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Post by monkumonku on Oct 5, 2016 10:55:37 GMT -5
I own Paradigm Model 11s that are about 10 years old now and an Emotiva sub and 4 Airmotiv S5s but was just searching the web and decided to go to the Sony site for whatever reason, but thinking that these are way overpriced, they are also showing a 10,000 dollar pair ? Curious what everyone hear thinks. Not that Im looking to buy a 10 or 27 thousand dollar pair of speakers. LOL www.sony.com/electronics/speakers/ss-ar1Sony is not the first name most think about for high-end hi-fi speakers, but they did the SS-AR1 really, really right (plus its smaller sibling, the SS-AR2, and the SS-NA series of speakers. They are very well done, and sound spectacular; I have heard them on a few occasions and always came away with a good impression. They do a couple things that I am in firm agreement with - they use rigid aluminum-cone woofers for the bass, and flexible yet self-damped paper cones for the midrange. (I personally advocate rigid cones for the bass range and slightly more flexible cones with good self-damping for the midrange.) And the supertweeters mounted above and below the main tweeter give them a detailed, airy high-frequency character, although they are not quite a match for our Airmotiv folded ribbon. As with virtually everything "high end", you do pay for them -- even the very similar (in size, configuration, and sound) Thiel TT-1, which Stereophile called expensive, is less expensive than the SS-NA2ES towers. So they are not aiming for the 'value' buyer with those products. I heard the Sony SS-AR1's at the Newport Beach audio show a few years ago and thought they sounded pretty darn good. I was wondering how much the speakers cost, thinking maybe something like $5K-$7K. I asked the guy and he told me $27K and asked if I was interested in them. I tried to act nonchalant when I told him no, I was just curious about the price. They sounded good but to me, that was way too much money for them. I was astonished at how expensive they were. |
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Post by adaboy on Oct 5, 2016 19:13:09 GMT -5
What did we learn from this poll?
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Post by jlafrenz on Oct 5, 2016 20:45:29 GMT -5
What did we learn from this poll? That there are a lot more brands of speakers on the market than are listed in the poll  |
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Post by audionut74 on Oct 12, 2016 13:35:27 GMT -5
Well after a few jaw dropping demos I will soon be changing speakers. Now don't get me wrong I really really do like my current speakers (Goldenear Triton 1's) but I have a chance to get a speaker with the type of sound very close to my all time dream speakers the focal utopia's
So I am going for a full focal sopra ht setup
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Post by 405x5 on Oct 12, 2016 13:46:45 GMT -5
What did we learn from this poll? That "poles" are better for vaulting than anything else Bill |
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Post by audiophill on Oct 12, 2016 14:09:11 GMT -5
I love my Tekton Brilliance!
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Post by simpleman68 on Oct 12, 2016 14:33:00 GMT -5
Legacy in 2 ch room
Paradigm and Polk in theater
DIY 18" sub in theater for temporary
Emo in computer rig
JBL pro audio powered monitors for parties
Mobile audio - McIntosh, Focal, Infinity....
Scott
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Post by Bonzo on Oct 12, 2016 14:57:29 GMT -5
What did we learn from this poll? Well I have to say I'm surprised by the fact that after "others" and "Emotiva," Def Tech/Goldenear is/are next. I'm surprised because these 2 brands do not get much, if any, love at all on this forum. For a bang for the buck product like Emotiva, one might think these 2 super bang for the buck performers would (they should) be high on people's lists. On the other hand, Magnepan, Tekton, Klipsch, and Paradigm get talked about so much an innocent bi-stander might think those were the only 4 speaker brands on the planet. Although I think the Def Tech results are a bit skewed because while many here use them, it appears it's mostly for smaller non-main room systems, like bedrooms, offices, and out door areas. |
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Post by Bonzo on Oct 12, 2016 15:01:20 GMT -5
And look at poor little Dynaudio. Obviously not many people here have heard these tremendous sounding speakers. They may not look all that special, but IMO they out perform many of the other brands listed and not listed on this group, hands down. They are great sounding speakers.
