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Post by matt@IAA on Jul 21, 2021 13:03:32 GMT -6
Ok, so I have a small 5.1 inexpensive Klipsch setup in my living room, a Christmas gift from my wife when we first got married. One of those budget Best Buy all-in-one-box sets.
We want to upgrade a bit, and I feel like I should have a better opinion about speakers than I do...but I don't. Help me out. When I listen to Klipsch stuff I like it, but then people tell me horns are the devil. Polks sound shrouded to me by comparison. Should I be looking elsewhere? What do you listen to music on -- not critical listening for work/engineering/mastering, but to enjoy music?
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Post by bgrotto on Jul 21, 2021 13:22:25 GMT -6
Horns are certainly not the devil! Ureis, JBLs, Augspurgers, buncha great-sounding monitors use horns.
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Post by Tbone81 on Jul 21, 2021 13:34:20 GMT -6
I listen to some older technics I got when I was like 15. They’re nothing special but they don’t sound harsh, muddy, overly hyped etc…basically there’s nothing bad about them and they where they are hyped it’s musical and sounds nice.
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Post by svart on Jul 21, 2021 13:47:49 GMT -6
I kind of went through this a few years ago and back then you could still go to a hifi store and listen.. I didn't like Polk stuff unless it was the really high-end models.. Well outside my pricerange. I didn't mind the mid level Klipsch stuff at all. In fact I was prepared to buy a set of Klipsch Reference Premier speakers when I came across a used/demo set of Jamo S809 for fairly cheap on Crutchfield. I found a place around town that had a set to listen to and was surprised at how good they sounded for a "cheap" speaker. I bought the set from Crutchfield and I've been digging them since. They're laid back, not terribly "exciting" but things sound good on them without resorting to EQ on the stereo and such. I don't play music loud or listen to TV very loud so they work just fine for me. Playing at a higher level might not suit them though. Jamo has had some incredible price drops lately too. When I bought mine they were like 600$ for a used/demo pair but now they're like 400$ for a new pair.
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ericn
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Post by ericn on Jul 21, 2021 15:35:43 GMT -6
With a Sub the little KEF LS50 is really hard to beat. Good horns and drivers are expensive.
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Post by jmoose on Jul 21, 2021 19:35:46 GMT -6
I used a pair of Tannoy pbm6.5 for a zillion years... actually looking at them in the TV room now. They never quite worked for me in the studio, mix translation was kinda weird but I always dug listening to them.
About a year ago the Sony receiver I was using for power lost a side. After coping with the built in TV speakers for a week or so I was in the box club and saw a Bose soundbar for $180? Fuck it. Run it.
It's ok. Not awesome. Certainly way better then TV speakers and decent enough for music. I do use the Bluetooth hookup way more then I'd have ever expected. But for under $200 I wasn't expecting award winning audio.
At some point I do want to get the Tannoy or a set of Boston Acoustics back in action...
All the wiring for the amp is buried behind bookcases and tied into the lighting so it's a major drag to get into and redo. Always another project to tackle... but new windows are getting installed in September and the bookcases and TV need to move for that.
My other everyday listening system is a Sony desktop radio/CD player thing with a pair of maybe 4" speakers. That sits on my office desk... spin CDs and my laptop is plugged to the aux in. Good enough for NPR and utoob!
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Post by the other mark williams on Jul 29, 2021 23:45:33 GMT -6
I have been surprised as hell about this, but I got one of them Apple HomePods (the original, larger ones) for my wife just over a year ago, and the damn thing sounded good enough that I got a second one a few months later that automatically matches up with the first one to make a stereo pair. Together, they actually sound surprisingly good, and they fit our décor enough that she doesn’t mind them sitting out in the main room. She was never really comfortable aesthetically with any other solution before this one.
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Post by matt@IAA on Jul 30, 2021 6:28:49 GMT -6
Interesting about the HomePods - I have never heard of those before this.
