Hi Bob,
That's an astute sonic observation regarding the distinction between
speaker design philosophy. I can appreciate the theory of having a very
inert " dead" cabinet, less resonance, distortion, coloration etc.
Successful execution with musically involving sound is another story.
Some speakers built on the inert cabinet principle can unfortunately sound
dull, flat, lifeless (ironically dead sounding). Lacking the realistic tone,
vibrancy and sense of liveliness and emotional connection with music.
The PRE does avoid this pitfall and is very alive and engaging with much
musical communication.
Based on my listening experiences an example of a inert cabinet speaker
that implemented this approach successfully and sounds musically alive
and involving is the Rockport line (at least the one I heard).
To be fair I readily acknowledge that some other listeners would prefer the
more damped "dead" sound and not the livelier sound that
appeals to me.
Charles,
