The Ohm Walsh Tall speakers. Some good reviews, but so unconventional in design. Really would like to hear them in person.
What speaker do you passionately want to demo?
Beyond the slight curiosity of what speaker you'd "like" to demo (example: every Klipsch horn speaker), what speaker(s) would you "passionately" love to demo? A brief explanation of "why" you like these speakers would be beneficial.
I'll start:
MBL 101 X-treme - almost a decade and reviewers still say it's amongst the best they'd ever heard. Probably should be matched to the MBL Electronics
Living Voice Vox Olympian Horn - it's wood (maybe sounds more warm/organic), it's a horn, and it consistently gets good reviews at the Munich High End audio shows.
Muraudio SP1 - Electrostatic + cone hybrid speaker that received many rave reviews. It's not an easy task successfully marrying the fast electrostatic to the slower cone to sound seamless. This speaker was on my short list to purchase.
Voxativ AC-XP field coil driver - both Voxative and Pure Audio Project speaker offer the Voxativ AC-XP field coil driver as an optional upgrade, but it's an additional ~$7k (yow). The reviews leads me to believe that this field core driver is sonically "significantly" superior above other choices.
Mike Lavigne's Evolution Acoustics MM7 in his dedicated sound room. The sonics of demoing speakers at storefronts or audio shows can be problematic depending on the audio chain and the room setup. MikeL has a matured optimized setup that is sonically recognized as excellent by other serious audiophiles.
I'll start:
MBL 101 X-treme - almost a decade and reviewers still say it's amongst the best they'd ever heard. Probably should be matched to the MBL Electronics
Living Voice Vox Olympian Horn - it's wood (maybe sounds more warm/organic), it's a horn, and it consistently gets good reviews at the Munich High End audio shows.
Muraudio SP1 - Electrostatic + cone hybrid speaker that received many rave reviews. It's not an easy task successfully marrying the fast electrostatic to the slower cone to sound seamless. This speaker was on my short list to purchase.
Voxativ AC-XP field coil driver - both Voxative and Pure Audio Project speaker offer the Voxativ AC-XP field coil driver as an optional upgrade, but it's an additional ~$7k (yow). The reviews leads me to believe that this field core driver is sonically "significantly" superior above other choices.
Mike Lavigne's Evolution Acoustics MM7 in his dedicated sound room. The sonics of demoing speakers at storefronts or audio shows can be problematic depending on the audio chain and the room setup. MikeL has a matured optimized setup that is sonically recognized as excellent by other serious audiophiles.
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Got my demo! The used Wharfedale Opus 2-M2 Bookshelf (big bookshelf speakers!) arrived, and I have them running in my room. I thought I would beef up the low end of the 8" woofer a tad bit by running the sub section of the Aspen Acoustics Lagrange L1 preproduction version with them! Splendid! Very pleased to now have this additional flavor in the mix. The 3" soft dome mid will be fun tow work with in various systems. I consider it a successful whim/flight of fancy. What’s terrific about the 2-M2 is that they are bi-wirable. I am running four channels of the i.V4 Ultra Amp on them currently. Very nice. Next test will be to change the cable config to Schroeder Method of IC Placement going to two channels and bi-wiring. That will give a different flavor. My coup de grace may be four channels with doubled up bi-wired Iconoclast speaker cables. Imagine, 8 speaker cables running to two bookshelf speakers! I know this would juice their performance substantially. I did similar with the King Sound King Tower omni, and it was great! Doubling the speaker cable conductor is a sure fire way to enhance. Thankfully, these are beefy bookshelf speakers, otherwise the sheer weight of the cables could pull pissy little monitors off the stands! I am glad to have the 2-M2 back in the room. It’s a sizable enough bookshelf to make it worth having. The sound is reminiscent of ATC or PMC - of course at a fraction of the cost. That was my goal, to get the 3" dome mid for kicks. Since they run from 700Hz-3kHz I will be able to assess the advantage of their not having a crossover in the mid region. Good fun. They are pretty ugly performers for contemporary, poor recordings, as they get messy with compressed music at higher levels, but they sound quite nice with vocals and quieter instrumentals. Once the double biwire is in, though, that could improve markedly. It will be fun to compare them to the refurbished Ohm Walsh Model F. |
@jerryrocks For some strange reason I am wanting to give the Joseph Audio Pearls a listen. Can anyone shed some light on what these are about?I read that frugal Harry Weisfeld of VPI turntables purchased a pair because the sonics punched way above it’s price point. At the 2019 RMAF, the updated Joseph Audio Pearl “Graphene” was demoed w Doshi electronics. It sounded great to me- wanted to purchase a pair, but budget reality set in. I also noticed Fremer hanging out at the demo. https://theaudiobeatnik.com/rmaf-2019-world-class-lineup/ |
I’d like to demo the Pure Audio Project (PAP) Quintet 15. My reason for wanting to demo these is because I debated on purchasing Spatial Audio X5 and PAP Quintet 15. I purchased the Spatial Audio X5 and very satisfied with them. However, I am really curious how they compare. I wasn’t a fan of the PAP business model concerning how different parts of their speakers are delivered separately and the customer has to put the speaker together upon delivery. I prefer my speakers have some quality control testing after it’s built at the factory vs. in my house. Other than that, they probably are great sounding speakers. |
