Oops I did it again...

[LeRoy]

It is nice to have options. The RS6's are still in place so when I am in the mood for some Mahler or Lucinda Williams live I just switch the cables. Now that I am in a string quartet mood the Studio 530's are the best with detail and sweetness of string tones.
.

Having options and reconfiguring speakers, cables, sources, etc..that's the ticket. It's good to know what the strengths and weaknesses of a singular piece of gear and be able to customize the presentation based on preferences and source material.

Even though I don't have my 3rd set of speakers ( System Audio Aura 1) hooked up to anything I still want to keep them here. There is a feeling of comfort knowing I can reach into my overflow box and still be able to pull a rabbit out of the hat if I want to.

So JM, good job of knowing when to go for the rascally rabbit.

[JohnMichael]

OMG, Norah Jones through the Studio 530's. Damn girl.

[harley .guy07]

Yeah I've got Norah Jones on 24/192 high def download on my music server and that is some of the best of that type of music out there as far as dynamics and realism that I have found so far. Also have the Eagles full studio albums on 24/192 and that is some incredible stuff too. LeRoy those System Audio speakers look pretty good. I looked them up and they seem to have a pretty substantial woofer for a smaller speaker. I have never heard of them until now.

[JohnMichael]

I have learned to accept that I am a speaker polygamist. I love one for a time then it is time for a change. After Norah I pulled out some Harry Connick Jr. and was enjoying his voice and the band. I am at work but I would rather be home listening to music.

[JohnMichael]

The JBL Studio 530's are still the imaging champs and do an incredible with piano and violin.

The MoFi OML1's recreate the best sense of space. The soundstage is wider than the speakers. They give a good clue to the size of the acoustical space.

The MA RS6's do the best sense of scale. The soundstage is between the speakers but they are good at large choral and symphonic works. While not as big a soundstage they portray the weight of the music.

As my music tastes change my speakers will change.

[harley .guy07]

What would be cool now is to search out a speaker that can do all that in one. I know that's hard to find but I would think it would be a pain to change out speakers all the time and have to find the sweet spot positioning every time, Just saying

[JohnMichael]

You are correct it would be great to find a speaker that can do all three things and I am sure they are out there. Way out beyond my budget. Swapping out speakers is not that tough since I know the best positions for all three. I may be able to set them up blindfolded. I have measurements charted and the carpet piercing spikes in cheap apartment carpet are my guides.

I was reading a thread on another site and a member was using the Usher 520's on the Usher bass stands. I was thinking the mini monitor would give me good imaging and wide soundstage and the bass module would give me a sense of scale and they are designed to work together. My poor man's Verity.

[Jack in Wilmington]

I really like my Usher S520's but they probably aren't any better than the OML1's. You might as well keep the OML1's and get a sub to fill in the lower octaves. I'll bet Harley's speakers do everything that you're looking for and are in your budget range.

I'm sure you don't have different cars for rainy days and snowy days and hot sunny days. That might not be a good analogy, but you get the idea.

[Mr Peabody]

Although your speakers are all good performers your amp is certainly capable of making it worth moving up as budget would permit. I had an original 300i and it was good with Dynaudio Contour floorstanding so you should be fairly wide open in quality monitors.

In your listening area, although not a monitor, I wonder what Totem would sound like. Thiel might also be a brand to listen to.

[JohnMichael]

Now that I have found the sweet spot for the RS6's the drive for better speakers is not as strong. They are the same distance from the rear wall but a little further apart with some toe-in. I listen to those the most these days and I am glad I finally can enjoy them. I feel like I am getting my money's worth.

I just need to make a trip to Dayton and listen to the Dynaudio's.

[filecat13]

I'm sure you don't have different cars for rainy days and snowy days and hot sunny days. That might not be a good analogy, but you get the idea.

I'll bet he's got different clothes for different occasions and even for different moods. He probably eats and drinks according to mood from time to time. I suspect there are times when he wants to spend time with some people and not with others or even when he wants no company at all.

Hope you don't think I'm being argumentative. I'm positing there are many ways to look at choice and preference as an alternative to one-size-fits-all. When I lived in Michigan, I had a winter car, a summer car, an off-roading car, and a work car. Well the last two were technically an SUV and a pick up truck. I only had one house.

When I moved to CA, I only had one car--a summer car--and somehow was able to have a house in CA and a second home away from CA. I didn't need more than one car in that mess, but I sure needed a place to go to get away from it.

JM is a lucky guy to be able to have satisfying variety in something he loves, and I applaud him for being openly happy about it.

I do know a few guys who have uber expensive speakers who have to force their enthusiasm when certain music is played on them, because they just really don't like how some things sound on their system. Other music--their favorite demo track(s)-- sounds glorious, and they want so much for everything to sound glorious but it doesn't.

When it comes to speakers, I do believe that variety is the spice of life.

