I know all ya'll dying for some more Insignia madness...

[Jimmy C]

...well, it's not outta control here, just on A.A.

Let's say I have a weakness for a good speaker deal, whether it's an old pair of Boston or Snells at a garage sale, or maybe the much talked-about $50 Insignias. I didn't get the $35 pricing, but I'll survive.

Firstly, if you put these in a high-end shop and only looked at them (but don't listen) from the front, you wouldn't bat an eyelash if the salesman told you they were $1000. They are lute-shape, ala Sonus Faber. The wood is kinda cheezy, like my Dayton BR1s. C'mon... they are $50. I think (err... I KNOW) what people like is the piano black front facia. Couple that with a cool-looking carbon fiber woof, a palatable soft-dome tweeter, and binding posts that belie the price tag... yeah, definitely looks w-a-y more than a Grant.

I was exercising the new woofers with some "Flight of the Cosmic Hippo", and honestly the first mental sonic note was "uh, oh... hollowness". Well, what does one expect. Hell, I have heard a $2200/pr. of Spendors that gave me the same feeling. Actually, the S6 (not positive of that model #) felt like more of a driver/x-over-related problem, the Insigs have a cabinet that talks too much.

These speakers are a bit bigger than I was expecting. Bass isn't too deep - my Dayton BR1s go deeper. Maybe that'll change with some break-in.

That's the bad news, the good is these are very good for a fifty. They are better than computer speakers (although the Insignias don't go as deep as my sub/sat Klipsch PC speaks). The tweeter is not too aggressive, and fairly resolving. I'm listening to "Sublime" now, and it's not even driving me out of the room! :^) Balance is pretty good, they "make sense" of the aural picture. They are fairly open and "big" sounding. Soundscape is pretty large, if you're interested in such things. People balk at the importance of soundstaging, but speakers that don't do this all that well usually draw too much attention to themselves, IMO. That's why I feel it's at least somewhat important.

If anything dramatically changes, I'll letcha know. I'm sure you guys will be waiting with bated breath.

In the end, they are very good for the spent coin, just not anything to write home about.

I will positively have the best looking garage speakers in my condo complex...

[dean_martin]

Hey Jimmy C. I'm not going into hysterics over these but I did pick up a pair while they were on sale for $34.99 and I've found a use for them. I've been wanting to add vintage speakers to my vintage system (used w/headphones only, until now), but so far I've found nothing locally and I've been afraid to pull the eBay trigger.

I tried these in my main system first. They rocked with Massive Attack's Mezzanine. They filled my small room with bass energy. I'm generally a midrange nut. Clarity and presence on acoustic instruments and vocals are what I look for in addition to a smooth tweeter so that high notes on the sax, trumpet, etc. don't drive me nuts. Unfortunately, these didn't have that midrange quality I enjoy. Acoustic guitar and vocals on Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane over the Sea sounded recessed and lifeless. I'm still undecided on the tweeter's performance. I think I've heard some anomalies, but nothing too irritating. However, I was impressed with the bass response. So, off to the vintage system they went.

These are great if you have tone controls and are not afraid to use them. (My main rig doesn't have tone controls.) With the Sansui AU-5900's midrange boosted 2 notches to +3, treble boosted to +1, bass at 0 and the loudness circuit engaged these handle drivin' rock guitar music (Dinosaur Jr.) easily - nice big sound. I'm enjoyin' them for what they are.

[topspeed]

I will positively have the best looking garage speakers in my condo complex...

Hehe...that's exactly what I was thinkin'!

I've got some old Sony monitors where I was planning on replacing the rotted out drivers with something from pe. These are going in my garage, so it's not like I'm trying to build anything special. If they ever put the Insignia's on sale again for the price Dino got 'em, I'd probably just go that way. Heck, it'd be cheaper!

[Jimmy C]

Hey Jimmy C. I'm not going into hysterics over these but I did pick up a pair while they were on sale for $34.99 and I've found a use for them. I've been wanting to add vintage speakers to my vintage system (used w/headphones only, until now), but so far I've found nothing locally and I've been afraid to pull the eBay trigger.

I tried these in my main system first. They rocked with Massive Attack's Mezzanine. They filled my small room with bass energy. I'm generally a midrange nut. Clarity and presence on acoustic instruments and vocals are what I look for in addition to a smooth tweeter so that high notes on the sax, trumpet, etc. don't drive me nuts. Unfortunately, these didn't have that midrange quality I enjoy. Acoustic guitar and vocals on Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane over the Sea sounded recessed and lifeless. I'm still undecided on the tweeter's performance. I think I've heard some anomalies, but nothing too irritating. However, I was impressed with the bass response. So, off to the vintage system they went.

These are great if you have tone controls and are not afraid to use them. (My main rig doesn't have tone controls.) With the Sansui AU-5900's midrange boosted 2 notches to +3, treble boosted to +1, bass at 0 and the loudness circuit engaged these handle drivin' rock guitar music (Dinosaur Jr.) easily - nice big sound. I'm enjoyin' them for what they are.

...I think the tweeter is better than the woofer - so far, anyway. I'm not impressed by the bass as of yet.

