Disappointing Speakers You Have Owned
We have all had our share of disappointments with speakers we had high hopes for.
I will go first.
Martin Logan Monoliths - these were going to be the LAST speakers I ever bought.
They were bright, the woofers did not blend with the electrostatic elements, and sound was thin and disembodied.
I spent megabucks on the right amps/cables/preamps/cartridge/tt/etc, etc.
Finally gave up.
New owner got lucky, ML changed the speakers to roll off a bit on top.
He got retrofitted, no charge.
Monsoon Planers - I had the middle of the Monsoon Line, a tall planer hybrid.
Had a zingy treble, thin mids, just not very good, no matter what amp used.
Klipsch LaScala - Screechy, ear piercing sound, even with tubes, and folded horn tuba coloration, yuk.
I will go first.
Martin Logan Monoliths - these were going to be the LAST speakers I ever bought.
They were bright, the woofers did not blend with the electrostatic elements, and sound was thin and disembodied.
I spent megabucks on the right amps/cables/preamps/cartridge/tt/etc, etc.
Finally gave up.
New owner got lucky, ML changed the speakers to roll off a bit on top.
He got retrofitted, no charge.
Monsoon Planers - I had the middle of the Monsoon Line, a tall planer hybrid.
Had a zingy treble, thin mids, just not very good, no matter what amp used.
Klipsch LaScala - Screechy, ear piercing sound, even with tubes, and folded horn tuba coloration, yuk.
Post edited by ABX on
Comments
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Klipsch Heresy
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Every one I have ever heard and owned I was disappointed in for one thing or another. To me it just comes down to different sounds.
Introducing different genre's of music and a change in system synergy can make or break a particular kind/type of speaker as well.~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
Heresy's sound best in Tye corners IME, and with tubes and subwoofers.Klipsch Heresy
Because of their aggressive voicing, boundary reinforcement is desperately needed. -
I have a few dissapointing speakers ---
1) Polk RTi70
Reason? The tweeter had no detail, the midbass was muddy and the finish was cheap looking. Needless to say, the general public must of thought the same, the series lasted a year and a half.
2) CS245i
Yeah, I know its a center, but it just didnt sound voice matched to everything.
3) M&K MX125
Was a horrible design. lol - Active bottom and front drivers? Sounded like a boombox...
4) Definitive BP6B, I liked this speaker -- just dissapointed in how little bass control it had, and sadly Chet recomended a high pass filter to prevent it - thought that was kind of cheesey. It definitely had bass response though, for sure...
Thats about it...- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit. -
Did you like the imaging of the Def Tech bipolar ?
In the right rooms, it can be seductive at times.
Believe it or not, Magnepans can really image if set up right, and in the right rooms.
Did you know Madisound designed your Tylers ? -
You mean like these?I met several people in the High End.
..........Gayle Sanders of Martin Logan when I owned Monoliths.........
And these?BTW, I have owned 3 pairs of Klipschorns, 2 Cornwalls, 1 original Forte, and Klipsch CF 3 and CF 4's plus LaScala's and Belles.
And.....
wait for it......
it's coming......
BUSTED!!!
My favorite Dog is called "Champion Alpha Beta of Xanadu Kennels"
He is a purebred Chewawa.
I call him ABX for short, EH ?Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
ABX, you are extremely annoying...
And yes, I knew Madisound had a good deal of input on the design of my speakers -- I also know that Ty and his crew personally tweaked them from there.
They still are some of the best sounding speakers I've ever heard, and I've heard a few.
As for the Def Techs, I didnt like the BP6B to much, the BP10B is still one of my favorite speakers ever. The Taylos kick their ****, but thats another story for another day...- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit. -
i'd have to go with anything ever made by bose. but i mean...it goes without saying.
you know...
just had to say it again to reiterate myself. i wish an almighty lightning force would come out of the sky, hit every electrical outlet in the world and only affect bose systems by making them smolder into a pile of ashes to be swept up by the family dog's hairy coat when he pees on the pile of smoldering electronical disaster. if that wasn't the longest run-on sentence, i don't know what is.At Home:
Panasonic 42'' TC-L42U12 LCD
Pioneer VSX-80TXV
Toshiba HD-XA2
Sony PS3 - psn "metalguitars"
Xbox 360 - gamertag "giggidygiggidy"
Panamax 4300EX
Polk RTi8's
Polk CSi3's
Polk FXi3's. (x2)
Martin Logan Dynamo (x2)
Audioquest interconnects and wires.
