Why do you like your speakers?

[mr. budget]

Like what speakers do you have, why did you choose that particular speaker or set (incl swfrs). What need did you have that they filled? Like what was right for you about your speakers that made them right for you. Also are you upgrading?

[Florian]

My current speakers are the Magnepan MG 3.6R/Special Edition

I always wanted a speaker that i do not hear, it was supposed to put the musicians in my room and have absolutly no coloration or any box sound at all. It had to image large and just sound real. If i close my eyes and can picture the orchestra or players in my room, then that is the speaker for me. The 3.6R/SE's do just that and more.

I currently have no interest in upgrading, and the only other speaker in the world i still have to buy is the next model the MG20.1R/SE- But they need a very large room, and the difference between a active 3.6R/SE and the 20.1R/SE is not that big.

[20to20K]

My current speakers are Polk LSi15's. I bought them because I was looking for the best sounding, and best looking $1500 floor standers I could find that could fill a 25x15 room
without a glaring need for a subwoofer. I later bought a Velodyne DLS-4000 anyway.

I compared them to the Infinity's, Klipsch, Definitive Tech, KEF and B&W in this price range and these were the clear winnners to me. I later heard a pair of Quad 2.2L for $1600 that I would have picked over the Polks...but it was already too late. I also preferred the Paradigm Studio 100s but at $2200 they were a little out of my price range.

I am enjoying my Polks now, but I know I will probably upgrade to the next price point in a year or two. I like the Sonus Faber Grand Pianos, B&W 804, and Meadowlarks in the $3000-$3500 range.

Acoustic jazz and vocals sound great on my Polks. Those are it's strengths. I was listening to Rickey Lee Jones "Pirates" and Joni Mitchells "Hijera" last night, both on vinyl, and the sound was stunning. Same is true for Stevie Wonders "Innervisions". Bass extension is also surprising as well. Keith Jarrett's "Still Live" CD on ECM and Herb Albert's "Rise" really demonstrates this.

I could easily recommend my Polks to anyone shopping in this price range. I realize that Polk has a negative stigma attached to them because of their weaker, mass marketed products available at Circuit City and Best Buy, but if you listen to the LSi series for yourself instead of listening to hear-say you will discover that these are quite impressive speakers at a very reasonible price.

[Eric Z]

Like what speakers do you have?
I have some decent entry level Mirage FRX speakers (fronts, center, and surround). I finished completing everything about 6 or 7 months ago and I'm pretty pleased. I also have a Def Tech PS80 subwoofer.

Why did you choose that particular speaker or set (incl swfrs)?
I bought the Mirage FRX fronts because Tweeter had them on clearance and I got a good deal. I also listened to some other speakers in the same $300-$400/pair price range and liked the Mirage the best. Since these were my first "real" speakers I bought, I was just pleased they would sound better than my Acoustic Design blown bookshelf speakers. I picked up the Def Tech PS80 sub because I wanted some more bass and the store I frequent gave me a great deal- I know it's not the biggest and baddest sub, but for under $250 I couldn't find anything better.

What need did you have that they filled?
I wanted some new speakers that were pretty decent and my set-up is doing just fine.

Like what was right for you about your speakers that made them right for you?
Price and they were a huge upgrade from what I had before.

Also are you upgrading?
Tossing the idea around of upgrading. It's hard because I'm in a good position; my wife is totally cool with me spending $2K on some new stuff, but it's hard for me to justify it. I like HT and speakers, but sometimes I wonder if that $2K wouldn't be better elsewhere. I don't want to upgrade just because I can. I know some of you may think I'm nuts, however, maybe I just need to hear/see other systems to hear/see what I'm missing.

Thanks for asking.
Eric

[N. Abstentia]

I've had Paradigm Active 40's for about 6 years now and they still amaze me. The main thing I liked about the sound was that they are just the most alive sounding speakers I could find. They also eliminate the amp factor, as they have FOUR amps built in. Not only are they bi-amped, they are quad-amped with electronic crossovers

For a sub I use a Paradigm Servo 15 because it matches perfectly and is the most musical sub I could find for under $3000.

[Pat D]

Like what speakers do you have, why did you choose that particular speaker or set (incl swfrs). What need did you have that they filled? Like what was right for you about your speakers that made them right for you. Also are you upgrading?

I'll go into subwoofers first, because having a subwoofer can influence the choice of main speakers. To my mind, a subwoofer should be able to reproduce a 32 foot organ pipe (fundamental at 16 hz) adequately and have sufficient output capability to meet my needs. Why get a lesser sub when it only saves a couple of hundred dollars? I could see no reason why a good sub should have to cost more than a thousand dollars. The 15 inch Paradigm PW-2500 did what I wanted it to and still does.