The mids... really? I haven't listened to any solo guitar yet, but I was thinking this is where they would excel. Who knows. Female vocals weren't bad, but again, a bit hollow.

You want a great vintage (semi-vintage, anyway) speaker? Grab a pair of series 1 (original) Boston Acoustics A100s... great 2-way, not sure if you have heard them. A friend of mine has a pair that I thought I was going to have to wrestle out of him. I said I would help him move this month, I offered him a c-note, etc. He said "I'll give 'em to ya". Cool. In a few weeks, I'll have those.

They are very good stock, tweakable, and parts readily available. Forget the 3-way Bostons from that era, as well as the later iterations (unless you find a nice pr. of A400s). Just an idea.

Sorry for rambling!

P.S. Happy almost B-Day

[dean_martin]

...I think the tweeter is better than the woofer - so far, anyway. I'm not impressed by the bass as of yet.

The mids... really? I haven't listened to any solo guitar yet, but I was thinking this is where they would excel. Who knows. Female vocals weren't bad, but again, a bit hollow.

You want a great vintage (semi-vintage, anyway) speaker? Grab a pair of series 1 (original) Boston Acoustics A100s... great 2-way, not sure if you have heard them. A friend of mine has a pair that I thought I was going to have to wrestle out of him. I said I would help him move this month, I offered him a c-note, etc. He said "I'll give 'em to ya". Cool. In a few weeks, I'll have those.

They are very good stock, tweakable, and parts readily available. Forget the 3-way Bostons from that era, as well as the later iterations (unless you find a nice pr. of A400s). Just an idea.

Sorry for rambling!

P.S. Happy almost B-Day

My reference is nothing too special. It's a monitor with an excellent midrange and smooth top end. It may even be rolled off on top, but it portrays "air" when it's in the recording. The bass response is extended for a monitor (with roll off), but it could be more defined. i guess the bottom line is that I'm not accustomed to deep bass in my music only system and haven't really missed it. So I thought the Insignia's bass was tight and even though my monitors go a little deeper, the Insignia's were tighter at their limits. My main music only system is set up in a small extra bedroom on the long wall and the listening position may be less than 6ft from the speaker plane in the middle of the room.

These were my initial impressions in my main system. They didn't stay in that system long enough to get an extended work out. I listenend to Mezzanine, Kind of Blue and In the Aeroplane... The latter two (which are 2 of my favorites) weren't engaging, but Mezzanine had that dance club feel.

As for the midrange, I really am convinced they are recessed. The acoustic jazz and acoustic pop/rock I listened to didn't have the presence I'm used to. In fact, when I read your post, I initially suspected that the midrange was to blame for the "hollow" sound you described. Oh well, I was able to compensate for what I thought were its short comings by using the tone controls on the old Sansui integrated. This combo sounds sweet. I think they have balls with rock but don't handle the delicate stuff as well.

I've tried to come up with conclusions on the tweeter. All I can say is it's doing its job which is good. I've heard more air before. My reference is a little smoother. But I can't put my finger on anything "wrong". I also agree with you on the soundstage - nice and big with well defined images.

And thanks for the heads up on the Bostons. I was considering the A60's or A70's for their convenient size. Are these the later iterations I should avoid? I haven't ruled out vintage (or semi-vintage) just because I got the Insignias. The Sansui has A & B speaker connections!

B-Day wishes! I'm blushing.

[Jimmy C]

And thanks for the heads up on the Bostons. I was considering the A60's or A70's for their convenient size. Are these the later iterations I should avoid? I haven't ruled out vintage (or semi-vintage) just because I got the Insignias. The Sansui has A & B speaker connections!

B-Day wishes! I'm blushing.[/QUOTE]

...all second or third series Bostons of that era. Bear in mind Boston made the A40, 60, 70, 100, 120, 150, 200, and 400s. I think I got them all.

I had a pair of A70s (very good) and recently, a pr. of 150s... not good at all. People at "Vintage" in the Audio Asylum have told me the originals were better, as well as the 2-ways of that era being better in general than the 3s. I believe 'em!

A few things to avoid, at least with the lower (but better!) models...

If the tweeters are off-center, NOT good. That indicates a later model.

If the tweeter has a slotted faceplate, again, NOT good. Should be plain and flat.

Not sure if these are hard and fast rules, but your first defense.

These were designed to be put near a corner, and work best that way. You can still drag them out a bit, but tonality suffers a bit. Not to mention bass and dynamics won't be as good (natch).

Bet you'll like 'em.

Talk about an Insignia beater...

[drseid]

...well, it's not outta control here, just on A.A.

Let's say I have a weakness for a good speaker deal, whether it's an old pair of Boston or Snells at a garage sale, or maybe the much talked-about $50 Insignias.

Thanks for bringing it over *here*... ;-)

Seriously though, all of that Insignia talk over at AA was giving me a headache. I may have to give in and listen to a pair just to see what all the hype is about.

---Dave

[BillyB]

...well, it's not outta control here, just on A.A.

Let's say I have a weakness for a good speaker deal, whether it's an old pair of Boston or Snells at a garage sale, or maybe the much talked-about $50 Insignias. I didn't get the $35 pricing, but I'll survive.

