Rap music on high-end speakers

I'm not in your boat yet with regards to gear...bryston b-60 & B&W cdm1nt's and to be completely honest, although I dont listen to alot of rap music, I am a bug Beastie Boy fan and am amazed at the multiple layers of music and sampling in some of their songs that I had never heard before getting at least marginally decent stuff. Kid Rock sounds alot better too...it's not just the volume that matters. I think that it is pretty sad that many audiophiles were never able to broaden their musical horizons and stuck solely with classical and opera. I have a broad taste in music that I had gathered before i ever had a worthy system and can see the merits in any musical form. There is good rap and there is bad rap just as there is good opera and bad opera. I would go see Bizet's 'Pearl Fishers' 10 times in a row before I sit through Madam Butterfly again. Once again, that is my personal preference. Thank God we can have those. This thread also reminds me of something my Grandmother used to say..."If you dont have anything nice to say...." you know the rest.

I second the WITT recommendation. They will work very well with hip-hop as well as any other music. They have sold on audiogon for around the same price as the cubs and IMO will outperform them overall especially with hip hop.

Alhtough i personaly dilike rap music, as a young, 17 year old audiophile i do have non approved music types like punk and ska as well as more mainstream classic rock and jazz. I have a relativley high end system, rotel and adcom with old infinity speakers that i think sounds good on all types of music. The best way to choose speakers is to listen to everything you can afford and choose what you like, especially on higher end speakers there really isnt much better or worse its all about personal preferance so only you can decide.

What do I listen for when buying gear?

When I listen to speakers I listen for balance. What I mean is how well the speaker excels at maintaining proper volume levels between low, mid and high frequencies. One of the things that turns me off from a speaker is if the bass is boomy and drowns out the midrange or the tweeter is to overpowering that you become agitated listening to the music. The frequencies should not be so overemphasized in any one range that the sound becomes unrealistic. If the speaker passes this test then I look for a good size soundstage. The sound should fill the room and not sound like it's coming from the speakers themselves, but from the area in between you and the speakers. It should sound convincing.... musical.

The benefits of getting better gear are subjective at best. Afterall, what is better gear? I have heard many people make comments or post reviews about how product x is ten times better then product y at a fourth of the price. I believe that the diminishing marginal returns you get in sound from extremely expensive gear is not worth the price you must pay. There are many reasonable priced pieces of equipment that will do the job as good or better and you don't have to take out a mortgage to buy them. Bottom line-- Don't assume that more expensive is better. It has to make sense.

It sounds to me that you have been somewhat unhappy with your present speakers or you wouldn't want to replace them. Maybe the speakers you currently have just don't sound right with rap music.

I am not a fan of rap music. I have heard it many times, but I just don't like it. I know that these rap music bands use expensive equipment to record their albums, but that makes absoultely no difference. Its the recording engineer that makes the difference. I find that rap music is deliberately recorded with overemphasis in the bass and mid frequencies. It is possible that your system is revealing these qualities within the music so ruthlessly that over time your brain becomes dissatisfied with the sound. (i.e out of balance.....not musical). Perhaps a less revealing speaker or one that is not so neutral may help.

Believe it or not the person who mentioned Cerwin Vega speakers is making a good recommendation for rap music.

You may also want to consider going with tube gear. It may take the edge off. I think tubes sound more musical. They create a convincing picture to me.

Whatever you decide to do I would re-think your next speaker purchase and maybe consider looking at your whole system with regard to the music you listen to. I would hate for you to go out and buy expensive speakers and still have the same problem.

TRU,
I wanted to follow up with another speaker recommendation that slipped my mind. I would recommend you audition Klipsch speakers. They are great for this music as well as other types. I am not familiar with their newer models,but I have heard the Forte's and in my opinion these are excellent. See if you can find a used pair of Forte's on audiogon or audition some of their newer models.