Nice Big Speakers

Today I had the good fortune to spend the afternoon hearing my new speakers being run in at the factory.

I was quite literally blown away, and rather worried about what they are going to do when they arrive here soon. Some of you will have listened to the Proac D100's at the shows recently. I had, but nothing prepared me for today. These things are monsters - but can equally caress the soul with a midrange to die for. The bass possibly lacks some of the pitch definition you get with a smaller speaker but the payback is waves of air moving the hairs on your arms, and note structures you never knew existed. As for levels, well let's say they were capable of causing fear in an unpartitioned industrial unit. Slam ? WM has no idea

The system comprised the D100's driven by 400wpc of valve power courtesy of Jadis JA500's, an Audio Research LS22 preamp. The source was a £120 five year old CD player from Rotel Yep! Source first eh

Truth be told, I suspect it is going to be a challenge too far to tame these babies in my new generously proportioned listening room. But today confirmed that I simply have to try.

For me the lesson of today was simple. Invest in the bigget baddest speaker system you can afford. Then upgrade the Source when you can. The portrayal of a full orchestra through the D100's using the budget CD player had to be heard to be beleived!

What do you classical fans think of the importance of large speakers?

 

Madness

 

Indeed Robbo

But i've now got the JBL's working without exciting the room mode and I ain't going back to weenie speakers like 1sc's

I can't believe you, you have a detatched house, no one to annoy, and you still have speakers only three times the size of a pair of headphones

 

Ah. Not strictly true unfortunately

Although the idea of some D25s in light oak wasnt too badly received, so there's some hope here I feel!

 

I still think it would be a great idea to drop the D100's off at your place just before your beloved comes home:JOEL:

 

merlin,
i think you need to buy yourself a baseball bat and a doberman and maybe invest in some boiling oil. that way you can repel the rest of the poeple who live in your building when they come to lynch you.
cheers



julian

 

As a classical fan I don't think anything about large or narrow speakers.
The sound of classical music has so many characteristics that it is hardly possible to find a speaker which can reproduce all these characteristics together. For listeners who don't have much experience with classical music it can sound fantastic with good speakers but people, who go constantly to concerts and are aware of the sonics in the concert halls, will immediately find some characteristics which the loudspeakers aren't abe to reproduce.
The sound characteristics change also depending on the position you are in the hall and therefore also where you prefer to sit.
In other words classical music is very tricky when you are not very experienced with it.

 

:tempted:

 

Ahead of you Julian,

I've already started the drooling and snarling on the stairs

In all seriousness Titian, I have found that a full range system is neccessary to reroduce the gravitas that i feel underpins the ebb and flow of the few full orchestral works I own.

I cannot see how it is possible to feel such music through minimonitors or smal floorstanders. I really love the setup Robbo has. it is supremely balanced but even that falls down with large scale works in an ultimate sense.

 

Not sure if its about big speakers... just not too small. I once moved from a pair of small floorstanders (ruark templars) to small standmounts (Harbeth P3). I must have been on a big chamber thing at the time because they were wonderful when I auditioned them. At the time all I was listening to were Beethoven's Rasumovsky quartets.

But when I got back to listening to Bruckner, Shostakovich and Mahler etc things just were not right. When I then moved to a detached house it was soon goodbye to the Harbeths and hello Audiophysic tempos.

Then later I moved to a terraced house.... and finally I discovered Quad Electrostatics. It does not matter if the music is big or small - the Quads just do it. And without getting the neighbours involved either.

 

My first pair of hifi speakers is the Ruark Templers. The sound is so wonderfully romantic that I actually still have them for the bedroom system. All tune sound nice and warm particularly it seems to make most females singer suddenly take on a huskier sexy voice.

I once bought home a pair of Martin Logan ESL for home demo. After a few days both my uni flatmate and I didn't thought they were that much inprovement to the Templers. And they are definately too big for my 16x12 feet room.

However, it is when as all you say after coming home from concerts hall especially after listening to some classical symphony that finally drove me to look for upgrade. My ex flatmate Shahinian does a better job but I don't like the upper frequencies which seems a bit over bight and artificially high-lighted.

After a few thousands pounds spend I kind of give up trying to replicate the real RSNO in my living room. The way you describe those Quad (and those biggg Proac) really makes me tempted to audition them. Where could I hear a pair in Glasgow or Edinburgh?

 

http://www.audiosalon.co.uk/portfolio/proac/proacpricelist.html

Try hear for Glasgow wolfie they also stock Revel, ART, ATC and Zingali loudspeakers, they also have some bargains in the second hand exdem shop (The Hifi shop) not sure where you will hear the quads though.

 

If it wasn't for classical music I would have never end up with a system like I now have. Very probably I would have a hifi of less than 1/4 of the price.
I found that, yes, the speakers were the main problem. I had serious problems to get something which could come close to reproduce classical music like in live. Until then I didn't care much more about Hifi which was a manifestation of how I was frustrated. I'm not going to write here or any where else how much such speakers (which normally cost a fortune) are important because I would be accused encouraging people to 'throw away their money'. I haven't heard the D100 but there is another point which is important to mention, which once you told me: anything can sound fantastic but only until you hear something better. That is also why some people never go to hear other (better) stuff because they are afraid that they wouldn't like their own system any more.
Another point is that once you get 'the perfect speakers' you find out that the source and the 'rest' is also that much important.

 

In my humble opinion buying a car like BMW, Masserati, Ferarri is wasteful. I would rather choose to spend a hifi system for the cost of one of these cars.

 

Not sure about the Proacs - maybe Loud & Clear.

The Quads are on demo at Hifi Corner in Edinburgh or Glasgow but IMO as a shop they are not much better than Currys or Dixons. You'd be better trying Kevin Galloway Audio in Kilmarnock www.kevingallowayaudio.co.uk as he has a good dem room, and excellent service as well as being a friendly chap.

 

A good pair of monitors + a good pair of subwoofers do the same job, if not better in some areas, than large speakers, and are easier to setup in a living room... :MILD:

 

this seems very familiar to me. :MILD:

 

Alan do hifi corner have quad electrostatics?

As for L&C nice guys but a bit pricy AS will do him a good price on D100s and their s/h stuff blows away L&C prices.

Agree re Hifi Corner though they are better than dixons etc.

As for that Kilmarnock bloke, well great business man but hifi enthusiast, i'm not so sure. I wouldn't give him my hard earned.

Paul

 

Well, to a certain degree, but they do not have the headroom and dynamics of proper big speakers. Also I am convinced that sat/subs don't integrate properly without time alignment. You cant beat a good pair of big 'uns!

 

Ahhh, a mere £30k... a pittance sir!