For main speakers, I like smooth, uncoloured sound. The speaker should not call attention to itself but project a consistent and plausible stereo image. In the reviews, I looked for speakers which measured well, which had a smooth frequency response and wide horizontal dispersion, which should not only image well but be room friendly. They should sound good with all the types of music I listen to.

Well, we needed new main speakers because the old Quad ESL-63's power supply had gone. This is expensive to fix and one still is not sure how reliable the old things would be. The Quads are narrow dispersion and while they are not as difficult to set up as many say, they are not that room friendly. They need space to sound their best. Since this house doesn't really have the room to get the best out of the Quads, I figured I would concentrate on forward radiating speakers. In fact, we did try out the bipolar Mirage OM-7 but I never could get a neutral balance.

Well, we auditioned a number of speakers. The PSB Stratus Minis sounded about as good as any. They have a wide horizontal dispersion and a smooth, very gently declining frequency response, which tends to make them more forgiving. They throw a wide and consistent stereo image with plausible depth and have no obvious colourations. By themselves without the subwoofer, they have useful bass down to around 35 hz and even in a large listening room in the store did not seem bass shy at all on most music. Most recordings sound very good to excellent (that goes along with the good measurements) and rather to my surprise, when we tried them out at home, most sounded even better than on the old Quads. For example, I had never been able to get a proper sound on piano with the Quads in this house. They outclass the Paradigm Reference Series, either version 2 or 3, in overall smoothness (i.e., Rachmaninoff's 2nd Symphony).

I am not going to tell you that the Stratus Minis are better than a number of other speakers we listened to, but they seem just as good, and their overall balance is more to my liking than most. It's nice they cost less, too, of course. They play beautifully with all types of music from Diana Krall to Beethoven's 9th Symphony. Are they as good as the Paradigm Signature S2 or the Totem Mani-2? Well, I didn't compare them directly, so I can't be sure. The S2 is a bit less distant, hence brighter. The Totem Mani-2 Signature is a really nice speaker. it goes deeper in the bass, but not as deep as my subwoofer--neither does their subwoofer, for that matter. I did notice some emphasized glottal stops on an old Leonard Warren recording the owner and I both have, that I have never heard on another speakers and don't particularly want to. I don't know what's going on there.

It would be nice to have a home audition of the Paradigm Signature S2 and and PSB Platinum M2.

[Rod B]

I have a pair of Paradigm Monitor 9's. . .a price I couldn't refuse, under $200. They sound great, I got lucky!

[Florian]

I have a pair of Paradigm Monitor 9's. . .a price I couldn't refuse, under $200. They sound great, I got lucky!

Under 200 is a steal

[chimera128]

Mains: BP7000SCs x 2 ... liked the sound and they take up small floor space. Builtin subs that have made me fear for my house. They sound equally good for music and for movies. I am biased to bipolar/dipolar sound lol, this is another reason why I bought them. I like the spacious sound they provide, direct radiators usually sound bland to me.
Center Channel: C/L/R 3000. It matches the mains.
Surrounds: BP10Bs. Bipolar, matching mids, great bass response, don't have to hang them on walls, no stands needed.
Rear Center: 2 promonitor 100s wired through a prosub100TL. I had them leftover from my apartment setup and am using them until I can get some more towers. They work really well though so I will probably keep them for a while.

I listened to a variety of speakers and for what I use them for, basically 50/50 music/ht, they provided the best money/performance ratio. The only thing I plan on upgrading is the receiver. I want to get amps/prepro in the next couple of years. And if I can replace the two sattelites/sub for my rear center.

[Buzz Roll]

Ohm Microwalsh Tall:
I chose them because of the space limitations in my listening room, and the fact that I couldn't find a floorstander in the range of $1000-1500 that I liked. Ohm honors a factory-direct, 4-month at home trial period so it was worth a try.

The needs that they filled for me have been - uncolored sound (the head designer at Ohm mentioned to me that a microphone company is now using Ohms to test their mics due to their neutrality), wide open soundstage with no boxiness or cabinet coloration, huge sweetspot, great bass, amazing mid-range resolution. The other benefits were dealing directly with a great company, and the assurance of possible upgrades as they become available. Ohm services all speaker models that they have ever produced.

For this particular listening room, I see no upgrades happening soon.