Firstly, if you put these in a high-end shop and only looked at them (but don't listen) from the front, you wouldn't bat an eyelash if the salesman told you they were $1000. They are lute-shape, ala Sonus Faber. The wood is kinda cheezy, like my Dayton BR1s. C'mon... they are $50. I think (err... I KNOW) what people like is the piano black front facia. Couple that with a cool-looking carbon fiber woof, a palatable soft-dome tweeter, and binding posts that belie the price tag... yeah, definitely looks w-a-y more than a Grant.

I was exercising the new woofers with some "Flight of the Cosmic Hippo", and honestly the first mental sonic note was "uh, oh... hollowness". Well, what does one expect. Hell, I have heard a $2200/pr. of Spendors that gave me the same feeling. Actually, the S6 (not positive of that model #) felt like more of a driver/x-over-related problem, the Insigs have a cabinet that talks too much.

These speakers are a bit bigger than I was expecting. Bass isn't too deep - my Dayton BR1s go deeper. Maybe that'll change with some break-in.

That's the bad news, the good is these are very good for a fifty. They are better than computer speakers (although the Insignias don't go as deep as my sub/sat Klipsch PC speaks). The tweeter is not too aggressive, and fairly resolving. I'm listening to "Sublime" now, and it's not even driving me out of the room! :^) Balance is pretty good, they "make sense" of the aural picture. They are fairly open and "big" sounding. Soundscape is pretty large, if you're interested in such things. People balk at the importance of soundstaging, but speakers that don't do this all that well usually draw too much attention to themselves, IMO. That's why I feel it's at least somewhat important.

If anything dramatically changes, I'll letcha know. I'm sure you guys will be waiting with bated breath.

In the end, they are very good for the spent coin, just not anything to write home about.

I will positively have the best looking garage speakers in my condo complex...

Just wondering if you could give me the speakers actual dimensions.I have heard they're big for bookshelf style and have found conflicting specs in regard to their size.I was at Best Buy today and there was no display model to look at.They're currently on sale for $45 and I probably should have just bought them knowing I can return them if I don't like them.I just couldn't believe the size of the box they came in and If I know their exact size I can figure out if they'll work for my application.

[Jimmy C]

Just wondering if you could give me the speakers actual dimensions.I have heard they're big for bookshelf style and have found conflicting specs in regard to their size.I was at Best Buy today and there was no display model to look at.They're currently on sale for $45 and I probably should have just bought them knowing I can return them if I don't like them.I just couldn't believe the size of the box they came in and If I know their exact size I can figure out if they'll work for my application.

They are a bit larger than I was expecting as well. They're 13x8x12, height, width, depth.

They taper toward the back, making them a bit less intrusive.

Good luck...

[BillyB]

They are a bit larger than I was expecting as well. They're 13x8x12, height, width, depth.

They taper toward the back, making them a bit less intrusive.

Good luck...

Thanks Jimmy.I did buy a pair after work today and they will fit where I was thinking of using them.I really don't have a great need for more speakers but I simply had to hear these things for myself and see what all the fuss is about.If they're good they will be used in my garage in my secondary system.I haven't hooked them up yet but I did take one out of the box and it's hard to believe they could even make a speaker this nice looking for $45(let alone sound good as many people are saying) and still make enough profit.I guess the volume Best Buy can sell helps make it possible and with their user-friendly return policy trying these speakers out even if just for kicks will be interesting.I'll post an opinion on sound quality soon and it will take into account the $45 price tag.They already get a thumbs up for visual appeal even though they are a bit large which makes moving them off the wall almost impossible if truly used in a bookshelf type application.Being front ported that may not be tragic.

[Jimmy C]

Thanks Jimmy.I did buy a pair after work today and they will fit where I was thinking of using them.I really don't have a great need for more speakers but I simply had to hear these things for myself and see what all the fuss is about.If they're good they will be used in my garage in my secondary system.I haven't hooked them up yet but I did take one out of the box and it's hard to believe they could even make a speaker this nice looking for $45(let alone sound good as many people are saying) and still make enough profit.I guess the volume Best Buy can sell helps make it possible and with their user-friendly return policy trying these speakers out even if just for kicks will be interesting.I'll post an opinion on sound quality soon and it will take into account the $45 price tag.They already get a thumbs up for visual appeal even though they are a bit large which makes moving them off the wall almost impossible if truly used in a bookshelf type application.Being front ported that may not be tragic.

...mine are going in the garage as well. I think people WANT these to sound really good due to the visual appeal.

Well, they aren't bad (for a fifty), just not that good :*)

[BillyB]

...mine are going in the garage as well. I think people WANT these to sound really good due to the visual appeal.

Well, they aren't bad (for a fifty), just not that good :*)

I hooked them up today to my secondary system and they're actually decent speakers. I have a cheap Sherwood 2 channel reciever and a $90 Sony carousel CD player in my garage and these speakers sound much better than I expected for $45.I'm not nearly as experienced as a lot of people here are but it seems that certain speaker designs just work better than others and these speakers fall into that category.I think you would have to spend at least $150 to get a pair of speakers that sound significantly better than these.I took the grills off almost immediately as they look sharp without them. Anyway I would definitely recommend them as the worst case scenario is returning them to Best Buy which is a lot easier than returning speakers to most Audio shops.I just ordered a Pair of Quad 22L floorstanders for my main system to replace a pair of B&W 703's that didn't work for me.The B&W's were way too bright for me and after a lot of speaker hunting I think I have made a good choice with the Quads as they have a much more neutral sound.This is a decision I'm sweating out a whole lot more than whether or not the Insignias sound good for $45.

