What are your favorite speakers and why?

[Claus]

I love my Wilson Watt/Puppy 5i speakers... they are very fast and have an accurate, deep bass. Midrange is also exceptional... and clean. Soundstage not as good as the best electrostatic speakers...

Okay my next favorite would be... Wilson Audio's Grand Slamm.

[KLM]

I love my Thiel 1.5's. They are musically accurate with a balanced frequency range and a wonderful soundstage. Other speakers that I have heard recently that I enjoyed were some JM Labs and Triangle speakers.

[cadillacjack]

The best speakers I ever heard in my home were the Spendor
BC-1's and SP1/2. The best thing about them is that they sounded like music, not hifi. They could make any source sound good. The best sources sounded excellent.

[Metralla]

I bought Paradigm Mini Monitor v.2 speakers in January last year, and replaced them with the Coincident Super Eclipse in October.

http://www.coincidentspeaker.com/images/speakers/super_eclipse_frSM.jpg

This was an enormous leap forward. Very easy load (impedance greater than 12 Ohms), medium efficiency (93dB), narrow baffle with side-firing woofers, quite pretty (I've got them in black), and well priced. No dealer near me so I was able to buy directly from the manufacturer in Ontario, Canada. I drive them with 8 watts of directly-heated single-ended 300B power - delicious.

The Super Eclipse gave birth to the Total Eclipse which Scot Markwell (TAS Dec. 2001) gave a Golden Ear Award. The Supers don't have the bass extension of the larger models, but they sound similar.


Regards,
Metralla

[pigmode]

Nice speakers, Metralla. How large is your room, and what kind of music do you listen to? Are they bright with the ti dome tweeters? What do you consider their best qualities?

[Metralla]

Pigmode,

What are you doing up so early?

I'll link my AudioAsylum page so you can read boring specs.

These don't have a titanium tweeter at all mate. That was the older version. They were completely revised in March 2001 and the designer, Israel Blume, was so pleased with the Revelator tweeter in the Total Eclipse he upgraded the SEs to use that high-frequency unit.

I'm sure you have heard of the Scan-Speak Revelator. This is a silk-dome job. It's among the top 5 tweeters made today - that list would include Accuton diamond, Eton and the Raven ribbon. Adding this tweeter to the Super Eclipse required small cabinet changes and a redesigned crossover network.

It sparkles like a jewel mate. Extended, smooth, no fatigue, but not missing anything. For example, the bell tree on the opening track on Abraxas on SACD - stunning.

I have pretty varied tastes in music. I've got all the DCC Golds except three (you sent me some slip-covers once - thanks) and I have 60 or so SACDs and, as you probably know, the SACD releases so far cover a pretty wide spectrum. If I were to put percentages down ... 60% rock/pop/country, 25% jazz, 15% classical/folk/world.

Regards,
Metralla

AA Inmate System (http://cgi.audioasylum.com/systems/1178.html)

[pigmode]

Early? It's 6:33 am and I've been up for 2 hours already. I wake up at 4:30 every morning, no alarm clock needed. ;)

Thanks.

[Chip Stylus]

I have an old pair of I's, they have tan slipcovers on them and everybody took them for room dividers, never speakers as they are but 2" thick front to back.

The tweeter was a sheet of mylar, like those silver balloons, with a wire glued to it.
Well, these had been well used when i bought them and consequently the tweeter failed. I had it redone locally (sending them to WI and havine Magnepan do them is $350 + shipping and the speakers cost me but $300) but the tweeter failed again (was never at the right output level consistently anyway) and this past summer I bought a mint-in-box pair of 1.4's (black skins, ver intimidating visually) with outboard crossovers for $1000. They can be had for as low as $700 around the internet, but these were mint, like I say.

They sound great with my NAD reciever and my ancient Stromberg-Carlson integrated amp. Very detrailed, neutral mids, detailed but not pronounced bass, and this new pair has piercing highs when the software (vinyl and cd's) dictates. I had a girlfriend who would fall asleep all the time sitting in front of the Mag I's, they are so relaxing to listen to. NEVER, EVER had ear fatigue listening to these.

Hard with my current amplification to play them at blasting volume, however. I do not think they are capable of doing it.

[sgb]

I own the very beautiful but unusual looking Rosinante' Evolution Signatures ($10K), designed and built by Ric Cummins in Missouri. These have been replaced in his line by a speaker called the Gabrielle ($16K), which offers slightly deeper bass extension and retains all of the great looks of my earlier Signatures. For looks alone, they deserve your attention. View them here:

http://www.roomlens.com/Gabrielle.html

The most amazing characteristic of these beauties is their ability to create a level of inner detail and sound stage uncommon in all but a handful of higher-priced competitors while offering a clarity similar to that of electrostats. Ric recommends that you use a tube amplifier (preferably an SET), but will void your warranty if you play RAP music on them.

