Need suggestion for speakers better than KEF R series

[spaace]

That reminds me though ... has there been any tests done by the members here to test distortions and frequency distribution generally on any equipment ?

I was curious about how much placement affected these factors and whether any local experiments we have done might shine light on this aspect ...or how much distortion really varies between the published nos and what we can expect at home etc
..

Thanks
Arun

 

[aurobindosaha]

this happens as the designer has a common concept of how sound should sound like.

you may consider any brand you like but the possibility of sticking to one set of hardware... and only buying music can increase if you get the chain from 1 brand.

Thats why you may like to listen to AP and see if it catches your attention.

Of course there are no compulsions on buying and it ticks all your boxes including the Made in India approach which is appreciable.

I have heard AP products before.

Additionally you may PM FM Aurobindosaha as he has an AP chain in his home ( maybe he could spare some time for you )

Maybe.. just maybe .. AP would be able to float your boat.

The other Indian brands which are good ( IMO ) are Cadence from Pune and Rethm from Cochin.

regards

Hi Arun

Please come to my place to listen to my ap set-up. I will be happy to play the music you like that you have heard for years and have been set in your heart as reference. That way you can do a virtual A B testing.

Just my two cents ... Just settle with a decent amp and speaker ... Do not break your head on technical specs and graphs .... pour your heart in listening to music you love ... It's far more joyful experience ...atleast to me.

Thanks
Auro

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[raghupb]

That reminds me though ... has there been any tests done by the members here to test distortions and frequency distribution generally on any equipment ?

I was curious about how much placement affected these factors and whether any local experiments we have done might shine light on this aspect ...or how much distortion really varies between the published nos and what we can expect at home etc
..

Thanks
Arun

Don't listen to sound; listen to music. It has a wholesome effect.
Not every gear will give you a 100%. Anything that makes you want to sit and listen is the right system for you.
Spec are a starting point; not the be all and end all.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[spaace]

Thanks for the input guys ...It's a bit like the advice I recieved when I was a newbie with a dslr ..being a techie it was always a search behind the holy grail of specs ...not actually taking pictures ....

Thanks
Arun

 

[mpw]

So now that you are all grown up...did you come
Across the holy grail ?

 

[spaace]

Not yet ...been stuck at home due to extended sick leaves coz of backaches. Been looking up soundstage measurements and calling up Siva and getting re-educated etc.... Decided on my input being either ap Dac or pi and hifi with Google audio depending on time availability to run thehifi project just to compare it with what Siva has made, so that I can experience what diff in sound feels like ...

For speakers I need to start my journey again starting this weekend ..

Will keep this thread posted

Thanks
Arun

 

[spaace]

Hi,

The one doubt I hv remaining is about the bass output. I understand that the very low frequencies are not available in almost any speakers at least in the normal price range...

Do do everyone get a bass unit when listening to music too ? What do the 2 channel guys do ?

Thanks
Arun

 

[aurobindosaha]

Not yet ...been stuck at home due to extended sick leaves coz of backaches. Been looking up soundstage measurements and calling up Siva and getting re-educated etc.... Decided on my input being either ap Dac or pi and hifi with Google audio depending on time availability to run thehifi project just to compare it with what Siva has made, so that I can experience what diff in sound feels like ...

For speakers I need to start my journey again starting this weekend ..

Will keep this thread posted

Thanks
Arun

For me I do not prefer separate sub woofer unit in music. My personal taste is to listen to music as they would sound in live performances where no microphone or speakers are used. I was fortunate to attend some in house performances with small group of people listen to the singers and instruments without any electronic equipments (mic, speakers, amp etc). I take those experience as reference.

Acoustic Portrait closely matches to the reference, hence I like AP equipments so much.

Thanks
Auro

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[spaace]

Auro thanks for that reply but wouldn't live performance involve instruments that produce music in the low Freq range too ?

Or is that so uncommon enough to be ignored?

Thanks
Arun

 

[aurobindosaha]

Auro thanks for that reply but wouldn't live performance involve instruments that produce music in the low Freq range too ?

Or is that so uncommon enough to be ignored?

Thanks
Arun

Hi Arun,

A separate low frequency driver or sub woofer , i feel exaggerate the bass effect which in my ears feel artificial. When i say "exaggerate" i mean i feel it produces pronounced "thuds" which are not heard when I hear a tabla or drum live. I go not like this extra "thud". But I have read that the low frequency sound is very difficult to reproduce in drivers and good subwoofers that go more accuracy than special effect are very costly. For my taste, the Scanspeak mids that was placed in Acoustic Portrait MS 610 sounds more real without much color added to the sound.

By the way, taste differs among listeners. Some people like skill candy special vibration headphones while some go for monitor headphones like Shure or Senns.

Go for the one you like most.

Thanks
Auro

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[spaace]

[Anyone here has a SALK for me to audition?]

Hi Everyone,

After a bunch of reviews, here is what I have found out about myself - Wonder if anyone could recommend a matching speaker/give suggestions in about 1 to 2.2 lac max budget

KEF's - Everything about these was good, especially the great TIGHT punchy bass + soundstage, except for the fact that it could not play old Hindi FLAC recordings. Female voices were too harsh for me.

I also found that I do not like my music TOO soft (eg Aria 926 from Focal) since it felt overly dumbed down in the details. I'm afraid I might have to play it loud for it to be enjoyable

I found I enjoy the music a bit recessed and not on my face. A controlled voice which does not sound like a wall of sound even when played a bit high is what i seemed to prefer. The Aria was good in this.