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Post by seawell on Jul 30, 2021 13:43:49 GMT -6
I have been surprised as hell about this, but I got one of them Apple HomePods (the original, larger ones) for my wife just over a year ago, and the damn thing sounded good enough that I got a second one a few months later that automatically matches up with the first one to make a stereo pair. Together, they actually sound surprisingly good, and they fit our décor enough that she doesn’t mind them sitting out in the main room. She was never really comfortable aesthetically with any other solution before this one. I have a single HomePod and can vouch for how good it sounds! Really great low end. I haven't thought about adding another to run in stereo but that's a great idea. |
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Post by the other mark williams on Jul 30, 2021 19:54:44 GMT -6
I have been surprised as hell about this, but I got one of them Apple HomePods (the original, larger ones) for my wife just over a year ago, and the damn thing sounded good enough that I got a second one a few months later that automatically matches up with the first one to make a stereo pair. Together, they actually sound surprisingly good, and they fit our décor enough that she doesn’t mind them sitting out in the main room. She was never really comfortable aesthetically with any other solution before this one. I have a single HomePod and can vouch for how good it sounds! Really great low end. I haven't thought about adding another to run in stereo but that's a great idea. The quality somehow more than doubles when you add a second one. It's weird. Of course, they're discontinued now, so you have to hunt a bit to find one, but it's worth it, IMO. |
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Post by dmo on Jul 31, 2021 21:10:36 GMT -6
Matt, I think speakers, like guitars, are often personal preference - ultimately it's what sounds good/"best" to you. As Eric mentioned, the little KEF sounds really good, and I'd also recommend listening to Golden Ear Technologies if any dealers near you. I have medium size floor standing Focals in my listening room and am very happy with them - but they are not in everyone's budget.
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ericn
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Post by ericn on Aug 1, 2021 17:46:19 GMT -6
Matt, I think speakers, like guitars, are often personal preference - ultimately it's what sounds good/"best" to you. As Eric mentioned, the little KEF sounds really good, and I'd also recommend listening to Golden Ear Technologies if any dealers near you. I have medium size floor standing Focals in my listening room and am very happy with them - but they are not in everyone's budget.
In an untreated living area the room itself is a major part as well. |
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Post by sophiass091 on Sept 7, 2021 10:06:21 GMT -6
Horns are certainly not the devil
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2021 10:13:07 GMT -6
Horns are certainly not the devil But they say the devil has horns  |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2021 10:18:23 GMT -6
You might take a look at a high-end soundbar--something like a Sonos or Sennheiser (we've got the Sennheiser). They are surprisingly good, supporting stereo, 5.1, Atmos by using speakers that bounce off room surfaces. It's not the same experience as a room full of speakers, but you'll still get stuff from the sides, the rears and overhead. And you'll certainly reduce the clutter in your TV living room. Avoid the soundbars that use psycho-acoustic tricks to get surround out of stereo. They use phase stuff that will make you hurl. The best ones have real speakers (the Sennheiser has 13), so channels remain discreet.
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Post by matt@IAA on Sept 7, 2021 10:48:53 GMT -6
I pulled the trigger on a pair of floorstanding Klipsch speakers. I am kind of a cheapskate and I never would have except for my wife encouraging me for my birthday. So i replaced the front pair of my existing 5.1 setup with these, kept the other 3 and the little 6" sub.
I will say... wow. The improvement in body and realism of music is far, far better than I expected it to be. And movies are even better. I am blown away.
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Post by svart on Sept 7, 2021 12:21:28 GMT -6
I pulled the trigger on a pair of floorstanding Klipsch speakers. I am kind of a cheapskate and I never would have except for my wife encouraging me for my birthday. So i replaced the front pair of my existing 5.1 setup with these, kept the other 3 and the little 6" sub. I will say... wow. The improvement in body and realism of music is far, far better than I expected it to be. And movies are even better. I am blown away. They are in the business to please the customer. Some folks hate loaded horns, but Klipsch knows how to make them sound pretty good. |
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