Best contemporary speaker under $100k for Lamm ML2.x type amplifiers?

DasguteOhr

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Sep 26, 2013
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This is from the same channel where you pointed out that day the sound was probably enhanced artificially because the counter on the Cd player was not moving. All her videos are like that
he has made over 10 videos of westlake speakers a few are hand made and he speaks i think they are real. look for it
 

Verdier

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Oct 7, 2018
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Sounds amazing with set amps exsample, but i don't know with 18 watt enough for party;)
I really like Westlake Speakers. I had a pair for years. But: To make them sound good, you need a powerful amplifier that can deliver a signal with very good sound quality even well below 2 ohms.

To compensate for this deficit, Westlakes are often operated either in bi-amping mode (1x for bass, 1x together for midrange and treble) or even in quad-amping mode. There are, of course, 2-way crossovers and 4-way Westlake crossovers for this.

Even without these options, i.e. only operated with one amp, the Westlakes are consistently extremely expensive. The BBSM-15 VNF shown is probably around € 90,000. The studio version (landscape format) is not much below that. (I had received offers last year or the year before and despite a high discount as an old Westlake user, the prices were breathtakingly high. I don't remember the exact figures, but around 90k is right).

I find it - with all understanding for the enthusiasm - not very reasonable to simply link such pictures or videos when you haven't tried anything with these speakers yourself yet. The effort to make them work first class is gigantic. On the web you can find some systems with Westlake speakers and 4 pairs of amplifiers .... ;)

18 watts is by no means enough, unless you have a pair of separate amps for the bass. With my speakers (a comparable model, but 2 sizes smaller, officially 95 db efficiency), for example, I did not get a satisfactory sound with the 80 watts of an Air Tight ATM-2. But it's not just about a lot of watts, but about power delivery. In the bass, the impedance minimum is around 1.6 ohms. With PS Audio BHK 300, for example, the sound was somewhat audible, but on these speakers nowhere near good enough for their purchase price. An amplifier that can do that and also sounds superb is not to be found in every hi-fi shop ...

Westlake itself, but also many Westlake users, operate these speakers with Boulder amps.

By the way, here is a thread on Westlake:

what do we think of Westlake Audio speakers? (specifically the SM1) | What's Best Audio and Video Forum. The Best High End Audio Forum on the planet! (whatsbestforum.com)

But now something positive:

These loudspeakers are available second-hand (at least in relation to the purchase price) quite cheaply. They don't go down too low in the bass, but they have a very good (full) midrange (voices are great) and a very full-bodied presentation. In any case, they are very good for listening to music for a long time, even loud. 8 hours of listening are no problem.

In my experience, however, they are not speakers to "see" into every corner of a studio and perceive every little subtlety. They resolve well, but there are certainly some speakers that do even better. But if you don't want to be stressed and want to have fun, these are great speakers - if you have enough money available for amps ... you will certainly have to try a little.
 
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bonzo75

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Feb 26, 2014
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osiposip whose video you linked is a lady, Anna, Russian, and is a professional video taker for various systems in Russia, I know the videos of the owner of that system.
 

DasguteOhr

Well-Known Member
Sep 26, 2013
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I really like Westlake Speakers. I had a pair for years. But: To make them sound good, you need a powerful amplifier that can deliver a signal with very good sound quality even well below 2 ohms.

To compensate for this deficit, Westlakes are often operated either in bi-amping mode (1x for bass, 1x together for midrange and treble) or even in quad-amping mode. There are, of course, 2-way crossovers and 4-way Westlake crossovers for this.

Even without these options, i.e. only operated with one amp, the Westlakes are consistently extremely expensive. The BBSM-15 VNF shown is probably around € 90,000. The studio version (landscape format) is not much below that. (I had received offers last year or the year before and despite a high discount as an old Westlake user, the prices were breathtakingly high. I don't remember the exact figures, but around 90k is right).

I find it - with all understanding for the enthusiasm - not very reasonable to simply link such pictures or videos when you haven't tried anything with these speakers yourself yet. The effort to make them work first class is gigantic. On the web you can find some systems with Westlake speakers and 4 pairs of amplifiers .... ;)

18 watts is by no means enough, unless you have a pair of separate amps for the bass. With my speakers (a comparable model, but 2 sizes smaller, officially 95 db efficiency), for example, I did not get a satisfactory sound with the 80 watts of an Air Tight ATM-2. But it's not just about a lot of watts, but about power delivery. In the bass, the impedance minimum is around 1.6 ohms. With PS Audio BHK 300, for example, the sound was somewhat audible, but on these speakers nowhere near good enough for their purchase price. An amplifier that can do that and also sounds superb is not to be found in every hi-fi shop ...

Westlake itself, but also many Westlake users, operate these speakers with Boulder amps.

By the way, here is a thread on Westlake:

what do we think of Westlake Audio speakers? (specifically the SM1) | What's Best Audio and Video Forum. The Best High End Audio Forum on the planet! (whatsbestforum.com)

But now something positive:

These loudspeakers are available second-hand (at least in relation to the purchase price) quite cheaply. They don't go down too low in the bass, but they have a very good (full) midrange (voices are great) and a very full-bodied presentation. In any case, they are very good for listening to music for a long time, even loud. 8 hours of listening are no problem.

In my experience, however, they are not speakers to "see" into every corner of a studio and perceive every little subtlety. They resolve well, but there are certainly some speakers that do even better. But if you don't want to be stressed and want to have fun, these are great speakers - if you have enough money available for amps ... you will certainly have to try a little.
you are probably right, in later videos you can see four GU set amps around 80 watts. from the technical side it was tempting high efficiency as a recommendation. thank you for your contribution
 

bazelio

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Sep 26, 2016
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Noted. Thanks.
I mentioned it because I suspect Jeffrey's goals for sound reproduction align with your own. And time and time again, I've talked to folks from the SET and horn contingent who have come away bowled over by what they heard at his studio.
 
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No Regrets

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Jan 24, 2012
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I mentioned it because I suspect Jeffrey's goals for sound reproduction align with your own. And time and time again, I've talked to folks from the SET and horn contingent who have come away bowled over by what they heard at his studio.
Jeffrey is known for his bespoke SET amplifiers. Very unique, beautiful, handcrafted works of art, imho.

Best wishes,
Don
 
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