Is Your Loudspeaker Perfect For You?

[Hear Here]

Do you consider your loudspeaker perfect for your personal sonic preferences and perfect for your ears?

Nothing in Life is perfect, but trials with other speakers have led to disappointment, so I consider my current speakers as perfect as I should expect.

However, one question you didn't pose is "Is the TYPE of speaker you use perfect for your room". I guess many people haven't seriously considered this and "make do" as best they can with their existing type of speaker (normally conventional box), maybe by adding sub-woofers or using "room correction DSP" to improve their sound. In my view, resorting to either of these measures means, almost by definition, that your speakers are not perfect in the room you have them installed in.

I learnt to my cost that speakers that should have been a big improvement over my 17 year old Avantgarde Unos failed miserably in my room. They would have been great in many rooms, but not mine. Martin Logan electrostatics need a wall behind them to harvest some of the 50% of their energy being projected backwards – but the floor-to-ceiling glazing is 12 ft and 15 ft behind the speakers and at an angle! So perhaps right speakers, wrong place.

In my own room I should probably be using omni-directional speakers as my dining and kitchen areas are behind the speakers, but the ones I've auditioned (MBL and German Physics, though not in my own room) have disappointed in their imaging abilities - something I rate highly and my current Avantgarde Duo XDs excel at.

There is no "perfect speaker", but perhaps there is a "best compromise" speaker.

 

[Sampajanna]

Great questions Ron!

I may be one of the rare Yes-makers in this thread. I find Marten speakers perfect. They are for me the perfect blend of clarity, warmth and richness. They have detail like the Magicos, etc. but are ”rolled off” or whatever you want to say. (Not too much mind you, just a dash of warmth and sweetness that I hear even with all the different components I have had behind them).I listened to many, many speakers over the years. Marten just nails it so perfectly for me. The only place I would go is up the Marten line, but that really isn‘t necessary as my room is not that big (3.8 X 4.5 X 5). Speakers can be difficult to choose.

I think it is about finding what makes you forget speakers and remember all the songs you want to hear. I can hardly leave my room these days….

 

[Al M.]

There is no "perfect speaker", but perhaps there is a "best compromise" speaker.

Well said!

 

[andromedaaudio]

The more i hear the more i love my XPE design .
Its not perfect but it also doesnt do much wrong ( the tweeter / mid i use in my new model do deliver more detail though )
The absolutely dead silent housing is fantastic
I could see my self adding a Halcro or Ch precision poweramp though in the future.

Ps Nothing beats a Hugh masekela ultra tape on my restored telefunken M15 A as a source

 

[Chop]

"Are your loudspeakers perfect for you?"
I think it depends how you define the word Perfect. A Perfect speaker for me has the ability to bring enjoyment over time regardless of what music and changes is thrown at them. For me it isn't so much about the sound of the speaker right now or at a point in time but their ability to provide music over time without being a limiting factor.

I have had my Trios for over 20 years. They are perfect for me. I say this because the sound from them has improved with every component change in the system (including sub woofer upgrades) I have made over those 20 years. They have been able to evolve with the system & still respond to micro and macro changes, both in terms of I can hear every tiny change in their positioning and what they are fed with. Now I have a new music room they sound better again. I believe they have still more to offer as my budget and ideas evolve.
They were modified by the importer as his demo pair before I had them: they were internally wired with Yamamura Churchill cable & upgrades made to the components in the crossovers - which I suppose must have given them a non standard character. I have heard later Trios with upgraded drivers which do provide better detail: Maybe it's psychosomatic but for me there is something tonally right, something musical about how mine seem to resolve music which means I still wouldn't want to upgrade them.

 

[Republicoftexas69]

For my current listening environment and synergy with my component selections I am a yes. My Sonner Legato Unum’s are perfect. And if I take on a larger room in my home (empty nesters second floor is not used) I will just get the Legato Duo‘s, simple.

 

[mieswall]

Almost. Better than my current Magnepan 1.7i would be a larger Maggie. i had a 3.7i for some weeks not long ago. When driven by a proper amp (even a small Esoteric power amp in this case)… it was as close to the best i’ve heard as i can recall. So sad i didn’t have Bacch back then…

 

[Solartiger]

The thread title is my question at the moment ...

We spend approximately 20 hours per week listening to music - we have no TV in the living room. I recently completely upgraded my electronics from a Burmester top line system to a Gryphon system. This has increased the fun, enjoyment and satisfaction listening to music at lot. I should have done this earlier.We still have our trusted KEF Blades. With the new electronics we also noticed more what we were missing. We would like some more volume, body - not in terms of playing it louder, we want some more emotion, more engagement. I recently heard the new Gryphon EOS2 and was amazed about the atmosphere and presence the EOS2 showed. Maybe I am infected with the Gryphon house sound now, but I liked very much what I was hearing. I am very curious about the recently introduced EOS5.

