Bookshelf mini-GTG in San Jose

Ron Temple

Four of us local friends got together today listening to some bookshelves...very enjoyable.

First there's nothing special about the gear an HK 330 ran it all just fine. We never played anything over -20 and didn't need to. Ran everything w/ & w/o a Hsu mk 3.2 sub.

First up were some piano black Rocket ELTs. I'd heard about these speakers a couple of years ago as a very good HTIB substitute. This was my first opportunity to hear them.

BTW...we used the same music for all the speakers, samplings from Patricia Barber's SACD "Moments", Steely Dan's DVD A " Gaucho" and Fiona Apples first album CD, can't remember the name , but we use it all the time.

The ELTs were the smallest book, 5.25 aluminum driver and 3/4" tweet, but it's extremely well balanced. It benefits from being crossed at 80 or 100, but I could'nt find anything I didn't like about the speaker. Keep in mind, closeout on these 5.1 sets were less than $500 a couple of years ago. I have no idea what they are worth now. Fit and finish were superb. For a small room, office or first HT, these are a great solution.

Next we plugged in the Mordaunt-Short 902s I recently acquired. Slightly larger, deeper and heavier, they are a much brighter speaker, with a larger and much deeper soundstage. In this room, we all felt we needed to move another 3' back from the seating to find the optimum sweetspot. Once there, everything snapped into place. These guys are very punchy and dynamic, the tweets are bright, but not fatigueing. This speaker was a definite step up, just not as much as I expected it would be.

We were able to audition some Rocket XL-Ss next. These are much bigger books than I anticipated. The featured 6.5" driver looks like an 8" the way it's laid out on the Maple finish. Very solid build, they are beautiful bricks. Since they were designed by Danny Ritchie and I'd heard nothing but praise online, I was expecting these to blow me away. They are very nice, warm, but vocals sound somewhat bloated compared to the other speakers. Soundstage is extremely large, detail ok, but they just weren't as exciting as I expected them to be (these are stock, not modded). Subjectively, I'm sure others would prefer this speaker, but I'd rather have the M/Ss, maybe even the ELTs.

Speaking of Danny Ritchie, we also had a set of AV-1s there. Slightly smaller than the XL-Ss, but built along the same design...these speakers just kick major ****. Hugely dynamic from about 55hz up. They just put a smile on everyone's face. Honestly, I expected the XL-Ss to be closer to these speakers, but since the pre-built kits sell for around $750/pr, I guess that's too much to ask. The GR Research speaker kits that I've heard are favorites of mine (not that I know that much). The guy that owned the ELTs left asking if he could replace his fronts with the AV-1s or go 7.1, he was that impressed.

Last, our host runs an Ascend rig, 340SEs across the front and 170SEs as surrounds. It's a very balanced rig and I didn't listen critically, but it's so flat and neutral, I find it boring. I don't know if more power would help or even if it needs help. He likes his system...I just can't get excited.


Sorry to ramble...just having fun. I can't articulate what some of you folks can about listening or judging speakers, but I had some fun and wanted to talk about it.

Rating: (on the curve)
GR Research AV-1s = 88
Mordaunt Short 902 = 82
Ascend 340SE = 80 (personal preference)
Rocket XL-S = 79
Rocket ELT = 75
Bose Wave Radio = 55
GE Clock Radio = 30
Tin Cans and String = 5

cmy330go

Interesting finds. I've been curious about the Mordaunt-Short 902s for a while now. Somebody at Music Direct in Chicago spoke very favorably of them once, but I didn't have time that day to listen, and never made it back. So it was good to hear your comments.

My only disagreement with the above, is that I would have put the Wave Radio a little below the Cans and String. Although the last time I heard the Cans and String we were running top notch interconnects.:D

Ron Temple

I actually just read a very detailed subjective review of the XL-Ss from the guy I picked up the M-Ss from. It's a hell of a lot better than mine, more complimentary, but I'm pretty confident that he feels the same way I do. They are an excellent bookshelf and you may in your own evaluation put them above the 902s for about the same price, but the M-Ss ring the bell for me.

Placement is critical for each, as the XL-Ss have a very broad stage while the 902s are very deep. We sat only 5' from the fronts, you need 8 or 9' or a different toe-in model.

Tuff to beat Cans and Strings with the right cables...

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29936