Floorstander Auditions Delhi Impressions, Also need advice

[audiodelic]

Finally got off my ass and started auditions for 2.1 channel setup, a pair of floor standing speakers and a power amplifier is my requirement. My source will be beresford caiman and i plan to use the caiman as preamp also as it has volume control and can be hooked directly to power amp.My genre of music is psytrance which has constant bass beat so floor stander is the ideal.

Went to lakozy on saturday. Ashish is a nice guy and let me demo some speaker, all were driven by a nad cd player and nad 356 integrated.

Psb Alpha T1
Well he switched on these speakers, although sound stage and imaging were decent. I did not like the sound signature too much, found it too in my face, forward mids and highs and fatiguing after 10 mins into the listen.Bass was not its forte.

Psb Image T5
As soon as he played the music i had a smile, now this is what i am talking about. Imaging and sound stage was better larger and more natural. Sound signature was to my liking mids were placed further back, highs were not piercing my ears after a while of listening bass was much better defined than alpha. I really enjoyed the sound and kept grinning.

Psb Image T6
Now this is the real deal 3 way speakers do make a difference over 2 way speakers. The sound signature was same i really liked it just like the image t5. The bass definitely had more weight and heft in lower octave compared to t5. The biggest surprise was the mids, i could instantly hear clearer mids , the dedicated midrange driver just made the mids so much more effortless to hear now. awesome speakers :clapping:

The nad amp although i liked it to a certain extent it has such a type of sound i think that will not get fatiguing even after 8 hours of play which is my requirement as i tend to listen to trance from morning to evening 10 hours straight.
But i definitely felt at points the nad was too god damn polite literally robbing some of the excitement in the music here and there, almost like a blanket was put over the highs especially and mids a little.

So i am curious to hear psb image with marantz/cambridge audio but that is not possible, any suggestions to make that possible ?

Now guys i think after this audition its safe to say i prefer a laid back sound.I plan to audition in the near future Q Acoustics, Dali Ikon, Wharfedale diamond and maybe monitor audio bronze.

Budget is around 1 lakh max for a pair of florstanders so please suggest if i should audition any other brands and also dealers?

thanks as always

 

[rana_kirti]

excellent review on the PSB there audiodelic... these speakers are indeed wonderful and part of the reason i loved them too is because they are easy/forgiving on the ears for long listening sessions

infact i was at lakozy a couple of weeks back and had a very satisfying demo courtesy Ashish who was more than happy and willing to play any speaker + amp combination for my demo purposes. I was given more than enough time to hear each speaker setup to my heart's content.

i suggest everyone in the market for new speakers to definitely visit lakozy to check out the what magic the PSB speakers can do with music/movies.

By the way my Image B6 and C5 were delivered yesterday

Cheers

 

[audiodelic]

@ranakirti
congrats, after reading your long thread i also thought would make something of that sort so that people in the future can have a good reference.
But i do feel i set the standards too high with the psb image, but lets see and have an open mind.

Can you suggest other speaker brands you heard that sounded little like the psb image sound since you are also in delhi you will what is available to audition.

also what amp are you pairing your psb image speakers with ?

 

[soviet_selva]

Do Audition Polk Audio RTi A7

Its a 3 way design with Dual 7" Woofer for Bass
One 6.5" mid & 1" Tweeter

It Will Satisfy your type of Audio listening.

Profx - Advanced Audio Solutions

 

[audiodelic]

I was quoted 32k for Alpha T1, 55K for Image T5 and 72K for Image T6

 

[afj]

monitor audio rx6. imo speakers to beat in its price range

 

[ashishkesarwani]

Do Audition Polk Audio RTi A7

Its a 3 way design with Dual 7" Woofer for Bass
One 6.5" mid & 1" Tweeter

It Will Satisfy your type of Audio listening.

Profx - Advanced Audio Solutions

Polk Rti A7 is a very good home theatre speaker but its not even close to the sound signature required by the OP. This I know because of my personal experience with them as I had them for close to 1.5 years.

 

[mridulgoel]

Buddy

For your kind of Budget, i think Dali Ikon 8 or Dali Mentor 6, Usher Audio speakers will go quite nice...
I dont think you would further need a Sub with the above models... specially with Usher...
You can try Paradigm as well...(but its a bit louder and less sweeter)...

Try them, Dali & Paradign are very well available in Delhi...
Regarding Usher, you will have to find out...

Happy Listening...

