If you had to choose a NON planar speaker, what would it be?

[Gordon Gray]

Tom,

I recognize that it's very difficult to match the "magic" of planars but YG speakers, set up properly with the right gear, do a phenomenal disappearing act with dimensionality, speed, and articulation in spades.

If I didn't have my MBL's and were shopping for a box speaker, that would be very high on my list.

In fact, I recently explored selling my 116's and buying a used pair of Kipod Signatures for about 30 cents on the dollar.

Gordon

 

[Pneumonic]

At first thought, it seems like it would be fun going to high-end audio salons to shop for some new speakers... Can any non-planar speaker sound open and airy like ML's?

If a magnetic design employ's a perfectly rigid cone and a massless voice coil/suspension/cone it could. But finding one is the challenge.

 

[slowGEEZR]

I think the day has long passed when a cone speaker can sound as open and airy as a planar type speaker. In absolute terms, the most musically accurate and real to life sounds have come from cone speakers, in my experience. That, in no way diminishes the accomplishments and sound quality of planar type speakers. I have a friend who has Rockport Arrakis speakers, powered by four VTL Siegfried II amps in a marvelous acoustically treated room that, IMO sounds just like music played live in Bass Hall, Austin. The ability to suspend the belief that one is listening to an audio system and instead is listening to live music is amazing with his system. Most speakers, cone or planar, can be made to disappear, if setup is done correctly. To compare the "boxiness" sound of old box speakers with the completely box-less sound of today's better cone speakers is an inaccurate analogy.

 

[twich54]

I think the day has long passed when a cone speaker can sound as open and airy as a planar type speaker.

Steve, I think you meant to say can't sound instead of can sound ! ? Regardless, very few 'box' speakers can compete at the Logan price points and after what I listened to over Thanksgiving I believe Nothing competes with Maggie's MG3.7 at it's price point !

 

[wrat]

probably Aerial Acoustics , it was a close call between them and my current vantages

 

[slowGEEZR]

Steve, I think you meant to say can't sound instead of can sound ! ? Regardless, very few 'box' speakers can compete at the Logan price points and after what I listened to over Thanksgiving I believe Nothing competes with Maggie's MG3.7 at it's price point !

Hey Dave, I guess it depends on your point of view whether I should have said "can't". Oh well, I hope I got my point across. I agree that the MLs and the Maggie's perform above their price point! I listened to the 3.7s and they are very good, but I think they need an awful lot of power to sound their best.

 

[roberto]

You know friends, after thinking regarding about the speakers, the truth is that I am very happy of my sound. Truly very happy! Yes, out there are better speakers than my CLXs, but I am truly in heaven! Happy listening!

 

[twich54]

I listened to the 3.7s and they are very good, but I think they need an awful lot of power to sound their best.

Me thinks your XA's would do nicely Steve !

 

[Gordon Gray]

You know friends, after thinking regarding about the speakers, the truth is that I am very happy of my sound. Truly very happy! Yes, out there are better speakers than my CLXs, but I am truly in heaven! Happy listening!

As am I my friend, with the new preamp and some solid silver jumper wires.

Obviously many ways to reach a nice plateau.

GG

 

[User211]

Or top of the line Wilson's if I ever go blind.

I'm really wondering why I said this. Must have had a good recent experience with some, but overall, on the many occasions I have heard them, I'm not really a fan. I don't deny they can do some things really well when set up right, though.

 

[amey01]

I'm really wondering why I said this. Must have had a good recent experience with some, but overall, on the many occasions I have heard them, I'm not really a fan. I don't deny they can do some things really well when set up right, though.

Funny you say that Justin.

I was just looking back at past posts, and realised I said Wilsons too.......how times change. Never in a million years would I choose Wilsons today.

Avantgarde and ADAM are two that are very high on the list these days..........

 

[User211]

Yeah I like those big ADAMs, Adam! They need some space, though, or they will overdrive a room without any problem!

 

[Bernard]

Based upon what I heard at two Montreal shows, I would go for MBLs, price not withstanding. My wife actually likes the look of the 101E!

