the big one: how do you choose speakers? By what features, data?

@erik_squires exactly! I don't need a Ferrari (not that I can afford it) but I also only listen to short times so I want the punch...

@jchiappinelli 

I am puzzled about #2. I always read here: speaker x is good for Jazz or Classical. Then someone else says: a good speaker plays ALL types of music well

@phusis 

It sounds like you ARE an expert though :)

@knotscott @rpeluso so that means you need to demo it at home or at the dealer? Do you narrow down your list based on something(s) for what you would demo?

@ghdprentice

thanks!

re: appropriate size for my listening area - is there a measurement that helps with that? Size of speaker? Power handling?

incredibly ugly speakers

:) breath of fresh air, I thought I was alone in the Universe thinking that some speakers are ugly

@knotscott I think during covid ordering with a good return policy picked up a lot. For a lot people in remote areas, it may be the best option. 

@larryi pure gold, thank you!

@larry5729 I have a 100Watt into 8Ohms amp but my room is small, so that won't matter much. My price range will be determined by what offers I get for my current pair, between $1500-2000 used, maybe

first time I heard of dynamic linearity. Sounds pretty cool, guessing I have a clue :)

@jeffseight 

The problem is I need to narrow down my list before I choose what I listen to.

SF is a bit far, I should look for a local club :)

@pwerahera thanks! Great points!

I am not  sure I understand what it has to do with choosing a speaker

thank you all, I am learning a lot. I was looking for key quantifiable data that would give me a decision tree - aside from price.

I think for a novice like me it has to be a trade off between accuracy and warmth and brightness and listening fatigue. Which I thought is in how the speaker performs at various frequencies.

@larryi can you list a few examples for dynamic speakers? What makes a speaker dynamic?

I think besides the questions above, I determined that I need

• not a lot of low end due to the type of music I prefer.
• no floorstander due to size of room, furniture, listening height
• a lot of detail, clarity
• "scratchiness" - I don’t have a better word. It’s basically about sounds to stand out and "matter" more to the ear e.g. when a singer stresses a note, it’s pronounced, or a piano key fills the room. Maybe that’s dynamics? It may be the opposite of flat but I also know it add to the listening fatigue. Which is a lower priority for me, I don’t listen to music for hours, I have 20-40 min, one LP at a time.

also "sound decision" :)

@larryi that makes sense, thanks! 

And no, I don't dream about multiple systems, just one :)

@yxcbandit @jchiappinelli 

If I came from another Planet and I knew a lot about speakers but none of the speaker brands on Planet Earth, where would I start? Let's say there are a 100 good speaker brands and they all have a few speakers in my price range. I feel like I am limited by what speakers brands I know, what the nearby dealer has, what Crutchfield carries, etc. 

I know I am bit thick....

@yxcbandit 

I understood about half of it. I am definitely not hi-fi, more like almost mid-fi.

But I do get your points about finding the best value, and focus on the characteristics that are important to me. Again awesome insight thank you, lots to think about!

@ditusa @panzrwagn @yxcbandit 

you guys and all the others make this forum an awesome knowledge base!

I am curious about horns, but I always thought I need space for it, not my 12'x12' room

@dz13 you are very passionate, and I am too, I just need a little more research (which usually informs me how little I know and that I need to do moooore research)

@mrpostfire 

1) I thought - or I wish to think - the specs sheet helps figure out the sound. 

I know it's like reading a recipe and thinking "man this cake tastes exquisite!"

@kennyc those are high end speakers, I'd love to see some system pics some day!

Plus, the Vimbergs look way cooler than the other two.

thank you guys, I too love upscaleaudio!

@audioguy85 yeah, you sound like you have the right amount of audio gear with a storage problem... Or :)

When you read reviews, who do you trust? Almost every review is positive. I used to be able to read car reviews and tell which way is up, but with speakers, the ones they are reviewing is always the greatest, best bang for the buck.

@kokakolia nice teaser. WHAT IS IT????????!!!!!!

:)

btw I only heard and tried Klipsch towers and they all sounded dead to me

@dave_b yes, I know - I mean I can imagine. A very different category....

@emrofsemanon thank you ! Midrange seems to be the common theme, and I very much agree with sensitivity

@kokakolia 

looks cool. Poland has some hidden gems!

@mbmi 

There is a fair amount of truth to your approach. It's all about what makes up the speaker's price. E.g. if it's a luxury brand and the speakers are all delivered and setup by a technician with a degree from MIT,  there will be a cost to that, a markup in each of the company's product.