 

[ashishkesarwani]

Hi ashish

I once auditioned RTI A5. They were also not so impressive as per the price. Is it same with the RTI A7.

RtiA5 has just couple of Mid Range drivers so if you listen to lot of Bass Heavy Music then you will definetely miss a dedicated subwoofer whereas RtiA7 has just 1 dedicated mid woofer and couple of Bass Drivers which make them close to a full ranger. I think that at its price bracket its an excellent home theatre speaker , but they also suffer from tweeter problem which blows off very frequently if played at very loud volumes, mine got blown couple of times.

 

[audiodelic]

Yesterday i went to gemini traders at barakhamba road, dealer was quite honest and nice, source was ca cd player and ca integrated not sure which model.

Paradigm monitor 7 - 45k
The speakers are good for the forward sound i think, the highs do have some sort of sparkle which by my reading on paradigm speakers is a characteristic distinct to the brand. The sparkle is actually enjoyable but maybe after some months it might be too obvious and brings too much attention to itself taking away from actually enjoying the sound. Sound was decent for a budget speakers but long hours fatiguing is an issue for my type of music. what can i say i always felt the sound was boxy, which im feeling with all budget speakers.

Q Acoustics 1050 - price not sure but somewhere around 30
This speaker reminded me of the psb alpha, although i found the mids/bass/imaging quite good for the price of this speakers, the top end refinement is just not there and is very apparent. The sound is warmish but top end is crap. Decent speaker but if top end was more refined these could be worthy. I also felt the sound was boxy and i did not really lose myself in the music majorly because of the top end.

Paradigm Studio 100 - 1.7 lakh
Now we're talking i instantly had a smile as i started listening. The huge sound stage was back, i can enjoy the speakers rather than complain about boxy sound. It is a forward sounding speaker the mids are totally in your face at your face. The top end has that paradigm sparkle but quite a bit more refined than the monitor 7. A person who like forward sound should give the studio series a listen. Although it had a number of drivers the bass was not that hefty, it was well defined/quality but dint have that weight needed for psytrance. But maybe he was under powering it with a lesser amplifier, cos at points the speaker did sound quite bright which is a typical sign of amplifier stress also. But i think with the correct electronics this speaker can do some good for forward sound preferring people.

Paradigm SE - 83,000
not available for demo though

What can i say, after this audition i can instantly differentiate between lower and higher priced speakers. The cheaper ones the sound tries to catch your attention, soundstage is not that huge, Imaging is not that 3 dimensional manier times you will feel there are two speakers playing left/right rather than losing yourself completely in the sound.

In the better speakers soundstage will be wide/deep/huge, imaging will have a very fluid 3 dimensional quality, you will be able to place instruments at different positions in this 3 dimensional sound plane. Last of all you will totally lose yourself in the music you will not feel there are only two speakers playing, the sound will be all around you.

Im really enjoying these auditions now ..... hyeah:
He also had sonus faber liuto towers for 3 lakhs but i dint even bother listening cos i might just get spoiled by the sound quality and i would have to wait another year to collect that kind of cash.

 

[prashanth14485]

Hi,

Kindly audition Focal Chorus 816 and MA RX 6, both of them will fall well within your budget.. here is my review on both of them:

You can contact Denny of BassnTreble and setup an appointment while you're in Delhi.. His number is 9999-016-124

http://www.hifivision.com/speakers/16003-monitor-audio-rx6-focal-chorus-816-my-impression.html

Hope this helps.. Good luck!

Prashanth

 

[audiodelic]

Hi,

Kindly audition Focal Chorus 816 and MA RX 6, both of them will fall well within your budget.. here is my review on both of them:

You can contact Denny of BassnTreble and setup an appointment while you're in Delhi.. His number is 9999-016-124

http://www.hifivision.com/speakers/16003-monitor-audio-rx6-focal-chorus-816-my-impression.html

Hope this helps.. Good luck!

Prashanth

yes it does thanks .... i will audition both, heard good things about focal and ma both, i also plan to audition wharfedale there

 

[rana_kirti]

@ranakirti
congrats, after reading your long thread i also thought would make something of that sort so that people in the future can have a good reference.
But i do feel i set the standards too high with the psb image, but lets see and have an open mind.

Can you suggest other speaker brands you heard that sounded little like the psb image sound since you are also in delhi you will what is available to audition.

also what amp are you pairing your psb image speakers with ?

