2. speakers
  3. 1233736014

The best "imaging" speakers?

Which speakers gave you the most "you are there" experience?
psacanli
holenneck
127 posts
 
YG Acoustic speakers are imaging and transparency champs but lack the ability to play low and loud in the lower frequencies, at least for the Kipod that I heard
bikerduud
75 posts
 
The Avalon Isis speaker system presented by Keith Johnson of Spectral stands out as the best imaging speakers I've ever heard. I must add though that the system included the state-of-the-art Spectral SDR-4000 pro CD player and top-of-the-line MIT Oracle MA cables. Truly breathtaking!
davt's avatar
davt
505 posts
 
I think that you would have to look at what is the best imaging speaker/amp combination. I have a pair of dynaudio special 25's and Verity Audio Parsifals and they both image very well. Hook them up with VTL tube amps and triode and it is amazing. Very deep, holographic and wide, really makes feel like I am in the sound stage. Change to a belles SA-100 and we have detail, "slam", and tighter bass but the "imaging" becomes more two dementional. Just as wide but a lack of depth. I am listening to a Classe ca-2200 right now with the parsifals and it has some of the holographic imaging of the triode vtl but not nearly to the same degree, just as much air, some of the middle of the stage "you are there" but the slam of the belles as well. So the speaker and amp will give you this imaging factor and should be taken together. Per Kthomas, I do agree with the special 25, matched with the vtl st-150 is magic.
martykl
3,578 posts
 
Asuming that great imaging is indeed what will satisfy (and that's NOT a given), you still have to make choices:

Minimonitors, whether alone (ProAc's Tablette is the best iamging mini I've heard) or coupled with a woofer cabinet (I own Parsifal's - also outstanding) can provide a particularly dramatic "object hanging in space" effect. Narrow baffle floorstanders with extreme cabinetry can also mimic this effect.

OTOH, Omnis like the MBLs (or, to a slightly lesser extent Ohms) can create "weightier" localized sources and a wall to wall soundfield that feels real in a different way.

Planars can create something in between, with more "continuous ambience" than minimmonitors and more specificity than most omnis.

I currently own examples of all 4 types (Maggie planars, Merlin VSM narrow floorstanders, Parsifal mnimonitors with separate bass cabinets, and Ohm omnis) and the imaging from each can -at any given time- seem more convincing than the others. At the moment, I'm sticking with the Ohms, but check back in a year....

Marty

PS I'd agree that, overall, MBLs are the most convincing imagers I've heard, but they have tonal issues that make them a difficult proposition for me (especially at their price).
buff's avatar
buff
210 posts
 
The best you are there experience I have had was in the 90s with the 2C3D systems which contained Avalon/Spectral/MIT/ASC products, many of which you already own :-)
I have heard the same setup with Thiel CS6 speakers to similar effect.
I am getting very close with the Thiel CS2.4s, Bel Canto DAC3, Ref1000s and all MIT cables in my reference room.

note: I am a Thiel and MIT dealer, as the original poster knows.
More to discover