Big Speakers

[The Monkey]

I listened to this setup today. Pretty good.

[tyrion]

Wow, where was that? What kind of speakers? It looks like they are using ASR Emitter II integrateds.

[deepak]

Cool haven't been to Lyric HiFi before. Will have to check it out when I'm in NYC.

[tyrion]

Cool haven't been to Lyric HiFi before. Will have to check it out when I'm in NYC.

Aerius already pointed out in another thread, that I am obviously losing it so you might as well pile on. How did you know it was Lyric Hifi?

[Jon L]

Wow, where was that? What kind of speakers? It looks like they are using ASR Emitter II integrateds.

Nola Grand Reference. They are like $140K. What I don't understand is why talented designers continuously feel the need to increase the driver count and box count as well as complexity.

The ASR Emitter's do sound pretty darn good.... , for SS

[deepak]

Aerius already pointed out in another thread, that I am obviously losing it so you might as well pile on. How did you know it was Lyric Hifi?

Part time psychic when I'm not practicing medicine. It's how I predict what headphones postjack is buying

Serious answer: right click the image and it shows where it is hosted

[tyrion]

Part time psychic when I'm not practicing medicine. It's how I predict what headphones postjack is buying

Serious answer: right click the image and it shows where it is hosted

See, that's why you are a doctor and I'm a lawyer.

[luvdunhill]

why talented designers continuously feel the need to increase the driver count and box count as well as complexity.

to make better speakers? seriously, it's not just for looks....

google "line array speaker" if you're interested at all.

[The Monkey]

Yup, Nola speakers. There were also some Audio Research components doing some work in the rig, including amplification. I've been reading all these high-end speaker reviews for so long now without actually listening that I figured I needed a point of reference. This setup was the best I have heard (not saying much, though). I finally understood "holographic" imaging. Steely Dan sounded like they were in the room (Aja was the CD we listened to). The sense of separation, air, space, and the human interaction with the instruments were fantastic. But I didn't find it "perfect." We listened at volumes higher than I usually do. And the sound signature was very forward. Not exactly bright, but the bass and lows were so well-controlled that it sounded almost like they were kicked into the mids if that makes any sense. I suppose what I'm saying is that I feel the system could have used a pinch of warmth. I wonder if this is just my untrained ear seeking a certain comfort level, or if I was properly identifying a real characteristic? I suppose the only answer is to go listen to more equipment!

The sales guy was very nice and spent some time with us (my wife was there, too) even though it was clear we weren't buying anything, which has not been my experience in other hi-fi stores. No Stax phones, though...

[tyrion]

I've heard the Emitters, it is a nice sounding amp. I have the mini basis phono which I like a lot.

At $140,000 those speakers better give memore than an eargasm.

[The Monkey]

At $140,000 those speakers better give memore than an eargasm.

That's what I was expecting. And I didn't get it. (neither did my wife, but let's not go there...) Maybe it was the Dan, but the system seemed so aggressive to me that I had a hard time relaxing to the music. But maybe that's what these speakers are about; making you pay attention to every note, every decision the musicians make. It was a very educational experience. I look forward to hearing something somewhat comparable, but with a different approach/sound signature.

[Jon L]

to make better speakers? seriously, it's not just for looks....

google "line array speaker" if you're interested at all.

I wouldn't exactly call those line array. Maybe these custom LS9's.

There's somebody claiming the Magnepan MG20's sound better than MG20.1, which if true, would be great for me b/c one can buy used 20's for like $5 to 6K, and *that* is a real planar line array and sounds like music, too.

I do hope one day somebody will market large electrostat speakers with good sensivivity and no dang cone woofers

[deepak]

I do hope one day somebody will market large electrostat speakers with good sensivivity and no dang cone woofers

That would be freakin' sweet.

[spritzer]

I do hope one day somebody will market large electrostat speakers with good sensivivity and no dang cone woofers

Sound Lab?? Stunning speakers to say the least...

[luvdunhill]

I wouldn't exactly call those line array. Maybe these custom LS9's.

seriously, I don't understand what you were getting at, perhaps your first comment was supposed to be tongue-in-cheek... regardless, between that and "anyone can build a new speaker" I think you should try your hand at it someday.

[Jon L]

seriously, I don't understand what you were getting at, perhaps your first comment was supposed to be tongue-in-cheek... regardless, between that and "anyone can build a new speaker" I think you should try your hand at it someday.

I *have* tried, which is what brings me to the conclusion I prefer speakers with less complexity. One may be a genius speaker designer, but once you start throwing in 23! drivers per side (Nola) and insanely complex crossovers with a gazillion caps/inductors/resistors, the results just don't sound right to me, especially when one actually places these speakers in a real-life room.

To my ears, speakers with one or two drivers, sometimes a "full-ranger" with a supertweeter or bass driver, with just a simple crossover with nice parts sound much like real music. Of course, I'm making unfair comparisons to my reference, which is single-driver, full-range without room interactions, e.g. electrostat headphones. After you get used to the coherence and lack of phase problems of 'stat headphones, listening to these complex multi-MULTI-driver speakers can be a rude awakening

[Dusty Chalk]

I do hope one day somebody will market large electrostat speakers with good sensivivity and no dang cone woofers

Final 1000i?

What I don't understand is why talented designers continuously feel the need to increase the driver count ...

When you use multiple drivers, each driver has much less "throw" for the same volume, and therefore stays more linear. Have you ever heard a good line array? Still one of the best listening experiences in my life was to hear a Nearfield Pipedreams system.

Also, small irregularities in one driver get balanced out by all the other drivers.

[spritzer]

you could always go buy an old set of Martin Logan CLS, if you can find them. 82 dB/W is good sensitivity, right?

Blah... find the Stax F-81 with the amp busting sensitivity of 78dB/W/1m. The stators were also uninsulated so the diaphragm just arced if you drove them too hard.

[luvdunhill]

Final 1000i?When you use multiple drivers, each driver has much less "throw" for the same volume, and therefore stays more linear. Have you ever heard a good line array?

yup, yup, you stole my thunder Also, multidriver systems don't have more complex crossovers, that's sorta the point.

Anyways, with regards to wanting an electrostatic sounding speaker, try Vandersteen, Thiel, Green Mountain Audio, Dunlavy, etc. in addition to the usual 'stat suspects.

[Dusty Chalk]

Also, multidriver systems don't have more complex crossovers, that's sorta the point.

Also, you can arrange them in a combination of in series and in parallel to fine-tune the load that it presents to the amp.

[jp11801]

The folks from NOLA used to make ALON speakers and Carl was the designer for the Dalquist line as well. I have a pair of Alon 1s and 15 years later I can not beat them for under 4k. They regularly show up on Agon for $600-800 and the lVs show up for about a grand these are the best buys IMHO in the speaker world today. Voltron and I took a road trip to hear the Nola 1 and 2s in a shop in Santa Rosa and they in no way outclassed their older sibling the Alon 1s I brought. It was a shocker for me as I wanted to upgrade after 15 years and after ABing for an afternoon even the sales guy said he's keep the pair I have over the upgrade.

[909]

sacrilege! Abbey Road should never be left lying on the floor!