Post by CrazyBlue on Feb 14, 2011 4:49:37 GMT -5
I had a chance to audition the LSA-1 Standard over in the Twin Cities. The dealer/installer also had a pair of Studio 20's on hand.
These were driven with an Anthem Integrated 225. Source was an anthem Bluray player and my CD's.
Speakers were mounted on some very expensive bearing-type isolators, three each. These sat on eighteen inch high granite monoliths that belong to some 5k monitors made by a local, also clad in granite. They sat about 7' apart, 4 or 5' from sidewalls, and maybe 5' from the front wall, which was a custom built-in cabinet (the showroom is in the back of a custom cabinet shop). Room was maybe 12'X18-20' with no treatments to speak of that I could see; painted sheetrock, cabinetry (which I'm sure provided good diffusion) commercial carpet and hardwood at the back of the room.
Played various tracks from Norah Jones/Peter Malick, Jimmy Thackery, Neil Young, Cowboy Junkies, Patricia Barber, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, and others.
Bottom Line:
I ordered a pair of LSA-1 Signatures and they should be here in about a week. I was going to listen to some B&W's and was still trying to find somewhere to hear some KEF XQ's, but these fit my price range, are WAF preferred, and I love their sound. They are Maggies with more punch, though not quite the HUGE soundstage.
The Standards are very smooth, detailed, dynamic speakers that throw a big soundstage and image very well. Jimmy Thackery and the drivers occupied a space above the speakers, from wall to wall, like the band was up on a stage. Norah Jones, on the other hand, was right in front of me, like I was in the front row in a small club. Patricia Barber's Modern Cool had the same small club intimacy, but she sounded like she was closer to the band. Neil Young Unplugged showed that these speakers don't make lesser recordings unbearable; I heard details like him tapping something to keep time (maybe with his toe?) during "Like a Hurricane" that I don't hear on my PSB's. There was also audible mic puffing going on. But the music held together nonetheless and I enjoyed the three tracks I played from the CD thoroughly, as I always do. It just felt more like being there. The screaming sax on Clarence Brown's "Swamp Ghost" was smooth as silk but still hair-raising. Same with the extended Hammond solo. Busy passages with his guitar, the sax, and organ all full-throttle came across well separated with zero compression and full detail/transparency.
Off axis listening was excellent. The soundstage and image held together over against the wall, near field, at the back of the room, sitting, crouched, and standing.
High frequency is smooth and detailed and crisp. Bass is tight and punchy; no boom. Jimmy Thackery's "True Stories" is a well recorded (Telarc) blues CD with some deep, powerful bass that sounds good on the PSB's and in my car. The LSA-1 showed me that both are boomy. I can see why some might call this sound "leaner", but it really isn't. All the power and depth was there, just without sounding bloated or distorted. Mids sounded clear and open and airy and totally non-fatiguing. Natural too. More on that in a moment.
Exactly the sound and performance I was looking for in my first pair of serious monitors. And these were the Standards, with about 60 hours on them, single-wired. LSA says their speakers require a 100 hour break-in and are designed to be bi-wired. Some reviews claim that they do indeed sound better that way. We'll see.
Anyway, had to hear the Studio 20's too, of course. We set them up on the same stands in the same spot and let 'er rip. They lost. The detail and smootheness of the high end was there, with a bit more crispness. The bass however, was closer to my PSB's than the LSA-1. Not quite as boomy, but much more so than the LSA. Mids were clear and airy and transparent. Better then my Images by a good margin. Smoother. Imaging and soundstage were also superior to my current speakers. But that too fell short of what the LSA produced. On some recordings far short. The Studios produced a more general soundstage, regardless of the recording. These are good sounding speakers, better than the PSB Image. If I had heard them on their own, I would have liked them much more.
But after the LSA-1, playing the last 4 tracks in reverse, so that "Swamp Ghost" played back to back on both speakers, the sax sounded congested through the Studios, like it had a cold. Electric guitar fared better, almost on par. Organ was close, but not quite, like a thin veil lay between me and the sound. Piano was a revisit of the sax. It just had a sort of... nasal quality compared to the completely neutral/natural sound the LSA produced. That's the best way I can express it.
So to my ears, the Paradigm Studio 20, at $1,300/ pair (in black ash) fell short of the performance of the LSA-1 Standard, which retail for $999. The Signatures, which get a crossover upgrade (caps, resistors, wiring) and shuck their Dacron in favor of lamb's wool damping, go for $1,499.
Can't wait to get them in the house.
