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Speaker of the Century Award Goes To ....

The 2.5 way speaker.


You guys probably thought I was going to fanboy over a brand, and I'm not. I'm going to fanboy over a speaker design. IMHO the 2.5 way speaker is THE ideal high end speaker for the majority of enthusiasts.


First, what is a 2.5 way? It is a speaker with 3 drivers, but the mid range lacks a high pass filter, so  it shares output with the woofer.  It has a number of advantages over smaller and larger speakers:
  • Similar footprint to stand mounted 2-way speakers
  • Ideal bass output for apartments and modest homes
  • Easier to integrate than big speakers
  • No subwoofer
  • High sensitivity compared to a 2-way using similar drivers
  • Reasonably priced


A number of brands have taken this approach including:
  • Focal
  • Joseph
  • Monitor Audio
  • DIY kits like the Klang Ton Ophelia, and Zaph Audio

So for the average enthusiast who is not a San Francisco billionaire I argue here (for the sake of an argument) that the 2.5 way speaker should be considered one of the great technical innovations in terms of users and results.
erik_squires
jhills
615 posts
 
Eric makes some very valid points, regarding a speaker design well suited for the combination of affordability, smaller available space for set up and environments with close neighbors.
My hands down favorite speaker that I ever had or auditioned, the speaker that drew me most into the experience of a live acoustic performance, was the Apogee Duetta Signatures. Definitely not a speaker well suited for small spaces, close neighbors and tight budgets though. So what qualifies as best, is quite relative......Jim  
richopp
760 posts
 
ANYONE who plays a musical instrument and likes either horn or box speakers has a hearing impairment.

Go out in front of the current orchestra that you play in/attend concerts by and LISTEN to the MUSIC in the room they are playing in.  THEN, go to another room and the same MUSIC played by the same orchestra will sound different because of the room.  Conductors know this and make adjustments.  Even some amplified bands know this, or at least the people who run their shows know.  MANY do not, and thus live amplified concerts are mostly a waste of time and money except for rabid fans who don't care about the music.

ROOMS are more important to music than speakers.

Having typed that, I suggest that everyone go to your dealer and pick up a few pair of various kinds of speakers, take them home to YOUR ROOM and listen to them.

Buy whatever sounds most like the orchestra to you and be happy.  I predict that those who play and/or attend concerts often will choose what sounds closest to live.  But maybe not...some musicians I used to serve at my shop were not really LISTENING to the entire orchestra, but only their own section.  Error!

Cheers, and enjoy the MUSIC!
richopp
760 posts
 
What are YOU hoping to hear on a recording??  Depends, right?

https://reverb.com/news/the-unconventional-recording-tricks-behind-6-classic-drum-sounds?utm_campaign=20190519+Sunday+Content&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=MarketingCloud
prof
3,474 posts
 
@richopp



ANYONE who plays a musical instrument and likes either horn or box speakers has a hearing impairment.



Well, congratulations on one of the silliest claims I've seen someone make here ;-)

I play musical instruments (e.g. acoustic/electric guitar, piano, bass, drums, used to play sax), my friends play musical instruments.  I like box speakers.  I'm not hearing impaired.


What in the WORLD were you actually trying to say that makes any sense?

Of course rooms influence the sound of a speaker,  that's a given.  But what does that have to do with your first statement about box speakers?Is EVERYONE hearing impaired?  Or are you suggesting there is some specific type of speaker - not box or horn - that someone who "plays a musical instrument" should own?  If so:  don't beat around the bush: Name that type of speaker.

(And btw, your claim that "rooms" are more important to music than speakers is also misleading.  Scientific work done by people like Floyd Toole have indicated that we are good at "hearing through" the acoustics of a room to the essential tonal character of a speaker, in tne midrange up.  For the same reason we are good at identifying people's voices even when we move from room to room.  This is why, on the research conducted by Toole, others using the NRC and Harmon Kardon's blind testing facilities, it turns out that a certain profile of neutrality on axis IS important because that's what we tend to pick up almost regardless of the room.  A smoothly sloping down of off-axis sound helps improve the added room reflections, making such a design perform more predictably in a wider range of rooms).






tweak1
3,668 posts
 
While I knew my Emerald Physics KCIIs played way above their price point, until last night I had no idea how good they can be.

My front end consists of a slightly moded Oppo 105 (aftermarket LPM and incoming pure silver wire harness) , Audio Alchemy DDP-1 + PS 5 and AA DPA 1 stereo amp

A friend brought over his lap top and connected it with a WireWorld USB cable. These eliminate the Oppo and the DDP 1/PS 5, which has a 24/96 DAC on board, far from the best, which still sounded quite good after removing his kit. So to move close to what I heard,, at the very least,  I would need a much better DAC + PC + USB cable 

or, leave the dark ages and get a monitor, a streamer, a USB cable, and subscribe to a monthly service. At 71, and avoiding digital tech ( I don't even have apps on my cell phone) I will try the better dac route first, but damn it was a phenomenal experience in my home with my system, crushing my front end 
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