Speaker Asylum General speaker questions for audio and home theater.

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Bad taste in your mouth....

Posted by Brian Cheney (M) on March 23, 2004 at 19:02:35

In Reply to: Dynamic IP addresses are very common posted by ephemere on March 23, 2004 at 16:49:05:

Well imagine how I feel, as I make my living by selling loudspeakers and have done nothing else going on 28 years.

It's not unusual for an audiophile to have problems with the sound of his system. If he's just expended $5k for speakers he expects good results. I make tunable systems than can adapt to their environment. They can also be mistuned and then sound very bad.

While no speaker is perfect the listening environment, even with some common treatments like Sonex or bass traps, is bound to be far from ideal as well. When you add furniture or people to the mix results are unpredictable and sometimes quite poor from an acoustic standpoint. I once heard an "ideal speaker" playing music in the home of a wealthy music lover. The sound was best described as
"early digititis" with all the unpleasantness that implies. The equipment: the 5 members of a local string quartet (plus additional cellist) playing Schubert live right in front of me.

I have visited nearly 300 residential installations in the past 15 years, gathering data on how VMPS speakers perform in varying environments, and tuning the systems for the owners (who are usually very surprised to see me). In all these rooms I can think of only one (a basement) where the RM40 bass was as the reviewer describes and did not yield entirely to the system's bass damping and level control adjustments. However, in this same room a pair of large (18") Velodyne subwoofers also failed to provide the bass extension and impact one would desire.

When you subtract the mid and lowbass output of the system you are left with a midrangy sound that is harsh and unpleasant. Note that the reviewer claims he was unable to get good lowbass from the ML Prodigy's he reportedly replaced the RM40's with and therefore bought two subwoofers. I surmise the RM40's would have also sounded better with two subwoofers in the system. We don't know because the owner writes he "got rid" of the 40's 4 months after purchase. He won't tell us when or where he purchased the speakers, or identify himself.

This is so unusual I can't remember another such case. I or the dealer who provided the speakers hear from unhappy customers instantaneously, in my experience. The owner has no qualms about identifying himself, giving me info on his room and equipment, and pinpointing precisely what's wrong with his sound. Usually he can be helped. There are 500 RM40's in the field and believe me, people with problems tell me about it right away in no uncertain terms. This person never contacted me or anyone associated with VMPS.

The reviewer posts anonymously and cannot be contacted. The other poster who said he "had 100 hours" on the RM40's and his system did not sound good has not responded to my email asking him for particulars, including his name and when/where speakers were purchased. I realize manufacturer's like John Meyer have threatened to sue posters on AA for maligning his product, but that's not what I do. If people want help, I want to help them. If they're unhappy with VMPS speakers they can get a refund (no questions asked) within 30 days of receipt, paying only return freight.

I suggest reviewers be registered inmates using their real names, emails and tracable IP addresses. I think this would cut down on sockpuppetry and other deceptions that are plaguing message boards everywhere on many subjects, not just audio (see Marty deWulf's editorial in the current Bound for Sound). While good reviews generate interest, bad ones destroy business. And another thing: what's with posters who insist on character assassination of well-known audio engineers with sterling reputations? My colleagues John Curl and John Risch have the patience of Job dealing with relentless slurs and ad hominem attacks from people with no qualifications to hurl same (such as university degrees or decades of professional audio experience).

So inmates, moderators, Romans: what do we do? High end audio is such a small marketplace and the web has become not only its chatroom, but it's slander mill. Something must be done.

If you'd like to read some good reviews of the RM 40, go to our website or the VMPS Forum on www.audiocircle.com.

Big B

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