These were driven with an Anthem Integrated 225. Source was an anthem Bluray player and my CD's.
Speakers were mounted on some very expensive bearing-type isolators, three each. These sat on eighteen inch high granite monoliths that belong to some 5k monitors made by a local, also clad in granite. They sat about 7' apart, 4 or 5' from sidewalls, and maybe 5' from the front wall, which was a custom built-in cabinet (the showroom is in the back of a custom cabinet shop). Room was maybe 12'X18-20' with no treatments to speak of that I could see; painted sheetrock, cabinetry (which I'm sure provided good diffusion) commercial carpet and hardwood at the back of the room.
Played various tracks from Norah Jones/Peter Malick, Jimmy Thackery, Neil Young, Cowboy Junkies, Patricia Barber, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, and others.
Bottom Line:
I ordered a pair of LSA-1 Signatures and they should be here in about a week. I was going to listen to some B&W's and was still trying to find somewhere to hear some KEF XQ's, but these fit my price range, are WAF preferred, and I love their sound. They are Maggies with more punch, though not quite the HUGE soundstage.
The Standards are very smooth, detailed, dynamic speakers that throw a big soundstage and image very well. Jimmy Thackery and the drivers occupied a space above the speakers, from wall to wall, like the band was up on a stage. Norah Jones, on the other hand, was right in front of me, like I was in the front row in a small club. Patricia Barber's Modern Cool had the same small club intimacy, but she sounded like she was closer to the band. Neil Young Unplugged showed that these speakers don't make lesser recordings unbearable; I heard details like him tapping something to keep time (maybe with his toe?) during "Like a Hurricane" that I don't hear on my PSB's. There was also audible mic puffing going on. But the music held together nonetheless and I enjoyed the three tracks I played from the CD thoroughly, as I always do. It just felt more like being there. The screaming sax on Clarence Brown's "Swamp Ghost" was smooth as silk but still hair-raising. Same with the extended Hammond solo. Busy passages with his guitar, the sax, and organ all full-throttle came across well separated with zero compression and full detail/transparency.
Off axis listening was excellent. The soundstage and image held together over against the wall, near field, at the back of the room, sitting, crouched, and standing.
High frequency is smooth and detailed and crisp. Bass is tight and punchy; no boom. Jimmy Thackery's "True Stories" is a well recorded (Telarc) blues CD with some deep, powerful bass that sounds good on the PSB's and in my car. The LSA-1 showed me that both are boomy. I can see why some might call this sound "leaner", but it really isn't. All the power and depth was there, just without sounding bloated or distorted. Mids sounded clear and open and airy and totally non-fatiguing. Natural too. More on that in a moment.
Exactly the sound and performance I was looking for in my first pair of serious monitors. And these were the Standards, with about 60 hours on them, single-wired. LSA says their speakers require a 100 hour break-in and are designed to be bi-wired. Some reviews claim that they do indeed sound better that way. We'll see.
Anyway, had to hear the Studio 20's too, of course. We set them up on the same stands in the same spot and let 'er rip. They lost. The detail and smootheness of the high end was there, with a bit more crispness. The bass however, was closer to my PSB's than the LSA-1. Not quite as boomy, but much more so than the LSA. Mids were clear and airy and transparent. Better then my Images by a good margin. Smoother. Imaging and soundstage were also superior to my current speakers. But that too fell short of what the LSA produced. On some recordings far short. The Studios produced a more general soundstage, regardless of the recording. These are good sounding speakers, better than the PSB Image. If I had heard them on their own, I would have liked them much more.
But after the LSA-1, playing the last 4 tracks in reverse, so that "Swamp Ghost" played back to back on both speakers, the sax sounded congested through the Studios, like it had a cold. Electric guitar fared better, almost on par. Organ was close, but not quite, like a thin veil lay between me and the sound. Piano was a revisit of the sax. It just had a sort of... nasal quality compared to the completely neutral/natural sound the LSA produced. That's the best way I can express it.
So to my ears, the Paradigm Studio 20, at $1,300/ pair (in black ash) fell short of the performance of the LSA-1 Standard, which retail for $999. The Signatures, which get a crossover upgrade (caps, resistors, wiring) and shuck their Dacron in favor of lamb's wool damping, go for $1,499.
Can't wait to get them in the house.
Unfortunately he ordered the LSA Speakers from another company. Thanks so much for having my employee stay late at work away from his family in order to help you make a purchase that you were happy with. After spending so much time with you why didn’t you at least extend a courtesy so that we had a chance to match the price?
