@rocray @yoyoyaya @kingbr @soix @mofojo Got the LS50 Metas in. Haven’t even broken them in yet, but this did the trick, especially once I installed the included foam port plugs. I removed the in-line high-pass filters and am running the LS50 Metas full range straight from the GCC-100, and have already achieved a flat total response curve with minimal time spent tuning the subwoofer through the phone app. Initial speaker placement is based on the guidelines set in the included manual, although they don’t think the bass port plugs are needed when placed with far from surrounding walls, I ended up needing the port plugs to cut down the room gain at ~45hz. Curiously, the floorstanders were more sensitive than the new bookshelfs. Actual volume level when listening to the new speakers set to 30 on the GCC-100 sounds more like 23 or 25 with the Electras combined with the high-pass filters.
Answering the broader question, it seems time and technological evolution have not been so kind to my Electras. The new setup provides better resolve in the bass and sub-bass, and superior imaging with basically no experimentation with placement yet (waiting for break-in to progress more before doing so). The sound is also smoother/easier to listen to on the top-end and also overall more neutral across the spectrum, which, from a subjective point, fits my listening tastes more (I’m not a V-shape kind of guy, plus vocals were a little too forward compared to the rest of the ensemble with the Electras for me taste). I am finding that complex metal and classical/orchestral pieces maintain better integrity from the new speakers than the Electras. It’s a hands-down winner, especially once I plugged the bass ports on the Metas. I wonder if the Electras are just too much speaker for my room (approximately 250 sq ft, lowish ceiling) or if they really are degraded in performance due to age. I can’t take a time machine back 20 years to tell for sure.
Most critical of all, however, the system has reached end-game sound for me. I think, at the end of the day, this is something for which a price tag cannot be put. To have the sound where it is good enough that I no longer have any desire to change anything, and just enjoy the music, well, can’t beat that, right?
-Ed