Ideally, the company will want to make money on their premium line and leave no margin on their cheapest model while it benefits from the trickle down magic. Ideally but often it's not the case. You are paying for the membership in the club.

E.g. I tried Sonus Faber's entry model and it sounded bad. Surprisingly bad.

In short, every manufacturer uses a (unique) pricing and design model, and some do what you are describing. 

Lastly, the 10K budget is nice. Mine is 2K. Not complaining a lot of awesome choices there...

the first time the looks are mentioned @willkimbrough !

My #1 priority, maybe superficially

@nonoise 

re:

• the design considerations of the designer
• his philosophy behind the build and components 

these are tough, I am not sure how much you can find out online. So many speaker web sites and information are so lame

my version is much shorter: my wife hates them all!

If we had an upstairs, that's where she would stash me along with all the gear.

@nonoise re Daniel Emonts

pretty cool! per his linked page. He designed the Evoke, Special 40, Heritage, Contour lines, pretty much what carried Dynaudio in the last 5 years.

yes, pretty smart!

@kokakolia 

The Castles look like great value! Where do you find these deals?

yes, I know there is no cure. My next speakers will be the ones I will upgrade from. It sure will determine the direction. And I also noticed that size matters. 

@w123ale @thyname 

Understood. It's fun. It's just that there are 70+ hifi speaker companies to choose from, price narrows it down to about 40, looks to another 20 and then I have to find a way to filter it further as to which ones I listen to. 

@lonemountain 

these are very good points. Obviously I am still struggling to define it "on paper" - given my room size, budget, other components, listening preferences, come up with a list of good candidates. I don't go to audio shows and my local shop is pretty "busy" for my budget, so my main option is trying different models with good return policy.

@kokakolia

I am not entirely clueless but closer to clueless than informed. I did the first round (~$500) about 8 years ago and the the $1500 level 2 years ago and now I am planning to enter the 3K territory (2K used). I understand what I like, what I prefer and what is low priority on my list.

You probably pointed out 3 of the best values in the 4-500 EU/USD range, what do you think about the 3K range? 2500 to 4000 which I can buy for 2K used.

@kokakolia

I think I prefer three things in this order: warmth, upper midrange and details.

I think I have those from my current speakers - Evoke 20s so I would like add more presence, speed and disappearing speakers/imaging.

I’d like to stick with bookshelf, but you may be right. I have huge respect for Vienna Acoustics.

I will send you my list of 70 speaker brands, it helps me put things in context.

@kokakolia right, I won't bother you with it, I just wanted to show how I narrow it down.

@webking185 finally!

@mofojo 

funny you mention it. I have been looking at it for weeks and have no idea why it's s cheap!! and the Typhon looks great!

@musicaddict 

So if I like a make and model, and I want to look at ones that sound similar, do the specs help me narrow it down? In other words: speakers with the same design, construction, sensitivity, etc. should appeal to me?

I am trying to start my research "on paper".

@mijostyn what are "these physical characteristics"?

That's what I am looking for, quantifiable things that show up in the specs.

@webking185 

I think there is more to looks than just looks. Everything (or 90%) is encoded in the looks. The company's DNA, priorities attention to detail, the type of sound they want to accomplish, etc. Unless it's a DIY speaker, I think it's like wine, you can tell the region where it's from based on the looks, and the year.

@webking185 

pure gold!

@mijostyn design elements are usually on the spec list but of course it varies. EVERY brand publishes a different set of data

and of course my knowledge is about 3% of yours, my selection criteria is way more basic.

@recklesskelly

"expert" - anyone who knows more than me. Practically ANYONE on this forum.

I have to start somewhere, what’s easier than browsing the web and compare prices, sizes, sensitivity, design, etc.

But of course, primarily: looking at pictures.

@mijostyn 

The reason modern enclosed loudspeakers like Wilsons and Magicos are so expensive is that in order to make that kind of speaker work well you have to make perfectly silent enclosures and very complicated crossovers aside from using great drivers. 

this is the kind of info I am looking for: what should I be looking for. I am good with data, numbers, detective work/analysis. I know if a speaker is made in Zurich and in the shape of a cubist sculpture, it will be expensive. It won't necessarily translate to good sound. If it's a box, made in Provo, UT, it might be good value....

@kokakolia 

I have heard a lot of Klipsch speakers, tried them at home, I was never impressed. Of course I never heard the real deal, the Heritage stuff, which may be awesome, as I have read.