Tone, Tone, Tone !



I was reminded again today, as I often am, about my priorities for any speaker that I will own.

I was reminded by listening to a pair of $20,000 speakers, almost full range. They did imaging. They did dynamics.They did detail.

But I sat there unmoved.

Came home and played a number of the same tracks on a pair of speakers I currently have set up in my main system - a tiny lil’ Chihuahua-sized pair of Spendor S 3/5s.


And I was in heaven.

I just couldn’t tear myself away from listening.

Why?

Tone.

The Spendors satisfy my ears (MY ears!) in reproducing music with a gorgeous, organic tone that sounds so "right.". It’s like a tonal massage directly o my auditory system. Strings are silky and illuminated, saxes so warm and reedy, snares have that papery "pop," cymbals that brassy overtone, acoustic guitars have that just-right sparkle and warmth. Voices sound fleshy and human.

In no way do I mean to say the Spendors are objectively "correct" or that anyone else should, or would, share the opinion I had between those two speakers. I’m just saying it’s often experiences like this that re-enforce how deeply important "the right tone/timbral quality" is for me. It’s job one that any speaker has to pass. I’ll listen to music on any speaker as background. But to get me to sit down and listen...gotta have that seductive tone.


Of course that’s only one characteristic I value. Others near the top of the list is "palpability/density," texture, dynamics.

But I’d take those teeny little Spendors over those big expensive speakers every day of the week, due to my own priorities.

Which brings me to throwing out the question to others: What are YOUR priorities in a speaker, especially if you had to pick the one that makes-or-brakes your desire to own the speaker?

Do you have any modest "giant killers" that at least to your way of thinking satisfy you much more than any number of really expensive speakers?



prof
Speakers need to make me notice how pleasant they sound from the other room, doors may be open. Maybe because I will rarely sit in front of them.
@prof 


I agree with your last post and that the spendors have great tone... but put them in the wrong room or with the wrong equipment and they may not shine so well..... and my brain may hear and process what an acoustic guitar sounds like a little differently than yours and as a result, I may prefer speaker x to the Spendors 


This is the great audio journey... finding the source, preamp, amp and speaker that in your room allow your brain to say “this sounds right and it sounds good”.



prof,
I assume that when you suggest a speaker measures well you are referring to frequency response?

I have seen JA ignore, explain away or excuse very bad measurements on speakers which frequent the pages of Stereophile while scratching his head over why a speaker with bad frequency response sounds good. I would suggest that JA appears to know how to measure but is at a total loss as to why certain measurements are or are not important. 

I would suggest, and this applies to all enthusiasts, that you are only as enlightened it terms of quality, as the best systems you have ever heard.
The best systems you will ever hear are rarely at dealers and never at shows. 


Interesting jsautter.

JA has been measuring speakers, and mapping the results to audible characteristics, for as long as I can remember.  I have no idea what type of experience you have to compare - hence no idea how much weight to grant your claims.  (?)


Can you give me any examples of the best systems you are referring to?

In terms of my experience, over the decades I've heard most of the "big guns" in high end audio.  I've been working in the pro sound world (film/television) since the late 80s, my work having been mixed at various millions-of-dollars pro systems.

Not sure what type of "higher bar" you are talking about.

(And, if my experience still isn't enough to recognize good sound, I'm wondering about whatever relevance the systems you have in mind have for the real world choices for most audiophiles). 

No doubt measurements have a value and a place....maybe they may get you to the right arena in the right city...but they probably won't get you to the right seat.  Why?  Because we all have individual preferences...we have different gear...we have different rooms.

If you want to explore the whole measurements discussion and correlation, then this is a fun read.

https://www.avsforum.com/forum/89-speakers/3038828-how-choose-loudspeaker-what-science-shows-98.html