[Metralla]

sgb,

Wow - the Gabrielle are just stunning. Do you have a link to the actual ones you have?

Regards,
Metralla

[R. Cat Conrad]

Gallo Nucleus Solos: the most open airy articulate speakers I've ever heard with nearly 360 degress dispersion characteristics. :D

http://www.roundsound.com/solo.htm

Sadly, these are no longer being manufactured do to the success of the company's mass-market HT speakers. However, I understand that a second generation of high-performance speakers which combine the proprietory CDT technology of the original Nucleus line with the smaller "bassballs" used in their successful home theater line is being readied for the high-end surround market openned up by SACD & DVD-A formats.

Here's a review of the Nucleus Solos from some time back:

http://www.audiophilia.com/hardware/gallons.htm

Cheers,
Robert Cat Conrad :)

[sgb]

Originally posted by Metralla
sgb,

Wow - the Gabrielle are just stunning. Do you have a link to the actual ones you have?

Regards,
Metralla

Metralla, anyone who likes Striking It Rich will love these speakers, but I don't know how to plant an image here. Since Ric doesn't build the signatures anymore, he doesn't have photos there, but I do. Send me your email address and I'll send you some jpegs.

[jligon]

My old Polk 10-B's are going on 20 years in my system. Back in the day when Polk was just getting off the gound and making excellent speakers.
Over the years I always wondered why I preferred my cheap little $1000 system to others costing many times as much. Turns out it's because of the $400 pr. speakers that I bought through the mail in 1983. 2 6-1/2" drivers and a 10" passive radiator provide an incredible amount of bass. I've heard others complain that the 10-B's sound "muddy" but in the digital age they sound just right to me.

[Richard Feirstein]

I love my Dahlquist DQ-10's. Too bad my wife wants those huge things out of the living room and too bad I have never found a TV top center speaker that comes close to matching their timber. I'm in a hunt for replacements but I am not rushing the hunt, if you know what I mean.:p

[Mal]

http://home.pacbell.net/drquad/esl57.gif

;)

[Steve Hoffman]

Ah, a portable steam heater.

Or is it------A QUAD?

:)

[Richard Feirstein]

I think that's a Quad, but the DQ-10's are about the same configuration. Nice when you only needed TWO speakers. :p

[Mal]

I've got two at the moment but a stacked pair would be nice (ie 4 of the mothers - two on each side!!).

Not sure Anna would be too pleased with that idea......:p

Check out this site if you're curious about these beasts:

http://www.quadesl.com/quad_main.shtml (http://)

They are infinitely the best sounding speakers I've heard - OK, I've not heard any really pricey modern speakers, but for the money these really can't be beaten. I picked mine up for just £150 - needed a little work (replaced the diodes in the power supply on one) but what a bargain!

The bass is extremely fast and pure, the midrange heavenly, and the treble very smooth.

[Richard Feirstein]

Best thing about that company; it sued to stop everyone from called the new QS, SQ matrix and Dynaquad discrete 4 channel vinyl disks "quad". Thus they can be given credit for killing off the first effort to introduce surround sound into the home.. Didn't know the English Language (or is it Greek?) could be trademarked:D

[sgb]

Originally posted by Malc S
I've got two at the moment but a stacked pair would be nice (ie 4 of the mothers - two on each side!!).

I have a pair of custom-built stands for stacked Quads made of solid teak... too bad you don't live nearby, I would be happy to give them to you, as I abandoned my ESLs in 1985.

You are right: they are excellent speakers, but they are definitely high-maintenance.

[sgb]

Originally posted by Richard Feirstein
Best thing about that company; it sued to stop everyone from called the new QS, SQ matrix and Dynaquad discrete 4 channel vinyl disks "quad". Thus they can be given credit for killing off the first effort to introduce surround sound into the home.. Didn't know the English Language (or is it Greek?) could be trademarked:D

Actually, QUAD is an acronym for the company's original name: Quality Amplifier Domestic, Ltd.

[Mal]

Originally posted by sgb


Actually, QUAD is an acronym for the company's original name: Quality Amplifier Domestic, Ltd.

I think the acronym comes from 'Quality Unit Amplified Domestic'.

Anyway, the company's original name was "The Acoustical Manufacturing Company Limited".

:)

[Metralla]

Malc S,

Thanks for that one. I've been interested in hifi for close to 40 years and often wondered. I knew "The Acoustical Manufacturing Company Limited", but never what QUAD meant.

This place is a mine of information.

Regards,
Metralla