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Post by adaboy on Oct 12, 2016 15:03:18 GMT -5
That is a good observation Bonzo. Years ago I used to love DefTech while working at bestbuy but not being able to afford them then. Now I can but won't, my buddy has a complete golden ear setup and I'm sure it sounds fantastic. I went and listened to a pair of golden ears in a 2ch setting and was hoping for more mid range. Overall very well balanced |
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Post by qdtjni on Oct 12, 2016 15:30:13 GMT -5
What did we learn from this poll? Well I have to say I'm surprised by the fact that after "others" and "Emotiva," Def Tech/Goldenear is/are next. I'm surprised because these 2 brands do not get much, if any, love at all on this forum. For a bang for the buck product like Emotiva, one might think these 2 super bang for the buck performers would (they should) be high on people's lists. I think a lot of us have Emotiva speaker in other rooms than where we have our main systems. I'm for sure is one of those. As for Dynaudio, they do make great no fuzz speakers. They also make OEM elements for a lot of other speaker brands. |
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Post by Bonzo on Oct 12, 2016 15:58:54 GMT -5
That is a good observation Bonzo. Years ago I used to love DefTech while working at bestbuy but not being able to afford them then. Now I can but won't, my buddy has a complete golden ear setup and I'm sure it sounds fantastic. I went and listened to a pair of golden ears in a 2ch setting and was hoping for more mid range. Overall very well balanced One of these days I'm going to take do a poll about how people have/had their old crappy EQ's from cars and boom boxes and old stereo's adjusted (or did I do that already? I forget.  ). I say that because the one huge complaint I hear from people about Def Tech and GE is that people say they lack mid-range. I couldn't disagree more. I say they have accurate mid-range. For me, a brand like say, B&W, has overstated mid-range. Same goes for Paradigm. It's where Paradigm gets that honky boxy sound I don't like. Perhaps my ears are just overly sensitive to mid-range? Dunno. But back to the old EQ thing. When I was a kid in the 80's, many boom boxes, some aftermarket car radios, cheaper stereo's, and even good stereo's, had the various up-down EQ's, from 3 slides total all the way up to like 10 per channel. What I took to notice was that people usually (in general with variation from equipment to equipment) had them adjusted (by ear) in one of 3 basic ways: - Flat. All the bars were equal across the board. - The Bell Curve. The bars started lower on the left (bass), rose higher in the center (mids), and then lowered again on the right (treble). - The "U" or "V" Curve. The bars started higher on the left (bass), went lower in the center (mids), and then rose again on the right (treble). I for one could usually listen to the flat setting, almost always HATED the bell curve, and usually (almost always) preferred some form of the "U" / "V" curve. It's my guess that people who like B&W speakers used to have their non-audiphile EQ systems set to either flat or the bell curve. And hence, why I'm not a big fan of B&W speakers (or Paradigm or Klipsch for that matter). And hence why people who like those speakers aren't big fans of DT or GE, which have more of a "U" curve sound. It's just my theory anyway. But this thread isn't about discussing speaker characteristics to death, it's just about which brand do you own. So back to it. |
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Post by Loop 7 on Oct 12, 2016 16:58:37 GMT -5
Legacy in 2 ch room Paradigm and Polk in theater Emo in computer rig JBL pro audio powered monitors for parties Mobile audio - McIntosh, Focal, Infinity.... Scott Are your Legacy speakers such that you continue to be impressed or even surprised? People seem to absolutely rave about them. |
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klinemj
Emo VIPs 
Official Emofest Scribe
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Post by klinemj on Oct 12, 2016 17:09:35 GMT -5
What did we learn from this poll? Well I have to say I'm surprised by the fact that after "others" and "Emotiva," Def Tech/Goldenear is/are next. I'm surprised because these 2 brands do not get much, if any, love at all on this forum. For a bang for the buck product like Emotiva, one might think these 2 super bang for the buck performers would (they should) be high on people's lists. On the other hand, Magnepan, Tekton, Klipsch, and Paradigm get talked about so much an innocent bi-stander might think those were the only 4 speaker brands on the planet. Although I think the Def Tech results are a bit skewed because while many here use them, it appears it's mostly for smaller non-main room systems, like bedrooms, offices, and out door areas. I really do love mine as outdoor and bathroom speakers. Ones I have heard for other uses sounded good also. Were I in the market and no Maggies were available - they would be on my list. Mark |
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Post by simpleman68 on Oct 12, 2016 18:14:59 GMT -5
