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In Reply to: RE: Ok, I'm listening - then explain to me their limitations posted by airtime on September 03, 2016 at 07:16:53
The commercial and DIY markets are chock full of small ported 2-way stand mounted speakers in 10-15L rectangular boxes with 5.5-7" mid-bass drivers and 1" dome tweeters. It's probably the most common type of loudspeaker. Crossover points are typically around 1800-2200 Hz. They are all aiming for around 45 Hz bass extension (in-room with some boundary reinforcement). They all image pretty well. The main limitations of this format are low-medium sensitivity (83-86 dB) and distortion and dynamic compression at higher SPL.
These designs can be executed at various price points ranging from a few hundred bucks retail up to tens of thousands. The SR-71 is designed for high price/performance and to be a relatively easy DIY build, it's not an all-out design for maximum performance. Although I haven't heard them, on paper I would expect them to perform at a similar level to the Revel M106 or maybe the Dynaudio Focus 160s that I currently own.
If you stay with the basic design concept but move up the price ladder, you'll find speakers like the Joseph Audio Pulsars and Dynaudio C1s that have more elaborate (non-DIY friendly) cabinets aimed at controlling diffraction and resonances, higher performance drivers, and more sophisticated crossovers. At the very high end is stuff like the Raidho D-1 with it's ribbon tweeter and exotic diamond coated ceramic driver. Generally as you move up, you're getting increasing transparency, detail, better transient response, speed.
Follow Ups:
My post was an anger response. I've had and built speakers for over 25 years and these little babies are the best I've had or heard. As you can tell I'm a little defensive about them because I like them so much. And I occasionally troll the audio boutiques when I find them.
Nothing can replace a well engineered design using high quality drivers that are properly match for the design. I've seen some designs that just wanted to jam the most expensive exotic driver in a box and FORCE to work. I've heard them and WOW - that's bad!
If I had the cash to move up the ladder then YES I would be looking at the speakers you mentioned. But as an average upper middle class guy buying speakers for $10k or more just isn't happening. So IMHO the Sr-71s are about as good as it gets for Joe Average upper middle class taxpayer.
Side note: As mentioned earlier I also believe the average audiophile is finding it harder and harder to find those audio gems. Like when I told my wife I wanted a $1000 power amp (restored Marantz 240) for my birthday she almost shit and made fun of me for a few days. She should only know the cost of a really good new power amp today. It's about the same cost as all the furniture in our bedrooms and maybe part of the living room.
Plenty of Joe Average middle class people drive shiny new $35k+ vehicles, plenty have boats, Harleys, or other expensive toys. I think the median price for a single family home in the US is near $250k, and in my area it's more like $350k. We have upper middle class friends who have spent $40-60k on kitchen remodels and one who spent $80k on a pool & patio.
$10k speakers are accessible on a middle class income. It's just a matter of how you prioritize your spending. If you keep those $10k speakers for 10 years that's only a grand a year. I know a lot of people who spend more than that on beer or wine.
Nothing can replace a well engineered design using high quality drivers that are properly match for the design. I've seen some designs that just wanted to jam the most expensive exotic driver in a box and FORCE to work. I've heard them and WOW - that's bad!
Agreed. A lot of the more exotic, higher performance drivers are reportedly hard to work with. For example, those ceramic Accuton drivers were all the rage for a while. A lot of DIY and semi-pro designers tried to make them work, but they seem to have fallen out of favor. People were hoping to get results on the level of Avalon and Kharma.
Ok so if you can convince my wife I need $10k I'm all ears!!
No really I understand prioritizing expenses. I was in a field that, lets say I saved life and limb. But would they pay their medical bills - NO!! And many times that bill was lower than the damn iPhone they were holding in their hands.
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