[Feanor]

Like what speakers do you have, why did you choose that particular speaker or set (incl swfrs). What need did you have that they filled? Like what was right for you about your speakers that made them right for you. Also are you upgrading?

I have Magneplanar 1.6QR's. They are a dipolar, planar design. They have very good resolution and tonal balance, very good imaging, and can convey spatial information very well. In common with some other well-designed di- and bipolar speakers, they create a great sense of "air" and an expansive soundstage. For me, especially given I like accoustic music, particularly classical, they give a greater sense of the musicians being "there in the room" than any other type of speaker.

Are they the best speaker in the world? No, they aren't -- in fact, they aren't the best Magneplanar -- see Florian's comments. However they are absolutely outstanding for the money. Like other dipole planars, they have some downside aspects, but these are minor in my situation.

No, I won't be upgrading any time soon (or, at my age, perhaps ever). Actually, I very recently upgraded from the smaller Magneplanar model, MMG. From here on the upgrades will be to my music collection and/or, maybe, other components such as my digital or analog sources.

[Florian]

I have Magneplanar 1.6QR's. They are a dipolar, planar design. They have very good resolution and tonal balance, very good imaging, and can convey spatial information very well. In common with some other well-designed di- and bipolar speakers, they create a great sense of "air" and an expansive soundstage. For me, especially given I like accoustic music, particularly classical, they give a greater sense of the musicians being "there in the room" than any other type of speaker.

Are they the best speaker in the world? No, they aren't -- in fact, they aren't the best Magneplanar -- see Florian's comments. However they are absolutely outstanding for the money. Like other dipole planars, they have some downside aspects, but these are minor in my situation.

No, I won't be upgrading any time soon (or, at my age, perhaps ever). Actually, I very recently upgraded from the smaller Magneplanar model, MMG. From here on the upgrades will be to my music collection and/or, maybe, other components such as my digital or analog sources.

Many people buy a 1.6 or 3.6 and keep the speaker till death do them part. I had one for 7 month or so, i am still alive but have the 3.6's now

[ericl]

This is fun, you guys all have great speakers I've wanted to try for qutie a while - Maggies, Polk Lsi's, Paradigm actives, Ohm - you're all making me drool! I wish we all lived nearby by so we could all hear each other's stuff.

My main speaks are a pair of Klipsch Cornwalls, which I love very much. The create a huge sound field, are very dynamic and real, and most importantly, Musical. They are obnoxiously large, but I don't think I will ever part with them.

Just last night I swapped out my Fisher 500c (in need of tube replacements and going up for sale) for a recently purchased Yamaha CX-1000 pre amp and one of those teeny Sonic Impact tripath amplifiers as a stop gap until I can afford the tube that I want. Geez, this thing sounds pretty darn good! Listening to both vinyl and streaming internet radio, I got a new perspective on what the Klipsch's were capable of. Very clean, dynamic, crisp, music. that tiny amp is very impressive, and making me think twice about whether or not I need that expensive tube amp (i will probably still try it at some point - i'm an addict )

Eric

[Florian]

They are obnoxiously large, but I don't think I will ever part with them

Tell me about it, mine are almost 6ft tall and look like doors

The Klipsch are a classic, so no need to duck !! Keep on rocking

[Worf101]

System One:
I'm currently running Platinum Audio Studio 3's as my mains after years using Ohm Walsh 4's and F's. The wife *****ed and moaned about "Pyramids belonging in Egypt" so I had to get my first "modern" speaker. Great underated mains with a marvelously detailed soundstage. I HATE the modern "slim box" look but love the sound. Plus I got them for $300.00 picked up, what a bargain.!!!

System Two (Bedroom).
Using Platinum Audio 808's wall mounted. Wonderful small speakers with scary amounts of bass. And they look schweet with that fake rosewood finish.

I could mention subs and other stuff but these are my mains right now.

Da Worfster

[paul_pci]

I got my speakers because they (B&W 601s + LCR60) are better than the ones (Polk rti28) I had previously. Far more detail, better soundstage and awesome imaging, espeically for HT. I also got them because I could purchase all three for the same price as a pair of Studio 20s which didn't seem to me as being much better than the 601s. I also like them because they will serve me well as rears when, and if, I'm ready to upgrade front main speakers again. All in all, I'm very happy with the cost and performance. No regrets.

[Jimmy C]

Like what speakers do you have, why did you choose that particular speaker or set (incl swfrs). What need did you have that they filled? Like what was right for you about your speakers that made them right for you. Also are you upgrading?

