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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
rikkipuu's avatar
rikkipuu
278 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.

4afsanakhan
134 posts
 

When the thrill is gone, and assuming your components and speakers are well integrated with the room, perhaps you may be listening to your hifi too much? Sometimes we need a break. Yes this is too strong a statement, but as the old saying goes; familiarity breeds contempt.
 

Regarding the Wavetouch; I would question the idea that the speaker is a ‘good deal’ at $9,500. You can pick up a pre-owned pair of Magicos for that. These rather rough-looking monitors would be a good to great deal at $2,500 maybe. Yes they probably sound very good, but other speakers do too.  I have a pair of Evolution Acoustics Micro One that are finished to a very high standard using the best components and they most certainly do not sound veiled in the least. They are powerful, open, highly expressive and throw a staggering (for their size) soundstage with real to life scale timbres / tones and imaging. With all due respect to the gentleman demonstrating the product, to say that every other speaker sounds veiled is simply not true.

bobpyle
64 posts
 

Don't have that experience anymore.

Just change the sound output to keep the brain interested...

Option 1. CD Transport - DAC - Pre Amp - Power Amp - Speakers;

Option 2. CD Transport - DAC - Power Amp - Speakers;

Option 3. MacBook Pro Audirvana - USB Converter - DAC - Pre Amp - Power Amp - Speakers.

Rarely do I need to use Option 3. It's slightly more dynamic, but less musical.

rikkipuu's avatar
rikkipuu
278 posts
 

If your electronics and noise control are good you should easily hear the difference in the top end. Smoother and more refined and overall a little more relaxed midrange.

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