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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
gryphongryph
384 posts
 
Interesting tread, I often find, and I may be totally wrong in that big speakers with many drivers need a lot of power to sound good, and mostly they sound at their best at higher listening levels, I myself went the bbc route a couple of years ago (Graham Audio LS5/9) and the first thing that struck me was how wonderfully it sounded at low volume, and as the op, tone and timbre sounds really good, but for a big room (American) they would probably not be powerful enough, unless used as near-field monitors.
My bigger speakers, I usually played louder, the 5/9 not so much, mostly 70-85db and I still get the same enjoyment, if not more from the 5/9.
noromance's avatar
noromance
9,856 posts
 
Speaking of polypropylene and plastics, it never ceases to bewilder me how the thin mylar membrane in my Quad ESLs can sound like a brass cymbal or a wooden xylophone. 
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
Simple noromance, The plastic is almost the same mechanical impedance as air. What you are really listening to is the electricity!
Speakers that are a bit brighter with heavier bass sound better at low volumes. Consequently the same thing holds for speakers with a depressed midrange. It is that Fletcher Munson thing again. With digital loudness compensation or really good tone controls you can make a speaker sound good at any volume as long as it is not distorting. 

tobes's avatar
tobes
436 posts
 
I agree tone rules. Who cares what else a speaker can do if it doesn't sound tonally realistic?
I've owned a string of British box speakers over the last 30yrs - a pair of 3-way Heybooks, 3 pairs of Proacs, 3 pairs of Harbeths and now 2 pairs of ATCs.
Tonal 'rightness' and realism has reached a pinnacle for me with the ATCs. The Harbeths were very good, but not really neutral in the bass and a bit 'sleepy' sounding dynamically - where the ATCs have far superior bass IMO and are alive with realistic dynamics.

I think the little SCM19 I own should be much more popular given their quality of reproduction (tonal accuracy and dynamics) - they need a powerful amp, but watts are cheap these days. Does anyone in the world build a more seriously engineered 5-6" mid-bass driver than the one ATC build for the 19's (and scm20's)? - that thing weighs 9kg and makes up half the weight of the speaker!

The active ATC SCM100s I'm listening to as I type this are another level again. Neutral, but marvellously tonally robust and realistic with terrific dynamics. They can play the big stuff with ease but also sound wonderful with delicate acoustic material. Probably the end of the road for me.  

tbombb25
28 posts
 
Wharfedale builds some of the best speakers on the planet regardless of price. The oldest speaker company in the world, and totally vertically alligned they build their own everything down to the internal wiring.i still have my Diamond 8.1 the first budget speaker to use Kevlar drivers, their tone is very similar to the Quad Esl 57's. The Diamond 225's reputation is well deserved, outstanding drive units, I just bought the D330 a killer little Floorstander, Spendor I feel has tone science down very speaker companies do, all the Wharfedalea new and old have it...
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