[Jimmy C]

I hooked them up today to my secondary system and they're actually decent speakers. I have a cheap Sherwood 2 channel reciever and a $90 Sony carousel CD player in my garage and these speakers sound much better than I expected for $45.I'm not nearly as experienced as a lot of people here are but it seems that certain speaker designs just work better than others and these speakers fall into that category.I think you would have to spend at least $150 to get a pair of speakers that sound significantly better than these.I took the grills off almost immediately as they look sharp without them. Anyway I would definitely recommend them as the worst case scenario is returning them to Best Buy which is a lot easier than returning speakers to most Audio shops.I just ordered a Pair of Quad 22L floorstanders for my main system to replace a pair of B&W 703's that didn't work for me.The B&W's were way too bright for me and after a lot of speaker hunting I think I have made a good choice with the Quads as they have a much more neutral sound.This is a decision I'm sweating out a whole lot more than whether or not the Insignias sound good for $45.

...with the Quads... haven't heard 'em yet. Speaking of that, where DID you demo? We have a lot of audio stores, but I can't recall a Quad dealer off the top 'o my head.

By the way... I now clean the mail truck that delivers to your house! A new account for Jimmy...lol.

We'll all get together one of these days... I'd love to hear the Quads.

Jimmy is down the street in Commack.

Peace...

[BillyB]

...with the Quads... haven't heard 'em yet. Speaking of that, where DID you demo? We have a lot of audio stores, but I can't recall a Quad dealer off the top 'o my head.

By the way... I now clean the mail truck that delivers to your house! A new account for Jimmy...lol.

We'll all get together one of these days... I'd love to hear the Quads.

Jimmy is down the street in Commack.

Peace...

I'll definitely post after I have the Quads.I deal with Audio Den in Lake Grove.They are a Quad dealer but Quite frankly they only had one bookshelf model in stock as I was fortunate to have a friend who has a pair of 22L's hooked up to components very similar in Quality to my own.I was completely floored by the sound of these speakers considering they list for $1600 and are real wood cabinets with an amazing finish on them.I know this stuff is subjective but to my ear they put my 703's to shame.I know the proof will be in how they sound in my room hooked up to my components, but I honestly haven't enjoyed my system since I "upgraded" to the 703's so I'm really looking forward to this equipment change.I seriously doubt they will be as big a disappointment to me as the B&W's have been especially at just over half the price.To say I'm anxious about how these Quads will work out is an understatement.I upgraded my Pre-amp to the Rotel RC-1090 and also replaced my 14 year old Rotel CDP with the Arcam 73T in addition to better interconnects and bi-wired speaker cables.I'm praying the 22L's will reward me and make this money well spent.By the way I'm still really enjoying the Insignias. I know people are probably tired of hearing about them but I'm convinced these speakers have something more going for them than just a slick cabinet.Their imaging is simply too good for $45 speakers and mine aren't even burned in yet.Take care.

[Jimmy C]

I'll definitely post after I have the Quads.I deal with Audio Den in Lake Grove.They are a Quad dealer but Quite frankly they only had one bookshelf model in stock as I was fortunate to have a friend who has a pair of 22L's hooked up to components very similar in Quality to my own.I was completely floored by the sound of these speakers considering they list for $1600 and are real wood cabinets with an amazing finish on them.I know this stuff is subjective but to my ear they put my 703's to shame.I know the proof will be in how they sound in my room hooked up to my components, but I honestly haven't enjoyed my system since I "upgraded" to the 703's so I'm really looking forward to this equipment change.I seriously doubt they will be as big a disappointment to me as the B&W's have been especially at just over half the price.To say I'm anxious about how these Quads will work out is an understatement.I upgraded my Pre-amp to the Rotel RC-1090 and also replaced my 14 year old Rotel CDP with the Arcam 73T in addition to better interconnects and bi-wired speaker cables.I'm praying the 22L's will reward me and make this money well spent.By the way I'm still really enjoying the Insignias. I know people are probably tired of hearing about them but I'm convinced these speakers have something more going for them than just a slick cabinet.Their imaging is simply too good for $45 speakers and mine aren't even burned in yet.Take care.

...Audio Den was a Quad dealer. Last time there, the Gallos were the new kid on the block.

I'll agree about the B&Ws, they don't do too much for me either, especially considering price. I liked certain aspects of the N804, for eg., they had a good "jump" factor, but I think they would be tiring for a long listening session. A/Bing a pair of Studio 100s left me feeling the Nauts were simply too foward. Of course, the Paradigms didn't have that resolution... whatever. The baby Danes (Contour S 1.4?) were my fave in that room.

Yeah, I'm still listening to my Insigs in the bedroom. They're sitting on top of my Studio 60s... that's one expensive stand for a $49 speaker!

Enjoy your new toy and give us a mini-review when the time comes...

