Good secondhand speakers for £6-700... suggestions?

It's a 12 step program to accumulate angle iron and glass. You have to tune the glass so it rings and then fiddle with spikes, you do this to pass the time while waiting for a virgin to come along who you will then sacrifice.

Other uses of Mana allow you to raise your speakers to the point that they are completely off-axis and sound better because of attenuated hf response.

 

It sounds a little like the approach taken by Clockwork Audio in Cologne. Rather than trying to kill all resonances, they try to tune to a specific frequency. They are also rather partial to C37 lacquer (actually, I use it myself so I'm a bit of a fan). Strangely enough, the Clockwork Audio people believe that the best speaker on earth is the old Celestian SL600 (the aerolam one?) which may partly account for the pretty abysmal sounds that I heard eminating from their showroom when I was there. Despite this, I felt that it was an interesting approach and there could be some mileage (kilometreage?) in it.

So with Mana you have to wait for the virgin. I believe that with Clockwork Audio she was part of the package.

 

Steve, I'm sure James will be along to give you full pitch and oustanding benefits of ferrite worship with towers of power, key words here 'Ringer for a Ringer' nothing else comes close for them

 

It means real-sounding music. Most of you will never get it, which is a pity, but there you go.

Cheers,

James

 

The only similar-sounding systems I've heard have all had Mana supports. Systems off Mana are now well-nigh unlistenable to me - just too artificial-sounding.

 

c37 laquer? is that the stuff you spray on cones to quell break up?

something maybe not so obvious, there are 2 aspects to bass...depth and volume.

When you see a speaker response graph, it shows 2 things...the volume, spl or dbs, or amplitude if you like...for this purpose, pretty much the same thing, against the freqency...oh no, shades of flat response again!

Now generally, a lot of small speakers, esp cheap ones have the bass shelved..posh word for a certain frequency band being stepped up a bit relative to the rest of the frequency.
This occurs around 70-120 or more hz typically, which gives emphasis to things like low cellos, hand drums. Proac do this by about 3 dbs, and get away with it, as they are clever.
It can be done with either the box size or the port. Maybe even changing some parameters of the woofer unit itself.
It gives a nice body and fullness, and a lot of the floorstanders don't do this, they are pretty flat or even overdamped.

The point I am making, is that a lot of the time, we mix up volume with depth.( and for that matter, the figures are not all like for like) I am sure a lot of speakers are less deep than the figures given, most small standmounts -3dbs 70 hz or so, all of atcs roll of at 40-45hz simulated. Yes even the 150s. However, their roll off is at a higher volume, and will appear to give higher bass levels.

The proac 3.8s..I want a pair!!, have a boost of a humungous 10dbs or so, and according to some this would be disastrous, but maybe its not just that, having listened to many speakers and studied design a little, the drive units are TOP quality, £110 each, and the port design could be equally if not more impotant, that causes booms as does the room, so as always its a FAR more complex picture than simple measurements or dumbed down mag articles will have you believe.

So when talking about speakers, remember there is frequncy or depth, and volume at a particular freqency. this can be fiddled by boosting higher up, giving an impression of either fullsome bass or reticent wimpy bass

 

You generally paint C37 onto cones. It doesn't quell break-up but changes the character of the sound over this region. In A/B tests on paper and aluminium cones I have found that the sound improves (to my ears). The stuff ain't cheap but it's not too expensive per cone either. It's deffo worth a try-out but perhaps not on your most expensive speakers to start with.

 

The problem is that Prozac speakers sound like toys in comparison with ATCs.

 

James,
sure it wasnt just Prozac haveing an effect

 

James, I do believe your been minorly incitive towards the rest of the Z/G population Naughty boy

 

At least they have some bass!

 

Absolutely agree with Devil for once Tony. Proacs do sound like toys, you know the things used by children and liberated women alike to bring joy and happiness.

ATC's for all their honesty, could never be accused of doing that

 

Merlin, quite correct sir, in a more 'Fridgid presentation'

 

Hardly any Robbo.

 

No, I see you'd far rather try to score points in a useless argument about what happened in the past :SLEEP:

Btw, I said the issue of your Reference Tops, not the issue with them! There is a difference!!

However, if you can't be bothered to find out, it's your loss.

Marco.

 

Marco, it's the recent past and I have a long memory. The stands and ref tops I have are set-up perfectly (after four attempts).

 

Wow, in fighting between Ferrite abusers cool does the winner get a free magnet to 'Pick up the pieces after'

 

Yes, but I'm not talking about set-up.

Marco.

 

Your spelling gets worse by the day Tony! There is no "e" on the end of ferret, even when discussing the female. And how do you know they don't actually enjoy disappearing up the port on a 50ASL or an orifice of similar dimensions

 

'Ferrite' is correct as in 'Iron particles', I feel the Jack and jills of this world wouldn't been see dead, any where that odd twosome