Anything that’s just about to be on the market.... ;).... ...just so I can weigh-in on just how well it duplicates spkr M or Zed..... "...well, 'M' seemed to be performing Wonderful until the voice coils fused and launched the entire assemblies into our laps 8 ft. away... ! But, since the units were 'for appraisal', and one ought to know ones' limits.....😉..." |
I forgot to mention: For their "30.7 For Condo's" concept speaker, Magnepan chose to use OB/Dipole subs for bass frequencies, in place of the huge separate planar bass panels of the 30.7. Each of their OB subs contains six (I believe) small woofers. I've heard the woofers are 6.5", but can't confirm it. Electronic equalization is employed to compensate for the dipole cancellation discussed in my previous post, though the details of that equalization has not been disclosed by Magnepan. If the concept speaker is never put into production it's a mute point anyway. |
@mijostyn: I couldn’t agree more about the wisdom of feeding a loudspeaker a high pass-filtered signal when used with a sub, for a few reasons. Can you imagine not putting a high pass filter on the midrange driver in a 3-way loudspeaker?! Taking the bass out of the midrange amp and driver greatly reduces the distortion they produce, and allows them to play louder and cleaner. As for dipole subs, I’m going to guess you’ve never heard the GR Research/Rythmik OB Sub. Sure, OB subs have their own unique "problems" (I prefer the term limitations)---all loudspeakers and subs do. One criticism of planar loudspeakers is their inability to produce bass low enough in frequency and at sufficient SPL, a result of their very limited excursion and the dipole cancellation phenomenon (which is addressed in the Rythmik OB sub plate amp via a dipole cancellation compensation network). To address that limitation, planar bass drivers must be made very large, as in your SoundLabs ESL’s. Hearing the original Magneplanar Tympani ruined me forever; their two bass panels reproduce lower frequencies like nothing I had ever heard, or have heard since. This is until I built my pair of GR Research/Rythmik OB/Dipole Servo-Feedback Subs. The closest a dynamic woofer has ever come to approximating Tympani bass quality (I have a pair of Tympani T-IVa.). I also built a pair of GR Research F15HP subs from the DIY kit, designing my own 4cu.ft enclosures and having a local woodworker cut the MDF for me. Wood glue, clamps, and paint, and voila---done! Pretty easy. Siegfried Linkwitz didn’t design and build all his OB/Dipole loudspeakers with OB/Dipole subs for no reason (he could easily have used sealed or ported woofers). He knew more about loudspeaker design than perhaps anyone who has ever lived, a genius. Reading his technical papers is time very well spent, though hard work. He used 10" woofers in his OB subs; the GRR/Rythmik has dual or triple 12", and in a much more robust H-frame (made by a Canadian woodworker specifically for GR Research/Rythmik customers, shipped as a flat pack. The walls are 1.5" thick MDF!). And you know all about the controls provided on the Rythmik plate amp, the best in the biz. The OB Sub may be used up to 300Hz, so can even be mated with planar midrange drivers that play that low. Take the bass out of planars, and they sound much better! If you don’t have room for planars big enough to reproduce, say, 40Hz and below, the OB sub is a viable alternative. Two of the Tympani bass panels measure 6’ tall and 36" wide, per channel. For stereo, that’s 6’ in width, just for bass reproduction! The OB Sub is only 16" wide. |
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@bdp24 , I really like the G25HP. I have made dipole subwoofers and I respectfully disagree. Regardless of servo control, open baffle subwoofers are highly problematic when it comes to frequencies below 40 Hz in actual rooms. If you take an enclosed driver and put it right in a wall floor intersection or in a corner the initial impulse and the first reflection become one and the same, reducing room interaction and you can get the required bass boost at 20 Hz of about 6 dB without difficulty and with minimal power. The issue now becomes time and phase aligning the subs with the main speakers. This is virtually impossible to do in the analog realm but very easy in the digital realm along with the actual crossover. Don't forget the high pass filter on the main speakers!!! I can not stress this enough. Taking the bass out of the main speakers will improve their performance and give you even more headroom along with better integration. Thinking that you need dipole subs to match dipole main speakers is a mistake. Sub bass is a different animal altogether when you factor in the room. The specifics at these wave lengths requires a different approach. The balanced force design of the Rythmik G25HP is the way to go and the price is amazing for two 15" drivers and a plate amp. If you have access to a shop making a similar sub with the GR Kits would be an easy low cost approach to making a killer sub system. If you need help designing and building an enclosure feel free to ask for help. The one positive aspect of open baffle speakers is their construction is super simple. I would rather the challenge of building an enclosed sub. |
I'll second the Mur Audio SP1's and the bigger brother PX2. I currently own martin logan ethos and have an opportunity to build another system and was eyeing up the SP1's as logans replacement. Based on what I've read the SP1's are light on the bottom end and I have no desire to calibrate a sub into a system. I plan on finding a way to hear them sometime in 2022. Like the design and the look of them. |
