Speaker switchin yet again [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

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JohnMichael
08-23-2014, 02:13 PM
In the past I have enjoyed different pairs of speakers for their individual benefits to the music. This time I pulled them all out and actually compared them for accuracy of the music. I had four pair out but only used one piece of music. The source was my turntable playing Adagio d'Albinoni preformed by Gary Karr on bass and Harmon Lewis on the organ.

This piece quickly divided the speakers into two groups. The Monitor Audio RS6's and Mobile Fidelity OML1's were in one group and the Focal 806v's and JBL Studio 530's were in the other group. The winning pair were the Focal's and JBL's.

What won the day for the 806's and 530's were the upper range of the double-bass. All the speakers produced the notes but the RS6's and OML1's lost the quality of the notes being produced by a stringed instrument. I heard the notes but could not attribute them to the bass or organ. The 806's and 530's produced the notes as obviously from the upper notes of the double-bass.

As good as the JBL Studio 530's are that slight dryness in the highs allowed the Focal's to sound more musical. The results might be different with a less neutral amp or a less damped room. I find them both accurate and the JBL's at the under $500 purchase price makes them a great value. The Focal inverted dome tweeter and the JBL's compression driven horn tweeter are more controlled than the MA or MF metal and silk tweeters.

Mr Peabody
08-23-2014, 06:12 PM
I would have thought the RS6's being a floorstander may have had better definition. I'm like you in that I appreciate that detail even if it seems like less bass. Many would have preferred a thicker bass regardless.

Jack in Wilmington
08-24-2014, 04:18 AM
I'm always comparing my floor standing Dynaudios to my stand mounted Usher's with my REL subwoofer added into the Usher mix. Yesterday I played Tchaikovsky's 6th symphony on SACD through both sets of speakers and while the Dynaudios do get the benefit of much better upstream electronics, the addition of the REL subwoofer does give the bottom end a nice boost.