Interesting ASR review of small GR Research speaker kit


I bounce between various kinds of analysis — more subjective listening reports, more quantitative measurement analyses and, my favorite, those that combine both strategies to tell a useful story about audio products.

Amir of ASR has just done a very powerful takedown of a fairly inexpensive kit being sold by Danny at GR Research. Not only does he prove his point about the speakers, he also makes (to my mind) a very convincing case that Danny put his finger on the scale in how he reported his own measurements. 

I'm not in any camp — Danny's or Amir's or anyone else's. What I appreciate is thoroughness and meticulousness in exposition. Danny does that in his own videos. (Again -- to me. I'm really still learning and cannot easily spot gaps in argument in this subject matter.)

I know people with some of GR's best kits — and I've heard one of them. They sounded incredible. I've watched a bunch of Danny's videos where he criticizes other companies; I've come away thinking, "Wow, he really revealed some of the grift embedded in that product." 

But here, the tables are turned, it seems, on Danny. I hope he responds, both to defend his reputation and methods, but also because it will set in relief where some of the distance may be between these two dominant online figures' methods in assessing what makes for a good speaker.

https://youtu.be/IikqAg38FPs

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Those kipple measurements are right for sure and I imagine the comments are correct. The design of those speakers is just dumb. 
 

GR Research top kits seem like good sound for the money though. I have seen a few comments about the cheap drivers though with plastic baskets etc.   
 

i thought this video was good. Good channel too. 
 

 

The speaker is clearly designed to play near field at probably max 70-80 db.  It clearly wasn’t tested that way.  It’s like taking a Ferrari out on a off road course and pronouncing that the car is designed poorly.

I think Amir was pissed off that GR Research didn't bow to his superiority and give Amir a pair for free.

I own ASR's nightmare system....   Forte IV,   Zesto tube pre,  Lab 12 non oversampling tube DAC,  and QS mono amps....   they would have a field day tearing that stuff apart but as a system it sounds DAMN good.    Ironically I just retired my RME dac, a component that was at one time ASR's best measuring DAC.