zuhars@iris.eecs.ucdavis.edu (Gary Kreskin Huckabay) (04/08/91)
I have a few questions which I would very much like to hear people's suggestions on. I am currently shopping for a new set of speakers for my system, as I have, over time, upgraded everything else to the point where I definitely need some. My budget for a set of speakers is anywhere from $1000-$2500, and space limitations are not a problem. Currently, I am running a set of Acoustat 1+1's with a custom subwoofer, purchased about four years ago (used) for $1100. My electronics are: * VTL CDB 582 CD Player * Audible Illusions Modulus Preamp * Dual Modified Adcom GFA-555 amps (I was VERY surprised to find the low quality of components in the Adcom as original equipment, and so had some rather expensive modifications done to replace capacitors and a couple of other things. All told, I would have been better off buying higher quality amplification in the first place. Oh, well. Live and learn. They sound great now.) The speakers I eventually purchase will have to mesh well with these electronics, as I'll have them for a long while. So far, I have auditioned the following speakers for at least a couple of hours, under varying conditions: Vandersteen 2Ci's. I wasn't terribly impressed by these speakers at all, but they did have some strong points. Thiel CS-2, and CS-3.5's. Very nice, I thought, but not quite as 'airy' a sound as I am looking for. Precise 10's. So far, this is the speaker I am leaning towards purchasing. They have fantastic, tight imaging, have a very 'airy' sound to them, and are very musical. They have one small drawback - the very low bass is very distinctive somehow. However, an excellent speaker, particularly when you consider the very low price of $1100. (Which I didn't find out about until AFTER I had listened to them for about 3 hours.) I would like very much to hear all of my options before buying, as this is something of a major purchase for me. I know there are a great many speakers out there in my price range, and I obviously won't be able to hear them all. But any suggestions people could make through email would be very much appreciated. Thanks very much, Gary Huckabay.
donald@mps.ohio-state.edu (Donald Maffly) (04/10/91)
About the Precise Model 10. I was curious about this speaker because The Absolute Sound liked it. So I checked it out. It certainly can kick out a lot of bass. It had a nice warmth to it. But after comparing it to the Spica Angelus, one to one, I found that it couldn't image as well as the Angelus. The Angelus of course couldn't pump out the bass that the Precise 10 could. You mentioned the bass being a bit too "distinctive"-- I suppose you meant a bit too prominent. Well, bass response depends so much upon room placement, so I wouldn't give up on the speaker until I took it home and experimented with placement. One thing you should note: both Audio and Speaker Builder magazines gave this speaker a bad review on the grounds of some bad measurements; as for subjective points of view neither of those magazines can really be relied upon. But perhaps you should check out those reviews before making a decision. The Audio couldn't have been more than 6 months old. The Speaker Builder was the end of 1990 sometime. Judging from the speakers you have auditioned, it sounds like you are shopping in the 1500-2600 dollar category. The Theils sound like they might be a good bet, although I have only heard the 1.2. The Martin Logan Sequel fits your pricing. Alot of people I talk to like that one. It is a hybrid design with electrostatic on top, dynamic on the bottom. I haven't heard it though, but I do like its styling. - D Maffly
rogerk@sco.COM (Roger Knopf 5502) (04/11/91)
In article <10850@uwm.edu> zuhars@iris.eecs.ucdavis.edu (Gary Kreskin Huckabay) writes: >I am currently shopping for a new set of speakers for my system, as I >have, over time, upgraded everything else to the point where I definitely >need some. My budget for a set of speakers is anywhere from $1000-$2500, >and space limitations are not a problem. (....) >Precise 10's. So far, this is the speaker I am leaning towards purchasing. >They have fantastic, tight imaging, have a very 'airy' sound to them, and >are very musical. They have one small drawback - the very low bass is >very distinctive somehow. However, an excellent speaker, particularly when >you consider the very low price of $1100. (Which I didn't find out about >until AFTER I had listened to them for about 3 hours.) I auditioned both the Precise 10's and Dahlquist DQ-20i's with my amplification prior to purchasing. I found the Dahlquist to have more definition and freedom from midrange sludge and high range grit compared to the Precise. Imaging was about the same and the Dahlquist speakers looked better. At the time I was auditioning, the Precise went for around $1500 and the Dahlquist for $2000. I also felt that the Vandersteens were more musical and had a nice low end - deep and satisfying. At the high end in your price range, I suggest auditioning the Mirage M-3. I auditioned the M-1s and they were just this side of heaven. Stereophile thought that the M-3 was very comparable and it goes for $2500. -- Roger Knopf "Step 1: Get a Guru." SCO Consulting Services -mikeeb@sco.COM uunet!sco!rogerk or rogerk@sco.com 408-425-7222 (voice) 408-458-4227 (fax)
schulz@darmstadt.gmd.de (Guenter F. Schulz) (04/12/91)
In article <10850@uwm.edu>, zuhars@iris.eecs.ucdavis.edu (Gary Kreskin Huckabay) writes: > I have a few questions which I would very much like to hear people's > suggestions on. > > I am currently shopping for a new set of speakers for my system, as I > have, over time, upgraded everything else to the point where I definitely > need some. My budget for a set of speakers is anywhere from $1000-$2500, > and space limitations are not a problem. > [much deleted] > > Thanks very much, > > Gary Huckabay. > > ...speaking about speakers, did you ever think of buying a kit if not building them completely on your own? In France and Germany and probably in some other countries as well there are really great speaker kits available from a company named FOCAL. Wonder whether you have heared about them in the US? If they are available with you I'd strongly recommend you to listen to them before you make up your decision. Some years ago when I did not want to spend much time into building speakers any longer I purchased my first FOCALs: the ONYX. At that time I could not spend so much money for extras and hobbies, but what I got for a total of about $$1000 and 16 hours of work was really great and you could easily compare them with factory-ready speakers three times as expensive. About a year ago I purchased the FOCAL EXPRESSIONs. They cost me about $$2.700 (a pair) and only 10 hours of work because I decided to buy assembled and finished enclosures (? term). How should I describe them? They are simply wonderful, period (or better: exclamation mark...). I will not go into details now, as I don't have too much time left, but if you are interested further, please mail me and I will return on this topic. If you should know any hifi dealer in the US who has them, rush to him and give the FOCALs a listen. By the way, in the meantime they've got an excellent rating by our most competent German hifi mag (Stereoplay). They placed them on the top of the "Spitzenklasse" list which is one level below the high-end list (with items starting at ~$$10.000). Hope I made you a little curious... Regards, Guenter.