Legacy in 2 ch room Paradigm and Polk in theater Emo in computer rig JBL pro audio powered monitors for parties Mobile audio - McIntosh, Focal, Infinity.... Scott Are your Legacy speakers such that you continue to be impressed or even surprised? People seem to absolutely rave about them. I am very happy with them and don't tire of the sound they make. There is a lot of tweaking that can be done in the provided DSP as well. They are very accurate which is a *bleep* for some recordings that used to sound "ok" on other speakers. They also make a very large sound at low volumes which is really nice. Best thing I've done recently is to improve their positioning. A speaker that is 0 dB off axis can be tricky to make them "disappear" into the room. They are designed to fire right at the listener with very little room interaction. I really like them and have only considered Revel Ultima Salon 2 but I'd have to treat the room a bit to get where I already am with the Whispers. Scott  |
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Post by novisnick on Oct 12, 2016 18:31:21 GMT -5
Are your Legacy speakers such that you continue to be impressed or even surprised? People seem to absolutely rave about them. I am very happy with them and don't tire of the sound they make. There is a lot of tweaking that can be done in the provided DSP as well. They are very accurate which is a *bleep* for some recordings that used to sound "ok" on other speakers. They also make a very large sound at low volumes which is really nice. Best thing I've done recently is to improve their positioning. A speaker that is 0 dB off axis can be tricky to make them "disappear" into the room. They are designed to fire right at the listener with very little room interaction. I really like them and have only considered Revel Ultima Salon 2 but I'd have to treat the room a bit to get where I already am with the Whispers. Scott OH! Look at that sexy brass babe!!  |
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Post by simpleman68 on Oct 12, 2016 20:21:06 GMT -5
I am very happy with them and don't tire of the sound they make. There is a lot of tweaking that can be done in the provided DSP as well. They are very accurate which is a *bleep* for some recordings that used to sound "ok" on other speakers. They also make a very large sound at low volumes which is really nice. Best thing I've done recently is to improve their positioning. A speaker that is 0 dB off axis can be tricky to make them "disappear" into the room. They are designed to fire right at the listener with very little room interaction. I really like them and have only considered Revel Ultima Salon 2 but I'd have to treat the room a bit to get where I already am with the Whispers. Scott OH! Look at that sexy brass babe!! It sits atop the 2 Parasound mono blocks which now sit dimmed and unused. I think they feel abandoned.  Scott |
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Post by novisnick on Oct 12, 2016 20:28:34 GMT -5
OH! Look at that sexy brass babe!! It sits atop the 2 Parasound mono blocks which now sit dimmed and unused. I think they feel abandoned. Scott I go back and forth between my VTA ST-120 & XPR-1's, the difference in sound is appreciable! Both sound great but bring differences to the game that makes them fun and enjoyable. Know what I mean? |
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Post by simpleman68 on Oct 12, 2016 20:47:33 GMT -5
It sits atop the 2 Parasound mono blocks which now sit dimmed and unused. I think they feel abandoned. Scott I go back and forth between my VTA ST-120 & XPR-1's, the difference in sound is appreciable! Both sound great but bring differences to the game that makes them fun and enjoyable. Know what I mean? Oh yeah. The JC1s obliterate the ST70 in terms of clarity/purity. It's a huge margin but it's really nice to have the warmth of the tubes as well as the depth of stage. From time to time I'll fire up the JC1s to get the detail and punch. I feel like I should sell them but I fear I'd regret it and I'm not dropping $10k on a new pair should I get sellers remorse down the road. Scott |
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Post by novisnick on Oct 12, 2016 21:20:06 GMT -5
I go back and forth between my VTA ST-120 & XPR-1's, the difference in sound is appreciable! Both sound great but bring differences to the game that makes them fun and enjoyable. Know what I mean? Oh yeah. The JC1s obliterate the ST70 in terms of clarity/purity. It's a huge margin but it's really nice to have the warmth of the tubes as well as the depth of stage. From time to time I'll fire up the JC1s to get the detail and punch. I feel like I should sell them but I fear I'd regret it and I'm not dropping $10k on a new pair should I get sellers remorse down the road. Scott I know about the sound of the ST-70, warm and yummy but not overpowering! Keep the big amps for the times you need and enjoy the little tube amp as prescribed by your doctor!  |
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). I say that because the one huge complaint I hear from people about Def Tech and GE is that people say they lack mid-range. I couldn't disagree more. I say they have accurate mid-range. For me, a brand like say, B&W, has overstated mid-range. Same goes for Paradigm. It's where Paradigm gets that honky boxy sound I don't like. Perhaps my ears are just overly sensitive to mid-range? Dunno. But back to the old EQ thing. When I was a kid in the 80's, many boom boxes, some aftermarket car radios, cheaper stereo's, and even good stereo's, had the various up-down EQ's, from 3 slides total all the way up to like 10 per channel. What I took to notice was that people usually (in general with variation from equipment to equipment) had them adjusted (by ear) in one of 3 basic ways:
