For $7K you can get a used pair of Perspectives
Joseph vs Legacy in 7K range?
Any thoughts? What's the difference? Who prefers which?
I am inexpert and ill-informed, just so you know.
17 responses Add your response
My Legacy Calibre XD's are very impressive speakers. I do use a sub but I have to be careful not to rattle pictures off the wall and get served with divorce papers. I'm sure the Signatures are amazing. I like being able to turn the sub down when needed. I bi amp my Calibres with a Rogue Cronus Magnum. I hope to move up to Focus XD'S or Aeris in the future. Legacy rocks! |
imhifiman again as a legacy dealer the popular legacy is the signature which sounds as good or better then many 10 -12k loudspeakers and at 7k is a screaming good deal
the calibre is a specialty compact legacy however for its roughly 5,500 price rarely gets purchased vs the larger signatures.
and in terms of performance offers similar legacy virtues high efficiency deep bass, and high power handeling
the take away is the legacy signatures are very special loudspeakers for the price.
Dave and troy Audio intellect nj legacy dealers |
I would consider the comparison of the Calibre to the Profile to be the inverse of what would be expected typically in comparison of a bookshelf speaker to a tower speaker. A breakdown of these two could be instructive. The Profile is said by Joseph Audio to provide a "broad, deep sonic landscape", is 39" tall (imo not taller than a bookshelf on a stand), and weighs 47 pounds. Not much of a floor stander, imo. The broad and deep description should not be understood as affecting the frequency spectrum, i.e. lower bass. Fancy words can lead people to expectations that may not be fulfilled. I have nothing against Joseph Audio in regards to this; I would analyze any speaker company’s product similarly. As for the Calibre, it comes with internal amplification - the Calibre XD active which is about 7.5K. So, there is no equivalency between these speakers for a distinct reason. With the Legacy speaker one gets amplification in the deal as well, versus having to spend for amplification for the Joseph Audio speaker. Note that the specs are nearly identical for the Calibre and the Joesph Audio. Ergo, one gets what I would call marginal benefit in terms of specs in moving to the Profile, considering that the Pulsar is 42dB. However, I would expect the Puslar to be holistically supeirior to the Profile across the frequency spectrum. The difference in frequency response between the Calibre and the Signature SE is 16dB, a veritable rift valley of deeper sound. The Calibre XD weighs more than the Profile. I encourage all audiophiles to learn to understand frequency response specs, as this WILL dictate the experience regardless of the brand and model of speaker selected. Also, generally, the size of drivers has a pervasive influence upon the sense of ease of a speaker’s sound, the larger the drivers typically yielding a more relaxed sound at higher listening levels. Some audiophiles are sensitive to this and others less so. |
FYI, Joseph Audio make a 7k floorstander "Profile" and Legacy audio make a 6k+ standmount speaker "Calibre" https://www.josephaudio.net/profile
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Joseph Audio while maybe not overrated, are way overpriced. (They are good, but simply overpriced for what you get).
Legacy (go find a barely used Focus SE for your price, which is doable) - way more fun than the Joseph Audio. Just don't see why people pay exorbitant prices for monitors, unless they don't have the room for something bigger and they want to hide a sub in the room.
Get some bass for your $$.
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Read reviews and pick the one that provides the sound qualities you’re most looking for. The Legacy is obviously the choice if you want a more full-range speaker and don’t want to add subwoofers, but the Pulsar is no slouch in the bass department and many are very happy with them just as they are. Both are excellent, so it comes down to your personal tastes and requirements and nobody here can tell you that. |
I think audiotroy meant that you cannot equate the two. Consider the influence of driver size, which is pervasive. It doesn't matter the company or pedigree. There is no replacing the effect of larger driver surface area. Acreage is critical to having a speaker sound more relaxed and prodigious, especially as listening level increases. I have no interest in debating this point. Soft dome and ribbon tweeters will tend to sound more similar than dissimilar as opposed to a ring radiator or larger ribbon tweeter. The Legacy is going to sound much larger, much more prodigious and dynamically impactful. The Joseph is going to wow for its size because the bass is MIA, so the soundstage will seem inflated, much larger. That is misperception due to the incongruence of the speaker size relative to soundstage, so do not be fooled by it. Again, whether dealer or hobbyist, I have no desire to debate my description of these speakers. As they say, YMMV If you don't want appreciable low end, then disregard the difference in bass (or mid-bass in the case of the Joseph monitor) sizes. Perception of the rest is going to be subjective. If you want a nice, pretty, restricted speaker system, the Joseph will be good. If you want a more immersive experience with much more grand character, you do the Legacy. Some want a luxury car, and some want a well appointed SUV. :) |
Two different design philosophies and sound. Only you can know which you prefer through a proper audition. Picking speakers based on the opinions on this site is a recipe for disaster since speaker choice is your most important decision; it will define the sound of your system regardless of what you do with source and amplification. Finding the right amplification match for the speakers you choose is the second most important decision and, again, only one you can make with your speakers in your room with your ears. I've heard both brands set up properly in good rooms and liked both for what they did well but, in the end, found other brands that I prefer in my rooms to my ears. |
you really cant compare those two
for 7k to 9k with Joseph you are getting a high performance monitor, with limited bass moderate efficiency and average power handling.
pulsar graphene
with Legacy for 7k or so you can get a set of signatures: high power handling full range bass down to 22hz.
legacy Signatures
if you have a small to mediuim sized room josephs if you have a larger room, play loud, love deep bass legacys Dave and troy Audio intellect nj Legacy dealers
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