... of Revel M20s, and a REL Strata III. I suppose I chose them because I liked them better than anything else at that price! Geez, I recently heard speakers at twice their price that I wouldn't trade for.

I was using (still have) Studio 60s, v2 with the REL. The M20s do everything better than the Paradigms, most notably the "openess" and ease of presentation. The bass is deeper, the mids are cleaner, and I don't hear any cabinet colorations aymore. They remain "buttoned down" at stupid-high volume levels, can't say that about the 60s. Also, the soundstage is no longer too pin-point... a more realistic size to the people/instruments. Instrument texture and nuance is better as well.

Upgrade? Well, as soon as something "blows me away". I have heard a lot of great stuff this year including Joseph, Reference 3A, Spendor, Dynaudio, Audio Physic, Genesis, Legacy, Logan, Maggie, Vienna, Sonus, ad infinitum. I can't say I would jump ship for any comparitively priced models. They certainly all had their strengths, but as a package deal... I'm still happy!

I think a tubed integrated is in my near future - maybe that's where a bit of extra "magic" resides...

[topspeed]

Like what speakers do you have, why did you choose that particular speaker or set (incl swfrs). What need did you have that they filled? Like what was right for you about your speakers that made them right for you. Also are you upgrading?

Why do I like my speakers? Because they provide a portal for me to step thru when I want to escape. What made them right for me is irrelevant, it will be different for every person. Music is subjective, pure and simple. Future upgrades are all centered around HT: new monitor, new HD stb w/ Tivo, new universal player (maybe). All of these will likely be done within the next few months and certainly before 'SC kicks-off in Hawaii .

[Geoffcin]

Like what speakers do you have, why did you choose that particular speaker or set (incl swfrs). What need did you have that they filled? Like what was right for you about your speakers that made them right for you. Also are you upgrading?

To my ears there's really nothing to compete with a large planar for the breath and hight of soundstage. That being said; planars are not for everyone. Maggie owners are a very loyal bunch, but I'm not one of those "my speakers are the best and there's nothing else" people. I not only LIKE a lot of box speakers, I keep a full up 7.1 HT system in the same room with the maggies. (this is heresy to some maggie owners!) I also use dual 15" subs, but really they are mostly for show, as there is very little music with energy down that low. (they hinge at 40hz) Actually, as of late I've been experimenting with using the dual subs for HT. It's working really well, but there's just too many darn connections now!

I've been planing a couple of upgrades for my system, (not my speakers!) but with a daughter going to college in a few months I've been putting some stuff on hold.

Who knows though? It's just a few weeks till the HE2005 show here in NY. I might just have to go nuts there!

[abstracta]

I always wanted a speaker that i do not hear, it was supposed to put the musicians in my room and have absolutly no coloration or any box sound at all

I've noticed that Magnepan owners are the most satisfied of all speaker owners. I caught the bug a few years ago when I heard a pair of 1.6's in a showroom, and promptly went home and threw my $700 satellites in the garage (I already forgot the brand) because I felt violated after hearing those glorious 1.6's

To my ears there's really nothing to compete with a large planar for the breath and hight of soundstage. That being said; planars are not for everyone

I've heard close. Legacy Whisper, JMLabs Utopias, and a few Wilsons I've run into over the years. The Whisper in my opinion matched the big Magnepans the closest in terms of transparency, detail and neutrality, but the maggies have a much more vivid and extensive soundstage, and are significantly cheaper. That being said I steer most of my friends towards high value, nice sounding dynamic speakers like Athena FS2's, Ascends', etc.

[drseid]

Like what speakers do you have, why did you choose that particular speaker or set (incl swfrs). What need did you have that they filled? Like what was right for you about your speakers that made them right for you. Also are you upgrading?

What speakers do you have?

Drseid: Tyler Acoustics Linbrook Signature System for my fronts.

Why did you choose that particular speaker set? Needs filled....

Drseid: I was really impressed with the soundstage ability the Tyler Acoustics Taylo Reference Monitors (now my rear speakers) could put out, and their beautiful mids and non-fatigueing, natural sounding highs... I wanted a pair of speakers that could match or exceed those qualities, but also add very high quality low bass that could equal them... The Tyler Linbrook System at 5K was able to give me everything I was looking for in their price range.

Other factors:

I also liked the looks of the speakers, and knowing I bought from "the little guy" Ty Lashbrook who is just a great down to earth talented designer who builds each pair of speakers to order himself. Finally, the value proposition played into the equation... I always smile when I go to CES, HE and THE Show, or high-end audio salons and I hear 10K speakers sold retail, and to my ears at least, I know I made the better buy...