[hifitommy]

the first pair supplanted my spendor s3/5s and i havent been anxious to put them back yet. about two weeks after the first pair at $45, they went to $35 so i got another pr and got them to price match the previous purchase (my daughter was kind enough to do that leg--mouth work for me).

i quickly stacked them woofer to woofer and hooked em up in parallel and they flank the 52" tv nicely. theyre ok with no sub but xlnt with one. they play nice and loud and image nicely but the extreme top is slightly down. were these my only speakers, i might entertain the idea of adding a titanium or ribbon tweet above about 10k but i have plenty of speakers.

i will likely put a pair in the rear replacing minimus 7s to see if soundstaging in surround improves with identical spks in all 4 channels (dynaquad) but for now, i like whats goin on.

later today i will be trying some fritz speakers for fun. i will have them in the house for a couple of weeks. then back to the insigs and then back to the spendors.

[Jimmy C]

the first pair supplanted my spendor s3/5s and i havent been anxious to put them back yet. about two weeks after the first pair at $45, they went to $35 so i got another pr and got them to price match the previous purchase (my daughter was kind enough to do that leg--mouth work for me).

i quickly stacked them woofer to woofer and hooked em up in parallel and they flank the 52" tv nicely. theyre ok with no sub but xlnt with one. they play nice and loud and image nicely but the extreme top is slightly down. were these my only speakers, i might entertain the idea of adding a titanium or ribbon tweet above about 10k but i have plenty of speakers.

i will likely put a pair in the rear replacing minimus 7s to see if soundstaging in surround improves with identical spks in all 4 channels (dynaquad) but for now, i like whats goin on.

later today i will be trying some fritz speakers for fun. i will have them in the house for a couple of weeks. then back to the insigs and then back to the spendors.

...I'm suprised that they can take the place of your Spendors for a while. I mean, you don't seem to miss them too much. But, hey... I had a BIG prob with the $2200 S6s I have heard... both sound hollow to me. I have not heard the "Classic" line, is that what you have? Not sure... when I dismissed the 6s, the dealer said I would have to pony up $5K or so to get better - no thanks, but he may be very wrong. For whatever reason, I was expecting big things from Spendor, even at a lower price.

Stacked woofer to woofer on the Insigs? Of course, it's a concentric tweeter :^) How else can one configure? Maybe woof to woof, as opposed to port to port?

I'll be in your neck of the woods (again) next June... I'll expect an invite :*)

[hifitommy]

but yer right, not port to port. they dont sound hollow to me but could use more body. the spendors i have are the s3/5m not the se version:

http://www.qsandd.com/s35series.htm

my friend fritz brought a pair of his carbon monitors ($1500) for my audition and they have more body and go out in the top better (AND the bottom) but the insigs didnt make me want to run from the room. no real peaks and perhaps a suckout in the midbass but they were $70 for two pair.

so yer from long Gisland (pronunciation emphasis). i am from buffalo but now in sylmar, ca. it was 106 in the shade here today. june would be a better choice, fritz and i roasted with my inadequate air conditioner. thank buddha for fans.

[BillyB]

...Audio Den was a Quad dealer. Last time there, the Gallos were the new kid on the block.

I'll agree about the B&Ws, they don't do too much for me either, especially considering price. I liked certain aspects of the N804, for eg., they had a good "jump" factor, but I think they would be tiring for a long listening session. A/Bing a pair of Studio 100s left me feeling the Nauts were simply too foward. Of course, the Paradigms didn't have that resolution... whatever. The baby Danes (Contour S 1.4?) were my fave in that room.

Yeah, I'm still listening to my Insigs in the bedroom. They're sitting on top of my Studio 60s... that's one expensive stand for a $49 speaker!

Enjoy your new toy and give us a mini-review when the time comes...

Audio Den is a Quad dealer but their bread and butter line is B&W.I love the look of the Paradigm S60 just wondering how happy you are with them.They seem to almost be a cross between a Floorstander and a stand speaker but I assume you have them on short stands due to their height.Still don't have the Quad 22L's and was at Audio Den today to see what the Hold-up is.I think since they don't push the Quad line that they may have a slow turnover getting their orders filled by the Quad distributor.I am having fun with the Isignias as I tell my friends they cost $250 just to see their reaction and nobody even flinches when I tell them that at that price they were a bargain.Of course I wouldn't have paid that for them but to look at them with the grills off (no Insignia name showing) could fool even a stereo buff into thinking you have some sort of high end speakers.If Best Buy ever marks them down again to the $35 range I'm going to buy a back-up pair and just store them as I don't see any future $50 speaker deals like this coming around too often.My garage never sounded better.

[Jimmy C]

Audio Den is a Quad dealer but their bread and butter line is B&W.I love the look of the Paradigm S60 just wondering how happy you are with them.They seem to almost be a cross between a Floorstander and a stand speaker but I assume you have them on short stands due to their height.Still don't have the Quad 22L's and was at Audio Den today to see what the Hold-up is.I think since they don't push the Quad line that they may have a slow turnover getting their orders filled by the Quad distributor.I am having fun with the Isignias as I tell my friends they cost $250 just to see their reaction and nobody even flinches when I tell them that at that price they were a bargain.Of course I wouldn't have paid that for them but to look at them with the grills off (no Insignia name showing) could fool even a stereo buff into thinking you have some sort of high end speakers.If Best Buy ever marks them down again to the $35 range I'm going to buy a back-up pair and just store them as I don't see any future $50 speaker deals like this coming around too often.My garage never sounded better.