[filecat13]

I should have added that having a very understanding partner or living alone really helps in this regard. Most people I know subscribe to the "one set ought to be enough" school of thought on music in the house, and if you're in residence with one of those thinkers, you're out of luck.

[Mr Peabody]

Coincidently, I saw the guy from Enjoy the Music website giving a seminar on YouTube at RMAF, his point was not to get so caught up in upgradeidus and "enjoy the music" BUT he was addressing audiophiles and some of them had 12 sets of speakers, he at one time had 15 sets, so it is not unusual to have more than one set of speakers if you have the room and money. Some speakers are unique and hold a place in your heart and even though you find one you generally enjoy more you hate to let go of the beloved set. A friend of mine has a bunch of Hales, he just replaced all his Revel with the new Performa 3 series and although the Performa 2's are for sale he still has them. Besides we as audiophiles can seem content at one point and then hear a speaker or piece of gear that strikes us in a way we are no longer content. The plus and minus of listening to a lot of other gear, LOL

[Jack in Wilmington]

Mr. P, I wondered why you never kept any of your old speakers around. Do you ever wonder what your Dyns would have sounded like with your Pass gear? I guess I'm lucky, in that being retired, if I want to hear a different set of speakers, I just drive up to the local hifi shop. They're always happy to see me and I get to talk about gear with the guys and we talk about new restaurants that we've tried. But I never think about replacing my Dyns with anything that I've heard. I do have 3 other sets of speakers to listen to at home, but I never get the urge to put them in the 2 channel mix.

[Mr Peabody]

My issue is not enough space. It would have been interesting to hear the Dyn's with my system but the F52's are superior than the model I had, they are exceptional, you'd have to hear them to understand, some of the reviews are spot on. I can't understand why the resale value isn't higher. There are very few speakers I've heard at any price that go as low as the F52's, remain controlled and provide detail in that region. I have a friend in the area who upgraded, and I use the term loosely, to the Performa 3's and wants to sell his F52's, I've been trying to get Harley to come up and give a listen to them. I wouldn't trade my F52's straight up for the top of the line Performa 3. I still like Dynaudio, I just like my F52's better. If I had room and going to hang on to speakers there are models of Klipsch I would keep, I'd want a set of JBL's LS series, a set of Dynaudio's Focus 110. Who knows what else I might have ended up with .

How do you like that Goldring cart? Have you used anything else you can compare it to?

[Jack in Wilmington]

My issue is not enough space. It would have been interesting to hear the Dyn's with my system but the F52's are superior than the model I had, they are exceptional, you'd have to hear them to understand, some of the reviews are spot on. I can't understand why the resale value isn't higher. There are very few speakers I've heard at any price that go as low as the F52's, remain controlled and provide detail in that region. I have a friend in the area who upgraded, and I use the term loosely, to the Performa 3's and wants to sell his F52's, I've been trying to get Harley to come up and give a listen to them. I wouldn't trade my F52's straight up for the top of the line Performa 3. I still like Dynaudio, I just like my F52's better. If I had room and going to hang on to speakers there are models of Klipsch I would keep, I'd want a set of JBL's LS series, a set of Dynaudio's Focus 110. Who knows what else I might have ended up with .

How do you like that Goldring cart? Have you used anything else you can compare it to?

I was all set to purchase either a Goldring Eroica H from my Music Hall dealer or a Sumiko Blue Point Special from my local shop, when I went up and heard a Bryston 4B-SST2 and I believe that will make a bigger over all improvement in my system.

[Florian]

I do enjoy 2 sets of speakers as well, which are quite the opposite type. My main speaker is a pair of Apogee Grands and for normal listening, where i do not want to turn on 8 monoblocks i use a pair of slightly modded Hales Transcendence 8 speakers. They are quite apart but i can enjoy music on both and accept the limitations of the Hales. By the way, its actually one of the very few box speakers i can enjoy.

Cheers

[R2D2]

Hi,
I just installed a pair of Studio 530 and I am browsing my iTunes library for 7 hours now !
Rock, solo violin, choirs, acoustic guitar, opera singers, everything is a joy to listen to !
Long ago I had a pair oF JBL L15, then modest Mission 731i; but these 530 are amazing. For one year, I have been listening music in my office with a pair of Adam AX7 with a Dynaudio BM14s sub, but the 530 are much faster than the ART ribbon; transients are absolutely amazing and gives a huge sense of realism.
In order to extend basses, I added a BM14s sub, and then I get a huge and wide scene.
I played "das Lied von der Erde" of Malher and I was surprised, when the singer raises his voice at the end of his breath, to litteraly hear the tension of his neck´s muscles.
Rite of spring oF Stravinsky becomes organic with the 530. For jazz, you are sitting in the Club. Bob Florence' serendipity results in a huge stage, horns are blowing. The piano of Nathalie Loriers is authoritative as it must be. In classic, Vengerov's violin is very realistic, Harpsichord (Leonhardt) is outstanding. And all voices are so detailed, the specificities of each are respected (Bobby Mc Ferrin, Franck Zappa, Joni Mitchell, Marisa Monte). Dynaudio BM14s is sufficiently fast and tight to smoothly blend with the 530. The 3 double-bass tune "Splanky" of Christian Mc Bride is a delight and each of the 3 bassists is clearly located and fully heard during his solo.
These 530 are a bargain, and their horns are unbelievably giving life to digital music. To find these horns on such relatively cheap speakers is a Luck of one's life. Compare with similar price Klipsch and you will admit that JBLs are infinitely superior.