Away From Home:
JVC HDR-50
stock system in new car for now:( -
And....another one bites the dust......Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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I hope we don't have another thread on why he was banned. :rolleyes:~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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Hmm... how long till he reincarnates?
As for speakers I was disappointed by, McIntosh XR1052."He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche -
What a good way to start of the day!
Thank you, F1nut! -
I hope we don't have another thread on why he was banned. :rolleyes:
Why?
I think we all knew ABX was Special K, and his posts are definitely not my cup of tea, but I don't think this time he broke any rules. Did I miss anything?
Why not just ignore the guy?
That's my story and I'm sticking to it._________________________________________________
***\\\\\........................... My Audio Journey ............................./////***
2008 & 2010 Football Pool WINNER
SOPAThank God for different opinions. Imagine the world if we all wanted the same woman -
I was really not happy with the polk monitor series. I had the 40's, 30's, and cs1 and I hated them when it came to playing music.Michael
Samsung 50" HD DLP
Yamaha RX-V2500
(2) Outlaw 200
Adcom GFA 555
Sony BDP300
Denon 2900 DVD
Lsi9's mains
Lsi7's rear
Lsic center
12.1 SVS driver in 4.53 cuft. tube
Harmony 880 -
Wow, what kind of amp were you using ?I was really not happy with the polk monitor series. I had the 40's, 30's, and cs1 and I hated them when it came to playing music. -
Altec Lansing Valencia 846B's. Tried them with various amps and placements but they weren't my cup of tea. Plus, where they were typically going to be, they just didn't work. The best I heard them was on a Dynaco tube preamp/amp combo and, with certain music, sounded very good. But, with the majority of what I would listen to, they still didn't do it for me. Best pair of speakers I ever sold. Richard? Who's your favorite Little Rascal? Alfalfa? Or is it........................Spanky?.................................Sinner.
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Vr3MxStyler2k3 wrote: »1) Polk RTi70
Reason? The tweeter had no detail, the midbass was muddy and the finish was cheap looking. Needless to say, the general public must of thought the same, the series lasted a year and a half.
lmao! I remember when you praised their sound, fit and finish! -
Wow, what kind of amp were you using ?
I was running them on a Yamaha RX-V650. Not the best recv. but still I hated them.Michael
Samsung 50" HD DLP
Yamaha RX-V2500
(2) Outlaw 200
Adcom GFA 555
Sony BDP300
Denon 2900 DVD
Lsi9's mains
Lsi7's rear
Lsic center
12.1 SVS driver in 4.53 cuft. tube
Harmony 880 -
Totem Sttafs.
I don't understand Totem's sound; honestly to my ears with my type of music it sounds as if it's wood crafted Bose. I'd love to see a graph of in room response...my only guess is that it would be a great blue print for skiing.
End Rant/ -
lmao! I remember when you praised their sound, fit and finish!
For about a month of ownership - I did praise them...
Then once I started plugging back up my RT35i and RT5 and so forth and hearing the apparent weaknesses...
Then proceeding to find out what a real good finish looks like...
Perspectives change...
Then after owning the Taylos --- my dissapointment and money wasted on those speakers is even furthered amplified in my memory..- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit. -
Vr3MxStyler2k3 wrote: »The Taylos kick their ****, but thats another story for another day...
I like my Def Techs
polkaudio RT35 Bookshelves
polkaudio 255c-RT Inwalls
polkaudio DSWPro550WI
polkaudio XRT12 XM Tuner
polkaudio RM6750 5.1
Front projection, 2 channel, car audio... life is good! -
I've had about a thousand or so speakers pass through these doors. Very few were purchased or "obtained" with the intention of displacing the KLH Model 6's I fell in love with when I "obtained" them in 1974. The AR-5's displaced the KLH Model 6. I blew up the AR-5's and replaced them with Polk RTA 11T's around 1989. I replaced the Polks with The Carver Amazing Platinum Mk.IV's in 1991, and knew I would never displace them. I bought a pair of AR-9's about 5 or 6 years ago to put in the new family room. Those aren't going to be displaced either. Ever.