My PSB Image B6 is being used with a Yamaha RX V450 AVR along with a C5 center and Yamaha surrounds at this point in time and is solely being used for HT usage. For Stereo i'm currently using Creative Gigaworks T20 & i'm considering the PSB Synchrony 2B pending my completion of stereo speakers demo.

During my auditions my findings were that no two speakers sound similar and the sound signature changes even more from one make to another. So i'd say no other speaker sounds like the PSB Image and vice versa.

I'd suggest you to go out and hear every speaker out there available for demo. During the course of the demos you will realize that one particular speaker etches itself in your memory and brings a smile on your face every time you remember it. That is the speaker you should buy.

There are many variables... The amp, source, speaker wires, acoustics of the demo room itself. You can take care of one variable. i,e music. So make a list of 10-20 songs and hear the same songs on every demo. This will help you in
figuring out which speakers sound best with the music you like to listen.

Also carry a small notepad and write down notes of each speaker as you demo them. hows the bass, the midrange, is it sounding bright, hows the vocals etc. and specially look for qualities that matter most to you...

This is the way i've been doing my demos.

Cheers

 

[audiodelic]

So i went to BassnTreble to audition some speaker, Danny is a good guy and let me spend enough time with the speakers.

Source was some integrated amplifier dont remember brand.

Quad 22L : Good sound, definitely musical but sound was somewhat lively by which i mean at times the treble did get too much into my face with psytrance music. Rest of the spectrum was decent i did find that the sound was getting boring and the speaker trying to getting a little bit in my face the longer i listen. Maybe it was too forward sounding for my taste.

Wharfedale Evo towers
Warm sound but top end did not have the detailing. Mid range was not as 3 dimensional as the MA/Quad. Bass was quite weighty and over powering. Its the top end that that i did not really like in this speaker,not refined enough.

Monitor Audio RX6
Aah great speakers, the brand name make sense cos it truly sounds like a studio monitor sound. It reminded me of my audio engine speakers but with way more of everything refinement/sound stage etc. The tweeter in the monitor audio is truly special with the perfect amount of excitement. Highs sounded like they have an added dimension compared to the other speakers. Mid range is very transparent to sounding clinical at times with lot of detail coming through. Bass is very polite/controlled with no blooming which is bad for psytrance in a way.These speakers totally get out of the way and let the music do all the talking.

So my two favorites are PSB Image T6 for the exciting bass/warm sound and the monitor audio for ultra transparent/extraordinary tweeter till i go hear some more brands.

 

[neo]

Give a listen to the Quadral's
Products | quadral HiFi | Surround Speakers
@
Fx Entertainment Private Limited
Address:
Corporate Office & Flagship Store
40 / 46, CR Park, Lower Ground Floor
New Delhi 110 019, India

Tel: 91-11 40507113, 40507114

Have heard them breifly & guess you might like them.
All the best.
Cheers

 

[hemant0285]

You can audition out Mordaunt Short Aviano 6 and 8 series.....they go very well with Marantz Amps...PM 7003 or PM 6003

 

[hifiashok]

hav u tried virenji's amitys (lyrita, sarita vihar)? if not, i can guarantee, even if u don't eventually decide on them, u will walk away with a lot.

 

[shrjun]

What can i say, after this audition i can instantly differentiate between lower and higher priced speakers. The cheaper ones the sound tries to catch your attention, soundstage is not that huge, Imaging is not that 3 dimensional manier times you will feel there are two speakers playing left/right rather than losing yourself completely in the sound.

I bought the Audioengines based on your recommendations and reviews and I'm quite pleased with the purchase:clapping:.
1.Could you try to explain the difference in SQ between a speaker like the Audioengine A5 + A8 combo and some of the speakers that you auditioned ?
2. Is part of the difference psychological ,b'coz of the price of the speakers?!

 

[audiodelic]

I bought the Audioengines based on your recommendations and reviews and I'm quite pleased with the purchase:clapping:.
1.Could you try to explain the difference in SQ between a speaker like the Audioengine A5 + A8 combo and some of the speakers that you auditioned ?
2. Is part of the difference psychological ,b'coz of the price of the speakers?!

Well some could be psychological but most is not. There is a way more 3 dimensional presentation of the music. All three bands of the music can be more easily identified, placement of instruments becomes way better are some of the things i noticed.

 

[Kittu]

Well some could be psychological but most is not. There is a way more 3 dimensional presentation of the music. All three bands of the music can be more easily identified, placement of instruments becomes way better are some of the things i noticed.

Which ones did you buy at the end ?