How good are your speakers?

Howmuch

Than you all for your post, I will take the advice of those that know more than me. I will start my search at around the $3000 mark. I would have just hoped that by now they would have been better ways to compare speakers more scientifically. Even if you get to demo 25 pairs of speakers theres so many more you cant find to demo, the English and U.S speaker market brands are very different to. So for the average persons ability to discern different speakers is limited because there doesn't seem to be another way to compare them.

Can somebody tell me why its such as stupid idea to have a set of specifically designed benchmark test next to a speaker advertisement so that comparisons would be easier. i know this wouldn't be the only criteria but it would help.

We benchmark practically everything else

ESavinon

Howmuch wrote: »

O.K last ramblings on this topic for me but I've just been checking a ton of speakers over the $200,000 range(no thats not a mis-type).
COME ON! Please somebody defend this craziness. Any sound engineers out their .Are you trying to tell me that the sound reproduction and THD is over a 1000% better (for the price) and that wasn't even the most expensive speaker > Come on Polk make a speaker for a million dollars so someone can buy it!

They did already. They're the SRT. V Read below. V

organ

ESavinon wrote: »

They did already. They're the SRT. V Read below. V

:eek: You must be getting regular visits from the cops:biggrin:

Hilbert

If you google "transmission audio speakers," the first hit is Bose.com, award winning sound.

There's an obvious ceiling on how good audio gear can sound; better gear will make Norah Jones sound better, but it can't make her sound better than Norah Jones.

mdaudioguy

Howmuch wrote: »

Can somebody tell me why its such as stupid idea to have a set of specifically designed benchmark test next to a speaker advertisement so that comparisons would be easier. i know this wouldn't be the only criteria but it would help.

We benchmark practically everything else

Specifications can't tell you much, if anything, about how a speaker will ultimately sound in your rig, in your home... I'm guessing now, that you already know that. Not saying that you specifically came here for this reason, but you're starting to smell like the troll that others suggested you might be.

Could dogs be sold with specifications to describe what their bark sounds like, and precisely how irritating it will be to your neighbors ears at 2:30am?

mystik610

Howmuch wrote: »

Than you all for your post, I will take the advice of those that know more than me. I will start my search at around the $3000 mark. I would have just hoped that by now they would have been better ways to compare speakers more scientifically. Even if you get to demo 25 pairs of speakers theres so many more you cant find to demo, the English and U.S speaker market brands are very different to. So for the average persons ability to discern different speakers is limited because there doesn't seem to be another way to compare them.

Can somebody tell me why its such as stupid idea to have a set of specifically designed benchmark test next to a speaker advertisement so that comparisons would be easier. i know this wouldn't be the only criteria but it would help.

We benchmark practically everything else

The thing is that sound quality isn't something that can be quantified, measured, and compared. Sure we can measure frequency response, but even that isn't really a measure of sound quality. So yes. It's a stupid idea.

This is a hobby that you certainly have to have an ear for....its one very few people will really appreciate, and for those few who can discern the quality of a speaker, the niche market of high end speakers exists. This isn't a hobby you get into to impress your friends. Save that for the car enthusiasts. (I'll admit to being one myself). This hobby is more similar to that of a musician who sees the value of spending several thousands of dollars on a high end Gibson vs a mass produced replica guitar.

I've gone through multiple speaker upgrades, and beyond my sub, few people really cared about the upgrades other than my brother, and another friend of mine (both of which are audiophiles, going back to their old car audio days). I don't believe I'm done upgrading either. I will be upgrading again one day when my financial situation permits. I'm convinced my wife, who has a musical background, appreciates my system too (though she'll never admit it ). There are times when I catch her being 'pulled into' whatever she's listening to, and listening to it very analytically.

I honestly think most people will be perfectly happy with a mass market line like the TSi line. For most people, loudness is all that matters, and there's nothing wrong with that. But for people who can discern 'tone' and sound quality, there are significant (though diminishing) improvements as you jump to high quality speakers, amps, cables etc etc. It's also at the higher end price point that sound quality becomes very subjective. People will have different preferences (ie bright vs warm speakers), and even if two speakers measure identically, one person may love a speaker, while another person may absolutely hate it. For example, I personally don't like elecrostatic speakers, but a lot of people love them, and I can see why.

ben62670

Take a recipe and make two batches. One batch is with all generic ingredients, and the other uses better ingredients. They both are cooked the same amount of time, both use the same amount of individual ingredients, have the same amount of calories, and yet they taste very different. You can't measure taste just like you can't measure what you hear. USE YOUR FRIGGEN EARS! Was that simple enough?

mdaudioguy

ben62670 wrote: »

Take a recipe and make two batches. One batch is with all generic ingredients, and the other uses better ingredients. They both are cooked the same amount of time, both use the same amount of individual ingredients, have the same amount of calories, and yet they taste very different. You can't measure taste just like you can't measure what you hear. USE YOUR FRIGGEN EARS! Was that simple enough?

Wait a minute!?! Weren't you done here yesterday??