As far as needs... I just like to hear a good performance as close to the way it would have been performed live as I can... When I whip out my Alison Krauss "Lonely Runs Both Ways" CD and hear her beautiful voice, or the plucks of a guitar string the way it should sound, I feel quite satisfied.

Upgrades?

Drseid: I always am looking, but so far the next step up speaker-wise that I have heard would set me back over 18K a pair... The McIntosh XRT-28s, and I would have to buy some expensive McIntosh electronics to drive them... If I ever hit the jackpot in Vegas I would consider buying a used pair... Until then, I can easily live with my current setup. :-)

---Dave

[kexodusc]

I have 5 speaker models in my house right now, so I guess I'll talk about them in order of least fav, to fav.

1) Axiom M3Ti's...bought these from a friend on a whim...don't buy all the review hype that compares these to Paradigm Studio 20's, because on their greatest day on steroids, they just don't come close (I use to own the 20's)...that being said these are very good speakers for the $215 or so I paid...the bass is a littly shy below 60 Hz, but it is accurate and tight, and midrange is rather pleasing...these really would do well in a complete Axiom home theater I think and are a good alternative for people looking for good sound on a budget...I'd rank these right up there with the Paradigm Mini Monitors I use to own...I dislike the fussiness these things seem to have with respect to toe-in and placement...

2) Paradigm Studio 40 v.2 - Although they've been replaced I just couldn't part with these...they're sitting in a closet right now waiting for me to make up my mind about where I want to put them...Enough's been said about these speakers so I won't get into great detail, but for me it came down to B&W, Energy, PMC, and the Studio's...price became a factor, and these offered the greatest value to my ears (though I purchased a complete 5.1 system, for 2-channel only, I'd have to re-evaluate). Good staging and imaging, solid bass, and nice, detailed, bright sound that I tend to prefer...

3) DIY - Peerless woofer/North Creek tweeter - Cleverly named the "PeeCreek" after the drivers, this was the first non-kit DIY speaker I ever made without help...very easy to build because the cabinets can be bought pre-finished at Parts Express, the crossover has a mere 9 elements, despite employing 4th order LR rolloffs for both drivers... (and the design is readily available at www.speakerbuilder.net
Many thanks to "The Reverend" Wayne Jaeschke.
These have a wider, deeper soundstage, amazing imaging, and more pleasant midrange than the Studio 40's, though don't have as much bass....I'd say the bass is equal in quality....the tweeter is rather neutral, perhaps not as detailed or bright as the Studio 40's, but tends to have a bump at the very high frequencies...this gives the impression of sibilance at the highest end of the spectrum and can be slightly annoying on rock music with a lot of cymbals, but they sound great with classical or acoustic music...The North Creek tweeter IMO is the weak link, and many DIY-ers have substituted it with higher-end tweeters from Morel or Usher, but this puts the price up considerably. All in all, I like these a bit more than the Studio 40's, because of the strong midrange and larger soundstage, though you probably wouldn't want to use these in critical, stand alone 2-channel system without a sub...at about $280 in parts (including excellent finished cabinets) or $200 if you build your own cabinets, these are great for small rooms, HT, or 2-channel without serious heavy bass...I find the imaging is, well, "too accurate" for my tastes in music, but I haven't heard a speaker under $1500 that does it better.

4) Audioreview.com's own, (EFE Technology)Ar.com DIY's - These use the same quality Peerless woofer as the PeeCreek, and are in the same price-range, but that's where the similarities end. These use a higher quality, better sounding driver IMO, a Peerless, 1" soft-dome tweeter. These have amazing off-axis response, an even wider and deeper soundstage than the PeeCreek and a few other perks. The bass response is lower and more defined than the PeeCreek or my Studio 20's...and 99% as low as my Studio 40's...not quite there...but that's fine...the midrange is and smooth, detailed highs are a good step up on the Paradigms. My favorite aspect of these speakers is the wide soundstage they produce, and how much "give" the center image has...it's not as sharply focused as the PeeCreek, but you can sit off-axis more and still maintain good imaging! The higher crossover really lets the Peerless woofer shine - awesome midrange performance for the money!
I made 6 of these at an average cost of about $215 a pair...They'd be about $340 with pre-made cabinets, but I made my own...much cheaper. These replaced my four Studio 20's and Studio 40's in my home theater...just in time for my jump into multi-channel audio.

