2. speakers
  3. 124906-20253

Speaker Pricing and Reviews

Hi Everyone,

I just posted two entries to my blog that I think you'll find interesting and hopefully informative. I've been doing a lot of analysis and trying to compare my personal hearing experiences with reviews, especially at Stereophile which has caused me to post a couple of pieces online.  Please let me know what you think. One of the common replies is that there is more than frequency response to speakers, which is true, but then why do so many of the over-hyped speakers Stereophile reviews share a common frequency  response (FR) curve?

The more I go back in time looking at Stereophile FR charts, the more apparent the Stereophile curve becomes.

Please let me know what you think.

Best,


Erik
erik_squires
ohlala
1,236 posts
 
The examples only include three speakers, two of which are different versions of the same model. Are there more of "so many" speakers that have the same response?

I don’t find the GE to match the frequency response of the B&Ws exactly. What I see is a pretty flat response until 9000hz that may be tipped up because of the limited dispersion of a ribbon vs a cone. Further, Stereophile has applauded YG and KEF for their flat responses. There is irony of using Stereophile’s PUBLISHED measurements against them. I do not know what is up with the B&Ws, though. 
waterzlife
139 posts
 
While auditioning speakers, 1) make sure your canals are not obstructed with earwax     2) don't expect accurate listening if having allergic symptoms then ( or a URI/cold of course),   3) make sure to place  yourself in the sweet spot,  4) do so alone to avoid somebody else's opinions, and distraction while listening 
erik_squires OP
16,138 posts
 
Waterz, that's actually really good advice. I use liquid soap in the shower for just such a reason.  Regular use of it and the shower stream in the ear canal keeps my ears unobstructed. As soon as I hear the center of the music balance shift, I know I didn't bathe. :D :D :D 
erik_squires OP
16,138 posts
 
Ohlala, the power of full page ads.  If you really want to be offended, listen to Golden Ear Triton 5's.  To be honest, the B&W's sound far less offensive than the GET's despite sharing a frequency response. Whatever the problem with the GET's is, its far beyond the frequency response alone. However, what two brands have recently had multi-page background spreads? 

More to discover