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Model: | ac-10 |
Category: | Speakers |
Suggested Retail Price: | $8400.00 |
Description: | full range |
Manufacturer URL: | Usher |
Model Picture: | View |
Review by ff116@hotmail.com on June 16, 2007 at 11:55:48 IP Address: 69.118.204.161 | Add Your Review for the ac-10 |
The AC-10's are Korean made by Usher, circa 2003. Coming from NHT 2.9's as my main reference speakers, to the AC-10's proved very frustrating. I had read the reviews, particularly by the pros, and felt I was making an informed decision. Surely the AC-10's and I armed with stellar reviews in tow, would soon be entering the long awaited audiophila I'd been dreaming of since I was 12 years old. I was able to score a pair virtually new for about 4,000 dollars, (about half the retail price). Alas my joy would be postponed when first introducing the Usher's to my existing equipment. They sounded tinny, shrill, almost as though I was listening to a Radio Shack transistor radio from the sixties. What happened to my system, what have I done? Anybody else ever go through this? I was fortunate enough to have the speakers on a trial, but I was sure these speakers were garbage after first listening. I went back to the net to get more info, and realized two things; I had to let the speakers burn in, and I had to do some tweaking with the positioning of the speakers. I was racing the clock because my ten day trial would soon end, so I put the old CD player on repeat, and left things alone for a few days. When I sat down to take a critical listen after about 60 hours of burn-in time, gloriously they sounded markedly better, however I wasn't able to use any of the superlatives the pro's had used when describing these speakers. What happened next to my shame, became an obsession for me of epic proportion. After agreeing reluctantly to purchase the speakers, I began buying, selling, trading and going into debt, eventually replacing virtually every part of my existing system. The amp, preamp, interconnects, speaker cable, power conditioner, power cords, and rack were all gone. I had become crazed, and possessed, yet I had to see this through to a logical end. After replacing everything except my trusty cd player, and letting some burn-in time take place with the newly assembled components, the moment of truth had arrived. On went the switch to kick things off, and to my surprise one speaker was not working, and the remaining sound was awful. A quick inspection would reveal an improperly connected cable. After this correction, and then firing up Sweetie, that's what I call her now, simply was something I wasn't prepared for. The sound, the music, the magic was all there. Bass extension, deep and fast, the highs were crystal clear with a shimmer I hadn't heard before. The mids were to die for, velvety smooth with resolution beyond belief, surely I could die, and hopefully go to heaven now.
With my old system I was getting perhaps 75 percent of the music. With my new system, in part owned by the bank, I'm getting about 90 percent, a tremendous improvement indeed. Is it worth it? Only time will tell, but I'm very happy with the end result. The Ushers are fantastic, but very finicky. They must be matched carefully with other equipment, for synergy, and brilliance, but when done, they are wonderful, and non-fatiguing, and will reward you with many hours of blissful listening.
I tell this story for two reasons; one, with every fiber of my being I pray I never find myself blinded by a chase of consumerism like this ever again, two, by putting my temporary insanity into words, perhaps it may help someone out here in internet land. Hey...I figured I could pen my thoughts here, so to speak, this is Audio Asylum after all. Let me go to work, I have to pay for this system, in the mean time, all of you...enjoy the music!
lifes just too short!
Product Weakness: | very system dependent, large, heavy |
Product Strengths: | Musical, velvety midrange, great bass, non-fatiguing- |
Amplifier: | Prima Luna 7 |
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): | Modwright 9.0se |
Sources (CDP/Turntable): | Cary 306/200 |
Speakers: | Usher AC-10 |
Cables/Interconnects: | Harmonic Tech Prosilsway Mk II |
Music Used (Genre/Selections): | jazz, R&B, Classical |
Room Size (LxWxH): | 16 x 13 x 8 |
Room Comments/Treatments: | n/a |
Time Period/Length of Audition: | 3 mos |
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): | Running Springs Haley |
Type of Audition/Review: | Product Owner |
Your System (if other than home audition): | In store, and home |
full break in takes SEVERAL HUNDRED HOURS!
This I believe as I have been breaking in a pair of their most decorated and cheapest speakers: S-520's. They will sound good, then bad, then good, and then will start to sound better and better. I'm in the "better and better" phase.
The dealer is not being very fair as 10 days will hardly touch the true sound unless you run them 24 hours a day. But now you're happy and that's all that matters! YeeHaw!
.......
Complicit Constapo Talibangelical since MMIII
To buy speakers you like in the first place? You know it's not like there's anything unique or groundbreaking about the Ushers. Or any other speakers for that matter. Same old cone-dome switcheroo as a zillion other speakers.
You would have saved yourself much trouble and expense by revoicing them with an equalizer rather than revoicing them with all new gear.
"Revoicing" $8K (or $4K - doesn't matter) speakers with EQ?
Why would anybody do that - it's best to just "shitcan"(?) them, and revoice with EQ $300 speakers with precisely the same result? After all, there's nothing more to the quality of sound than flat frequency response - RIGHT?
"Why would anybody do that - it's best to just "shitcan"(?) them, and revoice with EQ $300 speakers with precisely the same result? After all, there's nothing more to the quality of sound than flat frequency response - RIGHT?"
You think so? I don't.
I think there are a number of other factors in play regarding the upgrading the OP did to get the best out of his $8k speakers.
Regards,
Geoff
"I think there are a number of other factors in play regarding the upgrading the OP did to get the best out of his $8k speakers."
Any or all which might have been more easily done by an equalizer. In any event if you have speakers you dislike EQing them is a good place to start. Or better yet shitcan them and get speakers you like.
bought speakers without hearing them first (stats); HATED them. playing upstream brought improvements, but never satisfaction.
lesson learned:
of all things to buy for a stereo, the most essential to audition are speakers. (biggest influence on performance, and most demanding logistically in event of dissatisfaction).
glad it worked out for you.
best
rc
I was under the impression that Usher was a Taiwanese company (NOT Chinese and made very clear from a company representative I spoke to).
Stu
Yes, USHER is from Taiwan, not Korea, not China (PRC). And they make fine speakers! I believe the AC-10 has been discontinued. The current flagship speakers are the BE-10 and -20 which have beryllium tweeter/midrange combo. They have been generating quite a buzz. A friend of mine, whom I considered to have golden ears, and who is very picky when it comes to equipment, went to USHER's flagship store in Taipei several months ago and listened to a pair of BE-20. He hasn't stopped singing praises about them.
I am going back to Taiwan this Christmas and plan to visit USHER's flagship store and do some extensive auditioning.
My God, that sounded like a marketing pitch! Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with USHER except the fact that I am also a Taiwanese. ;-)
FrankC
I assume, that you did not have to ship them, that would be quite costly, but taking a pair of 8K speakers on a trial without knwoing how they would sound is a bit of risky, is it not? I never bought a set of speakers without having some idea how they supposed to sound based on first hand experiences.
I am glad for you, that it turned out to be a happy ending, with the cautionary tale burried somewhere in there...at one point you should hear things before you let them in your house :-).
dee
;-D
True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.Kurt Vonnegut
Thanks for sharing. Some do, somewhat blindly, follow the often quoted dictum of spending the bulk of one's audio equipment budget on speakers, and wind up being disappointed; or like you, upgrade the rest of the components to match the revealing, high-performance speakers they bought. Been there too.
Regards,
Geoff
how about a side by side comparison(listing) of your old vs. new system?
great story.
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