Help me understand "the swarm" in the broader audiophile world

@mapman

That’s a nice collection of speakers you are rotating.

What determines which ones get played?

I have ls50s. Interested in your impressions versus others.

Thanks.

Other than having fun swapping around gear, nothing really determines which get listened to.

But the Harbeths are what I listen to most often.

However, impressions are easy to describe.

The LS50s are noticeably the best at imaging.
They project the smallest soundstage on their own but not far from the rest except for the B&Ws and especially the LRS.

The LRS is also more airy and enveloping.
Sounds a little faster than the LS50s.
Less accurate imaging.
These only have about 40 hours so may still be breaking in?

The Ologe5 is a different animal.
3 tweeter array in each main projects the widest sweet spot.
Non parallel cabinet walls.
More relaxed than the LS50s. Perhaps better for jazz/classical.
A little taller and wider soundstage.
Not nearly as accurate imaging as the LS50s.
Despite the two bigger drivers, the LS50s punched nearly as hard.

These are now being used as my left and right front HT mains in the living room.


The B&W 801 Matrix S2s just have this accuracy and flatness beyond my other speakers with the Harbeths being the possible exception.
But nothing I have can touch these when it comes to feeling the dynamics. The room really pressurizes with them.
Really big soundstage.

The LS50s sound much smaller and less neutral.


The Harbeths have greater extension above and below where the LS50s can go.
This is an extremely neutral speaker. Probably comes closest to the LS50s with accurate imaging.

Something about the sound though is just uniquely inviting.
Not sure how to describe it but the midrange in particular is intoxicating. The super tweeter makes it almost as open an airy as the LRS.
Overall much deeper and taller soundstage.
Probably one of the best balanced speakers I have ever owned.
Also, has the least coloration of any box speaker I have heard or owned.
The LS 50 comes close in this regard.

I also swap around a Hegel H190, Forte1A, Michael Yee Audio PA-1 and a Bryston BP26 controlling a pair of Ampzilla 2000 Second Edition monoblocks.

Note, the B&Ws really needed the 300wpc monoblocks to shine.
The Hegel was actually not far behind.

So can only provide impressions with the two amps.

The other 4 speakers were fine with any of the amps listed above.

The LS50s had the most performance gains with the DBA.
All that accurate imaging was presented in a taller, deeper, wider an fuller soundstage.

This is a really impressive speaker. With the DBA, it is pretty much holding it’s own enough to be in the regular rotation.

If you are considering any of these other speakers, I would be happy to provide more detailed info, listening impressions, etc.

@hleeid thank you for sharing that info.  Very interesting!

rixthetrick:
" mahgister Yeah, but did you have a swarm or an array of sub woofers?
If you did not, he was very specific in saying that he did, for many years, before applying room treatment. And it was in other areas he found the more significant performance increase with correct room treatment. The sub array had benefits all on it's own, would be my guess?"

Hello rixthetrick,
     You are correct, my AK Debra DBA performed exceptionally well in my room and system, very close to identically from my perspective, whether there were virtually zero professional room bass trap treatments or a complete GIK recommended quantity of them in my room.  I was actually expecting and hoping for at least some slight improvements but failed to notice any.
     I should note for clarity that there were no before and after room analysis measurements taken of my room to verify there were no improvements in bass performance resulting from the addition of the multiple GIK bass traps.  My comments are based only on my personal and subjective perceptions.

Enjoy,
Tim
     
    

Your room is so close to mine-  within about a foot each way- and your DBA so similar to mine, we should have virtually the same high quality bass. Anyway, I can hardly imagine how bass traps would be an improvement.

Hello millercarbon,

      I bet our room bass qualities are very close.  I was so concerned the bass traps might detract from my DBA's bass quality, I was initially going to delete all the bass traps from GIK's plan for my room.  There was a lot of them and those GIK bass traps aren't cheap.  I know the DBA concept works perfectly with no bass traps at all and the absolute last thing I wanted to do is detract from its high quality bass in any way.  
      I believe anyone who's personally experienced the DBA's performance would feel the same way.  I've never really liked the idea of bass traps and these are the first I've ever used; they've never made much sense to me.  Your system produces bass and then the bass traps reduces it?  Huh?  It's always reminded me of running the AC with the windows open. 
      I know it's more complex than that, I probably just don't completely understand the acoustic dynamics at work and they could be the reason my system's performance from the midrange on up, along with sound stage imaging, has never sounded better.  I'm trusting some experts, GIK and Duke. they haven't steered me wrong yet and overall I'm very pleased with my GIK investment.

Later,
Tim