...for the Studio 60s.When seated (or in my case, lying in bed :*) the tweeter is at ear level or thereabouts.

I got them from Audio Visions about 7 years ago. I bought the v2 for a bit over $1K, the latest iteration is about $1600 IIRC - getting up there. I LIKE them, but don't love 'em. They can sound very good at times, but they have some problems. I just bought a new amp for my livingroom stereo, so the Rotel separates are now powering the Paradigms. It's actually too big of a rig for my small/average sized bedroom, so I'll probably sell them. Also, a friend gave me a pair of Boston Acoustics A100s from 1980... they'll be perfect for light duty. Actually, they're very good.

Yeah, that sux about the Quads... think of ot this way - the excitement is building! I always get the feeling they don't wanna know you unless you're spending a half-mill in that store. Not everyone in there, but some. I had the same feeling buying gear at their old location over 20 years ago.

And, yup... the Insignias are now residing in my garage as well.

Enjoy the Quads (when you finally get 'em, of course!)

[BillyB]

...for the Studio 60s.When seated (or in my case, lying in bed :*) the tweeter is at ear level or thereabouts.

I got them from Audio Visions about 7 years ago. I bought the v2 for a bit over $1K, the latest iteration is about $1600 IIRC - getting up there. I LIKE them, but don't love 'em. They can sound very good at times, but they have some problems. I just bought a new amp for my livingroom stereo, so the Rotel separates are now powering the Paradigms. It's actually too big of a rig for my small/average sized bedroom, so I'll probably sell them. Also, a friend gave me a pair of Boston Acoustics A100s from 1980... they'll be perfect for light duty. Actually, they're very good.

Yeah, that sux about the Quads... think of ot this way - the excitement is building! I always get the feeling they don't wanna know you unless you're spending a half-mill in that store. Not everyone in there, but some. I had the same feeling buying gear at their old location over 20 years ago.

And, yup... the Insignias are now residing in my garage as well.

Enjoy the Quads (when you finally get 'em, of course!)

I had asked about the Paradigm 60S because that was my trade-in credit ($1,600) when I ordered the 22L's and Audio Den of course didn't have a pair of them either to audition.I had heard the metal dome tweeter of the Paradigm could be bright for some peoples taste and since my 703's could strip wallpaper that issue concerned me.I know all metal dome tweeters aren't bright and Paradigm does have a reputation of being a pretty good bang for the buck kind of a speaker.I'm hoping to recapture some of the magic my system used to have with my Proacs and I've noticed that the Quad and Proac names seem to come up together during some of my research.I realize that most of Proacs line is a major step up in price versus the Quads.New Proacs weren't in my price range and it seems you have to go into Manhattan to have any real chance at finding and auditioning them.I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that the 22L's are the great bang for the buck that many say they are.The 12L is what I did hear at Audio Den and I was extremely impressed with this baby brother of the floorstander.Enjoy those Boston Acoustic speakers as the price was right.

[Jimmy C]

I had asked about the Paradigm 60S because that was my trade-in credit ($1,600) when I ordered the 22L's and Audio Den of course didn't have a pair of them either to audition.I had heard the metal dome tweeter of the Paradigm could be bright for some peoples taste and since my 703's could strip wallpaper that issue concerned me.I know all metal dome tweeters aren't bright and Paradigm does have a reputation of being a pretty good bang for the buck kind of a speaker.I'm hoping to recapture some of the magic my system used to have with my Proacs and I've noticed that the Quad and Proac names seem to come up together during some of my research.I realize that most of Proacs line is a major step up in price versus the Quads.New Proacs weren't in my price range and it seems you have to go into Manhattan to have any real chance at finding and auditioning them.I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that the 22L's are the great bang for the buck that many say they are.The 12L is what I did hear at Audio Den and I was extremely impressed with this baby brother of the floorstander.Enjoy those Boston Acoustic speakers as the price was right.

...I don't feel that the tweeter is the problem, I would put the blame more on (uh, huh huh huh... I said "moron") what the midrange does on top. Having owned these for years, I feel "glare" is more of a problem than "bright" or "hot". As a matter of fact, I find my 60s a bit dark overall... not very open or resolving. Most people base their opinion from a store demo - they ususally don't work out too well. Off the top of my head, I can think of a half-dozen (more, actually) stores that carry Paradigm in our area, say, within 20 miles. Only one of them, IMO, sounds like a good demo. Are their tweeters the best on the planet? Err, no. But, I feel the speakers sound better than many give credit for. Yeah, they can thin out on crappy recordings, but so can all transducers.

I feel they are a good, solid $1K speaker that possess tradeoffs, some of which you might not be able to live with, others will feel the strenghts outweigh the negatives. Anyone who dismisses them based upon a "bright" tweeter hasn't heard them at full potential, period.

