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In Reply to: Oops! Welcome to the party.
I have a hunch that 6db x-overs are part of the answer. I have been searching for years for speakers that really satisfy me; I am about to go out and listen to Spendor SP 1/2s and Totem Winds, if I can fine a pair. One revealing episode came when I listened to B & W N 804s playing the final trio from Rosenkavalier (EMI Haitink version); sounded good, but not very moving; then listened to a pair of ML SL3s; top rounded off and all the usual complaints, but it made me sit down and really listen to the music. Now they have a 12 db x-over, but none above 250 H. I want to listen again to the ET LFT8a; that may be my answer. But I am convinced that high order x-overs in the voice range are a killer--though I will listen to those Spendors.
Follow Ups:
Chris,
I'm unsure what you're saying about crossovers and the correlation with your listening pleasure. You listen first and then later check out the crossover--6dB or 12dB--to see if that's responsible for your listening pleasure? Or you check out the specs first and then go to audition the speakers that specs lead you to believe will satisfy you??I ask this since I own ET's but have no idea what the crossover is like (I'm not particularly technical). I'm wondering what it is that makes you think LFT VIII's will satisfy?
Thanks,
Bruce
...almost an hour to write a lengthy reply to Rich… but then I had a power interruption and I lost my document. I do not do it again.Yes, the first order crossover is it something witch is indispensable for this type of music but there is lot of more to it . Probably it will be desiccated in future at:
http://www.audiooutcasts.com/wwwthreads/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=General&Number=90&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=
Regards,
Romy The caT
Romy, sorry to hear you lost your reply to me. I would really have enjoyed reading it (boy I hate when that happens, I've lost several long posts just before hitting "send." Kinda takes the wind out of you for a while).I really appreciate everyone's response to my post.
I'd like to point out that I'm quite aware of all the conundrums associated with high-end audio - accuracy vs musicality, the "absolute sound" vs the "absolute emotion" and on an on.
My post was not necessarily related to "how to buy a satisfying sound system." Clearly, tastes being different, some would have found satisfaction in the "mega speaker" over the Dunlavy.
Myself, I can generally enjoy music on almost any system, no matter how modest. However, hi-fi *is* short for "high-fidelity," and my post was actually more concerned with that aspect of the listening experience. I share with many audiophiles, past and present, a fascination with the sound of real instruments, and the reproduction of those instruments. Can we, using wooden boxes, vibrating cones of rubber, metal, paper, (or sheets of mylar), a bunch of magnets and wire, accurately reproduce the sound of real instruments? Sometimes it's amazing how close we get, and other times it's amazing how heroic efforts manage to fall entirely short.In my post, I was ruminating on the ability of my emotions, and acoustic memory in determining sonic accuracy of those loudspeakers.
One question I left the audition with was: was I right about the timbral accuracy of the Dunlavy vs the mega speaker? Is it possible that in blind testing against real instruments, I might have surprised myself and chosen the mega speaker as more accurate? Could be. But my experience in comparing speakers with real instruments so far implies that the feeling of "rightness" that I experience from a loudspeaker is a good indicator as to how accurately it will reproduce the sound of my real instruments (from my own recordings of those instruments). So if my impressions were correct, and the Dunlavy speakers were capturing something fundamentally right that the mega speakers missed, what was responsible for this? The frequency measurements for each speaker are among the most "accurate" you can find anywhere, with both going for a flat on-axis response. I find this to be a fascinating puzzle.
BTW, It's almost become fashionable to fear the quest for
sonic accuracy/realism. The sentiment is that, since absolute sonic accuracy is currently out of reach for us, attempting to reach that goal will simply drive you crazy; concentrating on the unattainable realism of the sound will distract you from the music. I happen to be quite sympathetic to this line of thinking, which is why I when I listen to music I tend to leave behind questions of sonic realism. However, I also LOVE the sound of real acoustic instruments, and I'm terrifically appreciative of those people who are striving to design gear that may some day reproduce those sounds in my home. They may not be there yet but bully for them, because ideally someday we'll have the choice of reaping the benefits of their work (*choice* as in: we can always stick to our less accurate equipment if we enjoy it more).So for me, I enjoy the music, but I can also derive pleasure from the engineering aspects of hi-fi, and the quest for accuracy. One line of thinking does not poison the other. Sometimes they feel like entirely separate goals, and other times they move closer together, actually becoming inseparable on some occasions. That's much of the fun of enjoying a hobby that intersects art/science/engineering.
My 2 cents, anyway..
Rich H.
*** I'm quite aware of all the conundrums associated with high-end audio - accuracy vs musicality, the "absolute sound" vs the "absolute emotion" and on an on.There are no conundrums about it. The accuracy, musicality, "absolute sound” and "absolute emotion" are the organic part of the very same pictures. You just have to know how to melt them together. For example: education and wisdom, age and maturity are not necessary come together but there are people for whom they are the conflict-less complimentary qualities…
*** speakers were capturing something fundamentally right that the mega speakers missed, what was responsible for this?
When I asked the same question to an individual, who believe that he know the answer, he replied that, yes, there are the things witch are responsible… but those things are not that we know.
*** It's almost become fashionable to fear the quest for sonic accuracy/realism.
The Sonic realism is the most bogus concept the Audio Cheerleaders ever deployed. When a listener stop to recognize the way how his “himself” reacts to music but begin to look for an abstractive “realism” then Music listener die and a zombie audiophile is born.
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