I read that same thing on a subway wall!
Words of wisdom on choosing a speaker
Lets start with this analogy. Clothes are manufactured and sold according to different sizes, colors and styles . Human beings are then required to choose their style, color and most importantly, size. Not infrequently, the size you choose may either be too big or too small. In some cases, it may be neither too big or small but it might still not fit you very well. The reason for this is because size is not just a single number but a range of different factors are involved. If you take a pair of trousers, there are obviously many measurements you can take. You can measure the length, width diameter etc.
Now the problem is, clothing companies are very sneaky. They know that there is no way they can custom make an item for each and every one of us. That is the only reason they are made according to standardized sizes.
The way the speaker industry works is similar. They make various speakers. Some use paper drivers, others use alumimium, or any number of other materials. Most are made of wood, others are made of concrete or carbon fibre. Some are tuned flat as a pancake, others have a bbc dip. Others have a peak >8khz. Speaker companies do not custom tune their designs to our ears but they custom tune them to the designers ears and then expects some of us to be pleased with that particular tuning.
Audiophiles choose from the variety of designs on the marketplace.
The problem is, despite the hundreds if not thousands of different speaker designs in the marketplace, there will never be enough designs to satisfy each and every one of us perfectly. Each of us has a unique requirement when it comes to how a speaker sounds. To compound this problem, our needs change over time. When we are in our teens, we might want more bass and treble whereas once you start losing the top end as you get into your 40's and 50's you will want more highs to compensate. Once you're beyond the age of 70, you are never going to be happy because no speaker can correct or cure severe hearing loss.
So the point I'm making is that the reason we are all on the speaker merrry go round is that the speakers on the marketplace are NOT CUSTOM TUNED TO YOUR EXACT HEARING requirements.
The reason KEF LS50, and kii audio or revel or whatever gets rave reviews is because, there will always be a few people that are satisfied with the way the speaker sounds. But this only happens by chance and very infrequently at that.
For the rest of us, we are the ones searching for a sound that doesnt exist in the marketplace. The speakers on the marketplace are close but not an exact match hence we can never be happy.
Back in the 70's speaker engineers thought that the flatter the response of a speaker the better it would sound to ALL of us. Eventually this theory lost poppularity and speaker companies began creating speakers with all sorts of responses that were NOT flat.
But we are now again starting to see a renewed interest in designs with a flat response with more and more speakers coming out claiming to be as flat as a ruler.
So in conclusion, do not be fooled. Do not expect to achieve happiness with any of the speakers out there. Chances are, none of them will satisfy you. Even if you do eventually find a speaker that does suit you, it does not mean it existed all along, it might just mean that your hearing needs changed in such a way that one of the speaker designs on the marketplace became suitable even though it wasn't suitable before.
39 responses Add your response
Kenjit- please find another pastime. Your constant drivel that everyone is unhappy and chasing some un attainable sound is simply not remotely true. Most of us are quite happy with our systems, the fact that many strive to improve along the way is what makes this such an interesting hobby.. Please take your misery to Facebook. |
I think happiness with speakers has to do with knowing your own values, being able to research and choose them. But to a lessor degree or greater degree your personality. Some folks have buyers regret on most things… or doubt themselves, some tend to like what they choose… well unless they make a real mistake. I have loved all the speakers I have purchased… average time of ownership over ten years… over the last 50 years. |
Imperfection and compromise are life. Music reproduced at home is an illusion. No, of course it's not a real clarinet or viola, and it's not the London Symphony and it never will be. But it makes me think of the Bruch Concerto for Clarinet and Viola, and that's a magical experience. When we forget that this hobby is about music, we go a bit astray. Oh, that way lies madness, let me shun that! Happiness is something you choose. I wish it for you all. |
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Here’s a thought… most people are not dissatisfied with the speakers they buy. It’s just you. Sometimes people do change speakers. Because it’s fun to experience and experiment with different equipment. It has nothing to do with the reasons you state. It’s not because the speaker companies have ripped us off. You are the only one who seems to feel ripped off and dissatisfied while stating the impossibility of you ever finding the right speakers. Don’t project that on others. Instead, get a new hobby. |
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Most people dont even know what they want. They just buy and resell speakers without any understanding of what they want or how they can find it or why they aren’t satisfied. Most audiophiles dont even realize they are not satisfied, which is ignorance. I am here to enlighten you. What speakers do you have? Are you happy with them? How do you know you are happy with them? Are they perfect? if not, why not? I have been to many hifi exhibitions, I suggest you respect my expert opinions on this. Being an audiophile is about elevating the standards of sound reproduction. If you dont care about audio quality or you are satisfied with mediocre quality then you cannot call yourself an audiophile. |
I personally agree with this comment. Not sure everyone does though. |
OP… “Most audiophiles dont even realize they are not satisfied, which is ignorance.” Speak for yourself. I have been an audiophile for fifty years. While my values have changed over time… the very essence of audiophile is incredibly well educated and informed, in touch with values, and able to make very complex decisions to achieve his goals. What you describe is the essence of not an audiophile. |
Folks, go to the Ops detail page and look at all of the speaker threads he started a year or so ago, each one a variant on his tiring theme. This one is nothing more than a rehash of the same tired monologue , including his self proclaimed stance of his expert status and superiority as an "audiophile". It is a waste of your time engaging with him. |
Oh come on. As if all the other speaker threads on here are not a variation of the same tiring theme? Is speaker A better than speaker B? Which speaker should I buy? Opinions on this or that speaker? Day in day out we hear the same tiring questions from people. Are you one of those people Facten? What brings you here? |
I bought a relatively "flat" / linear speaker back in 1979 - the famous Epi 100 - and have been very happy with its sound ever since (albeit with recently updated parts from HumanSpeakers)... even with my hearing loss, for which I compensate with the best customizable hearing aids (Phonak Audeo Paradise... the waterproof version for those times I forget I have them on and walk into the shower...) and with, GASP, maybe a tweak of the treble control if needed, lol. Now, I'm reveling in the Heresy IV... not because of dissatisfaction, but simply to experience music through something different, not as "flat" but highly efficient and dynamic and mesmerizing nonetheless. They won't supplant the Epi though... I've yet to hear a speaker that will (I don't want a spaceship in my house, just a practical setup)... the Epi are in another room right now, and my intent is to rotate 'em in like six months/six months or year/year something like that just to hear how music sounds different through each of my two excellent and different speaker choices. So please, OP, don't overgeneralize that nobody can ever be satisfied. |
This deal about tuning speaker to one’s hearing would be like trading in a wife or husband every year one with a higher pitched voice… so as one hearing looses the higher pitched sounds… just get a higher pitched partner. This is so nonsensical as to boarder on laughable.
In reality, we preferentially like either beaming speakers or wide dispersion. And then on the factual, and metrics side, we “know” that ones with a better impulse response and the ones with the speakers wired up in the correct polarity, also have a step function response that most closely resembles what the electrical signal is. |
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