(I know, it's hard to stay away from these threads sometimes...) :biggrin:

ben62670

Can you feel my frustration brother.
Amen!

themainviking

I just upgraded my amp and all my speakers, and I found that I don't have the ears any longer to notice much difference. I am convincing myself that I have more clarity of sound, but I don't know. I am getting to the age where my hearing just ain't what it used to be, and my wallet can afford more. So I bought more. A lot more. Am I happier - well, yes, marginally. I will let you know more when I have had this setup for more than a day, lol. Point I am making is that as we age, and can afford better stuff, we can't hear it anyway.

P.S.: I heard a setup with Naim Ovator S600 speakers, and yes, more money does buy better speakers. This was a couple of years ago, and at almost $12,000 a speaker, I would think they would have something going. Hearing them beside Martin Logans, the difference was obvious. Hearing them, then going to another place and hearing Martin Logans, I doubt I could have identified a difference.

mdaudioguy

ben62670 wrote: »

Can you feel my frustration brother.
Amen!

I would say it's like talking to a wall or shouting into an abyss, but actually it's slightly better, since even if you never get through to the OP, perhaps someone else may pass through and "get it." Just keep on keeping on!

mdaudioguy

themainviking wrote: »

I just upgraded my amp and all my speakers, and I found that I don't have the ears any longer to notice much difference. I am convincing myself that I have more clarity of sound, but I don't know. I am getting to the age where my hearing just ain't what it used to be, and my wallet can afford more. So I bought more. A lot more. Am I happier - well, yes, marginally. I will let you know more when I have had this setup for more than a day, lol. Point I am making is that as we age, and can afford better stuff, we can't hear it anyway.

P.S.: I heard a setup with Naim Ovator S600 speakers, and yes, more money does buy better speakers. This was a couple of years ago, and at almost $12,000 a speaker, I would think they would have something going. Hearing them beside Martin Logans, the difference was obvious. Hearing them, then going to another place and hearing Martin Logans, I doubt I could have identified a difference.

Haha! Welcome to Club Polk! The ultimate curse! Start a new thread to tell us what you got. Sounds fun - enjoy!

camtah

As someone that just moved from the Lsi to Paradigm Studio Series, I wonder how much of the hearing thing plays a role in this. I mainly listen to movies nad I found that the "brighter" more than "laid back" is better to my ears in my HT.

Yet, I listened to speakers that cost 3 times as much and I couldn't hear nor see the cost differential in my case.

mdaudioguy

^^ Using HT as a reference for audio quality is difficult, IMO. It just seems easier to gauge the quality of audio with music. YMMV.

virtualdean

camtah wrote: »

As someone that just moved from the Lsi to Paradigm Studio Series, I wonder how much of the hearing thing plays a role in this. I mainly listen to movies nad I found that the "brighter" more than "laid back" is better to my ears in my HT.

Yet, I listened to speakers that cost 3 times as much and I couldn't hear nor see the cost differential in my case.

What Studio series did you get? The 100's?
If they are, how do you think they sound?

cfrizz

Welcome to Club Polk Howmuch!

I understand perfectly what you are asking. Only you & your wallet can really answer this question.

My system is anchored by soon to be 21 year old middle of the pack Polk RTA-8T speakers. They cost me $650.00 back then. Over the last 20 years I have added to my system going from 2 channel to a 5.2 home theater system.

What I have discovered that if you have a good base then adding/changing some of the gear will continue to show you just how good your original purchases were. I now have a Sunfire prepro and amplifier as the brain and mucsle of my system. They retailed at around $3,000.00 each, way more than my $650.00 speakers, however, my speakers have NEVER sounded better.

I don't have all the latest bells & whistles, but it does all that I need it to & I enjoy it immensely.

My personal belief is I buy the best that I can afford in the middle of the pack with the intention to keep it for years. So I end up spending more money up front, but I end up enjoying it for 20+ years and counting.

Now should my Polks should pass on to speaker heaven, my next set will more than likely be a pair of Dynaudio Focus which will cost me if I buy new around $4,000.00, So I guess my speakers will be in line with what my prepro/amp cost. But quite frankly I don't really care about that, I care that I will enjoy the sound of my system.

So set a budget for yourself, do your research about the gear, and what you want it to do now and in the future.

I will tell you this once you settle on what speakers, know that a receiver will NOT drive them to their full potential. So plan on getting a receiver that has all the bells & whistles that also has preouts so that in the future you can add a seperate amplifier.

This gear is made to last for years, so make sure that you get something that you can be happy with & decide that you will not be upgrading perfectly good gear just to have the latest and greatest next year or whenever.

