No worries, Soix. Audiophile recordings are, generally, musically bankrupt, aimed at demonstrating sonic purity (such as can be attained with wires and stuff), rather than musical ones. Back when I was reviewing, and would hit CES shows, I wouldn't even enter rooms that were playing audiophile recordings. Such things don't make anything stand up except my legs, heading for the exits.
And you misunderstand me. I have been prattling around with this hobby for more than 35 years, and have had speakers in my room from the likes of ALON (before they were NOLA), Thiel, Vandersteen, Sound Lab, Apogee, Magnepan, you name it. The Carver Amazings that I downsized from were better than ANY of them. Tonally, the Boxers are right. I know they aren't the totems that many seek, but please don't presume that I haven't been around the block and back, or was just born yesterday, so to speak, in this audio business.
Now. What I was searching for was a) tonal qualities similar to what I had with the Carvers and b) something that worked in the space that the speakers were going to occupy. The Boxers are that speaker. Were I searching for the ultimate in speakers, I would have kept the Carvers and been done with it. But in my world, I don't want things to be big and intrusive. Not any more. The days of air-bearing turntables, pumps, fully treated rooms and giant audiophile snakes are over for me. I even looked for (shudder!) a good-quality in-wall speaker, but couldn't find one that moved me.
Speakers are indeed the most obvious manifestation of the Audio System (tadaaaa! let the heavenly hosts sing). And I am more than respectful of, and happy to allow you to have your view. But I have heard too many speakers in mine and other systems not to believe that if everything else isn't right, the speaker isn't going to be, no matter how good it is. Because ultimately, it is the speaker's job to make sound out of what it gets from the rest of the system, right?
A fuller-range speaker gets you more extension. But tonally, a smaller speaker should be as right as a larger one.
Now, I know that bookshelf speakers don't have the Dudus Audiophilus stamp of approval. But the fact of the matter is that a good bookshelf/stand speaker, which the NOLAs are, will deliver 99% of the music that matters. No, they aren't huge, and people don't walk into the listening room and say "Whoa," as they did the the Carver Amazings. But they play music. And isn't that the point?
As for WHAT I choose to listen to, again, music, and MY musical tastes, is precisely the point. But where we differ is that I am not an "audiophile and music lover." I am a music lover who understands that nice sound quality can get me closer to the music that I love, whether it's Wu-Tang Clan, Bjork, Melt-Banana or Brahms.
