Great Monitors – Joseph Audio Pulsar ?

Where are you located? I will contact my person at Joseph for you to find your local dealer if you would like me to.

I appreciate the offer. I spoke with the sales rep last week and the only dealer around (2.5 hour drive) does not have them and likely will not carry them (above the price range of their normal customer). I am sure with all the good press someone in MA/NH will pick up the full line.

I'm going to play devils advocate for a moment. Please note that I'm not trying to stir the pot. I'm just trying to grasp why on earth these relatively compact monitors are priced at 7 grand..

I mean, we've seen the Seas Millennium tweet / Seas Excel mid woof combo for nearly a decade now. This speaker doesn't look much different than anything else that I've seen out there. Sea's drivers? Check. A pretty/finely tuned MDF box? Check. Crossover Wizardry.. also check. Throw in healthy margin for distributors and dealers, and I could see the Pulsar's fetching around 3 to maybe 4 grand. But 7? What on earth makes them so different from everything else that uses the same above recipe?

Hell, not having even read the reviews, I'd guess that the sound flows more to the 'linear' side of the audio spectrum. The Excel driver has always been known for great bass and its general lack of warmth throughout its midrange presentation. I'd also guess that the mids could be described as very open, nicely detailed, and sports great pinpoint imaging. The highs are probably also well detailed, have a bit of natural 'grit' and texture to them, and are otherwise smooth when paired with the right gear (particularly of the tube variety). Bass is probably impressive for the size, but nothing earth shattering as far as compacts go.

Overall, I'd guess it to be a great speaker, but one that sounds pretty much like every other speaker that contains the same formula. Hell, some of you have heard them / owned them. Am I completely off in the description? And does anyone have any legit insight as to why such a speaker would fetch such a high price tag? I'm genuinely curious.

For what it is worth, I purchased a pair of Pulsars with the intent of using them in a second system. Initially, I put them in my main system (alongside my Revel Ultima Studios) to break them in and push them with my nicer amp and see what they could really do. Long story short...I ended up selling my Revels and the Pulsars are now my main speakers. Value is a matter of perception. In my case, I perceive the Pulsars to be correctly priced, perhaps even a bit on the low side. Others may disagree and that's fine, but I would respectfully suggest not to fall into pit where judgment is by looks alone. These speakers are the real deal.