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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
hilde45's avatar
hilde45 OP
4,974 posts
 
@pelletfan I will, and Oldhvymec's suggestion to lower my listening chair has been factored in, too. Luckily, I have two stands to try out and between them I can get speakers firing appropriately.

Today will be about trying speakers at different distances and trying to learn the REW software. After learning how to do basic measurements, I'll begin to correlate what those measurements say with what I experience; hopefully, I can find a way to use the tool to optimize the trials.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,118 posts
 
Well the good news is sounds like you have about as good of a floor as you can acoustically especially in regards to bass. Should result in clean articulate bass not boomy that does not obscure midrange detail. With upper frequencies under control via right gear for you and whatever treatments you might apply that should get you to a good place. You certainly have had lots of good suggestions and options to consider. You might even miss the fun of tweaking once you get things nailed! 🙏
hilde45's avatar
hilde45 OP
4,974 posts
 
@mapman Yes, I may be approaching a good state. In order to stop fussing about audio, I may have to start investigating espresso machines and grinders. In other words, get a side-quest rolling to divert whatever OCD tendencies have been stirred up so that I can put a period on the end of this long audio sentence and just "enjoy the music," as the hackneyed phrase goes.
b_limo's avatar
b_limo
2,274 posts
 
Great advice Lemonhaze!

Giks 244 panels are 4x8x4” made with ownes corning I believe.  Anyhow, they work great Hilde45.  You ought to grab 4 of them to start.  Hang 2 on the ceiling above your speakers using the mirror trick.  When you order the Gik 244 panels buy 2 “cloud mounting brackets” for mounting 2 panels to the ceiling. I’d recommend using 1 panel directly in between the speakers and one panel directy behind you.

The 244 panels are considered bass traps.  They’ll tighten up your bass and make it better defined along with helping with decay times!  You can order them with scatter plates for some diffusion and a better look, and you can also have art printed on them too so they look nice.  Maroon Bells centered between the speakers would look nice.

Glad you like the Salks!  They are keepers it sounds like.
jackd
1,066 posts
 
@hilde45 

A couple of photo's of the SS6's would be a nice thing.  Also check with Timbernation about custom speakers stand with the height and top plate dimensions to fit the Salk's.  Also multiple finish choices.
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