I mean, I was at Harvey's in Greenvale, listening to the Sonus Faber Cremonas, priced at $7500. THAT was an awful experience... bright, congested, blarring... you name it, they sounded like poop. It was literally and honestly w-a-y worse than the Insignias sound...lol... kid you not. Does that mean it's a terrible speaker? No, it means the idiots there don't know how to do a demo. Or, as it was, turn the volume knob down a bit! The Concertos in the next room sounded MUCH better.

I know, I want to go into the City to check out some of the "big boys". Then again, from what I hear, maybe not :*) I'm not made of money, and I certainly would want to be treated the same way whether I was or not. Actually, I'm certainly not referring to all of them, just one :*)

That, plus after busting my azz at work, I'm flat-out too lazy...lol. I'm a homebody - listen to music, watch TV, cook, BBQ with friends, a show once in a while at the Beach... that's enough for me. I'll leave the traffic in NYC (as well as the other end - Southampton) to all that MUST to go there...

[BillyB]

[QUOTE=Jimmy C]...I don't feel that the tweeter is the problem, I would put the blame more on (uh, huh huh huh... I said "moron") what the midrange does on top. Having owned these for years, I feel "glare" is more of a problem than "bright" or "hot". As a matter of fact, I find my 60s a bit dark overall... not very open or resolving. Most people base their opinion from a store demo - they ususally don't work out too well. Off the top of my head, I can think of a half-dozen (more, actually) stores that carry Paradigm in our area, say, within 20 miles. Only one of them, IMO, sounds like a good demo. Are their tweeters the best on the planet? Err, no. But, I feel the speakers sound better than many give credit for. Yeah, they can thin out on crappy recordings, but so can all transducers.

I feel they are a good, solid $1K speaker that possess tradeoffs, some of which you might not be able to live with, others will feel the strenghts outweigh the negatives. Anyone who dismisses them based upon a "bright" tweeter hasn't heard them at full potential, period.

I mean, I was at Harvey's in Greenvale, listening to the Sonus Faber Cremonas, priced at $7500. THAT was an awful experience... bright, congested, blarring... you name it, they sounded like poop. It was literally and honestly w-a-y worse than the Insignias sound...lol... kid you not. Does that mean it's a terrible speaker? No, it means the idiots there don't know how to do a demo. Or, as it was, turn the volume knob down a bit! The Concertos in the next room sounded MUCH better.

I know, I want to go into the City to check out some of the "big boys". Then again, from what I hear, maybe not :*) I'm not made of money, and I certainly would want to be treated the same way whether I was or not. Actually, I'm certainly not referring to all of them, just one :*)

That, plus after busting my azz at work, I'm flat-out too lazy...lol. I'm a homebody - listen to music, watch TV, cook, BBQ with friends, a show once in a while at the Beach... that's enough for me. I'll leave the traffic in NYC (as well as the other end - Southampton) to all that MUST to go there...[/QUOTE

Interesting about the midrange isssue you mentioned on the 60S.There's simply no doubt in my mind that the FST midrange on my 703's was the harshness problem.The tube loaded nautilus alloy dome tweeter was actually a nice tweeter but the mids on this speaker were excruciating in my room with vocals being so in your face that listening fatigue doesn't even begin to explain it.The scary thing is my equipment and cables are very respectable so I shouldn't need the "perfect" speaker to have a nice sound.While that would be great I don't think it should be mandatory for a system to sound somewhat pleasing.Oh well I'm 703 bashing again but the strange thing is I think B&W's 600 series at less than 1/2 the price of the 700 series are very respectable.I could have originally bought the 603's and saved about $1,700 and a lot of heartache.Live and Learn.Your comment about the Sonus Faber speakers vs the Insignias was hysterical even though I know it wasn't intended to be.Once I have the 22L's broken in I'll check in again.

[BillyB]

...for the Studio 60s.When seated (or in my case, lying in bed :*) the tweeter is at ear level or thereabouts.

I got them from Audio Visions about 7 years ago. I bought the v2 for a bit over $1K, the latest iteration is about $1600 IIRC - getting up there. I LIKE them, but don't love 'em. They can sound very good at times, but they have some problems. I just bought a new amp for my livingroom stereo, so the Rotel separates are now powering the Paradigms. It's actually too big of a rig for my small/average sized bedroom, so I'll probably sell them. Also, a friend gave me a pair of Boston Acoustics A100s from 1980... they'll be perfect for light duty. Actually, they're very good.

Yeah, that sux about the Quads... think of ot this way - the excitement is building! I always get the feeling they don't wanna know you unless you're spending a half-mill in that store. Not everyone in there, but some. I had the same feeling buying gear at their old location over 20 years ago.

And, yup... the Insignias are now residing in my garage as well.

Enjoy the Quads (when you finally get 'em, of course!)

