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After the thrill is gone

I think we all understand there is no “perfect” speaker. Strengths, weaknesses, compromises all driven by the designer’s objectives and decisions. 
 

Whenever we make a new (to us) speaker purchase there is a honeymoon period with the perfect-to-us speaker. But as time wears on, we either become accustomed to the faults and don’t really hear or hear past them, or become amplified and perhaps more annoying or create minor buyers remorse or wanderlust.

I am guessing the latter would be more prevalent when transitioning to a very different design topology, eg cones vs horns vs planars etc.

While I’ve experimented with horns, single drivers, subwoofer augmentation …  I’ve always returned to full range dynamic multi-driver designs. About to do so with planars but on a scale I’ve not done before, and heading toward end game system in retirement.
So I just wonder what your experiences have been once the initial thrill is gone? (Especially if you moved from boxes to planars)

inscrutable
jerryrocks's avatar
jerryrocks
62 posts
 

@joey_v 

Agree 100% - I have tried many different high end speakers and have found my holy grail with the Magico A5's paired with a B&W DB3 surrounded by tubes.

coltrane1's avatar
coltrane1
715 posts
 

Martin Logan loyalist for life. I’ve owned nearly every ML speakers under the sun.

Retired now, Spires and a Deph i, my journey is over. Tube integrated’s, turntables, I’m good.

And hat’s off to under $10k systems!

wspohn's avatar
wspohn
597 posts
 

@johnlnyc 

I listened to the very expensive, at the time, ML (CLS model). A solo piano record was played and I was stunned. It sounded like the piano was in that room with us.

There is magic to electrostatics - the Quads and my series 1 ML CLS reproduce acoustic music in a way that beggars the imagination. First time I was listening to the CLS my wife called and asked if I was playing the piano.

And if I ever find a usable pair of Apogee Scintillas I will add a pair of panel speakers to my menagerie (I have the amps to drive them!)

The only problem I have with falling in love with various gear is that you end up with several systems each having a particular virtue that you wouldn't want to do without.

rikkipuu's avatar
rikkipuu
268 posts
 

I have Maggie 3.7i's.  I have a pair of REL S/510 SHO subs.  Last week one of the subs lost power and even though I had one sub working the change was dramatic.  The midrange was hard and the upper range was rolled off.   I hardly noticed the drop in lower registers.

I had been using a grinder without ear protection and thought I damaged my hearing, it took me a few days to stumble on the loose power cord.  Presto magic again.

I did not spend time on the sub placement, one is in the back of the room and one on one side next to the outlets they are plugged into.  

Maggie's need good electronics and even then I have found the more power conditioning the better.  

canibefrank
406 posts
 

i am listening to my AirPulse A200 on the factory stands topped with JBL 305s and a JBL 308 subwoofy.. streaming Tidal from my macPro laptop to an exterior SU8 DAC...i have been listening to this setup since about 2018 and it still puts a smile on me kisser especially with electronica... what I really need is a bigger room.

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