I think, though, that with MBLs careful room treatment would be crucial.

Gordon, have you played with Shun Mook Mpingo disks? They were doing some interesting things at Roberto's.

 

[Gordon Gray]

Hi Bernard,

No I haven't. I vividly recall a demo at RMAF with the Synergistic Research tuning devices. Although it seemed like smoke and mirrors, both myself and my friend clearly heard a very positive impact as in OK sound (without) to really good once devices were installed. Expectation bias? Don't think so. How do they work? Who knows.

What did you hear with Roberto's system? Roberto, please share your observations.

I've tried numerous speaker and room tuning devices over the years including the infamous Marigo window dots. With the MBL radial tweeter and midrange drivers, coupled with the four side firing mid bass and bass drivers per speaker, suffice to say that finding the right combination (reflection, diffusion, absorption) is a somewhat non intuitive / difficult task.

Gordon

 

[RUR]

How do they work? Who knows.

No one, probably including the owner/designer. A few years back in another forum, he claimed that the effects were demonstrable via REW measurements, and promised to post them, which he did. And they did, indeed, show measurable improvement. Problem was, he had, ahhh, inadvertently altered the REW settings for one set of measurements, rendering the comparison invalid. Shown the error of his ways, he then promised to provide new, properly-done measurements. And promised, and promised, and...............nothing.

 

[Gordon Gray]

Hi Ken,

Have you heard the before / after demo?

I'd try it but the "complete treatment" is very expensive, about $3K if I recall correctly.

By the way, how are you liking your new speaker system?

Gordon

 

[Bernard]

What did you hear with Roberto's system? Roberto, please share your observations.

When the dot platform was moved away from the left side of the speaker, it seemed to truncate the left side of the soundstage; we did not try the right side as I was there to listen to music, not to experiment. I would want to do a lot of listening in my own system before committing to a purchase. Per Roberto, each disk is $70, and he uses them in threes. He has lots of them.

 

[roberto]

Hi Bernard,

No I haven't. I vividly recall a demo at RMAF with the Synergistic Research tuning devices. Although it seemed like smoke and mirrors, both myself and my friend clearly heard a very positive impact as in OK sound (without) to really good once devices were installed. Expectation bias? Don't think so. How do they work? Who knows.

What did you hear with Roberto's system? Roberto, please share your observations.

I've tried numerous speaker and room tuning devices over the years including the infamous Marigo window dots. With the MBL radial tweeter and midrange drivers, coupled with the four side firing mid bass and bass drivers per speaker, suffice to say that finding the right combination (reflection, diffusion, absorption) is a somewhat non intuitive / difficult task.

Gordon

Hola Gordon, well all what I can tell you regarding these marvelous discs, is that are patented pending. They are not mambo jambo. It is pure physics. The theory around them is the sympathetic resonance. They are like a tuning fork. The music waves make them to resonate through the entire audio spectrum, and when this happens, they overwrite the odd harmonics, re-writing again the harmonic texture of the musical instruments or voices. Here is what they do: http://shunmook.com/explained/HK-TN-0388- Shun Mook Mpingo Discs Acoustic Test -LH.pdf Some people can not hear the benefit to their sound, and others like me, can not live without them placed in my system. Bernard witness a little test of how they work...and believe me, they truly work for good.

 

[slowGEEZR]

Funny you say that Justin.

I was just looking back at past posts, and realised I said Wilsons too.......how times change. Never in a million years would I choose Wilsons today.

Avantgarde and ADAM are two that are very high on the list these days..........

I agree with your liking ADAM speakers, I think they are fantastic. I don't recall the Avantagarde sound, though maybe I haven't heard them. If you had heard the Wilson XLF demo at the last RMAF, I think you might change your mind a little on the Wilsons.

 

[RUR]

Hi Ken,

Have you heard the before / after demo?

I have, Gordon.

By the way, how are you liking your new speaker system?

Gordon

Bi-amped (passive X-over between mid/tweet), I thought it was very good, but somewhat lacking in transparency . Now that I'm tri-amped, it's quite remarkable, actually.

Ken