Fair points, @mijostyn. I’ve heard the Sanders Model 10 (C version?) twice (at the Anaheim Show), and loved ’em. Having lived with the QUAD ESL for years, I’m quite used to a loudspeaker which beams, not a problem for me. As for subs, agreed. I already have a pair of what imo is the best in the world for use with planar loudspeakers: the GR Research/Rythmik OB/Dipole Servo. |
@bdp24 , The model 10 is a fine loudspeaker for one person in one location. They beam like crazy. Roger Sanders does not think this is a problem. His thinking being that when you are not in that singular position you are just using the system for background music and high frequency performance does not matter. Having lived for over a decade with very selfish ESLs not quite as bad as the Sanders, I always found the beaming to be an annoyance. With the 45 degree dispersion angle of the Sound Labs you get balanced frequency response throughout the room without unnecessary room interaction. IMHO the Sound Labs 545, about the same price as the Model 10 is a much better loudspeaker overall. Both require a subwoofer for ultimate low frequency performance and the lowest distortion. |
GR Research NX-Otica and/or NX-Treme. And Roger Modjeski's ESL, though it is no longer available. Also Max Townshend's Glastonbury, also no longer in production, I don't believe. I've heard big Soundlabs, but only under show conditions. In a good room with the required amplification would be nice. If someone were to die and leave me money, I'd probably buy a pair of Sanders ESL's. |
Magnepan for Condos, if they develop it: https://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/magnepan-focus-group-event/ https://www.hifiplus.com/articles/coming-soon-maybe-magnepans-compact-307-for-condos/ |
@mijostyn Kennyc, I’m very lucky. I have the only speakers I ever want to own.You are truly blessed to have and enjoy what you want. The Muraudio gets decent reviews but IMHO it is a bad design.I too was leery of how several panels sounded, but studying the many rave reviews suggesting it sounded better than the long established other offerings such as Martin Logan. +1 @gmercer The new Zellaton Plural EvoZellaton- how could I forget??? Long established company, painfully custom handcrafted lightweight speaker cone that translates to a fast effortless sound as reviewed by JV of TAS. While the Zellaton floorstanders were expensive $100k+ the new Plural Evo is only $55k (perhaps “only” isn’t the right word). Launched in 2019, I’m still waiting to find a PE review online although I believe Myles B. Astor is working on one for Positive Feedback. I also believe there’s one for demo in NYC. |
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@mijostyn, I can’t agree with you on the theory ’that the last thing you want in a room is a perfectly omni directional loudspeaker." I listened to them and (albeit a short audition) loved them. I also have heard MBL’s several times and on some occasions thought they sounded excellent. When available I plan on auditioning the Bayz base model quite extensively. Best to let my own ears guide me with careful consideration. |
Ipretiring, the last thing you want in a room is a perfectly omni directional loudspeaker. What you will get is omni directional room interaction. They are an interesting design. I know several people who would not give them a second look. birdfan, An interesting, potentially great design (AlysVox) with one major failing and a potential worry. The major failing is that they are 79 inches tall and will revert to point source radiation at around 200 Hz. They needed to be 8 or nine feet tall depending on ceiling height to maintain Line Source characteristics all the way down. The worry is aluminum foil laminated to kapton or mylar is unfortunately fragile. The advantage over an ESL like a Sound Labs is that ribbons (or planar magnetics) are purely resistive and easy to drive. The ESL however is much more durable. There is no current flow so there is no heat and unlike aluminum it will not deform and crack. Magnepan uses this style of construction for it's tweeters only for a good reason. |
Bayz not yet available base model! Heard their flagship Counterpoint model briefly near the end of Axpona 2019. That model left me wondering if it could do all aspects of sound reproduction as lifelike as what I was able to audition with the limited time I had with them at the show. All information that I have seen regarding this the past 2 years has been glowingly positive. Their flagship model is a numbing 6 figure +, however the base model should be much more affordable I would speculate. Hopefully it will be cut from a very similar cloth as their top 2 models sonically. |
There are more prodigious concerns in the works, but here's a little aside just for the fun of it. I wanted to hear the 3" soft dome midrange sound in my room again - so I bought one, well, actually a pair. I had reviewed the reasonable Wharfedale Opus 2 M2 Bookshelf Speakers for Dagogo.com a while back. That soft 3" mid was SO beguiling, I almost bought them. I have thought a lot about that midrange performance over the years. Every so often I look to see... YES! Pair for sale here, GONE! To me! My condolences to the two "watchers"; I came, I saw, I bought... :) This will not rock my world, but it will be fun! I envision doing up a rig with DAC direct using Schroeder Method of IC Placement to Legacy Audio i.V4 Ultra Amp, and doubling speaker cables to the M2. I consider the 3" soft dome among the most desirable attributes of the PMC and ATC lines. So, Im going after it on the cheap, as a side joyride. I will put them with the Legacy XTREME XD Subs. Good fun. I want to see how far I can take the 3" mid in comparison to others. I never got to fully realize its potential back then, so I'm having another run at it. :) |
