2. speakers
  3. 158881-139155

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
4,994 posts
 
@jackd  Thanks for the instructions on measuring. I like your comments on stability; I don't want anything too resonant, but the black metal stands one fills with sand are not that attractive to my eye.

@jtcf Those seem like really nice speakers. If we were neighbors, it would be fun to speaker swap! (As long as you're not violating any vows.)

@djones51 I just played the sweep tone that folks here were mentioning. The speakers sound good — a more detailed description is coming, but they are not harsh or aggressive at all. That bullet's been dodged. (Talk about burying the lede; that's the answer to this entire thread!)

@brownsfan  Appreciate your feedback. I'll do another measurement soon (I'm moving the speakers around a bit) and will try to generate additional graphs. I need to look up what an "impulse graph" is, to be honest. But I'll do one of those, too. Let's see if that weird null at 200 hz is reproduced, and where, and then I'll walk around a bit to see what's going on.




coltrane1's avatar
coltrane1
798 posts
 
You’re using the wrong Martin Logan’s. Their Spires are available used for $3500 a pair. They’d offer far superior performance than Motians. Why would you consider Motians if you’ve $4k to spend on speakers. I don’t get it. Buy used, you’re always better off, imo. 
b_limo's avatar
b_limo
2,277 posts
 
Hilde, will it not let you upload the actual links?  I’m not able to open them even replacing “dot” with “.”


hilde45's avatar
hilde45 OP
4,994 posts
 
Someone else here was able to get to them and it works for me so I’m not sure what to tell you. In the past uploading links to Google photos has just been blocked so I have not tried it.
The suggestion about the other Martin Logans is noted but the reason I don’t buy used is because I cannot audition it. Once you buy an expensive speaker on the used market it is yours. You cannot return it. So that is a risk that I am not willing to take. I had read many good things about the motion speakers and I tried them out for a mere $20. I was able to get the focal speakers from a local used shop called the music room and those were free. So I’m not sure where the wisdom is in trying a speaker I have no idea how it’s going to sound without the possibility of returning. It’s the other side of the saying you get what you pay for. You get it and then you cannot give it back. Without auditions there is no chance that I would choose a speaker.
b_limo's avatar
b_limo
2,277 posts
 
You could always add them to your virtual systems page!
More to discover