Need An Upgrade?

[405x5]

Apr 25, 2024 17:01:05 GMT -5 KeithL said:

I'm afraid I have to second the suggestion of "giving the speakers a good hard listen"...

Here's the thing...
Speakers tend to have a sort of "personality" that goes beyond merely frequency response and distortion.
Room correction or equalization can correct frequency response or even out assorted bumps and dips.
But it CANNOT change the basic character of a speaker.

So for example...
Some people LIKE the way Klipsch speakers sound... and some don't.
(Klipsch speakers tend to sound very dynamic an d punchy... but a little bit shouty and forward.)
And some people like the way Magneplanars sound... and some don't.
(Magneplanars tend to sound extremely airy and open... but sometimes a bit too much so for some tastes.)

But you CANNOT make a Klipsch speaker sound like a Magneplanar... or vice versa...
They are just too different... and the things that make them different are not all the sort of things you can change with EQ or room correction.
And trying to make either of those sound like the other by endlessly changing and tweaking your electronics would be both expensive and largely pointless.

Speakers are the single component that has the most to do with "the basic character of how your system sounds".
So it's REALLY a good idea to make sure you've gotten that part right FIRST.

In other words, if there's something that you REALLY DON'T LIKE about the way your system sounds...
Then the most likely cause is the speakers...
The next most likely cause is room acoustics...
And ALL of the electronics fall somewhere below that in the list.

Also, to be quite blunt, forget about what the reviewers say, or what anyone else tells you, and especially what the manufacturer says...
YOU'RE the one who's going to be listening to your system...
So YOU are the one who it has to make happy...
(And, odds are, numbers and claims printed on a piece of paper, or a computer screen, aren't going to do it.)

Apr 25, 2024 16:00:23 GMT -5 @turner said:

I have to agree. Upgraditis and chasing the audiophile dragon can be an endless money pit. You need to focus on diminished returns. Perhaps you could try and go into as much detail as possible about what you don't like about the sound? The Forte IVs are very forward / live sounding speakers. I assume you demo'd them first?

I have always believed that the loudspeaker is the number one top priority in terms of how it sounds to the person who is going to spend the most time listening to it.

…… And that requires demo time and a listening session. I totally get the whole mail order thing, and having to take a chance with purchasing and buying some components site unseen, and then returning them if they don’t fill the bill. But with the loudspeaker, you have got to find a way to listen.

…… After that, it doesn’t matter worth a damn what anybody else thinks about how they sound.

I remember after being blown away by the speakers that I own A friend had stopped by while I had music going and he listened for a bit, then looked at me and said “you think that sounds good?“

And the answer is be confident in what you like and disregard the rest.

[PaulBe]

Audiophile Snake Oil

benchmarkmedia.com/blogs/application_notes/audiophile-snake-oil

[KeithL]

In the old days many audio stores had listening rooms where you could easily switch between different pairs of speakers.
The bigger stores in those days carried a lot of different brands so you got to compare how they sounded.
It was really useful to be able to spend an afternoon, bring along a few of your favorite albums or CDs, and listen to a bunch of different gear.
Even though conditions weren't always perfect, at least you got to compare the speakers, in the same room, under similar conditions.
Nowadays, these types of stores are getting hard to find, and many of the few that remain only carry one or two brands of speakers.
Some companies, including Emotiva, offer a return policy, so you can audition a speaker in your system at home. 
(Of course, shipping is expensive these days, and this doesn't really enable you to compare several different speakers to each other.)

The best suggestion I can offer is this...

Listen to as many different brands and types of speakers as you can...
Listen at a friend's house...
Listen to what you can at local stores...
And see if you can find a local "audio club" (I'm told that there are still one or two).
THEN LOOK FOR REVIEWERS WHOSE TASTES SEEM TO USUALLY AGREE WITH YOURS.

You generally wouldn't want to trust what someone else has to say about something as subjective as speakers...
And you'll quickly notice that a few reviewers have quirky tastes... or only like one specific technology... or never heard a speaker they didn't love.
However, it's a good start if you can find one or two reviewers whose tastes seem to agree with yours...
If they like a few speakers that you like, and hate a few that you hate, then there's at least a good chance that, if they like a new speaker, or hate one, you will too.
At least it will get you a starting point.
 
And, yes, be confident in what YOU like...
And, yes, your tastes may change over time... and that's OK too...
But don't let someone else tell you what YOU like...

Apr 26, 2024 8:29:44 GMT -5 405x5 said:

Apr 25, 2024 17:01:05 GMT -5 KeithL said:

......................

I have always believed that the loudspeaker is the number one top priority in terms of how it sounds to the person who is going to spend the most time listening to it.

…… And that requires demo time and a listening session. I totally get the whole mail order thing, and having to take a chance with purchasing and buying some components site unseen, and then returning them if they don’t fill the bill. But with the loudspeaker, you have got to find a way to listen.

…… After that, it doesn’t matter worth a damn what anybody else thinks about how they sound.

I remember after being blown away by the speakers that I own A friend had stopped by while I had music going and he listened for a bit, then looked at me and said “you think that sounds good?“

And the answer is be confident in what you like and disregard the rest.

[Deleted]

It is getting more difficult to demo audio gear. Closest place for me would be Ovation in Indianapolis and I haven't been in forever.. I was surprised and disappointed that both Music Direct and Crutchfield doesn't have any demo rooms setup. Crutchfield does have an online tool to use headphones to compare speakers. I've tried it (they don't have my exact model, but the same family). It's interesting to try. You can also order headphones from them pretty cheap. I miss the days of going to Good Vibes. Does Best Buy Magnolia even still exist?

I shortly considered the Forte IVs myself. In the end, my system can get loud enough and is clean enough for me. I rather spend money on more media than make a change that cost a good chunk of money. I am a Klipsch fan boy for home theater, but I like soft dome tweeters for music. I feel I am already at diminished returns, so why change anything? It can shortly be tempting to try something new, but I will spend weeks if not months deciding on anything expensive that is a toy. In the end, I usually don't get it. I'm also up to my ears in systems. I had to put on the brakes and just stop. I sold at least one set of speakers and gave a few things away.

[ttocs]

Apr 26, 2024 10:25:47 GMT -5 @turner said:

Does Best Buy Magnolia even still exist?

Not like it used to. It's now known as "Magnolia Home Theater Premium Audio".

The last two times I needed something high end I called Magnolia AV at the Best Buy store I'm used to purchasing from, and the phone just rang, and rang, and rang, and rang, and . . . . , nobody ever answered. So I called a Best Buy number and asked why the phone is never answered, the response was "they make up their own hours". Well, that was last Summer, and now I see that Magnolia goes by a different name. So the Magnolia sales person I've dealt with for years lost $9Grand in sales that was written up by someone in a different department.

When I was last in the store, just before Fall, they still had several listening rooms, but noooooooobody was there to talk to.

I'm lucky to have several small audio shops within 20 miles which handle a number of high end brands, and one large store about 20 minutes away - Abt Electronics (I'm in this place regularly, and have bought Martin Logan speakers and subs, a Krell amp, a bunch of tv's, furniture, as well as every kitchen appliance I own) - that handles not just the super high end, but also products for every budget similar to what Crutchfield carries. Abt is an amazing place where CUSTOMER SERVICE comes first!