 

[StreamFidelity]

Hello Ron,

I appreciate your way of asking.

Speakers deserve a big investment because ultimately they are what fire the sound into the room.

The room is an important issue. There are those who say the speaker must match the room. That's not totally out of line. But not really helpful for someone like me who moved a lot.

I believe that any speaker can be improved with a room correction. Yes, even must. Because the designer of the speaker can not know in which room the speaker plays.

I do this with a combination of acoustic elements, but mainly digitally with measurements at the listening position.

Does that answer your questions? Not quite. My point is that good speakers are important. But without matching to the room, good speakers sound bad.

Gabriel

 

[JackD201]

Perfectly satisfying? Yes, sometimes. Perfect no. I don't believe there is any such thing. Even at a concert you'd need the best seat in the house to go with an inspired performance.

I'm not complaining at all. It is just the way it is and I accept the asymptotic nature of our hobby

 

[gadawg58]

I am not surprised. I am a big fan of Wilson and subs driven by high quality power. You have it all. Enjoy.

Looking at your system I bet it sounds amazing! Wow!

 

[LL21]

Looking at your system I bet it sounds amazing! Wow!

Thank you. We enjoy it, and are currently now looking at the subwoofer element where we are thinking of something all-out to create a greater, more solid foundational element to the music. As the Wilson-designed Subsonics effectively focus on sub 32hz (rather than the REL 6-pack 32hz, then 42hz, then 52hz for 3 different levels of the 6-pack)...starting to consider either a pair of dual-opposing 18" (1 for each speaker) or a single dual-opposing 24" which has greater, more effortless air displacement and optimized performance for sub-40hz.

 

[Tangram]

Do you consider your loudspeaker perfect for your personal sonic preferences and perfect for your ears?

Do you believe that loudspeakers are the most difficult or "problematic" category of components?

Do you believe there is such a thing as the "perfect" loudspeaker for you personally? Or is some compromise, large or small, inevitably part of the equation of every loudspeaker. (A "compromise" could be in size of loudspeaker or drive requirements or frequency balance or dynamics or transparency or any of the sonic characteristics we ever talk about.)

How would you apply these questions to your current loudspeaker?

A couple of things:

1) I'm in the camp that speakers need to match the room. If you move a lot, you may need to change speakers more than you'd like.

2) For me, my mood plays a role in how my system sounds. In a way, it's an indicator of how things are going in the rest of my life. I think that many audiophiles who are on the gear merry-go-round could benefit from taking a step back and asking themselves if there's anything about themselves that should change, rather than their gear. The percentage of borderline OCD folks in this hobby, based on my personal experience, far exceeds the general population.

3) If an audiophile listens to a wide range of music, I personally believe that a speaker can only be "perfect" to the user if it's full-range.

That said, I think I've found the perfect speaker for me - Spatial Audio M3 Sapphires - paired with a Pass Labs XA-25 amp. Why are they perfect for me? All of the above, and then some.

Yes, the speaker is the hardest to get right - IF you have a problematic room. But if you have a great-sounding room, I suspect any high-quality full-range speaker set up correctly will sound pretty close to perfect. My room is problematic, in that at normal listening levels, only dipole speakers don't overload the room. Even small box speakers are an issue.

The funny thing about this hobby is that the more you learn about it, the LESS likely you will find your perfect speaker. A little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing. That's why at some point it's healthy to say "it's good enough" and get off the merry-go-round. Then, with the passage of time, "it's good enough" becomes "perfect for me."

 

[Len44]

Really interesting question. The answer is, kind of. I've been on an upgrade journey over the past few years, and one of the first things that changed was the speakers - my older Martin Logans (SL3) developed issues, so I replaced them with a newer model (Montis). They sounded good. But over the subsequent years, more new gear arrived, and with each arrival, they sounded ever better. In other words, the speakers were allowing the new gear to up the ante on overall sound quality - the speakers weren't the limiting factor, at least not yet. Once things settled, and the typical itch of dissatisfaction once again appeared I identified bass an an issue and added a sub. This transformed the overall sound once again. So, back to the answer - "kind of" - my electrostatics absolutely speak to my personal preference in sound, and they are supremely transparent, allowing the sound of the gear behind them to shine through, but ultimately I needed to add a sub to really get the sound I want to hear, so my current speakers don't fully satisfy. Perhaps there is a higher model that does, or perhaps good subs are always necessary... Either way, I'm currently in a very happy place and of all the changes I may have in mind, the speakers aren't currently one of them.