Earthy

As long as I'm not reading this board, my speakers sound great! Alas, I start reading, and everything begins to need tweaking, replaced or expanded. I think it's a sign of an illness when you start updating just to be doing it.

decal

My speakers soud wonderful to me.Do yours?

tonyb

Howmuch wrote: »

Let me try to put this another way.
If a sound engineer with all his high tech gadgets were to measure the sound output from a $1000 speaker and one from a $10,000 dollar speaker how much variation do you think he will get. Do you see where I'm coming from . Taking away preference and looks ,what will the numbers say.
If anyone has true data or links I would love to read them.
If a speakers only job is to output the source its given ,as accurately as possible.Then should this not be an easy test for a sound analyzer?
At what price point is the AVERAGE person going to find it hard to discern the difference from one speaker to the next.
Please understand I know more expensive speakers will technically reproduce sound better but wheres the plateau at what price point does the diminishing returns start to kick in. If a person asked your advice on how much to spend for a Pair of good speakers, at what price point would you feel comfortable starting at (and no you dont know their budget )

I would think the thousands of members here,and on other forums would be considered "average" persons. You keep asking the same thing and we keep telling you the same thing. Get your ears on some other gear and find out for yourself. If your point of diminishing returns stops at tsi500's, then rock out and be happy. Doesn't mean however that others have the same stop gap as you.

Howmuch

Unfortunately the country I am presently in does not allow me the luxury to demo any worthwhile speakers. I am not making this up. I therefore have the task of buying speakers and equipment from the net. All i can do is basically read reviews and try to come to some conclusions. thats why I harped on so much about comparison test.
However i get your points , the only true way to know is to listen (which I cant do)
I'm probably not the first or last person that will have such a problem

halo71

What country?

Howmuch

Trinidad .I have tried to call around but the selections are very limited ,plenty car stuff my not much mid or high end audio. All the shops can get anything i want but I can do that too.

MillerLiteScott

Pretty F'n Good.:biggrin:

blueboxer

Howmuch wrote: »

Unfortunately the country I am presently in does not allow me the luxury to demo any worthwhile speakers. I am not making this up. I therefore have the task of buying speakers and equipment from the net. All i can do is basically read reviews and try to come to some conclusions. thats why I harped on so much about comparison test.
However i get your points , the only true way to know is to listen (which I cant do)
I'm probably not the first or last person that will have such a problem

I think I wasted more money on purchases based on reviews and specs instead of just trying out different speakers and choosing them on my preference in terms of sound. I understand that this may be a difficult thing to do in your area. I would recommend listening to the various brands that are available and at least narrowing it down to which brands sound best to you. While not every speaker in every lineup will sound identical they should overall have the same basic sound in terms of neutral, bright, warm, forward, etc... and then you can select the price point that you are most comfortable at. Actually, I think Polk offers a lot of different flavors of sound in its lineup in comparison to others, which may complicate narrowing down a specific speaker in brands that do.

You can always find sellers on Audiogon that are willing to ship to you, buying used allows you to try different speakers and sale them at small loses instead of jumping in with a large purchase.

Buying on specifications is a poor idea as is judging anything just on numbers or data. Horsepower of a car or square footage of a house only tells you the minimum amount of information about those objects and nothing of how enjoyable they are.

newrival

cfrizz wrote: »

I will tell you this once you settle on what speakers, know that a receiver will NOT drive them to their full potential. So plan on getting a receiver that has all the bells & whistles that also has preouts so that in the future you can add a seperate amplifier.

Sunfire makes/made a receiver that is relatively just as good as using your sunfire pre/pro and amp setup. It contains essentially the same components. There are also a handful receivers that would perform even better.

warren

lsi9's stock from Polk, a Rotel RB-991 Amp, Pioneer Elite pre., and the music goes right thru you. Yeah.....

camtah

virtualdean wrote: »

What Studio series did you get? The 100's?
If they are, how do you think they sound?

I picked up the Studio 100v5 as well as the matching CC-690 center and ADP-590. I am still dialing them in. As for movies which is the majority of my current listening, I am so far happy in my purchase. After coming from an LSi series, I would say that that are a little more open in the mid to high end. Not brighter, but more "open". Not like the Paradigms I heard in 5 years ago which sounded overly bright which pushed my to the LSi in the first place.

Klegg

The best sound I have heard came from two large (64oz) Tomato cans. The trick is to use a high quality (measured by cost) monster cable to connect them.

Oh...and make sure it is the contadina brand. They use a special tin alloy that really emphasizes the high end. More bass can be added with a
trashmaster waste tin. The problem is finding someone to bang on it with a stick at the appropriate time.

cfrizz

newrival wrote: »

Sunfire makes/made a receiver that is relatively just as good as using your sunfire pre/pro and amp setup. It contains essentially the same components. There are also a handful receivers that would perform even better.

But how many people are going to be willing to pay Sunfire's kind of money? They can buy a less expensive receiver and separate amp for less.

DON73

I'm 73 and my hearing is not as good as it was 15 years back when I bought my B&W 801s and B&W 803 Matrix speakers. When I go visit a friend in the only mid/hi level shop in town I might listen to Paradigm or new B&W Nautilus speakers. While I can easily afford any speaker in the shop nothing I hear is more pleasing to my ears than what I have at home. I won't be buying anymore new speakers instead I'm buying speakers up to 35 years old just for the fun of comparing the way they sound and I can say they all sound surprisingly good although they sound different. New and expensive doesn't always mean better. Your hearing is ALL that matters. If a pair of $200 speakers sound good to you there's no real need to spend more. What others think of the speakers you have shouldn't matter a whit. You're the one who will be listening.