AXPONA Live

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by avanti1960, Apr 12, 2019.

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  1. Black Elk

    Black Elk Music Lover

    Location:
    Bay Area, U.S.A.
    I get the one man's meat aspect, but the OP claimed that the imaging was 'horrid'. Something is drastically wrong if that is the case. Active ATCs are used in a large number of studios/mastering rooms. If they could not image adequately, that would not be the case. Moreover, I have used active 50s, 150s and 300s on many, many occasions, and have never had this be an issue. That's why I also provided the link to SH's positive comments on the 150s earlier in the thread.
     
  2. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    let me clarify, horrid to me is possibly minor to most others but these speakers do cost a significant amount of $$$.
    the midrange was a little too forward and at times overpowered the sound to the point of minor fatigue. i could not listen to that sound for lengthy periods. however my biggest gripe was the image wander within the speaker. dome midrange drivers do have a very narrow bandwidth and a rapid hand off from the woofer and to the tweeter. i actually heard directional cues of the sound jumping from woofer to midrange and back throughout sustained vocal notes. lack of driver coherency is my biggest issue. that being said they sounded great depending on the music that was playing.
     
  3. Richard Austen

    Richard Austen Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hong Kong
    That's also one of the reasons I didn't go for the 100. I bought my Line Magnetic 219Ia auditioning with ATC. Interestingly, I liked the match better with ATC than Zu Audio a HE design. The ability to dissect recordings may be valuable in a recording studio but I ultimately had issue with the high frequency and cohesiveness. Still, I like em more than most.
     
  4. Phil Thien

    Phil Thien Forum Resident

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    Look into them, they're both (L100 Classic and 4312SE) part of the Synthesis line and even share midrange drivers.

    Current Honda Civics outclass my 1976 model in every way imaginable, so why doesn't Honda distance current models by picking a different model name?

    Once you answer yourself that, you'll see why using the L100 moniker isn't stupid at all.
     
  5. Phil Thien

    Phil Thien Forum Resident

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    Everyone should read-up on the work of Toole and Olive @ JBL.

    They have (on JBL's behalf) invested literally MILLIONS of dollars correlating measurements to double-blind testing. They can literally measure a speaker and then tell you, with greater than 80% certainty, how that speaker will rate during double-blind testing among their dozens of trained/practiced listeners.

    I'm not saying you didn't hear too much squawk but there could be any number of reasons for that.

    What I'm saying is, JBL's methods for development and testing pretty much guarantees a home run each and every time.
     
  6. JackG

    JackG Forum Resident

    Location:
    NJ
    My favorite song. I bought the 45RPM Clarity Vinyl box (4 single-sided discs) for $50 many years ago on closeout and, not owning any collectible LPs, it's my most prized one. That and my UK Blue Box.
     
    draden1 and Slimwhit33 like this.
  7. rp600m

    rp600m Well-Known Member

    Location:
    oxford,ga
    Did anyone see the new Schiit turntable. Did they have it on display?
     
  8. Matt Richardson

    Matt Richardson Forum Resident

    Location:
    Suburban Chicago
    I didn't visit the Schiit booth myself, but the guy below did an AXPONA live feed and spent some time at the Schiit table. At 23.17 you can see most of the gear—I don't see any turntable there.

     
  9. 33na3rd

    33na3rd Forum Resident

    Location:
    SW Washington, USA


    Schiit & Salk Signature Sound

    [​IMG]

    There's Sol, on top of the rack.
     
    Cyclone Ranger likes this.
  10. freesole

    freesole Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Surprised that we haven't heard some great things about this room. Salk's have an almost universally positive rating from anyone that has heard their speakers.
     
  11. Fruff76

    Fruff76 L100 Classic - Fan Club President

    I think someone mentioned that they didn’t sound so great.
     
  12. freesole

    freesole Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Yeah I saw that @avanti1960 wasn't too enthused by them. I'm surprised but I can't say that I have heard them before but have read raving review after review of them.
     
  13. Bart

    Bart Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston
    How about the room with Borreson speakers and Aavik electronics. I know the guy who runs that shop and am curious!
     
  14. Fruff76

    Fruff76 L100 Classic - Fan Club President

    The Borrenson speakers are absolutely gorgeous, and sound great. The only issue I really had with them is the scale was just huge. I mean, like joe satriani with the head the size of a hot air balloon. I would’ve liked to hear the smaller ones because I can imagine they sound great. My wife kind of lost interest when she realized he said $45,000 and not $4,500.
     
