2. speakers
  3. 1060467805

Speakers with Depth Layering abilities

It seems we all know speakers that provide depth; depth layering is a bit different. I don't notice that many speakers do that. They give depth, but you can't tell who's on first, and who's on second, so to speaker, just that there's a row of violinists in the front and a bass drum in the back, and all the other instruments are in between.
What are the best speakers have you heard that actually layer the rows of musicians front to back? Do any of the Hale Design speakers or the Alon speakers do this?

In TAS, back in issue 68, HP averred that the "IRS, the Magnepans, the quads, the Martin-Logans designs, and even, yes, the Avalons, the Thiels and the Mirages" provide a "...layered field of depth."

It would be nice to know which speakers, given all the money we spend on our electronics, give the audiophile thrills, not to be confused with the musical thrills of a performance. Even in the audio mags, TAS itself, as well as Stereophile, there's little notice of the speakers or other electronics ability to provide this.
So. Whatcha got? What other speakers do this?
gbmcleod
rushton's avatar
rushton
2,445 posts
 
The Avalon Eidolons do this - in my vinyl and tube-based system, the Eidolons create a soundstage that clearly diffentiates this sort of layered depth of field. I've also heard a highly tweeked pair Merlin VMS-SE speakers do this in friend's system.
sternart
34 posts
 
My Genesis 201's in a tube based system do a fabulous job of soundstage depth & width.......multiple layers etc.
rives
953 posts
 
I tend to lean towards most planars--as did HP--for depth. These always seem to have more in terms of imaging and soundstage to me than their dynamic counterparts. I also find that tubes tend to have more depth and layering (until you get into the very expensive solid state--then I'm not so sure tubes have an edge).

What's interesting about my response is that both the planars and the tubes by definition have greater distortion. The tubes have harmonic distortion caused by the tubes themselves. The planars have phase distortion caused by their interation with the room (large amounts of energy on the back wave). I believe it is these distortions that give the perception of depth. As a side note: the Genesis 201 are dipolar as well--so they too have this distortion--and I'll bet they sound great with tubes!

Others may disagree with what I've found--it's odd in a way that inherently greater distortion yields better layering and depth of sound field. I do think the distortion being correlated distortion (not random noise) and thus is the reason for this added depth, but beyond that I don't have a very good explaination.

Just as a side note: all of my systems are dipolar (either ribon or electrostatic), one system is tube based.
More to discover