What are some of the most underrated and overrated loudspeakers you’ve auditioned?


What speaker do you believe are the most overrated and which one do you consider the most overrated?
mrc4u
Has anyone ever actually gone to a hi end store or to a person’s house who gives a damn about set up and HEARD speakers? I have had $400/pair speakers sound like $6500/pair speakers with the right amp (Hegel) and by changing the stock brass jumpers with copper jumpers.
Several people have talked correctly about room acoustics and tuning. 
“Free your ears, and your ass will follow...”

it stands to reason rating but a single pair of speakers highly or lowly is always going to be so subjecdtive and dependant on the ‘then’ circumstances of setup, room ancillary gear, and individual taste I’d think it impossible thereafter to sanely and or objectively quantify any brand at large across its production line, either approvingly or dismissively.

the sample size is too limited.

speakers as mighty as they are remain slave to the upstream equipment predominately, though more factors act in silent concxert aiding or detracting from their performance.

over rated speakers if there is such a thing, should be those whose asking price is are often prohibitive. These brands usually demand just as costly affiliates to really sing.

under rated speakers don’t usually come with the same caveats for their accompanying gear and can perform quite well with multiple . playmates, yet quite often do not receive wide spread recognition..

These last sentiments are view points , not proof.

then too, just how many audio nuts have auditioned every model speaker its maker produces? few, if any, I’m sure.

unless you have, you can’t make a proclimation, you can only make a presumption.

so any consensus for rating speakers can only be myopic, or biased as the entire production line will never see vast personal experience. only a few models here or there will get an ears on interview and even then with a exceptionally narrow array of associated equipment and setting.

i’ve had brands of which I”ve owned at least five different models. used multiple amps and sources with them. later, a lengthy list of varied wires and power and room treatments.

some brands I’ve had but three of their models. others just two and some, but one model.

I can’t justify damning or applauding any speaker brand based on such limited EXP, nor can I fully understand how anyone could.

i have determined every speaker has its ‘keys’ for sounding so so or outstanding! the trick is to figure out what ever speakers secrets and optimize it or them.

or decide a speakers true voice is only going to be realized with means well beyond my own and move on to some other brand’s models and begin again.

on the whole, I’ve been repeatedly shown great upstream gear and even modestly performing speakers, provides better results than having so called, great speakers with just entry level electronics supplying them.

keep in mind then any assessment of a particular loudspeaker brand whose hype seems exaggerated or understated is merely that… hype, and hype is plain old often groundless speculation or possibly too, massive one sided marketing tactics.
Right, and sophisticated people know that, but if we always have to state such caveats with every post then forum becomes very boring.

Keep it simple.  Spendor is way better than anything else out there.  haha, kidding of course - no disrespect intended
"I have had $400/pair speakers sound like $6500/pair speakers with the right amp (Hegel) and by changing the stock brass jumpers with copper jumpers."

That's wonderful. 

And, it's not meaningful, because any speaker can be improved to sound purportedly like one multiples better than X speaker. On a nearly weekly basis I make speakers, DACs, amps, etc. sound like ones multiple times the cost. At least that's how it seems. But, it only is actual when you have both together to compare, otherwise you're crafting a story about performance. 

So many in the community are boasting, "My speaker sounds better (or x times better than), and it doesn't mean a thing. Until actual comparison is done side by side it's all fluff.  :) 


It's amazing  so many people are against the A/B side by side comparison. I too, feel it's one of the great "myth" busters. People who poo-poo A/B comparisons are just burying their heads in the sand.