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In Reply to: Monitor Audio Silver 8i posted by layman on May 25, 2003 at 23:51:07:
Do you know anything about the new Silver S8? Do they have the same peak?
Follow Ups:
Above: Measurements published by Audio Ideas Guide of Silver8iIt took some digging but I have located the review published in the June 99 issue of Home Theater Magazine. I goofed. The measurements are the original Monitor Series not the "i" series revision. The mag measures a complete system consisting of the Silver 5, 3 and Center and each one displays the high treble peak (10kHz-16kHz). I checked the Home Theater web-site but this review is old and does not appear in their archives (2001-2003).
http://www.hometheatermag.com/
The good news is that the 8i does not display the high frequency peak. I found on-line measurements of the Silver 8i courtesy of Audio Ideas Guide. The bad news concerns the location of the frequency peak. It occurs in the upper-midrange, which measures 3-4dB higher than the treble (look at the second un-smoothed curve). This peak is not as severe in amplitude as the higher frequency peak of the original Silver series. Yet it falls in a frequency band (the upper mid-range) at which hearing sensitiviy is far greater than the high treble. The 3dB peak will be audible and difficult to treat in the manner I outlined (absorptive ring around tweeter, tube amp etc.). For one thing the peak is not a tweeter problem at all but occurs at the top of the mid-woofers' passband. The best thing to do is to sit off-axis of this model, where the peak will be somewhat depressed.
It's okay. The Monitors are gone. I'm not going to live with a speaker that makes my ears bleed and drives my wife crazy. I'm done with metal tweeters and drivers for life. I did some extensive listening today and I've really had it with those speakers.
Based on the measurements the problem is the mid-woofer not the tweeter. Peaks in the upper mid-range are very common in modern speakers. Many tube amps actually make these peaks worse. If you are really through with the speakers, you might want to consider more laid-back speakers like Spendors.
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