    Bart likes this.
  15. Phil Thien

    Phil Thien Forum Resident

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    I didn’t know they had Glamour Shots in Denmark.
     
  16. jeff kalina

    jeff kalina Member

    Location:
    phoenix
    ATC -Im agree with earlier post. Great Mid but way to bright on top.
    Borressons were a shocker. How did that little speaker sounded so big?
    I saw the Salk room with their big daddy speakers. Smooth as glass.
    Best I heard was Sanders, ML Renaissance, Limberg. The reviewers
    I saw were probably too high to know good from bad.
     
  17. Timeless Classics

    Timeless Classics Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    what was your overall impression of the Marten speakers that were paired with the Zesto gear?
     
  18. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    hi, i thought the system had a very nice amount of transparency, slam and just enough warmth to kerp it from sounding surgical. overall very good. however the ceramic drivers in the martens and other speakers that use them have a distinct quality that might not be for everyone. i would recommend an extensive audition prior to purchase. peace and good luck.
     
    Timeless Classics likes this.
  19. olson

    olson Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pilgrim Hills
    As many great things I have read about the SCM50 ASLT they sounded terrible at Axpona, on both Friday and Saturday. We asked the host several times if he was sure he was switching to the active speakers and once I actually got up and put my ear to them to verify. When switching from the passive 50's to the actives it sounded like they turned off the bass/body/life of the speakers. There were 4-5 other folks I know from our local audio club that listened and we all mentioned the same thing.

    I wonder if something got screwed up during the setup as it reminded me of when I have inadvertently reversed the phase on my speakers.

    I own ATC SCM40's and was hoping for much better than what I heard at Axpona.
     
  20. olson

    olson Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pilgrim Hills
    Many of the rooms were just a small hotel room with the bed removed. Imagine (if you will) a short hallway entering the room, one side wall was usually the headboard of the removed bed, the opposite side wall was usually a dresser or desk and a bare wall. The back of the room was usually a large glass window. Most rooms had the speakers set up so the listener faced the windows.

    Most of the 'bad rooms' had zero sound treatments and also had the curtains open exposing a wall of glass. In some of these rooms, I experienced delayed reflected sounds that reminded me of being in a stadium but with shorter reflection times. Rooms, where the curtains were closed, were better. Room hosts that tried controlling the first reflection points with sound panels had much better sounding rooms.

    Surprisingly, I think many of the hosts did not realize their rooms sounded as bad as they did. Worst yet was when they played systems at what I consider very excessive volumes.

    That being said, there were some of these same rooms that sounded wonderful. The cost of the equipment seemed to have no relationship to the sound in the rooms.

    I was discussing the room setups with a host and he said something I found very interesting. "Giving the worlds best camera to a person might not get you a great picture, but give a great photographer any camera and see what develops."
     
    Shawn and james like this.
  21. james

    james Summon The Queen

    Location:
    Annapolis
    Thanks. My photography professor said the something similar in college (regarding the new digital cameras that were hitting the market): "sure you can go out and buy one but they don't take better photographs."
     
  22. UCrazyKid

    UCrazyKid Grand Puba of Funk

    Location:
    Illinois
    Did anyone else feel the sound levels in most of the rooms were way too loud? I'm hoping it wasn't just me getting too old.
    I was in the Schiit/Salk room and they were blasting DSOTM from vinyl and it was one of the worst playbacks I've ever heard. I was disappointed as I like both companies.
     
    Matt Richardson likes this.
  23. olson

    olson Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pilgrim Hills
    Yes, many rooms were uncomfortably loud. Part of the issue was trying to make the systems louder than the ambient noise from the hallways as most of the doors were left open or at least cracked on the latch lock.

    Several of us were sending each other SPL's from the different rooms.

    Dianna Krall at 95dB anyone?

    [​IMG]
     
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  24. Done A Ton

    Done A Ton Birdbrain

    Location:
    Rural Kansas
    That's about 95db louder than I'd prefer.
     
    olson and Shawn like this.
  25. Matt Richardson

    Matt Richardson Forum Resident

    Location:
    Suburban Chicago
    Yes.
     
    olson likes this.
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