2 New additions to the rig.

pearsall001

Parasound JC2 BP preamp
JBL HDI1600 stand mounts

First off the preamp...what a perfect match with the Parasound A21+ amp. Complete synergy, drop dead silent background. The music just oozes from a huge soundstage. The HT bypass is fabulous & super easy to switch back & forth between HT & 2 channel. A huge feature for me. I should have picked one of these guys years ago if I only knew how it performs.

Now for the JBL's...I never really had JBL speakers on my mind. I auditioned quite a few speakers in my home along with audio stores but nothing really grabbed me.
On a whim I ordered the JBL's thinking I could return them. Man oh man was I ever wrong!! Their newly developed compression driver mounted inside a newly designed wave guide really threw me for a loop. The sheer dynamics & presence of filling my room is awesome. Nothing short of amazing for HT & downright seductive for 2 channel. I was afraid of brightness but nothing could be further from the truth.
They really thred the needle between dynamics & softness. I'm so glad I gave them a shot. Oh & did I mention they can play LOUD & I mean LOUD without breaking a sweat or sounding harsh. I think JBL knows a thing or 2 about designing speaker's.

woofiepaws

Which JBL speakers do you have?

pearsall001

woofiepaws wrote: »

Which JBL speakers do you have?

HDI 1600

HzTweaker

I've noticed by my experience that my Parasound gear tends to be a little neutral if not slightly laid back on the top end. That's why I decided to go with the Maggies. They added more top end detail and sizzle! (I haven't felt the need to use the treble tone control at all.)

Cool additions to your rig! I'm glad you're enjoying em'.

pearsall001

HzTweaker wrote: »

I've noticed by my experience that my Parasound gear tends to be a little neutral if not slightly laid back on the top end. That's why I decided to go with the Maggies. They added more top end detail and sizzle! (I haven't felt the need to use the treble tone control at all.)

Cool additions to your rig! I'm glad you're enjoying em'.

I actually replaced my Maggie 1.7i's with the JBL's.

HzTweaker

I wonder if anyone else is using (what some would call) "bright" sounding speakers like us to bring out more detail from our gear like us?

pearsall001

HzTweaker wrote: »

I wonder if anyone else is using (what some would call) "bright" sounding speakers like us to bring out more detail from our gear like us?

Having both the Maggie LRS & 1.7i's I never thought they sounded bright, not even close. The JBL's on the other hand don't even come close to sounding bright. Actually the opposite applies here. That compression driver is the key to their new sound. For the record anything with even a slight tilt to sounding bright will drive me right out of the room.

Conradicles

They must sound fantastic considering all of the competition they just had in your rig. Congratulations!

F1nut

Phil, what was the name of those stand mounts you had when I was there? I really liked those.

pearsall001

Jesse, they were the AAD 2001 monitors. They were designed by Phil Jones & were his favorite.

You really struck a nerve asking about those. Of all the gear & speakers I have gone thru over the years they are the only one's that to this day I regret selling.

I also brought them with me to Lou's Polkfest & they were a big hit to say the least.

I remember your visit with a few other Pollies (Sal was one) & I know you mentioned how well you liked them. They were really small but weighed over 50lb each...they were actually lined with lead. Amazing design & simply divine sounding.

I keep looking for a pair but no luck.

F1nut

That's them. Excellent sounding speakers and beautiful too!

F1nut

pearsall001

Thanks for the pics...I looked on my phone but couldn't find any. I had the Rosewood finish, gorgeous!

maxward

Kinda steampunk.

heiney9

pearsall001 wrote: »

Jesse, they were the AAD 2001 monitors. They were designed by Phil Jones & were his favorite.

You really struck a nerve asking about those. Of all the gear & speakers I have gone thru over the years they are the only one's that to this day I regret selling.

I also brought them with me to Lou's Polkfest & they were a big hit to say the least.

I remember your visit with a few other Pollies (Sal was one) & I know you mentioned how well you liked them. They were really small but weighed over 50lb each...they were actually lined with lead. Amazing design & simply divine sounding.

I keep looking for a pair but no luck.

Yes, I remember being super impressed with those AAD's at Lou's. I remember doing more research once I got home.

I am currently looking to get another pair of bookies from someone different than Polk. Just to step outside the box, so to speak. Not to replace anything, just to have a different "name" pair to swap in and out for something different.

I have been looking at Golden Ear AON 3's.

Glad you're enjoying your new additions. And hopefully still enjoying those MIT cables.

H9

pearsall001

Hey Brock,

Since GE is on your radar for a bookie I would jump up to the BRX model (of course budget comes into play). They were actually on my list for a in home audition. I briefly heard them at a local dealer & really liked them.
But as luck would have it I found the JBL's on sale & opted to give them a listen first. They really caught me off guard & checked off all the boxes that I look for when auditioning new speakers. Long story short my quest was over at that point.

heiney9

pearsall001 wrote: »

Hey Brock,

Since GE is on your radar for a bookie I would jump up to the BRX model (of course budget comes into play). They were actually on my list for a in home audition. I briefly heard them at a local dealer & really liked them.
But as luck would have it I found the JBL's on sale & opted to give them a listen first. They really caught me off guard & checked off all the boxes that I look for when auditioning new speakers. Long story short my quest was over at that point.

I need another pair of speakers like I need a hole in my head. But, I've pretty much owned all Polk Audio speakers almost my entire time in this hobby. Going back to my early 20's with the 5B being my first Polk (I still have a pair for nostalgic reasons). I just turned 59, so maybe it's about time to dip my toes into a nice bookie from another manufacturer.

Yes, budget is an issue as this is for my various incarnations of my office rig. As a secondary rig, I can't spend top end kind of $$$.

I LOVE the R200's, but a different flavor every once in awhile would be nice. I was intrigued by the Golden Ears because of the tweeter. Something completely different than a dome.

I'll check into the BRX model. I wasn't sure where it fit in the lineup. I do like the pyramid-esque shape of the AON's. I also like the rounded look my Polk Elite ES20's over the square box of the R200's. The ES20's look more modern to me. Wish the R200's came like that.

I've been seeing a lot of ads for Triangle speakers (know nothing about them) and I thought maybe some Wharfedale bookies might be nice too.

Speakers currently in use:

Polk Legend L600's
Polk Reserve R200's
Polk Elite ES20's

Unused:

Polk SDA 1C's
Polk 5B's
Polk RT25i
Pinnacle PN+

H9

pearsall001

That's a nice collection you have there. Definitely enough to switch things up when you get the itch.

But I can definitely see why you would like to pickup another pair of bookies from another manuf to hear something different from the Polk's you have. Give the GE Aon's a shot, pretty good pricing on the used market.

F1nut

Brock, consider the Buchardt S400SE or a pair of S400 that had the crossovers upgraded to the SE version.

After demoing bookies up to $9k (IIRC) these beat all of them.