I'm confused - Different music...different speakers?
Thanks for allowing me this exploration. I've been on Audiogon before and find myself here for a very different reason this time.
I do believe my system is well resolving and will define gear at the end
Yet I keep getting steered to music genre based on sound.
What I mean by this is simple.
I can't seem to listen to old rock n roll favorites anymore.
There are albums I know from the past inside out and upside down - one example: The Allman Brother's at Fillmore East. I can mostly play every bit of this on guitar. I own three good copies on vinyl and can stream it at hi-res on Qobuz.
There are two drummers and Berry Oakley on bass- no slouch. Duane on slide...etc. An Epic and dynamic album
I can't listen to it - the metal tweeters are just aggravating. And what I remember from the bass and percussion is slam from the very opening to the end - it's not here.
What is going on here?
Gear is as follows:
Analogue side is a Nottingham Space 294, 12" Ace arm, Lyra Delos Cart and an EAR 834 MM/MC phono stage
Digital is an Antelope Zodiac plus with Voltikus power supply
All good and better cables
Totem Hawk floor standers
Amp is a Rogue Cronus w/ KT120 output tubes
Play Bill Evans or Bach ....and I can watch the paint melt off the walls and love every second of it......
I'm at a loss and thanks
@decooney Thanks and yes toe in is not necessary on the Hawks. I think I have them in an optimal position, although I keep moving them closer and further to the back wall - too close and the bass gets "bloomy". What surprises me about these speakers are their wide dispersion. The B&W's they replaced did some great things but not dispersion - If you moved your head 1 inch, everything was lost. |
I have the Totem Rainmakers, powered by all tubes. I also find no toe-in works best and love the wide dispersion. I also find distance from the wall is critical, and closer than a foot has proven to give me a lot of accurate punch without boominess (too far away, they get thin or confused). I add a REL sub when I'm listening more critically, or when there's something big down there, like synth-bass. My amp is 35 wpc, so I'm not crazy loud, but it's not soft, and I've played in bands '-). The other thing I thought this thread might get at is how a lot of older rock albums just don't resolve to audiophile, even on CD. I've been in studios back in the day where the final mix was signed off on through auratones. Especially in the bass; I often wonder if the RIAA needed to keep it under control so it rolls off. I'll give the Fillmore recording a listen! |
I went through something like this in the past. I had all tube gear with Infinity Kappa 8 speakers. Listening to Led Zeppelin through them was amazing. Wall to wall big sound with good bass. I could hear John Paul Jones's bass amp speaker rattling. I mentioned this a long time ago. Friends would come over and say that it sounded great except my right speaker was rattling. I said, no that's JPJ's amp speaker. Later, I switched to Monitor Audio studio 6 speakers, because I wanted something more transparent for acoustic jazz, etc.. They were really good speakers and I enjoyed them. Recently I replaced them with Monitor Audio Silver 500's. Bigger speakers with strong midrange and bass. It's kind of a middle ground between the Kappa's and the Studio's. So now I can enjoy Led Zeppelin again, as well as other types of music. Good luck. |
