Growing old
March 31, 2002
Great website! I was just wondering, with all the
technological changes in audio, how long can a speaker be technologically relevant? I've
read about audiophiles who swear by their "old" speakers from the '50s and '60s,
or even earlier. I currently own the Polk Audio RT35i, which was the first set of speakers
this site reviewed, and wonder how it stacks up to more current designs. Thanks!
Danny Tse
You have definitely hit upon a relevant subject. You
would undoubtedly get as many opinions as people you asked, though. Although there are
exceptions, I would say that loudspeaker design is a relatively mature technology. Even
though there have certainly been refinements in drive-unit technology, and cabinet and
crossover design due to computer modeling, etc., the same basic principles that applied
years ago are still relevant today. In fact, designers are still using data gained years
ago (by any number of loudspeaker pioneers) in their research and development to this day.
Contrast this with digital components, and the seemingly daily gains in knowledge and
expertise in that realm, and you'll begin to see what I mean.
To further reinforce your observations, I also know of
people with systems consisting of 30-year-old amplifiers and speakers, with modern source
components and cabling. And indeed, some of these systems rival the best you can attain
today. I would not discount that some nostalgia plays into the continued use of older
gear, but I would also not discount the craftsmanship and forward thinking that has found
its way into designs through the years. Your Polks are still very good, just as they were
two years ago. Don't worry about being outdated until your ears say it's so.
Which wall is which?
March 29, 2002
What's the difference between the front wall and the back
wall? I thought the front wall was the wall the listener faces. However, at another site,
it was defined as the wall the speakers face.
Howard
I've actually seen this confused too, but you are
correct. A good way to remember is that the wall in front of you is the front wall, and
the wall to the rear of you is the rear wall (from your position in the listening seat).
Seems simplistic, but it is an easy way to keep track. I'd hate to think some of our
readers have their main loudspeakers behind them because they got their walls mixed up!
Time-and-phase-correct speakers?
March 28, 2002
I recently stumbled onto the SoundStage! Network and all
the wonderful online audio and home-theater information contained therein. I must say that
I m very impressed with the quality of the reviews and contributions, as well as with the
layout of the websites themselves.
I was wondering what you think of time-and-phase-coherent
speakers such as those made by Vandersteen and Thiel, and of planar speakers such as those
from Magnepan, in a combined music/home-theater system? The reason I ask is that the very
first high-end speakers I fell in love with were the Dahlquist DQ-10s, way back in the
late '70s, and I've never found a set of speakers to equal them. I couldn't afford a pair
at the time, but I sure did love their sound. They didn t have the lowest bass I'd ever
heard, but the midrange was just so liquid and smooth, and the highs were incredible --
accurate, yet delicate. WOW! An older friend of mine had a pair, and I spent many a
rapturous hour listening to them.
A decade later I ended up with a pair of Klipsch Fortes. I
absolutely loved their speed and dynamics. The emotion that these speakers evoked was
amazing. They were just so dynamic, so lifelike in that respect. They grabbed me and just
wouldn t let go. However, their upper frequencies were a bit hard to take over the long
haul. I could probably have tamed that problem with a tube preamp or amp, but I was
beginning to move into home theater.
So a few years ago I picked up a pair of KEF Q-75s. They're
quite musical and hardly anything I play on them sounds bad, but I miss the dynamic
realism and the emotion of the Klipsches. They lack the speed and dynamics and the
excitement of the Klipsch speakers. The KEFs are more refined speakers, but they don t
grab me. So, I'm searching for something that is more refined than the Klipsch, but are
fast and dynamic and can bring the emotional content back to the music.
I've been considering several systems based around speakers
such as the Vienna Acoustics Mozart, Soliloquy 5.3, B&W CDM-9, and the Monitor Audio
Silver 8i, each of which have certain attributes in their favor, and a minor blemish or
two that I think doesn't particularly diminish their potential to provide long-term
satisfaction. Lately, however, I've been reading about the attributes of
time-and-phase-coherent speaker systems -- speakers with first-order crossovers and
mechanically timed drivers due to back-angled baffles and/or planar-magnetic or
electrostatic panels. Suddenly I'm wondering if the time/phase accuracy is what drew me to
the Dahlquists so many years ago.
John Mannix
There are as many speaker designs as there are speaker
manufacturers. Any given designer will have a set of criteria that in his experience needs
to be addressed in order to create a complete speaker. It is worth remembering that a
finished product is defined by all of these elements, and even some the designer possibly
didn't count on. Who's right? Who knows? I've heard time-and-phase-correct loudspeakers
sound wonderful, but I've also heard speakers with higher-order crossovers (not phase
coherent) sound just as wonderful (and I've also heard both sound bad!). I've found that
picking one or two design elements to latch onto often leads to frustration due to not
being able to correlate these to good sound in every case.
The conclusion is that there are myriad elements that
make up a good product, and across-the-board generalizations are not very reliable. A good
product is one that is complete, thereby meaning researched comprehensively, taking into
account many measured and theoretical goals. The bottom line: Listen to as many speakers
as you can and choose the one that sounds best to you. Hey, listen to
time-and-phase-correct speakers, but at the end of the day choose what sounds best to you
with your music and in your room. Do that, and then examine the design elements
incorporated into that product. You might be able to correlate the two, but if not, you
have speakers that you enjoy regardless.
Two to 5.1
March 27, 2002
I'm upgrading my two-channel system to a 5.1-channel one. I
want to continue using my existing speakers as the mains. Can you tell me how to go about
timbre/voice matching these to a new center-channel speaker and surrounds? Thanks!
Punit
We typically suggest that you use surrounds and a
center-channel from the same manufacturer that produced your mains, especially if they
were designed to augment your particular model. This is a good way to ensure that you have
timbre-matched speakers all around.
If this is not possible, you simply must listen
to the new speakers with your main speakers. Setting up the system and listening to sound
effects as they pan around the room will give you an indication as to whether a seamless
transition is taking place. Can you tell when one speaker is trailing off and another is
picking up? Also, you can listen to your main speakers in phantom mode (no
center-channel), then switch in the center-channel speaker. If the sound remains
relatively similar, you have a pretty good match. If it changes drastically, look
elsewhere because the center-channel is altering the tonal characteristics produced by the
main speakers.
Cables
March 26, 2002
I am interested in suggestions for upgrading my current
cables. I am currently using Prism 5 interconnects between my Rotel RSP-976 processor and
my RMB-1095 amplifier and Prism biwire speaker cables for my front (B&W CDM 9NT),
center (B&W CDM CNT), and rear (B&W CDM 1NT) speakers. I am truly looking for a
cost-effective means for upgrading my cables that will result in a noticeable difference.
In addition, I am curious if an upgrade in power cords for the amplifier and processor
will produce any noticeable results.
Steve Forry
The Prism cables you are referencing, I'm assuming, are
made by TARA Labs. Knowing that TARA makes good products, and also knowing that it is
quite easy to spend a lot of money on cables with little in return, you may want to
rethink the decision to spend hundreds of dollars on cables. Cables are important and can
finish off a system that is performing well to begin with. If, though, there is something
you sense that's wrong in your setup, or a performance parameter that you want to address
specifically, you might want to look toward other upgrades.
Having said that, I do know our staff has been
impressed by cables from BetterCables, Analysis Plus, and Audio Magic (upcoming review).
If you're set on replacing the TARA Labs models you own, these others would be a good
place to start your search. Make sure you are getting the performance upgrade you are
looking for before you plunk down your money, though.
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