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Speaker recommendations / live concert recordings

I have decided to look for speakers in the $900-$1100 price range. I have an old Akai receiver and an equally old Magnavox cd player, both of which will be upgraded soon after i purchase speakers.
I am looking for some advice on what to look for in speakers to listen to live rock/jazz concert recordings on. Most of the recordings i listen to are done with 2 (sometimes 4) microphones, a mic preamp, a/d converter, and a DAT deck. All components used are usually of the highest quality. The location of the microphones can be anywhere from on the stage lip to 100 feet from the stage. The performances are usually played in large venues such as the Spectrum in Philadelphia, small bars, and anything in between. Please look at this page to get a better idea of the types of recordings i listen to:

http://db.etree.org/kevinkachel

i want to reproduce the sound in the venue as it's heard when you're there as accurately as possible, however, some of the recordings have a lot of low end and can be quite "boomy." I will want to have the ability to remove some of this while listening. what would be the best way to do this? would the bass response knob on the preamp be enough, or would an EQ do a better job?
thanks in advance for you opinions.
kevin
crystalhaze17e0
ketchup
695 posts
 
ohhh... maggies, ML, sony, thiel, vandies, klipsch, Tyler Reference... ahhh!
what's going on? you guys were all suposed to recommend the same speaker, not give a million options!
i would like to find something that will make me relatively happy without a sub, though. That would be nice.

Fishwater, have you ever tried a tube preamp while listening to AUD tapes (cds)? what do you think about that? I wouldn't mind trying that with a solid state amp.
also, another AUD question. do you have tone controls in your system? if so, do you ever use them? i just keep thinking that i will want to use them a lot, and if i dont have any i'll be sorry. i listen to alot of shows on crappy systems in my car, at my girlfriends house, and at home. i have to play with the bass & trebble whenever i put a new show in. i just don't know if it will be necessary with my new speakers and with the decent pre and power amps i plan on getting (~$1200 on used amps). any input?
and yes, i sure do need some wsp. let me know if anything i have looks interesting and maybe we can set up a trade!
fishwater
178 posts
 
I had a tube pre amp for a year or so with my set-up. I have recently moved away from one due to a deal gone bad & I am actually enjoying the fact that I don't have tubes in my system. As far as tone controls are concerned, skip them & tune your system to sound good at your home. There have been a few threads around here on tone controls, do a search. I prefer the purist signal path but would not be opposed to some tone control if there was a piece of gear that sounded really good to me on it's own.
Nick & I are very good friends but we have different opinions on speakers, you have to listen to a bunch of speakers to have an idea of what your looking for. I was against monitors until I heard a REALLY good pair, now I have a set. Go out & listen, bring your own tunes & crank it! There is plenty of ways to reproduce the live sound in your living room, you just have to find it! Now the fun begins.
PS- If you want some WSP & can download semi-high speed drop me an e-mail for a log-in
nickspicks's avatar
nickspicks
48 posts
 
I tell ya...you want a real minimalist approach?
buy the benchmark DAC-1 and some "active" monitors.
no pre
no poweramp
no speaker cable
no interconnects
save a TON of money

have a kick ass system!!
quadophile's avatar
quadophile
418 posts
 
In your price range nothing but Maggies would give you what you are looking for. The key to Maggies is of course proper setup, you must let the speakers "breath" in its surroundings.

The best you can do is to audition them! I have heard many speakers but only Maggies came close to reproducing the "live" sound. This is of course based on the budget you have.

Good Luck!
nickspicks's avatar
nickspicks
48 posts
 
I like the maggies too...
but, as i'm learning with (com)plannars, the room acoustics play a much larger role with these types of speakers than traditional ones.

case in piont, my room.
I've got a nice Martin Logan setup. Dream system. Plenty of breathing room. sounds like complete ASS !
Speakers are setup properly..and then some. But my room acoustics kill their performance.

You'd never know until you got them home, but IMO...worth the effort to try as the maggies will give you the most quality sound for your money...but you'd need a sub for your musical requirements.
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