[JohnMichael]

Hi,
I just installed a pair of Studio 530 and I am browsing my iTunes library for 7 hours now !
Rock, solo violin, choirs, acoustic guitar, opera singers, everything is a joy to listen to !
Long ago I had a pair oF JBL L15, then modest Mission 731i; but these 530 are amazing. For one year, I have been listening music in my office with a pair of Adam AX7 with a Dynaudio BM14s sub, but the 530 are much faster than the ART ribbon; transients are absolutely amazing and gives a huge sense of realism.
In order to extend basses, I added a BM14s sub, and then I get a huge and wide scene.
I played "das Lied von der Erde" of Malher and I was surprised, when the singer raises his voice at the end of his breath, to litteraly hear the tension of his neck´s muscles.
Rite of spring oF Stravinsky becomes organic with the 530. For jazz, you are sitting in the Club. Bob Florence' serendipity results in a huge stage, horns are blowing. The piano of Nathalie Loriers is authoritative as it must be. In classic, Vengerov's violin is very realistic, Harpsichord (Leonhardt) is outstanding. And all voices are so detailed, the specificities of each are respected (Bobby Mc Ferrin, Franck Zappa, Joni Mitchell, Marisa Monte). Dynaudio BM14s is sufficiently fast and tight to smoothly blend with the 530. The 3 double-bass tune "Splanky" of Christian Mc Bride is a delight and each of the 3 bassists is clearly located and fully heard during his solo.
These 530 are a bargain, and their horns are unbelievably giving life to digital music. To find these horns on such relatively cheap speakers is a Luck of one's life. Compare with similar price Klipsch and you will admit that JBLs are infinitely superior.

Yes they are very nice speakers and that horn tweeter is so good. I heard a little dryness but I attribute that more to the cables I was using at the time

[R2D2]

Yes they are very nice speakers and that horn tweeter is so good. I heard a little dryness but I attribute that more to the cables I was using at the time

I do use very ordinary cables but I crease an aluminium foil around the cable near the speaker's end. A friend oF mine showed me this trick and it gave better sound than a 10,000 $ cable lent by a reseller that he was testing at that Time.

[JoeE SP9]

Say what!?

[R2D2]

Just try it, you will hear the difference, and blind listening is easy, one friend put or not a foil oF aluminium around the cable and then creases it around the cable. It suppresses Metallic or harshness, especially of voices.

[Florian]

I think its time the magic pixie dust comes back... but then again, i think its already here in spades ;-)

[R2D2]

I am not a fan of these magic tricks, but I heard a difference in blinded conditions. And it is not expensive to try it. A friend of mine, a mathematician developing a plasma loudspeaker explained me that there were micro-currents getting out and in the cables all along the traject and that this trick could stop it. I don't have the scientific background to judge the value of his explanation. I am usually sceptic when someone says that he uses quantic mechanic to help the air move in a room, as I am involved in many scientific projects where we scrutinize any placebo effect or any bias or confounding factor. This does not result in perfect immunization against placebo effect but it can help. Any way, as the placebo effect produces a release of dopamine in the accumbens nucleus, it has an effect on brain-reward. Maybe this could affect sound perception, nevertheless sound perception is not the only factor. A japanese team demonstrated that frequencies above 20 Khz were not identified by participants but clearly affected brain responses disclosed by functional neuroimagery techniques.
Maybe future reviews of Hi-Fi products will include not only measurements of gear but also brain responses in addition to human judgements ;-)

[R2D2]

Addendum : this discussion about cables does not prevent Studio 530 to be very enjoyable. In order to better describe my feelings, I am listening my Adam A7X with the same tunes (but not the same DAC, Teac UD-501 at home, and Apogee Duet in the office) : I think Adam A7X are not bad, but clearly Studio 530 give a "sparkling sound" : you want to dance with it and just listen with the A7X. The Overture and All that Jazz from the musical movie Chicago brings snaps to your fingers. My wife confirmed that she had the feeling to be at concerts for the singers she appreciates. She also told me that, contrary to the previous system, it did not make her irritable when played at loud volumes (and in fact, she tolerated very well the well above usual volume I played with the 530).