I think I might like ribbon tweeters, having heard Goldenear Triton 1 (out of my budget), where I did like the renderings of male vocals. In comparison, i felt B&W to be artificially sweetened (if there is a thing like that). B&W CM9 felt really nice except for this last part, but i thought they were expensive for what they did.

Due to my experience with ribbons,' i am now on the lookout for them - That's what led me to SALK & hence my opening question.

Do please help me finish up this now, 3-4-month-old quest.

Thanks
Arun

Speakers i auditioned and did not like = Polk (separation and blown out bass at higher volumes) when compared to KEF.

Klipch (reputation + bad audition with the clueless dealer) / Focal chorus (a bit edgy) / B&W 6x series for fast music - not much musical and highs were not so great. CM 9 sounded better in some way - maybe the highs where better controlled

Speakers I haven't caught up to yet = Paradigm/MA/Usher.

I heard Tannoy XT 8f/EPOS k3 - however, it was not exciting as KEF and I was not in a right state of mind. So need to visit them again. There was nothing wrong with the first listen though. Any comments on these guys?


My Vital Stats again -

Room = bedroom of size 13.5x10.5x8 feet (has a king size cot + hard wood wardrobe)

Speakers that goes near the wall (one end will have a corner) is what i fear can work for me. It would have to play well from low to mid volumes (apartment living)

The amp i have is an old Yamaha DSP - A2070 (so that i can spend more on speakers) - it can go to 100 watt 8 ohm without much issues.

 

[Maxprocrj]

Please audition these two FS if you can

1) Elac FS267

2) Monitor audio GX 200

In my opinion both of these two columns can outperform all of the columns mentioned earlier .(Depends upon your rest of the chain! )

Regards

 

[sanrg]

Hi Spaace, check for NHT Superone reviews. Very musical and audiophile performance..

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[vijwilso]

If you are still in the hunt for speakers - Try the KEF R500 .

I listened to it with the Naim Integrated amp and really liked the sound - The room was very damped - the one in the MG Road . I think it will sound more lively in the living room

If you can come to Chennai - you can audition Spendor Speakers in audiolounge - The speakers are paired well with good electronics and you will see the true potential of it . I am sure you will forget about technicalities once you listen to properly setup gear and start enjoying the music .

 

[Otpidus]

If you are still in the hunt for speakers - Try the KEF R500 ...

+1. I did home demo of R500 and R700 both. Given a decent quality amplification they do outperform a lot many reputed ones in the near-about price bracket. Message me if you would like to hear R700 in my setup.

 

[spaace]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Its back to auditioning for me i guess.

@Otpidus or other KEF R700 owners - Have you compared your speakers to Vandersteens anytime ? I have a chance to pick up a used vandersteen for about a lac lower, but about 8 yrs old and I was wondering how they might compare, since iam yet to hear them

Thanks
Arun

 

[spaace]

Finally some great news !!

I finally found a pair of speakers which I really liked. I'm ashamed to say that I was almost as excited as being in love.

I couldn't wait to run back and post all about in the forum and on the way I called up / messaged anyone I knew was into audio.

What were they like?

It was clear without not being bright.
It had an effortless soundstage
It has awesome punch
The vocals were really revealing & the actual ups/downs of the voice was extremely clear.
I was finally able to distinguish differences between the sound of different instruments, like different guitar types.
I was taking notes and i could only note the positives and no negatives at all

Now the only thing to determine is if the sound is due to the amp (some version of NAD compared to the usual yamaha's i insist on) & to take a home audition before buying.

Which was the speaker?

PSB Imagine T2.

Thanks
Arun

ps : Only remain to audition the ribbon variants

ps : it did have one negative - it was massively rear ported and corners are definitely going to be an issue

 

[spaace]

To add to the above - I hate forward sounding or even just plain open speakers - I cannot play loud with those settings. The T2's were definitely not forward sounding, but neither did I feel that the treble has totally gone soft like some others I auditioned. This is in between. My sort of balance, I would say. With clarity and ever so slightly held back and absolutely without any sparkles unless recording pushes it intentionally.

I was able to play rock/metal/classical and old hind songs on the same system and I enjoyed ALL of them. I can't ask for more.

Looking back, it does seem as if I was in search of my favourite equaliser setting I tend to use in lesser systems, of turning up the base a few notches and maybe the mid if required, but leaving the treble as is. However, I do know from the soundstage.com measurement that the PSB is pretty flat in the response curves. Surprisingly the (tiny) spike in the graphs at the very high-end does not show in the audition. Now that I know the sound I like, I know I can easily crib about any other speaker I come across, by comparing it against my favourite. I do now realise how the forums are filled with so many critical reviews for and against different speaker systems

It was awesome, being able to thump my feet to music without stop until I started worrying about pulling a muscle. I guess it is safe to say newbies auditioning will tend to lean towards systems that show good bass characteristics. I do have my notes to prove that this is not totally true & that I was looking at other factors too. But it sure does feel that way

What are the general impressions of PSB on this forum? Am I the only one to like it so much?

I would like to know how good its construction quality is and all other practical qualities - do chime in if you have seen any long term experience with PSB / know folks with such experience.

Thanks
Arun

Ps: The amp used was NAD 375. Need to look this up - Any comments on whether this amp alone could have been the reason I felt the speakers were so musical? is it a really great amp?
Ps: The room was somewhat smallest I have ever auditioned in (14/11) - I wonder whether this too had an effect in my liking the speakers - it would have been able to easily fill the room.

 

[milestoneseeker]

PSB and NAD are from the same org and their synergy is a well known fact. No wonder you liked the combo. I have loved PSBs ever since I heard them many years back. Very nice speakers indeed.

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[spaace]

The forums talk a lot about the quality problems NADs have - any recommendations of amps with the same sort of sound signature as NAD ?