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Are your speakers designed for your listening taste and hearing ability?

It occurs to me that speaker manufacturer’s and designers in many cases design their speaker ( and its subsequent sound) to the expected ’typical’ buyer. IME, a lot of high end speakers are designed to appeal to the consumer who has a certain amount of ’hearing loss’ due to age! This might sound odd, but I think that there are a lot of a’philes who have reached a certain age and have now two things going for them..1) A large enough wallet that the expense of the speaker isn’t really the issue and 2) a certain amount of high frequency hearing loss. This circumstance leads to designers and manufacturer’s bringing out speakers that are a) bright, b) inaccurate in their high frequency reproduction and c) not accurate in their reproduction across the frequency spectrum ( some may be tipped up in the highs, as an example). My impression is that a certain technology catches on--like the metal dome ( beryllium or titanium, as an example) and the manufacturer sees a certain public acceptance of this technology from the --shall we say-- less abled in the high frequency hearing dept, and the rest is as they say...history. Your thoughts?
128x128daveyf
wasclywabbit
14 posts
 
I'm 65+ and recently did some upgrades. No question my hearing ain't what it used to be and it occurred to this is last system I'll want or need. Speakers first. Bose Acoustimass SE 5s to Difinitve Technology Mythos Gem XL's and a DT ProSub 800. The other was finding a vintage Tannoy Micro with a Stanton 681EE. Can I hear the difference? You bet! It's almost like my hearing's improved. I'm going to weight in here on the notion that we stop hearing the difference between mediocre and outstanding. It's a lot of BS and I'm here to bear witness.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
As long as you can still hear air and sweetness you ain’t dead yet. 
gosta's avatar
gosta
839 posts
 
The "brighter" speakers you have, the more perfect recordings you need to play.


asvjerry's avatar
asvjerry
4,757 posts
 
@geoffkait ....*G* Well, so far....*knocks on head, standing in for wood*....that 'air' is still There....*pointing around*...

The 'sweetness' varies with what's playing...but that's kinda normal. ;)

@gosta....MHO is 'perfection' is our daily reality, walking about this sea of air. *S*  Anything coming through a mass of electronics and wires, exciting various membrane types is and always will be a depiction of it.

We strive to get as close to It...but, it's still a simulation.

I love to hear pianos, violins, guitars, 'synths', drums, all that....

...but it's always better In Real Life...Up Close. *S*

Reproduction is always someone else's memory. ;)
hifier76
24 posts
 
First post. Agree with duckworp and others that old ears can be irritated by very bright speakers (and especially headphones). I'm busy reconstituting my stereo system after years of attrition. I just had my New Advent speakers re-coned and the 3-position crossover switches replaced with continuously-variable pots, but I'll likely run them around the middle settings as I always have.
I listened to some speakers in a stereo store (remember them?) and observed that they were lacking in midrange. The salesman checked and sure enough, the bass and treble controls on the crossovers were turned all the way up. That was 48 years ago, so I don't think I've changed much in my listening and would still shop for speakers with balanced delivery were I in the market.
Having said all that, those speakers in the shop were set to somebody's taste, so it wouldn't surprise me if some manufacturers are pushing the ends of the aural spectrum at the expense of balance.
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