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Building a house - speaker question (pg. 4)
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| mizzuno |
Chord Company are snake oil, not to be confused with Chord who makes DACs. If you want to do some research on why cables really are not relevant, unless they are high impedance, go to audio science review, I also recommend the AVS forums, lotsa knowledgeable and opinionated people :-)
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ex.php?reviews/
https://www.avsforum.com/
Amir is changing the face of high end audio, while exposing the charlatans, with actual measurements. Many of the more expensive brands, use their history and name to lend credence to their current products while not innovating nor being cutting edge. Compute power and economies of scale have made it so that modern DACs are cheap ($200) and outperform DACs that cost thousands 10 years ago.
A note on the brands:
Bose- great for noise canceling headphones, stay away otherwise
B&O- aesthetically pleasing/art not necessarily cutting edge, exception are their class D amp modules
B&W- a once great brand that still makes good products although over priced, now part of the umbrella company Sound United
Dynaudio- makers of high quality loudspeakers, they also make their own drivers
Polk- good speakers, made high end/quality in the 80’s, now also under Sound United
JBL- high quality audio (speakers/processors), they make their own drivers, upmarket and mid market
Marantz and Denon- also under the Sound United umbrella, they are basically the same internals with the exception of Marantz HDAMs which actually add coloration.
Dali- high end loudspeaker company made in Denmark
Monitor Audio- privately owned British loudspeaker and amplifier company, catering to mid and high end markets
Fyne- boutique speakers, very similar to Tannoy since many are ex engineers from Tannoy
Elac- German loudspeaker company been around for 70:years, good speakers midmarket and high end
Cambridge audio- British, once a high end company now a maker of mid market audio gear
KEF- british loudspeaker company that pioneered coaxial tweeter in midrange design, high end and mid market, high quality in house design and drivers
Sonos- relative newcomer that specializes in wireless speakers soundbars, mid market
If I were you, audition the KEF, Monitor and for S&G’s (s and giggles) B&W, and JBL against the Dali’s. If you can find a Martin Logan dealer check out their box speakers with AMT tweeters and for fun listen to their electrostatics ( and don’t blame me if your budget gets blown), another great speaker would be Genelec.
Mizz1 |
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| _Ocean_Drive_ |
| quote: | Originally posted by mizzuno
Chord Company are snake oil, not to be confused with Chord who makes DACs. If you want to do some research on why cables really are not relevant, unless they are high impedance, go to audio science review, I also recommend the AVS forums, lotsa knowledgeable and opinionated people :-)
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ex.php?reviews/
https://www.avsforum.com/
Amir is changing the face of high end audio, while exposing the charlatans, with actual measurements. Many of the more expensive brands, use their history and name to lend credence to their current products while not innovating nor being cutting edge. Compute power and economies of scale have made it so that modern DACs are cheap ($200) and outperform DACs that cost thousands 10 years ago.
A note on the brands:
Bose- great for noise canceling headphones, stay away otherwise
B&O- aesthetically pleasing/art not necessarily cutting edge, exception are their class D amp modules
B&W- a once great brand that still makes good products although over priced, now part of the umbrella company Sound United
Dynaudio- makers of high quality loudspeakers, they also make their own drivers
Polk- good speakers, made high end/quality in the 80’s, now also under Sound United
JBL- high quality audio (speakers/processors), they make their own drivers, upmarket and mid market
Marantz and Denon- also under the Sound United umbrella, they are basically the same internals with the exception of Marantz HDAMs which actually add coloration.
Dali- high end loudspeaker company made in Denmark
Monitor Audio- privately owned British loudspeaker and amplifier company, catering to mid and high end markets
Fyne- boutique speakers, very similar to Tannoy since many are ex engineers from Tannoy
Elac- German loudspeaker company been around for 70:years, good speakers midmarket and high end
Cambridge audio- British, once a high end company now a maker of mid market audio gear
KEF- british loudspeaker company that pioneered coaxial tweeter in midrange design, high end and mid market, high quality in house design and drivers
Sonos- relative newcomer that specializes in wireless speakers soundbars, mid market
If I were you, audition the KEF, Monitor and for S&G’s (s and giggles) B&W, and JBL against the Dali’s. If you can find a Martin Logan dealer check out their box speakers with AMT tweeters and for fun listen to their electrostatics ( and don’t blame me if your budget gets blown), another great speaker would be Genelec.
Mizz1 |
Unfortunately, SARSEN is already signed-off. I can't get out of it. But it's not insanely priced, though, so I will put up with that.
It is also super-thin which was a pre-condition of getting it through the roof and around the walls. However, I have complete freedom over the cables I buy in future for the other speakrs.
Subwoofer - any brands form the above list you'd recommend? ELACs seemed to have decent specs, but I didn't get a chance to listen to them..
Cabling for Subwoofer - I am guessing a standard aux cable is good enough? They don't run on banana plugs as far as I know?
I found a Martin Logan dealer in Yokohama, but how would they stack up against DALI Rubicons in your opinion (including pricing)? Don't want to make a special trip unless I would be absolutely impressed...
