Bright Sounding Speakers

[kratu]

I'd like to know of some good speakers which are bright in sound signature.

Also, I'd like some clarity on few things. I like speakers that can (with good acoustic treatment) produce fair amount of detail. Are there speakers have an overlap with bright sound and exceptional detailing?

Secondly, would these speakers, if matched with warm sounding (tube) amps produce a balanced sound?

I personally listened to Acoustic Portrait speakers with Lyrita GM70 tube amp. The sound was interesting mix of both the worlds. I'm trying to find some other matching pairs. Budget could be say, 50K-1lac.

 

[Audio_Freek]

Klipsch!JBL!Polk !Dali Etc Just coming to my ears

 

[arj]

..
Secondly, would these speakers, if matched with warm sounding (tube) amps produce a balanced sound?
.

Not really. speakers called bright are those which have a higher energy in the 1-4 khz range (or around). To balance that you would need to find an amp which has a dip in that range, in Your room. warmth is just apart of the "Tube" signature which i believe also includes higher amount of even Harmonics.

If balanced sound is what you seek, why dont you try a Active Studio monitor ? they are pretty balanced

 

[magma]

intresting

you liked using a lyrita with acoustic potrait

both are balanced sounds

none are bright as you normally would describe
IN fact they would produce a warmer more rounded tone

you are trying to get a synergy with bright speakers and a warmer amp to balance out
NOt very wise
not very easy
since it limits your options

if its transparency and exceptional detail you are looking for rather than brightness
just buy a studio monitor
genelec comes to mind

prashant has a few dealers in bangy

i think bhagwan aslo had a KRK rokit on sale

if its passive that you want
get a Quad 12l and a matching quad intergrated or an Audiolab
You should be able to find the details you want within 1 lac or thereabouts

 

[Beast_of_burden]

I found the tweeters on the Genelecs very very spitty, I suspect they are all about flat frequency response. They did not sound refined, they seemed to be working real hard to extract as much detail as possible and thrust it into your face. Ergo a very brash and in your face presentation.

If you are going to pair it with a tube amp, the Klipsch RB81 OR RB61 definitely Worth an audition. Stick to the two driver bookshelves. The floor standers are rated very efficient but are boomy. Focal bookshelf speakers are worth an audition too.

 

[Bharathram]

Studio monitors like KRK Rokit,Genelecs,Yamaha HS series are good if u r into mixing ,home studio and production..they r made to hv flat freq response only for that purpose..If u are after refined sound they are not good bets..

 

[Maxprocrj]

This one is coming in mind....Image B6

 

[rohitmusic]

My 2 cents.

I have tried pairing bright speakers with warm amplification.

The results are acceptable but far from balanced sound.
bright + warm => balanced

This I believe is not true in every sense and is difficult to achieve as it needs very careful matching of multiple equipments in the chain.
We have'nt even considered the other components like source/interconnects/room/etc

I realized that it is a fruitless endeavor to have this as a goal.
Instead IMHO, if at all you do have a preference from bright or warm then its much easier.

If you are looking for high resolution, transparency, neutrality then try to look for components that don't color the sound.

There are few options in the DIY section that will just achieve exactly that. You can just search that section. I will refrain from suggesting anything and keep that as homework and free choice for you.

My humble realization and learning has been that try to keep all components as neutral and transparent as possible. IF we succeed in doing this then the sum of all these components playing together can give some very satisfying results. Also in such a system if you introduce any non neutral component you can immediately hear the difference and take a choice. So once all the hard work is done then later tuning is much easier due to the overall transparency of the system.

So this is one school of thought and one way to approach it. There are other schools of thought in which we decide what kind of sound/genres of music we like that can dictate the most suitable components like full range drivers Vs 2 way. Tube sound Vs solid state and so on... Its all about knowing what sound we like the most. It doesnt matter if its flat or color or whatever as far as we like it

All we need is an open mind and the thrill of adventure of exploring all these sounds.. At the end of the day its all about respecting different sounds and schools of thoughts.. but what ultimately matters is your EARS and what YOU hEAR!