 

[Alrainbow]

Nothing in Life is perfect, but trials with other speakers have led to disappointment, so I consider my current speakers as perfect as I should expect.

However, one question you didn't pose is "Is the TYPE of speaker you use perfect for your room". I guess many people haven't seriously considered this and "make do" as best they can with their existing type of speaker (normally conventional box), maybe by adding sub-woofers or using "room correction DSP" to improve their sound. In my view, resorting to either of these measures means, almost by definition, that your speakers are not perfect in the room you have them installed in.

I learnt to my cost that speakers that should have been a big improvement over my 17 year old Avantgarde Unos failed miserably in my room. They would have been great in many rooms, but not mine. Martin Logan electrostatics need a wall behind them to harvest some of the 50% of their energy being projected backwards – but the floor-to-ceiling glazing is 12 ft and 15 ft behind the speakers and at an angle! So perhaps right speakers, wrong place.

In my own room I should probably be using omni-directional speakers as my dining and kitchen areas are behind the speakers, but the ones I've auditioned (MBL and German Physics, though not in my own room) have disappointed in their imaging abilities - something I rate highly and my current Avantgarde Duo XDs excel at.

There is no "perfect speaker", but perhaps there is a "best compromise" speaker.

Have you tried bayz speakers ? They sound great and image great too.

 

[Norriscd]

Do you consider your loudspeaker perfect for your personal sonic preferences and perfect for your ears?

Do you believe that loudspeakers are the most difficult or "problematic" category of components?

Do you believe there is such a thing as the "perfect" loudspeaker for you personally? Or is some compromise, large or small, inevitably part of the equation of every loudspeaker. (A "compromise" could be in size of loudspeaker or drive requirements or frequency balance or dynamics or transparency or any of the sonic characteristics we ever talk about.)

How would you apply these questions to your current loudspeaker?

Ron, I really like my speakers and think they are the best I have had the privilege of owning, especially with regard to "potential". I have the Von Schweikert Endeavor 5 MkII. They sounded very good initially, but required getting most everything else in front of them "right" in order to maximize their potential and give me total musical enjoyment, which I am now getting.

Loudspeakers can be very problematic, but after some years of doing this and chasing the "holy grail" I have now proven to my ears that everything matters with highly resolving speakers.

Everything in life to some degree is a compromise, so chasing the "perfect" loudspeaker is hard to put my finger on - because the speakers can only deliver what they are fed.

My current speakers only began to showcase their full potential when I coupled them with all the other gear that came before them. Mostly, it is chasing incremental improvements, but put enough incremental improvements together and suddenly you have improvement you can really hear. Two of the biggest plus changes for me were using fiber for streaming - a BIG plus, and installing the Synergistic Research Powercell SX - also a BIG improvement. But all of those only worked because I had put other parts of the system in place that were also highly resolving, and finally I had speakers that could benefit from and take advantage of the other components, including room treatment so that I could actually hear the improvements.

 

[Hear Here]

Have you tried bayz speakers ? They sound great and image great too.

No, but I'd like to. Sadly I don't think there's a UK distributor and the bigger ones are probably beyond my budget.

 

[Gregm]

2) For me, my mood plays a role in how my system sounds.

In my case, the sound plays a role in how my mood evolves! Interesting

The funny thing about this hobby is that the more you learn about it, the LESS likely you will find your perfect speaker. A little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing. That's why at some point it's healthy to say "it's good enough" and get off the merry-go-round. Then, with the passage of time, "it's good enough" becomes "perfect for me."

Can't disagree with that.

Albeit, a better understanding of acoustics, room modelling, and REW have helped me improve speaker placement in a small room (I listen to large scale orchestras, difficult to fit into a small room!)

 

[Holli82]

I'm not complaining at all. It is just the way it is and I accept the asymptotic nature of our hobby

Jack...had to go to the dictionary for this one!

I think in my room, with my electronics and my listening tastes, my Von Schweikert Ultra 9s are the perfect speaker for me. That said, there are a lot of other speakers out there that sound fantastic with the right room and set-up.

 

[JackD201]

Jack...had to go to the dictionary for this one!

I think in my room, with my electronics and my listening tastes, my Von Schweikert Ultra 9s are the perfect speaker for me. That said, there are a lot of other speakers out there that sound fantastic with the right room and set-up.

I remember when I moved to our present home and said to myself, like that scene from JAWS, I think I'm gonna need bigger speakers LOL

The 11s and Ultra 11s are perfect for my room too.

Perfection for me must include the recordings and we all know when it comes to that, there is only so much we can do