On a side note, thanks for the links to other forums. Are you from this industry? Or are just extremely knowledgable?! |
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| mizzuno |
| quote: | Originally posted by _Ocean_Drive_
Unfortunately, SARSEN is already signed-off. I can't get out of it. But it's not insanely priced, though, so I will put up with that.
It is also super-thin which was a pre-condition of getting it through the roof and around the walls. However, I have complete freedom over the cables I buy in future for the other speakrs.
Subwoofer - any brands form the above list you'd recommend? ELACs seemed to have decent specs, but I didn't get a chance to listen to them..
Cabling for Subwoofer - I am guessing a standard aux cable is good enough? They don't urn on banana plugs as far as I know?
I found a Martin Logan dealer in Yokohama, but how would they stack up against DALI Rubicons in your opinion (including pricing)? Don't want to make a special trip unless I would be absolutely impressed...
On a side note, thanks for the links to other forums. Are you from this industry? Or are just extremely knowledgable?! |
For the sub, JBL is probably the best of the bunch, unless you have a JL audio dealer near you, but those are in another league and are not cheap. The RCA cable for the sub you can grab from a reputable brand, monster if it’s available else an adequately shielded substitute (remember you can basically make one from good old rg6 quad shield cable and rca ends).
Martin Logan is famous for their electrostats, for that alone it may be worth the trip (my budget caveat still holds). It’s not a traditional loudspeaker in a box with cones(see link below). They also make traditional box speakers which are competitive with the Dali’s in your price range.
I’m not in the industry but have followed it since I was very young, so I’d call it a long lived hobby. I’m an IT architect by trade.
https://www.martinlogan.com/en/category/our-speakers
Mizz |
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| planetaryplayer |
| looking to install a sub in in my toilet any suggestions |
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| _Ocean_Drive_ |
| quote: | Originally posted by planetaryplayer
looking to install a sub in in my toilet any suggestions |
Ask your mum. |
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| LoveHate |
| quote: | Originally posted by planetaryplayer
looking to install a sub in in my toilet any suggestions |
Lol why are you trolling bruh , you're way better than that. |
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| planetaryplayer |
| quote: | Originally posted by LoveHate
Lol why are you trolling bruh , you're way better than that. |
i spend half my life in the bathroom |
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| JdDark |
Listen to mizz, he knows what's he's talking about.
I'm also a bit of an audiophile, grew in the last 15 years quite a sound system and what he's saying is all good! :) |
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| _Ocean_Drive_ |
| Has anyone heard of Norwegian firm Arendal sound.... they seem to be all the rage.... |
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| mizzuno |
| quote: | Originally posted by JdDark
Listen to mizz, he knows what's he's talking about.
I'm also a bit of an audiophile, grew in the last 15 years quite a sound system and what he's saying is all good! :) |
Long time, old friend, hope all is well. Great to see you’re still around.
Ocean drive, those speakers look to be well crafted with quality drivers, somewhat low sensitivity though so they would probably require an external amplifier to sound their best. While construction and driver quality matter, you should also take into account your upstream electronics, receiver amp etc. For instance, if you were to buy those speakers and employ them in a 5.1 configuration, most receivers would ultimately be underpowered, hence why I suggested using an external amplifier, at least for the fronts.
mizzzz1 |
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| _Ocean_Drive_ |
| quote: | Originally posted by mizzuno
Ocean drive, those speakers look to be well crafted with quality drivers, somewhat low sensitivity though so they would probably require an external amplifier to sound their best. While construction and driver quality matter, you should also take into account your upstream electronics, receiver amp etc. For instance, if you were to buy those speakers and employ them in a 5.1 configuration, most receivers would ultimately be underpowered, hence why I suggested using an external amplifier, at least for the fronts.
mizzzz1 |
Thanks, man.
Arendal tell me an x6700h would be plenty enough to power them. With that said, I just can't sit comfottably with buying something that I can't hear before I buy... even with a money back guarantee.
It looks like it'll be DALI Opticons for me for the time being, unless something amazing rears its head between now and middle of next year
Thank you for all the advice thus far...! |
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| mizzuno |
| quote: | Originally posted by _Ocean_Drive_
Thanks, man.
Arendal tell me an x6700h would be plenty enough to power them. With that said, I just can't sit comfottably with buying something that I can't hear before I buy... even with a money back guarantee.
It looks like it'll be DALI Opticons for me for the time being, unless something amazing rears its head between now and middle of next year
Thank you for all the advice thus far...! |
Which optikon are you looking to get? I know you were looking Oberon at first. They are both 88db sensitivity and are 4 ohm. Thats nominal 4 ohm which means it dips lower at certain frequencies. Although it sounds counterintuitive lower resistance speakers are harder for amplifiers to drive. If possible demo them in a home theater setup with that receiver at realistic listening levels, and remember that receiver ratings tend to be with only 2 channels driven, that number declines with each additional channel you drive.
Mizzz |
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