greg@olivej.UUCP (Greg Paley) (08/24/84)
This is prompted by the $ensible Sound recommendation of the JSE speakers, as relayed to the net by Bill Mitchell. I want to make clear that I have no argument whatsoever with the recommendation (in fact, I haven't heard the JSE's) or Bill Mitchell's posting, but felt that the emphasis on imaging might be misleading. I purchased a pair of Vandersteen 2C's last January after a year and a half of intensive comparisons and agonizing. I'm not trying to plug them or put down any rivals, but wanted to mention my reasons for choosing them. The characteristic of "imaging" - i.e., being able to reproduce the sounds of individual instruments in such a way that a listener could, with eyes closed, perceive them as emanating from an unambiguous position which remains fixed in space, is important, but is by no means the only aspect of a speaker's performance to be considered. Even at the time I bought the speakers (without having the JSE models for comparison) there were several models in more or less the same price category as the Vandersteen's which I felt were superior with regard to "imaging". Among them were models by Thiel and Fusilier. What made me prefer the Vandersteens was the overall tonal balance - the ability to reproduce sounds over a wide range with no audible emphasis on any one area. Furthermore, I found that although their resolution was sufficient for small ensembles and chamber music, they provided the capacity for the type of sound in large opera and orchestral works that I've heard in concert halls. The speakers with the greatest imaging I heard, the Quad ESL's, were fine for small works but seemed to pay the price with a severe lack of bass and a miniatiurization (if there is such a word) of large-scale opera and symphonic works. I particularly found this when listening to Wagner recordings with Birgit Nilsson, made when she still sounded good. I've heard her voice, particularly in its upper range, seem to expand and "fill" a theater in live performance so that, with eyes closed, one was surrounded by the sound rather than being able to isolate it to the point on the stage where she stood. It was, therefore, a very peculiar experience to hear, with the Quad ESL speakers, what seemed to be merely the "core" of this voice emanating from a precise and narrow location. I didn't find it disagreeable, but at the same time it was a substantial reduction in the power and impact of "the real thing". This is, of course, purely personal preference, mostly dictated by my musical tastes and my use of the concert hall environment as a reference point. I have no knowledge that the recommended JSE speakers have any failings in the regards mentioned. - Greg Paley