May 23, 2001
In your review
of the Cambridge/Polk system, you made the following comment which I've had some
experience/problems with lately: "The relentless brightness in certain speakers --
the sound some listeners initially mistake for resolution and detail -- always induces
listener fatigue downstream."
I have an NAD C340 integrated, NAD 515 CD
changer and Mirage FRx-Three speakers. When I first bought them, I was really pleased with
the balance and detail I thought I was getting from the system. Recently, however, I've
noticed this brightness (my ears start to ring after listening for a while) with my
system, and I was wondering if you can give some recommendations on how to reduce this
effect.
Thanks,
Sean
I can't be sure exactly which component in
your system is primarily responsible for this brightness, so I have two suggestions. The
first has to do with speaker positioning. The more off-axis you sit from the tweeters, the
less apparent treble output will register at your ears. If you have the speakers toed-in
right now, try facing them straight ahead. Also try rotating them outwards ever so
slightly. You can also move them farther apart. As long as the speakers face straight
ahead, this will place your listening seat more and more off-axis and attenuate the
treble. If you move them too far apart, the center focus will collapse. If you're
currently sitting pretty close to your speakers, also try sitting farther back. You can
also experiment with attaching a foam ring around the tweeter to minimize dispersion. If
your room features a lot of hard, smooth surfaces (wooden or tile floors, large windows
without blinds or curtains, large glass-covered wall paintings or mirrors, etc.) try
drawing the curtains or blinds over the windows. Definitely move mirrors and paintings
away from the first side-wall reflection areas. Overstuffed furniture, pillows, plush
carpet and throw rugs all help to absorb sound, minimize reflections and tame some
room-induced brightness. Even indoor trees can act as sound diffusers by virtue of the
many uneven surfaces of the leaves and branches. Lastly, if your speakers sit on a metal
stand with a hollow center column, fill that column with sand, lead shot or kitty litter
-- this is simply to prevent it from ringing like a bell.
My other suggestion is to experiment with
cables. Contact your local dealer and ask him to loan you some different interconnects and
speaker cables over a weekend. Ask him specifically for cables that are warm rather than
neutral or "hot." Stay away from silver or silver-plated copper. If your dealer
doesn't prove helpful, visit www.fatwyre.com
and explain your scenario and budget. These folks have the nation's largest cable
database. They'll be able to not only recommend a few options, but will actually send
different samples with the understanding that you'll only keep what works and send
everything else back.
May 22, 2001
Nice site you have going here. Maybe you can
help me. After reading and reading, I have come to this conclusion: Vented or ported
speaker boxes allow for better bass extension at the cost of some accuracy; sealed speaker
boxes allow for better accuracy, while taking a bit of a hit on bass response. I have a
new Harmon/Kardon AVR 510 digital amp. I also have a 12" JBL powered subwoofer. I
listen to HD and DVD theater as much as I listen to music. I have a medium to large room
(14' x 21' x 8', sloped ceiling). I want a sealed speaker for my left and right front
speakers. Currently I have a couple of two-way JBL bookshelf speakers, but they don't
reach the volume levels that I like without giving up. I would LOVE to find a DIY
three-way kit with some 8" or larger main drivers. That way when the urge
hits, I can "crank" it up and still have clean but LOUD sound.
Thanks kindly for any help you can throw my
way.
Dave
I've always felt that in audio the
particular approach is never as important as the implementation. Accordingly, you might
find acoustic-suspension speakers (sealed) that have less resolution than vented designs,
and ported speakers with less bass response than sealed ones. I would then move beyond any
particular "school of thought and design" and simply shop with my ears. Since
you already have a powered subwoofer, a high-output two-way might do the job. Both Klipsch
and AR make speakers that are affordable and will play very loud without distortion. For a
kit, I would look at www.madisound.com.
May 21, 2001
I was just thinking. Along the lines of
"good sound for cheap," maybe you should have a section discussing the pros and
cons of a good set of headphones. I have Grado SR80s and they sound amazing, especially
for the price ($95). I have convinced at least one person online to get a good set of
headphones instead of $100 computer speakers. It's really something that not too many
people are aware of. I had no idea that a good set of headphones was THAT much better than
the pair you get with a portable CD player.
On a side note, I have Klipsch ProMedia
computer speakers (they were my budget way of getting $250 good sound). They are an
amazing deal. For $250-$300, you get a 4.1-channel setup with an amp. Sure, they're only
small satellite speakers, but they do sound really good for the price. I have a friend
with Bose bookshelf speakers (I don't know what model, but they cost around $200 for the
pair), and he is amazed by these things. The two-speaker-with-subwoofer version is only
$200. I think they make the perfect low-budget, small-room or dorm music solution
(assuming a person already has a computer). A portable music device could also be plugged
into them, so a computer isn't really necessary. They sure do beat my roommate's $350 Aiwa
shelf system!
Bryan Donovan
You're stealing my thunder, Bryan. You're
100% correct: a good headphone system (especially when driven from an affordable headphone
amp by HeadRoom, maybe using a $100 portable CD player as source) not only sounds awesome,
but gives comparable results to "freestanding" systems costing five times as
much. Why? No room acoustics to contend with, no speaker-placement compromises, no
crossovers, no phase errors, no big and expensive amplifiers. For that very reason, I was
most thrilled to see an absolutely massive headphone-related exhibit at the NY Home
Entertainment show, hosted by the folks from HeadRoom. Look for details in our June 1
update. We've made initial arrangements to visit the HeadRoom headquarters in Bozeman,
Montana and pick a few source-amp-headphone systems for review.