Kind Regards and best luck!
Cheers!

 

[omishra]

Well said Rohit!

 

[kratu]

Thanks for the replies. That clarifies few things for me.

I'm not specifically after bright sounding speakers or even balanced sound. Focal speakers for instance had detailing but the highs were pronounced. I've also auditioned couple of other brand speakers but, again found it to be bright. (some might call them neutral or balanced) I'm a bit sensitive to high frequencies as they tend to cause fatigue easily.

I prefer a warm analogue sound. A well pressed vinyl and a tube amp is what I like. One dealer suggested that I start with amps first. His rationale is that an amp is heart/engine that drives the speakers. Also, it is easier to carry around. Is this right? Also, what are the amps that you suggest that I start with? For my preferences I think it is tube amp; and Lyrita pre and GM70 sound to be a good start. I might also try finding a tube pre and a SS power combo, if that floats my boat.

 

[arj]

One dealer suggested that I start with amps first. His rationale is that an amp is heart/engine that drives the speakers. Also, it is easier to carry around. Is this right? Also, what are the amps that you suggest that I start with? For my preferences I think it is tube amp; and Lyrita pre and GM70 sound to be a good start. I might also try finding a tube pre and a SS power combo, if that floats my boat.

I dont really agree on the approach , It is the speaker which is the last in the chain from that view..but the speaker is the most important as it needs to take care of 2 synergies which can make or break the Best systems
1. Speaker : Room
2. Speaker : Amp

Hence you do need to get the best possible source (independent of any system) but the Speaker has to follow the room and the Amp the speaker

If you have already fixed on the Amp then the question is of getting a suitable Speaker in your room and its not easy and the choices get fewer and hence the chances of getting the sound you like is lower.

The GM70 amp is very good..no doubt, but my suggestion is that before choosing the amp, you should choose the speaker for your room and then the amp to drive that speaker..that will make things easier and would be more optimal.

 

[kratu]

@arj

I agree with you. Source is the most important component. Speakers, do make a lot of difference and can be varied in terms of sound signature.


However, I had a chance to listen to Focal speakers with two different amps. Earlier, I thought Focal was really bright. Yesterday, I've had a chance to listen to Focal speaker with Exposure 2010. It was not bright, but more on the balanced side. I guess amps do make a difference, but from the perspective of selecting the gear, I agree that speakers come first.

Acoustic Portrait worked will with GM70. I'll try to find out what else works.

 

[arj]

@arj

I agree with you. Source is the most important component. Speakers, do make a lot of difference and can be varied in terms of sound signature.


However, I had a chance to listen to Focal speakers with two different amps. Earlier, I thought Focal were really bright. Yesterday, I've had a chance to listed to with Exposure 2010. It was no longer bright, but more on the balanced side. I guess amps do make a difference, but from the perspective of selecting the gear, I agree that speakers come first.

I think Focals (even the non Be Versions) have a very detailed tweeter..and any amp thats is not matched will make it sound bright. usually most warm/golden speakers have rolled off treble and a dip in the 2-4Khz range which these may not have.

 

[mark2gp]

Would bright/detailed bookshelves be ideal in a 2.1 system? Or is it better to have balanced speakers and a sub only to enhance the low end?

 

[jenson]

Focal, Dali, Klipsch should be right up your alley.

i personally like the signature of Dali.

 

[Phani24]

Klipsxh reference premium

 

[hifimaddy]

Focal, Dali, Klipsch should be right up your alley.

i personally like the signature of Dali.

I never felt the focal is bright. B&W is way brighter than focals. and also, Dali is very warm-sounding.

Would bright/detailed bookshelves be ideal in a 2.1 system? Or is it better to have balanced speakers and a sub only to enhance the low end?

Maybe you should consider the Klipsh reference/B&W

 

[rwnano]

Correct. That's what I heard as well. Bnw much brighter than Focals.