Comments on Profile Post by Silverion77

KEF LS50?

What have you heard and why didn’t you like it?

Lets see: (most recent to least...)
Goldenear Triton 1.R - active subs are way too overpowering/muddy. HVFR tweeter too hot. 0 imaging
Legacy Focus (original) - didn't listen long. Bass was better than the 1Rs, small read on mids and treble.
Revel F208 - treble rolloff and overpowering/muddy midbass drowning out the mids

Vandersteen Treo - best thing so far for clarity and control. Had a noticeable drop in the lower mids and treble rolloff.
Magnepan 3.7 - please never again. 0 dynamics, lower mids disappear
Focal stuff - screw that beryllium tweeter they use.

Heard more stuff earlier and a bunch of stuff at a show, but thats always a hard read due to the rooms.
I have a demo lined up for Salk Song 3's at someone's home...

I think you may have set your expectations too high if all of the models you’ve mentioned don’t even qualify as “decent.” I’d bet a lot of what you’re hearing are unoptimized room and placement where you are demoing. I’d try to narrow down the type of sound you’re looking for and triangulate with your existing impressions.

For example, I’ve used Magnepan 1.6s for five years now, and think you’d be hard pressed to find a more transparent speaker than a Maggie up to $2,000 or more. Trade offs as you noted are lack of bass weight and dynamics, and their inefficiency.

Agreed on Focals. Heard the Kanta No. 2 this week and it was not pleasant. Aria 948 was boomy bass city.

Today I demoed Paradigm Persona 3F. Would avoid like Focal for beryllium reasons.

Spendor D7 was nice, but a bit bright for me. D9 may remedy that with the true 3 way design, extra bass driver and different crossover.

Also tried KEF LS50 (great for small room), KEF R11 (eclipsed by others) and Klipsch Forte III (not my cup of tea with the horn brashness. Maybe with tubes.)

My favorite speaker I’ve heard was today and from a company I’d never heard of: Aerial Acoustics. I demoed the 6T and it was awesome! Made great recordings sound awesome, but was incredibly listenable and forgiving on my crappily recorded rock. It’s the baby brother of the 7T, which you can find reviews of online from 2012.

I’d highly recommend listening to their speakers if you can.

Maybe post in the speaker thread. Others can likely help more than me.

Agreed post here and let us know what setup you have and what you’ve tried and what kind of sound you’re seeking:

https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/general-speaker-advice-and-recommendations.4062/

Yep, considered doing that once things got more involved here...and expectations may be too high for sure.

So many variables...

Try something with room correction? After listening to only headphones for a couple of years, speakers/room sounded coloured as hell until I used room correction.

Others have already said this but it bears repeating: room positioning and treatment are important factors. You are listening to the room (to a lesser degree) as well as the speakers. I can't count the number of time I have been amazed by and frustrated by the same set of speakers in different positions/rooms.

Agreed with all of the above. Just makes the hunt the most frustrating thing in the world...Not to mention, I have no idea what sort of shitfest my room is going to be.

Any luck in your search since January?