On the subject of multimedia speakers,
you're again ahead of me. I saw something at the NY Show that blew my mind. A review pair
has already been requested. Anything else I should know so I can keep up with you guys?
Seriously, this type of feedback is very much appreciated. It helps us shape GoodSound!
into exactly the kind of publication our readers want to see. So keep those suggestions
coming, would ya?
May 19, 2001
I have demoed the Paradigm Studio 20s and also
the Axiom Millennia M3Tis with different equipment, and I along with others feel that the
M3Tis outperformed the Studio 20s in all aspects except for in the bass department. It
doesn't seem logical that a speakers costing two to three times more or less than each
other should be anywhere near each other in sound quality. The fact is they are similar in
size. Also, the M3Tis have a better cabinet design than that of the Studio 20, which is
why is it so hard for people to believe the price differential. Have you ever done this
comparison, and would you be willing to?
Mike Guay
My review of the Axiom Millennia M3Ti is
scheduled for June 1. All I will say at this moment is that your friends and you don't
have it entirely right: these speakers are competitive with others up to ten times their
price! And yes, it's hard to believe and very confusing on how Axiom managed this. I will
have an explanation in my review. Stay tuned.
May 18, 2001
I need some advice. I have a Denon AVR-3300
receiver/amplifier and Bose 1200 home-theater speakers. I am in need of a (direct-drive?)
turntable, and I have about $300 to spend. What do you recommend? TIA and God bless.
Tom Elliott
I recommend, at $299, the Music Hall
MM-2.1 turntable with Goldring Elan cartridge. If you want to splurge, go for the MMF-5
with Goldring G1012GX cartridge at $499 -- this deck was reviewed on SoundStage!.
Both are plug 'n' play with pre-mounted tone arm and cartridge.
May 18, 2001
What is your general opinion on bookshelf
speakers + subwoofer vs. tower speakers for budget music systems? Both sound good to me.
I'm afraid my "untrained" ear will make a mistake that I won't notice until
three months later. Also, I think I would be willing to get bookshelf monitors for around
$350 and then add a $300-$400 sub later after I saved for a while, whereas with towers, I
would want something closer to $500 or so (I auditioned the PSB Image 4Ts a couple days
ago, and they were about $520).
Thanks,
Bryan Donovan
This is a great question with no easy
answer. I usually prefer well-integrated satellite/subwoofer systems. They offer more
placement options in what generally aren't dedicated sound rooms. Full-range tower
speakers often can't be sited exactly where their bass response and soundstaging are both
optimized. The best bass without boomy notes will dictate one location, the best
"disappearing act" will occur elsewhere, and often the rooms are asymmetrical to
boot, which unbalances bass response. That said, the expense for a satellite stand and
subwoofer can be rolled over into a floorstanding speaker to get you the same performance
for less money -- if you can site them properly. My recommendation is then to try
auditioning a tower speaker in your home. This will ensure that they sound as good where
you can place them as they did at the dealer. Note that a sat/sub system has to integrate
well. This requires main speakers that should go to at least 60Hz, so that the subwoofer
location doesn't become obvious when it's asked to work too high into the upper bass.
Eliminate miniature satellites and concentrate instead on 5.25" or 6.5"
two-ways, then look at 8" or 10" subwoofers later.
May 17, 2001
Greetings, and thanks for continuing such an
informative site. I own a Rotel RB-1070 power amp, and I am looking for a good preamp to
match with it. I've read many good things about the Parasound P/HP-850, and it is
available at a good price ($249, down from its original $400). But the Rotel costs about
$700, and the dealer I bought it from said that it is better to spend more money on the
preamp than on the power amp. Is this true, or would the Parasound be a good choice? Can
you recommend any other preamps in the under-$500 category?
Pete
I just connected with the Rotel folks at
the NY Home Entertainment show and expect to get review products in the future. Right now,
I don't have personal experience with the current Rotel lineup. Is the more affordable
Parasound preamp better, or as good as the Rotel? I honestly don't know, but I can
appreciate that your dealer would rather sell you "his" preamp than have you
shop the competition for the Parasound. A preamp's primary function is volume control and
source switching. Beyond that, it's not really supposed to "do anything." That
said, a good preamp often helps to flesh out harmonics and add weight and fullness.
The passive Creek OBH-2 with remote, which
retails for $595, is a very good piece. If you like the sound of your amp and don't need
to add warmth or weight, the Creek will give you terrific transparency.
May 17, 2001
I would like to ask you of a good power amp
that will match up with my current system. I have three amps in mind, namely the
Bryston 3BST, Classé CA-101 and Musical Fidelity A3CR. My current system consists of the
following: Cambridge Audio Disc Magic transport, Cambridge Audio S700 DAC, Acurus RL11
preamp, PSB Stratus Bronze speakers, AudioQuest VSD-1 coaxial digital cable, Kimber Kable
PBJ interconnects and Kimber Kable 8TC speaker wires. I want music that is warm and a bit
laid-back. I would appreciate any assistance that you can give me.
Sincerely,
Joel
These are all great amplifiers. Based on
your goal, I'd pick the Classé CA-101 for that "warm and a bit laid-back"
sound. The Bryston strikes me as a bit drier, while I haven't personally heard the Musical
Fidelity A3CR. Wes Phillips of sister publication onhifi.com and are very fond of it. You might like to e-mail Wes
for his opinion as well: wes@onhifi.com.
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