers seem to ignore room acoustics a great deal.
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