Ed Frias of EFE Technologies makes this design a real treat to build. Despite making no money off the hundreds of sales Madisound and SpeakerCity make every year, he graciously answers every stupid question you throw at him, and usually inside of a day.

5) Vifa/Scan-Speak - towers...+/- 2 dB from 36-20,000 Hz and -9 dB at 28 Hz, these are mated to my Rotel integrated in my basement studio, where I do my most serious musical listening...This was my first venture into speaker building and I had a lot of help from an experienced friend designing and building these...they use a 7" Vifa wood/fiber cone woofer, and a Scan-Speak 1" Soft dome tweeter...I love these speakers, but since they're in my studio with my all my guitars, amps, etc, we finished them in an ugly carpet finish...I was told at the time this would soften the sound as well, but someday I might refinish the cabinets to make them look as good as they sound...they're the best speakers I've ever owned. They cost me a little over $500 in parts, so much more expensive than the AR.com DIY's, maybe not as good a value, but I'd put them up against any $2000-$3000 speakers I've heard. A lot of $2000-$4000 speakers use the same drivers so it's not surprising. I don't think I'll ever move these to home theater...building matching speakers would get too expensive and even for multi-channel audio, I just couldn't justify the diminishing returns on investment....maybe someday I'll build a better speaker for cheaper...

15" Dayton subwoofer project is next, then probably my first ever transmission line speaker...we'lll see how goes.

I'd love build an electrostat or planar speaker kit, but I'm still way too much a newbie to jump into that.

Great thread!!!

[Tarheel_]

the sweet midrange is what brought me to my current speakers, Revel F30. They reveal many layers of music unheard in lower-level speakers. Even lift Directv programs to a new level (American Idol, etc).
Just a joy to own and since i put my time in researching them, 2.5 years later, i don't have one desire to replace. Now, components are different. Peace.

[thepogue]

for my two channel married w/a Monitor audio ASW 210 Sub.....

I hunted quite a bit before picking them up and heard much more after owning them and I'm still thinking the 100's are giant killers...I've seen/heard many many speakers compaired to the 100's (for better or worse) but very seldom do you hear the 100's compaired with anything in its 2K price range...that for me...is the proof in the pudding...take most any brand...B&W, Revel, Canon, PSB, Linn, etc and see what 2K buys you...in my mind the 100's are giant slayers! Now I'm not saying at all they sound the best out there...no not at all....in fact I fully agree that the 100's present in a forward way (to some a huge disadvantage and to others liking) but I'm cheap...and I think they are a best buy all the way around...when I upgrade I'm quite sure it's not going to be the Paradigm family because quite frankly I've spent many many hours listening to $10,000+ speakers and each and every time I get back home..slap in some Steely Dan (Asia) I know I've made the correct choice (for me) the only speakers that I've heard that left me wanting are a set of $6,000 ML Prodigy's (married with a hugh Krell and a 3K source w/ 2K worth of cables) and for the price range of EQ I SHOULD have been drooling!!...so I think I'm a closet "Stat" kinda guy but I'll hunt and listen to all comers out there...and then make up me minds..but I'm sure I'll still have the 100's...somewhere making me smile!!...I'm hoping someday someone that has a nice set of maggies invites me to his house for a beer and a listening session but nobody seem to fit that bill in the...ohh...let say virginia/NC area ahem ahem...any how....I love the 100's and if I had to do it all over again...I would without hesitation...I dont always look for the best...but I ALWAYS look for the best for me!!

Peace, Pogue

[Vardo]

For my music only listening room I have a pair of Mirage M5si's, and a
Velodyne ULD12 to help out on the bottom end. The Mirage's are Bipolar,
(matched drivers firing forward and backward in phase) and I love the sound,
presents a huge soundstage. Imaging could be better, but that's
the trade off when you have bipolar speakers. They are powered by
an Adcom GFA555 mk2, and the preamp is a "Great American Sound"
"Thalia". I don't think I'll upgrade very soon. They sound great,
and I've had they since 1994.
Home Theater wise I have Atlantic Tech 350THX speakers (except for
the sub). I have 2 HSU VTF2's subs (The VTF-3 wasn't available when
I bought these). Powered by an ATI 1505 power amp and B&K Ref 20
prepro. I still like the sound of the speakers, although they kinda suck for
music (IMO), they have pretty good impact for movies.
I also have a small home theater in progress, and it's only 2.1 now.
Speakers are Axiom M3ti's, and they sound very good, open and
detailed. The bass is OK, but I have a sub (10)" from parts
express to help with that.............Vardo


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