What is Stereophile smoking? "Finest loudspeaker to ever grace my home"

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by MichaelXX2, Oct 13, 2021.

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  1. ejman

    ejman Music, fountain of life!

    Location:
    Oregon
    My Magneplanars measure very poorly and sound heavenly to me. I'd much rather have that than a speaker that measures heavenly and sounds poorly. It just doesn't seem like a lot of measurements correlate all that well to what one hears and enjoys within some level of reason that is also variable.
     
    BSU, Spica, bever70 and 5 others like this.
  2. jtw

    jtw Forum Resident

    And the speakers would need to have a curve like these speakers if listening at volumes lower than the volume they were mastered at. Remember Fletcher-Munson or equal loudness curves.
     
    Jacob29 likes this.
  3. shug4476

    shug4476 Nullius In Verba

    Location:
    London
    JA's commentary seems spot on to me.

    A speaker which only needs 1w to hit very loud volumes offers some very enticing amplifier options.
     
    Ham Sandwich and C10 like this.
  4. Stone Turntable

    Stone Turntable Independent Head

    Location:
    New Mexico USA
    Posts about audio publications that roll out the “shill” word get an automatic ignore from me. I’ve never read anything by people who deploy it that tells something interesting or new or surprising, much less pleasant. I realize different people do this but it always seems like the same person with the same grievances.
     
  5. Tone?

    Tone? Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Francisco
    Meh
    Who cares.

    I only use measurements as another tool.
    The ears speak in the end.

    Stereophile can write what it wants. Doesn’t mean I’m gonna buy it
     
    Ingenieur, gakerty and timind like this.
  6. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    I have heard these speakers and they are exceptional sounding. They beat Klipsch at their own game, cabinets and drivers are extremely well damped, check out the excellent resonance plits- which creates a clear, uncolored midrange.
    1. these were measured nearfield with grilles off. with grilles on and measured at the listening position the response will smooth out considerably.
    2. the crossovers allow for level adjustment. should be able to dial in a very pleasing sound.

    Shocking at first, i agree. However that plot tells part of the story.
     
    cleandan, Jacob29, PATB and 2 others like this.
  7. MichaelXX2

    MichaelXX2 Dictator perpetuo Thread Starter

    Location:
    United States
    If I ever get the chance to hear these speakers at a show or someone's house, and I like the sound, I'll gladly eat my words. I've always been curious about horns. However, I once auditioned a pair of very expensive Magnepans, and I thought they sounded exactly as bad as they measured. I've never heard a smiley-face measuring speaker sounding good in person.
     
    Paully, patient_ot and timind like this.
  8. stereoguy

    stereoguy Its Gotta Be True Stereo!

    Location:
    NYC

    Oooohhhh! You need a high power tube amp and a high end turntable, then play the "Rare Masters" LPs of Phil Spectors material. I gurantee you, THAT will be a terrifying experience!
     
    Bill Larson and MLutthans like this.
  9. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    My findings when listening to Klipsch. Lots of fans but I'm not among them.
     
    bever70 and timind like this.
  10. jonwoody

    jonwoody Tragically Unhip

    Location:
    Washington DC
    Having actually heard, and really liked the Volti Rivals, I will say the reviewer listened to the speaker and loved it. If you like how a speaker sounds who cares how it measures?
     
    Pondoro, Spica, cleandan and 7 others like this.
  11. NapaBob

    NapaBob Forum Resident

    Location:
    Napa Valley CA USA
    There are a great many parallels between high end audio and high end wine
    - many of the best ones are made by tiny companies with passion
    - quality is very subjective
    - many people don’t have a lot of confidence in their own ear/palate
    - reviews can be all over the map, and reviewers can themselves be very inconsistent
    - price is rarely a good indicator

    If a wine is really flawed, most reviewers will pick that up, although there is a famous example of a well respected reviewer giving 100 points to a measurably flawed wine.

    I like to get a sense of what a reviewer likes and doesn’t like before taking a review seriously.
     
    jonwoody and vinylkid58 like this.
  12. Khorn

    Khorn Dynagrunt Obversarian

    I always try to be careful as to what I say on the subject.
    The “measurement police” might come knocking at my door.
     
    Spica and jonwoody like this.
  13. jonwoody

    jonwoody Tragically Unhip

    Location:
    Washington DC
    Just like audio reviewers you need to get an idea of their tastes, likes and dislikes. Galloni yes Parker no. ;)
     
  14. Khorn

    Khorn Dynagrunt Obversarian

    True that price doesn’t guarantee the best wine. I’m not a wine expert by any means. My favourite white is Chateau Margaux Pavillon Blanc not the cheapest but I also love a really good red $30 Barolo. I guess it all comes down to personal taste.
     
    jonwoody likes this.
  15. jonwoody

    jonwoody Tragically Unhip

    Location:
    Washington DC
    If you find good Barolo for $30 please let me know especially if it's $30 CAD! And Pavillon Blanc is a great pick white Bordeaux gets very little respect these days.
     
  16. Khorn

    Khorn Dynagrunt Obversarian

    Love Barolo with a great Prime Rib dinner. First taste of Pavillon Blanc was may years ago at Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa. Fantastic restaurant, Fabulous wine cellar!
     
    jonwoody likes this.
  17. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    FWIW the reviewer in question is the same hack that shot from the hip and declared a series of records "digital" when they were in fact cut from tape. "Because he said so", and couldn't be bothered to do the slightest bit of research before running his mouth on a video.
     
    PATB and nosliw like this.
  18. jonwoody

    jonwoody Tragically Unhip

    Location:
    Washington DC
    I've never been but Bern's is legendary indeed glad you enjoyed it so much. :cool:
     
  19. Khorn

    Khorn Dynagrunt Obversarian

    Fantastic memorable experience. For me it was a long time ago but if anyone here gets the chance to go don’t pass it up.
     
    jonwoody likes this.
  20. yamfan

    yamfan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Missouri


    Speaking of wine.

    Based on the measurements, not surprised the reviewer liked it.
     
    patrickd and PATB like this.
  21. nosliw

    nosliw Delivering parcels throughout Teyvat! Meow~!

    Location:
    Ottawa, ON, Canada
    Besides his bad takes towards the mastering/sound quality of MMJ releases, he also attacked other YouTubers by mocking and insulting them, one towards in a racist matter.
     
    patient_ot likes this.
  22. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    Ordinarily I would agree but these have a way with music and again the measurements are affected by grilles off, nominal settings of the crossover (can be adjusted downward) and nearfield measurements.
    Pair them with the right amp (McIntosh would be perfect) and the sound is golden.
     
  23. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    can you explain this one?
     
  24. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    were they measured in this room?
     
  25. mds

    mds Forum Resident

    Location:
    PA
    I also have heard them at a show and was impressed. They were one of the best speakers at the show and were playing in the typical hotel room. The room dimensions were far from ideal and were also placed along the long wall, but they did sound amazing and looked fabulous. I would just throw that graph away and give them a listen.
     
    bhazen, jonwoody and ejman like this.
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