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Speaker shootout update; aggressive treble eliminating some (fairly?)

I've been trying out speakers in a complicated shoot out, both bookshelves and towers — all in my home with my gear. I'm looking for speakers obtainable up to about $4k but could go up (or down) a bit if the right thing came along.

Basic facts: All speakers were run in at least 100 hours. Room is 27 x 14 x 6.5 ceilings. Powering with all QS tubes, 60w, NOS, tube R2R dac, and decent cables. No terrible reflection points; room not overly live or dampened. REL R 328 sub available but I did most listening without it.

Recent auditions, type:

Klipsch RP 600-M (budget singleton of the group)
Fritz Rev Carbon 7 mk II (bookshelf, 2 way, soft dome)
Focal 936 (tower, 3 way, inverted metal)
Martin Logan Motion 60s XTi (tower, 3 way, AMT)

Coming soon:

Salk SS 6M (bookshelf, 2 way, beryllium)
Dynaudio Evoke 30's (tower, 3 way, soft dome)

Let me speak just to the problems, rather than what was good about the speakers. So far, I've found the Klipsch, Focal, and especially the Martin Logans were all too bright — forward, aggressive, "turn it down" treble.

The ML's were the most impossible to tame and hardest to listen to on more tracks. (I did a lot of hanging of towels and other dampeners and other soft things to try to see if I could bring them to heel. I varied the recordings used. Changed cables/wires. No luck.)

The Focals were occasionally too bright; their bigger problem was a bit too much energy in my small listening space. They were better when I plugged their ports with socks.

I'm looking forward to how the next two speakers sound. The Dynaudio towers, I notice, are 10 inches shorter and half the weight of the other towers; not sure what that might mean, but it could just be right size for my space. I'm looking forward to seeing if the Salks bring more detail to the treble without also being too rolled off or harsh.

Hearing is very personal for physiological and taste reasons. However, if anyone has any thoughts about why I might be experiencing some of the phenomena I am (harsh treble, especially) based on my room or gear, etc., that might help me understand factors I'm not fully appreciating. Thanks.


128x128hilde45
decooney
2,133 posts
 
@b_limo
..The rest of your system is either neutral or warm, as stated by another member earlier. This may all be solved once you get your Salks. They should be the ticket!

Kinda what I was thinking now too, particularly after recapping what’s been too much or not enough with all prior speakers. Next, the smaller 2-way Salk monitor with fewer drivers, "Be" neutral transparency, maybe less forward with slightly less efficiency at 87db sensitivity, in a meaty slot ported cabinet, and 8ohms will compliment the QS amps well. Hopefully hitting closer to happy middle ground for you Hilde45!
hilde45's avatar
hilde45 OP
5,015 posts
 
Appreciate all the posts. Audio is such a tricky subject on which to compare notes. It's common wisdom to try things out in one's own home, yet every room is different. And the associated gear is different. So, when I utter a simple claim like "speaker A is bright" any number of factors *besides the speaker* can cause people to agree or disagree. Typically, it's more fun to throw out names of brands and models to solve the problem, but what turns out to be most helpful have been "rules of thumb" or basic questions which highlight the factor I might be missing — "How high is your ceiling?" or "How far apart are the speakers?" or "What kind of music are you listening to?"

For me, audio research has been most confusing when I've mistakenly assumed that technical details about gear design is the key to getting oriented. E.g., I've found myself researching "warm solid state" or "beryllium tweeters" or "front ported speakers" before appreciating that none of those things were relevant, yet. To assemble a system I've made a lot of leaps in the dark — toward my amplifiers, my DAC, my cables, etc. Once I was down to speakers, I figured it would be a simple matter of trying a few and choosing. But the room! The room. The damn room.
dougsat
374 posts
 
Hilde45 -

Don’t get too discouraged. So okay if your room is not perfect, you should still be able to find a speaker that works for you. In the meantime have fun trying out all the different options, that is usually the fun part.

if your ceiling height is the main issue, I would keep trying mini-monitors as apposed to tower speakers, assuming that you have decent stands to put them on during the testing phase. People seem to rave about the smaller Wharfedale speakers being musical yet relaxed in their presentation. Music Direct is a Wharfedale dealer that gives you 60 days to try things in home,

Remember speakers need to break in and don’t always sound good right out of the box.Doug
mboldda1's avatar
mboldda1
575 posts
 
@hilde45  how about a $4k pair of German made speakers for $1500 and free shipping?  I bought a pair of open box and these are some great sounding speakers.
https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/cantventoref92dcblka/canton-vento-reference-9.2-dc-7-2-way-bookshelf-speaker-piano-black-pair/1.html
djones51
4,947 posts
 
The easiest way to eliminate the room is headphones. If that's not a consideration then it's compromises. With a 6.5ft ceiling it will be a challenge. If you can you might try British speakers,  Harbeth or similar. Adjust height, listening distance, toe in, etc.. If the room isn't dedicated for music where you can cover the ceiling in egg crate,  diffusion panels,   absorption panels, bass traps, basically whatever you need wherever you need to place it,  the simplest way is with room correction like Dirac.
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