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If you listen to anything other than Classic Jazz, don't read this.

:)  I'm a Jazz only intermediate audiophile looking to improve my system. i ONLY listen to jazz, and i think that matters. If you are of the opinion that great speakers make all music sound good then move on to the next post, because the premise here is that speakers for Acoustic Jazz ( Big Band to Post Bop) have different requirements. My jazz audiophile buddies and i hav A/B'd lots of different speaker/amp/turntable/cartridge combinations as a fun hobby for the last 3 years. i've gone through at least 3 whole systems to get where i am now:
All Rega System - Rega Exex-R, Rega P3, with upgrades, Rega MC Phono Pre,  Rega Apheta 2 Cartridge, Rega RX5 Speakers. 

It sounds really great, but want to get to amazing if possible, and have recently done some speaker comparisons with some Paradigms and Harbeths that show the RX5's could have a tighter, deeper bass and bit more high frequency... 

The challenge is threefold -
1 )information out there is hard to come by, often confusing and  i haven't found much information specifically on what speakers jazz heads prefer.
2) I want to be able to put them up against my current system in my room, which seems a difficult task
3) They have to look good. Aesthetics matter to me. Tektons and Magnapans are cool But Ugly AF, and not going to work for me.

i want someone to tell me this is the best my system is going to get and just enjoy it (which i do 82.5% of the time), or recommend a few things to try, hopefully with recommendation for speakers to try, but i'm open to other suggestions.

I look forward to your comments :)

sincerely,
Eric the Jazz Snob
128x128ericmbass
br3098
996 posts
 
@atmasphere: 
If you have a means of designing a speaker to favor a certain genre of music, its likely that you also have derived a new branch of physics.
Ralph, I believe I agreed with you in my last post regarding speaker design.

I will simply say that I have not yet found the "perfect" speaker or one that is absolutely best with all types of music. I wish I could, it would save me a lot of time, money and aggravation.

jon_5912
605 posts
 
The idea that particular speakers aren't more suited to some types of music and listening styles than others is absurd.  The most obvious is amplified bass and listening volume.  If you like listening loudly to music with a  lot of bass, you need a different speaker than someone who listens to string quartets.  Obviously.  At any given price point there will be a better speaker for string quartets and a better one for hip hop.  For small scale classical you want to pay for the best midrange and highs you can get, but are willing to sacrifice dynamic range, especially in the bass.  For hip hop, you want to be able to crank up the volume and get a deep bass massage.  A lot more of the money needs to go towards higher quality, bigger bass drivers, a bigger box.  
ebm
9,311 posts
 
Read it by mistake sorry!!
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
Eric, acoustic bass is one of the most difficult instruments to get right.
I always use Dave Holland and or Ron Carter records to evaluate records.
I only wish I could get a good recording of Scott Lafaro.
IMHO the only speaker that will get this right along with the other instruments are full range ESLs. Forget dynamic drivers. There is always a crossover in the way that plays havoc with acoustic bass. Check out the Sound Labs Ultimate 545. They are eons ahead of any other speaker their size and price. 
douglas_schroeder
3,281 posts
 
Gotta love it; we have competing technologies as the "perfect" Jazz speaker! One says, "full range," while the other says, "HUH? ESL, of course!" 

Anyone interested in my assessment of both the Kingsound King III and Sound Lab 545 (at the time named U4iA) will find my reviews at Dagogo.com 

You should hear Jazz through a good omni, or line source, or OB, or horn hybrid! SO much better!  Heh, heh, heh.... 
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