Related to the S2 Studio20 post

[3db]

I probably badly stated the point but I am in agreement with what you're saying. A good recording is hard to screw up with most any speaker even ones I don't really like. Accuracy is something most every speaker maker claims to try and achieve - the CBM measures very well but most people I knwo who've heard them call it a tinny irritating mess - but you are mnot going to get that from looking at the graph.

I happen to support the article written by Leonard Norwitz and peter Qvortrup to determine what is on the recording over going by a measurement that show me a graph that says that a speaker is pretty flat...I have heard dozens and dozens of speakers described as flat or "excellent" measuring "neautral" and "accurate'" without any sort of irrifutable or close evidence to support the notion -- usually reviewed by mags that get all their ad revenue from the maker -- lets see Motortrend calll a pinto anything but a great car.

It's not all about treble and bass but dynamics as well -- When I was listening where I found the biggest differences in recordings was in the dynamics and pressure the instruments can create in a physical space -- those differences are gigantic across recoprdings and something I have never ever heard from the list of speaker makers provided to me by 3db (and i've heard a great deal from every one of them). Klipsch onterestingly enough has made some that do.

There is no way to truly know if you are getting accurate sound and certainly no way to reproduce the sound of the recording as the recording engineer intended. And if you did then you certainly could not get it from a second cd you put in your player that was recorded in another country in another room with different speakers different RE's ears etc.

I can not perfectly accurately recreate the experience of that Recording engineer or live event. If you drive to Canada from Las Vegas at a perfect 100mph all the way and i take the same road and also travel at the identical speed it may be close but if you're in a Bently and I'm on a motorbike -- it ain't the same trip (and I'll be needing hemeroid help).

I dunno I prefer the involvemnet of a motorcycle rather than the uninspring ride of a Bentley .

[Florian]

This is normal, being the owener of one of the absolute most revealing speakers there are i can tell you one thing. Some recordings may seem bad until you exrtact 100% out of them and see their true magic shine through the rusty exterior.

[dave123456@mail.com]

"Accuracy is something most every speaker maker claims to try and achieve - the CBM measures very well but most people I knwo who've heard them call it a tinny irritating mess - but you are mnot going to get that from looking at the graph."

Oh man, you dont know how right that is. These speakers sounded smaller than my old $249.00 PSB Image 2b's. And theyre supposed to be giant killers ha ha! They were also horrendously bright and uninvolving. btw who do u know who heard these?

[RGA]

A fellow who I worked with at NCompass labs (which was purchased by Microsoft) the day I started working there (hey I should put this on my resume). He actually was the guy who told me about Antique Sound Labs about 5 years ago. I can;t put you through to him because he was one of those friendly work acquantenances and I only worked there through the summer. I ran into him at a mall in North Vancouver and we got into a fairly lengthy chat about audio. And this was around the time when the CBM was mentioned a fair bit -- he's one of those audiophiles who constantly buys and sells stuff and is a bit more about the Sonics over the music. He didn't like the treble and felt they were lightweight in the bass.

It's too bad I fell out of touch because he had similar tastes that I do - same headphones and headphone amp -- though he upgraded to a much more expensive head amp (he listened at work on the rig).

Headphones are a great equalizer and so my goal was to listen to stonkingly expensive and considered some of the best going and then find a speaker that could match the best headphoens on their terms (or better them) and then add what speakers do well to the mix when buying speakers. It takes a good speaker to completely destroy the HD 600s AKG 1000, and then quite a speaker to not be betterred by the big Stax and orpheus rigs. Headphones have inherent disadvantages of course but to get the clarity at the lsitening position in room I had never experienced from speakers in the four years I was auditioning speakers.

My set-up allows me real time A/B comparisons with the HD 600 and the main rig. So I can play a cd and merely take the cans off my head and flip one switch to continue playing through the main speakers.

When you can actually get to the point where you don't play the HD 600 because they are totally outclassed in every way then you're finding something real good IMO. In fact so ouclassed are my HD 600s that I run the rig as computer headphones - 1/4 pin to rca jacks to the ASL head and then run the apple Itunes radio.

[RGA]

I dunno I prefer the involvemnet of a motorcycle rather than the uninspring ride of a Bentley .

Yes but you see there is a driver for you in the Bently -- I'm in back with 4 playmates - the ride is what you make of it