That all being said, I have absolutely hated every Klipsch, JBL, Bose, Infinity, and Cerwin-Vega product that has ever passed through here. There are plenty of others but the names escape me due to them being pretty unremarkable. I can't for the life of me see what anybody finds redeeming about the names I mentioned, but I guess that's why Baskin-Robbins had 41 flavors.
I still have the KLH Model 6's that I got in 1974. They're in Tiffany's bedroom, and they ain't going ANYWHERE. She liked the **** out of them too. -
I ended up with a pair of Rocket RS750's (original version) second hand. Very disappointed. No highs, no "air". It is my understanding that they have altered the crossover since then. The speakers use Vifa ring radiator tweets that have been used successfully by others, including Polk.
"You can tell by the kindness of a dog how a human should be." Don Van Vliet -
lmao! I remember when you praised their sound, fit and finish!
Yea... I would not call the RTi70's a dissappointment at all. Mine have surprised me in my current setup. It goes without saying that they dont' stand up to the LSI's, but hell, for the price point, they definately hold their own. The tweets could be a little less airy and imaging could be better, but I think bass response is very good. and I don't think they are hurting for detail at all.HT
RTi70 mains
CSi30 center
RTi28 Rears
Velodyne CHT-12
H/K AVR-247
ADCOM GFA-7000
Samsung PN58B860
Playstation 3
2-Channel
Polk Audio LSi15's
Rotel RCD-1072
Nakamichi CA-5 Pre
ADCOM GFA-555
Signal Cable Analog II IC's
Signal Ultra Bi-Wire Speaker Cables -
Keep in mind it's "to each his own" and "it's all part of the audio journey".a_mattison wrote: »Yea... I would not call the RTi70's a dissappointment at all.
~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
Keep in mind it's "to each his own" and "it's all part of the audio journey".
I know. There are some fickle opinions on here, though.HT
RTi70 mains
CSi30 center
RTi28 Rears
Velodyne CHT-12
H/K AVR-247
ADCOM GFA-7000
Samsung PN58B860
Playstation 3
2-Channel
Polk Audio LSi15's
Rotel RCD-1072
Nakamichi CA-5 Pre
ADCOM GFA-555
Signal Cable Analog II IC's
Signal Ultra Bi-Wire Speaker Cables -
ilikesound wrote: »i'd have to go with anything ever made by bose. but i mean...it goes without saying.
I was having trouble thinking about any dissappointing speaker I've ever had...pretty much I've found that I got what I paid for, or better (in the case of the R20 which exceeded my expectations).
That said, I once owned a Q45 (the car - I know, I know, were talking home audio, but hear me out) that featured a Bose stereo. To say it sucked was a gross understatement, and I wasn't anti-Bose at the time. The stereo (and speakers) was SO bad that I literally learned the wrong lyrics for music. It wasn't until I heard the music on different speakers did I realize the artists were saying something totally different than what I was hearing.
Ive heard other Bose stereos and speakers (both in car and home) and admittingly they aren't that bad. But I'm sorry.....I'll never be able to shake the bad image I have of them because of my experience.Do you hear that buzzing noise? -
the Ohm speakers I got were pretty disappointing after a week or so. But I have to admit they were almost 30 years old2 CHANNEL
Speaker - Klipsch Heresy II
Under construction -
I could tell you the story on the Carver Platinums George.George Grand wrote: »I've had about a thousand or so speakers pass through these doors. Very few were purchased or "obtained" with the intention of displacing the KLH Model 6's I fell in love with when I "obtained" them in 1974. The AR-5's displaced the KLH Model 6. I blew up the AR-5's and replaced them with Polk RTA 11T's around 1989. I replaced the Polks with The Carver Amazing Platinum Mk.IV's in 1991, and knew I would never displace them. I bought a pair of AR-9's about 5 or 6 years ago to put in the new family room. Those aren't going to be displaced either. Ever.
That all being said, I have absolutely hated every Klipsch, JBL, Bose, Infinity, and Cerwin-Vega product that has ever passed through here. There are plenty of others but the names escape me due to them being pretty unremarkable. I can't for the life of me see what anybody finds redeeming about the names I mentioned, but I guess that's why Baskin-Robbins had 41 flavors.
I still have the KLH Model 6's that I got in 1974. They're in Tiffany's bedroom, and they ain't going ANYWHERE. She liked the **** out of them too.
