Philosophical question: Do I want speakers that are aggressive, accurate, or laid ba

[JonW]

I'd say it's not like getting tired of a song; that's a different process I think

First impressions are more likely to be valid for the experience audiophile than for the newbie. It's not that their hearing is better, only that they know what to listen for.

Nevertheless there are different priorities among audiophiles, e.g. RGA puts a high priority on dynamics, whereas I prefer more on detail and air. Each of us, though, will immediately listen for these qualities in any new loudspeaker we listen to.

Oh, so you think it's different. That first imrpessions are more valid here. Interesting. Hmmm...

[RGA]

Oh, so you think it's different. That first imrpessions are more valid here. Interesting. Hmmm...

The article in my sig line is all that is required to be able to find accurate speakers. Compairing to live doesn't really work outside of general tonallity and even then you won't know which Piano was being used a Steinway or a Strad unless you know what all those sound like. The speaker that can call up the most differences between recordings is the one that si not homogonizing them is more accurate than a speaker that has a stamped on sound. Listening to the Cerwin Vega D9 or the Bose 901 you can get an idea of what is being said in that these two have a tendency to imprint a huge presence on everything played. The Cerwin has a massive bass hump -- that impacts so strongly on the music that Cher sounds like a man. Bose presents a huge totally unrealistic soundstage making everything bigger than it normally is.

Many speakers, all speakers, have some sort of stamp -- or they hide varios problems by not giving you strengths that were on the disc. For example panels don' credibly do dance pop or timbral balances on some instruments very well nor do they measure very well on frequency response -- nor do they sound good off axis and much of the midrange lacks a true 3 dimensial presence sounding, well, like they look, 2 dimensional. They also don't have the pressurization of vibrant instruments in a living space. They are a little less coloured though but that depends on whether you consider decay a colouration -- I do not. This is why there is so much choice. Wading through it all took me four years to find something worth upgrading.

[drseid]

First impressions hold true, eh? OK, good to know. I'm just concerned the speakers will be like music- the songs you like right away, you get sick of. The songs you hate right away you hate almost always. But some songs in the middle don't knock your socks off right away, but become the mroe meaningful, long-term favorites for years. You know what I mean.

OK, I'll have a look at those other companies if I can. Thanks.

I hear you... It may be strange, but while that happens to me too with songs quite often, it rarely happens to me with first impressions of speakers. If I don't like a speaker early on, it is rare I will like it later.

---Dave

[JonW]

I hear you... It may be strange, but while that happens to me too with songs quite often, it rarely happens to me with first impressions of speakers. If I don't like a speaker early on, it is rare I will like it later.

---Dave

Interesting you say that. Because Feanor said the same thing.

[Pyrrho]

First impressions hold true, eh? OK, good to know. I'm just concerned the speakers will be like music- the songs you like right away, you get sick of. The songs you hate right away you hate almost always. But some songs in the middle don't knock your socks off right away, but become the mroe meaningful, long-term favorites for years. You know what I mean.

OK, I'll have a look at those other companies if I can. Thanks.

The same holds for some speakers. If, for example, there is a "hump" in the bass of the frequency response of a speaker, it may sound great at first hearing, but may be very undesirable later with a different recording. First impressions do not always hold true. (Also, two speakers rated at 35-20kHz +/- 3dB may have considerable differences in the frequency response curve, such that one has elevated bass near the low end, and the other may have diminished bass near the low end, so there can be as much as 6 dB difference between the two, even if the ratings are perfectly accurate and measured according to the same standards.)

When selecting speakers, you should listen to every type of music that you ever listen to, as certain kinds of flaws are more objectionable with some music than others.

If you want "accurate" speakers, I strongly suggest that you listen to some live acoustic music first, and then listen to recordings of similar acoustic music. (It has to be acoustic music, or you will be listening to speakers in the live performance, which will tell you what some speakers sound like, not instruments.) "Accurate" speakers reproduce acoustic music more like hearing it live than "inaccurate" speakers.

I personally am fond of ribbon tweeters, found in speakers like Magnepan and many Aurum Cantus speakers, among others.

As for the lack of fairness in comparing speakers in different rooms, there is probably not much you can do about it. But you should also realize that even if you stick two speakers side by side in the same room and hook them to the same equipment, you still wouldn't have a fair comparison, for at least three reasons. First, being not exactly in the same place, they won't sound the same. Second, different speakers can require different placement for them to sound their best. Third, different speakers often differ in efficiency, so that one will sound louder than the other with the same amplifier with the same volume control setting. This is a far more serious problem than it may appear at first, because human hearing is not linear, and as volume decreases, bass and treble subjectively seem to diminish faster than midrange, so that the louder of two speakers (if otherwise identical) will sound like it has more bass and treble, giving a "richer", more pleasing sound. (Many pieces of equipment, especially old two channel equipment, have Loudness Compensation circuits to boost the bass [and sometimes also the treble] that can be used when listening at lower volumes because of this aspect of human hearing.)

One last point: You are not asking a philosophical question in your original title; you are asking a question about your personal preferences, which, ultimately, you must decide for yourself.

[Florian]

You want a speaker with no coloration, no character, and no box and no own signature. No weight to carry around, very fast repsonce times.

-Flo

PS: Speakers are not supposed to make music, they are only supposed to transport a given signal.

[thekid]

I am not sure the "stick in the water" analogy holds water....( pun intended ). The stick in the water represents an optical illusion which you can detect using other methods which will uncover the true nature of the stick. If there is such a thing as a audio illusion it may be able to be detected by machines taking measurements but ultimately your ears are your only audio "detector" so the "audio illusion" is your reality. IMO if you are able to take speakers you are considering buying home and listen to them as you plan to place that is the best way to find the speakers you like. Listening to speakers in a store or using stats to determine your purchase is usually futile because it is not the same environment you will use them. That is why people are often disappointed with their purchases once they get them home.