Thoughts on Usher S-520's...upgrade?

The S-520 is a fantastic little speaker that works really well in a small room like your office. I don't think the speakers are holding your system back. You mentioned that your office is 8x12 and I'm assuming that the speakers are sitting on your desk, right? First thing I'd do is get some good speaker stands and move them off the desk if they aren't already. Or, get some aurelex speaker pads if you must place them on the desk. Second, the Usher is actually pretty easy to setup and can sound really good close to the wall. You'll lose some depth, but it will help reinforce lower frequencies.

Audio...Nah, I don't buy that. I know what you are saying, but listening to speakers for even a good hour with different setups and equipment than yours is not going to give you an accurate representation of what they really sound like. I mentioned this above. You need to hear equipment (especially speakers) in your own environment, with your own gear, and with tons of material you know well, for days/weeks to really get a good grasp of how it sounds. Anything else is a mere indication that may or may not sound good to you upon extended listening (where flaws start to emerge).

Besides, I bought my 520's based purely on reviews and they have definitely suited me for years. I just now am wanting to try something different, and may or may not like it more.

Josh, my Usher's are stand mounted on either side of my computer desk which is right in the middle of a wall in my office. So they are centered on the wall (about a foot from it), and I even have an easy chair against the back wall that I can sit in and be in their sweet spot.

My problem with them is that they are just kind of cold or clinical and not engaging. The mids seem recessed too, especially on voices. Great speakers, but I want to try something different.

Anyway, I think I've pretty much decided on some Quad 12L2 from seller Lanemart on here. I've realized that no matter how long I take to read reviews I won't be hearing the speakers in my room with my set up for weeks. That's the way to figure out how a speaker sounds and if I like it or not, nothing else (including showrooms or even people's houses). If I don't like them (doubtful), I'll sell them back and try something else, or, more likely, keep them to compare to something else and sell the one I like the least back. That's the real way to determine if you like something or not: compare and contrast in your room with your own equipment. It is expensive for awhile, but when you sell everything back you don't like as much then you're ok. I recently did this process with a few pairs of headphones and headphone amps. I have one amp (selling the other 2 now) and 2 cans (tried 5 total).

Thanks everyone for your help, and sorry to be a pain! I'll post impressions of the Quads after I get them and listen to them for awhile...if anyone wants to hear what they sound like with my "cheap" gear anyway.

I'd also like to say that Carl Marchisotto DID email me back when I asked about B stock Boxers or the Nola Mini's (it went into my junk box for some reason). So no, he didn't just brush me off as a cheap skate. :P He even gave me the email of a dealer that might help me and said that the mini's haven't been made for 3 years and the boxers were better (I bet I'd love the mini's myself!). So just clearing that up.

>>07-07-10: Pw_09
but listening to speakers for even a good hour with different setups and equipment than yours is not going to give you an accurate representation of what they really sound like.<<

Wrong again.

1 hour of listening is plenty of time to discern a speaker's personality. Granted you won't get all the nuance but certainly will have an idea if it's a contendor or pretender.

With more experience you'll understand.

Good luck.

It sounds like you really want to try a new speaker which is understandable. There are much better speakers out there, but the S-520 is very good at it's price.

Be careful of getting too much speaker for your small room. You may get too much low end that will overpower the mids/highs. You will probably need to move the Quads further out in your room and you definitely need to move your listening chair away from the back wall when listening.

Audio, no way.

I've listened to lots of speakers (dozens) over the years (I'm glad you know how many I have though) and if I go back and listen to them again, in the same set up (friends houses, dealers), they sound different from what I remember, because I only heard them briefly with just some material. It takes several listens over weeks/months (like at friends houses) to start to know how a speaker sounds. And even then, it's not your equipment and it's not, much more importantly, YOUR ROOM. That's why some speakers sound great in some rooms, and not so much in others. Some of my friends have moved their speakers around (same gear) and in different rooms they sound better or worse. I have too with my Ushers (and several other low-fi speakers I've had before that). They are great in my office, not so much in my living room.

With better ears and less of an ego (I heard that speaker, I judge it as this blah blah based off such a limited time with it--like 5 minutes lol--...no I'm right, you don't need to own a speaker yourself for weeks to know what it sounds like! pssh! such nonsense! I went to a meet! I KNOW!) you'd understand.

Duh.

/ignored.

Thanks Josh, but I'm mostly going to be listening at low volumes and I don't mind getting blown away by what I have now, which gets VERY loud and I have a sub too in my small room. But that's only when I rock out, which isn't that often.

So I doubt an inch more bigger woofer (and about 10hz deeper) than the 520's with the Quads is going to kill me. In fact, I'm looking for a more filled out sound, one that I can turn off my sub with without feeling I'm missing something or it sounding too thin (the 520's without a sub do).

We'll see of course, once I've had a good week or so with my room and my gear and my material if I like them or not. I bet I will. :)