Great thread. Elsewhere on Agon there was some recent discussion about whether to build a system from source to speakers, or vice versa. It's my opinion, and experience, that it's best to build from the speaker to source. The midrange has always been the focal point for me and, as a result, I have not yet been compelled to look at a replacement for my Parsifals. They don't reproduce below 25Hz in my system, but bass is substantial and never at the expense of midrange purity. (BTW, a great recording for bass reproduction is the beginning of Paquito D'Rivera's "La Bella Cubana" from his album, Portraits of Cuba, Chesky JD145. With this recording even most of the 'full-range' speakers I've listened to flattened out before Roger Rosenberg's baritone sax hit bottom.)
Similar to Newbee's penchant for realistic piano reproduction, I am a fool for saxophones. I want to hear Webster's breathing, or the difference in embouchere between Ammons and Jacquet. Because that's what you hear in person (assuming the space has decent acoustics and/or amplification). I've been in any number of jazz clubs across the country from the Blue Note to Snug Harbor to Shelly's to Jazz Alley, and the best listening experience in those clubs is what I strive for in my sytem. With very few exceptions, my Parsifals are able to better reproduce those experiences than the majority of speakers I've had the opportunity to listen to. Accurate - and pleasing - reproduction of frequency extremes is good, but never, never at the expense of the midrange.
Similar to Newbee's penchant for realistic piano reproduction, I am a fool for saxophones. I want to hear Webster's breathing, or the difference in embouchere between Ammons and Jacquet. Because that's what you hear in person (assuming the space has decent acoustics and/or amplification). I've been in any number of jazz clubs across the country from the Blue Note to Snug Harbor to Shelly's to Jazz Alley, and the best listening experience in those clubs is what I strive for in my sytem. With very few exceptions, my Parsifals are able to better reproduce those experiences than the majority of speakers I've had the opportunity to listen to. Accurate - and pleasing - reproduction of frequency extremes is good, but never, never at the expense of the midrange.