I finally set the Quads up last night.I wasn't initially blown away by them by any means.I know they will sweeten up a bit after burn-in so I consider this post just my initial reaction to the 22L's.I'm always overly critical of all new audio purchases anyway so that's probably tempering my enthusiasm.They're certainly much more neutral in my room than the 703's were so that's a plus.The strange thing is my main point of reference for my system is my previous set-up with the Proacs and Rotel components that I should have left alone.That set-up simply had the X-factor and I didn't realize how good I had it until I started swapping out equipment.The 703's came first and that was a disaster that set the money wheels in motion.I then purchased the Rotel RC-1090 pre-amp to replace my existing Rotel pre-amp/tuner combo unit thinking my electronics weren't doing the 703's justice.No noticable improvement despite my high expectations with the $1100 1090.I then upgraded my interconnects and again no big improvement.Tara Lab Prism Bi-wiring for the 703's came next and again no big deal.I thought my last move was my most logical and that was replacing my 14 year old Rotel CDP with the Arcam 73T.I thought this $700 investment was sound as CDP's have made leaps and bounds in the last 15 years.Amazingly while the 73T did tone down the 703's it was far from the magical improvement I was hoping for.I truly expected it to completely blow away my outdated Rotel unit and honestly I think the Rotel had more resolution during playback of the music that I like which is mostly pop and rock.The day I set-up my old system with the Proacs is a day I'll never forget as the minute I popped in the first Cd I realized I was being treated to something special.I wasn't very knowledgable back then but I knew the system to my ears sounded just right.The only remaining component from that system is my 120W per channel Rotel amp and I seriously doubt that that's my problem so it isn't going anywhere.Oh well hopefully I'm just jumping the gun here and things will improve.I'm not even sure my Pre-amp and CDP are properly broken in as the more discouraged I became with my system the less I used it.They both have very low hours on them and I know I should just let them play in the background when I'm home to ensure they've hit their supposed sweet spot.At this point I don't have the time,energy, or money to make any more changes in the near future so if the sound doesn't sweeten up I'm just going to have to get over it.I'll post again after giving the 22L's a more fair chance to please me.Maybe I'm just getting too fussy as this hobby and the relentless pursuit of a better sounding system can get you crazy at times.

[Jimmy C]

I finally set the Quads up last night.I wasn't initially blown away by them by any means.I know they will sweeten up a bit after burn-in so I consider this post just my initial reaction to the 22L's.I'm always overly critical of all new audio purchases anyway so that's probably tempering my enthusiasm.They're certainly much more neutral in my room than the 703's were so that's a plus.The strange thing is my main point of reference for my system is my previous set-up with the Proacs and Rotel components that I should have left alone.That set-up simply had the X-factor and I didn't realize how good I had it until I started swapping out equipment.The 703's came first and that was a disaster that set the money wheels in motion.I then purchased the Rotel RC-1090 pre-amp to replace my existing Rotel pre-amp/tuner combo unit thinking my electronics weren't doing the 703's justice.No noticable improvement despite my high expectations with the $1100 1090.I then upgraded my interconnects and again no big improvement.Tara Lab Prism Bi-wiring for the 703's came next and again no big deal.I thought my last move was my most logical and that was replacing my 14 year old Rotel CDP with the Arcam 73T.I thought this $700 investment was sound as CDP's have made leaps and bounds in the last 15 years.Amazingly while the 73T did tone down the 703's it was far from the magical improvement I was hoping for.I truly expected it to completely blow away my outdated Rotel unit and honestly I think the Rotel had more resolution during playback of the music that I like which is mostly pop and rock.The day I set-up my old system with the Proacs is a day I'll never forget as the minute I popped in the first Cd I realized I was being treated to something special.I wasn't very knowledgable back then but I knew the system to my ears sounded just right.The only remaining component from that system is my 120W per channel Rotel amp and I seriously doubt that that's my problem so it isn't going anywhere.Oh well hopefully I'm just jumping the gun here and things will improve.I'm not even sure my Pre-amp and CDP are properly broken in as the more discouraged I became with my system the less I used it.They both have very low hours on them and I know I should just let them play in the background when I'm home to ensure they've hit their supposed sweet spot.At this point I don't have the time,energy, or money to make any more changes in the near future so if the sound doesn't sweeten up I'm just going to have to get over it.I'll post again after giving the 22L's a more fair chance to please me.Maybe I'm just getting too fussy as this hobby and the relentless pursuit of a better sounding system can get you crazy at times.

...run in for a little while. Some say there is no such thing as break-in, but I'm convinced otherwise. My Revels took quite some to start playing music. Maybe it's because I listen at a pretty low level (well, usually)... the woofer hardly moves. Also, I remember the first time I fired up the Studio 60s - I thought in many ways they sounded worse than the Titans they just replaced. Now, it's night and day. I'm not going to say it's the magical "100 hours", but burn-in time was definitely needed in both cases.

Same thing with my new amp... sounded "good" but no magic at first. After spinning a few records it really opened up and started strutting her stuff.

Don't worry about being "blown away", I'm sure it just has a different tonality you aren't used to. That, and run-in is an issue. That's just like when I was A/Bing the N804s vs. Contour 1.4 - the Danes seemed dull in comparison, but The B&Ws would probably keep me on the edge of my seat. Don't get me wrong, it's a good speaker that does many things well - just not for me.

Sorry 'bout the merry-go-round... it certainly can be an expensive hobby! Should have stopped when you started, eh? Oh, well...

The DeVores (sp?) look interesting... I think there is a dealer in Brooklyn.

Keep us posted on the Quads!