[dwc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkAngel System 1 photo shows my set-up, will be hard to hear this in dealer show room since most are not savvy to this arrangement and will reduce money you need to spend there, anyway another way to acheive great sound.

DA, You have the Hsu sitting on glass (unless I'm seeing something not there), whereas the HSU manual says it's designed to fire into carpeting. I actually bought a small carpet sample to place under my vtf3 on the wood floor per Hsu's instructions. Can you describe the difference for you and why you've configured the way you have?

Thanks,
Dan

 

[DarkAngel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dwc DA, You have the Hsu sitting on glass (unless I'm seeing something not there), whereas the HSU manual says it's designed to fire into carpeting. I actually bought a small carpet sample to place under my vtf3 on the wood floor per Hsu's instructions. Can you describe the difference for you and why you've configured the way you have? Thanks, Dan

Very observant you are.....

Also notice speaker stand sets upon plate glass platform......these are actually thick glass plate used for end tables 24" x 24" x 3/8" you can buy at home improvement centers. There is thick persian area rug in front of stereo and wall to wall carpet under that so I found brass spikes work best for isolation purposes using super hard flat glass surface.

I read that also about rug under sub, I tried putting cut carpet piece under sub but like it just as well on glass plate like I have it. Also notice I have marble slab on top of sub, sometimes I even place 25# iron barbell plate on top to experiment with mass loading.

 

[euclid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aerius There isn't an amp in Martin-Logans. What they have is a transformer or autoformer (can't remember which) that steps up the voltage so that it can drive the electrostatic panels, and a crossover to drive the bass module. The wallplugs are for providing the bias voltage to make the electrostatic panel work. In theory it's possible to run the panel straight of the high voltage plates on a custom built tube amp and drive the bass drivers with a conventional amp, using an external x-over to make it all work.

i see, i thought the electrostatic panels were powered from the speaker cables and the subs were being powered internally, thanks for clarifying. i would trust the ML engineering

 

[tom hankins]

Meridian G08 > (insert tubed integrated hear) or Cary SLI-80 signature > Legacy Victoria LE........Have fun

 

[mulveling]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tom hankins Meridian G08 > (insert tubed integrated hear) or Cary SLI-80 signature > Legacy Victoria LE........Have fun

Damn that SLI-80 looks sweet! More affordable than I thought, too. Even has a headphone jack

Tempting...

 

[Joey_V]

Quote:

Originally Posted by euclid i see, i thought the electrostatic panels were powered from the speaker cables and the subs were being powered internally, thanks for clarifying. i would trust the ML engineering

The new Logans have an amp for the bass woofers, namely the Summits and the Vantages.

 

[Jon L]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mulveling As per my previous thread, I've been thinking about acquiring a pair of floorstanders in the $2.5K - $4.5K range. This was the result of hearing a Legacy Signature III based speaker setup (total cost > $20K) that sounded AWESOME - certainly better then my L3000 headphone rig. Last night I went to HiFi buys to audition their best. Surprisingly, they had a nice room with a $2.5K Krell integrated and a $4K Krell CD/SACD player (they used to have a wall of HT receivers with an electronic switching control). The speakers were Martin Logan Aeon i ($3.3K) and Focal/JMLab Profile 918 ($4K). No switchers or such nonsense; the sales rep had to physically move the cables between speakers (I'm pretty sure he didn't hook 'em up out of phase either ). The room was not perfect acoustically, but it wasn't bad either. I brought my own CDs: Krall Live in Paris, K. D. Lang Ingenue, Jethro Tull The Broadsword and the Beast. Everything seemed in place for a killer listening experience. Wrong. Now, these speakers didn't sound bad at all, but they didn't impress either. The Martin Logans were the first up; Krall's & Lang's vocals had a good presence, but they kind of fell apart a little when the music got busy and complex - the detail & separation wasn't there. Plus the vocals weren't as smooth as expected. As expected, the bass wasn't mind blowing. Overall the ML has sort of a dryness to its sound. The JMLab Profile sounded better at first (w/ Krall) - it was a smoother, more liquid and dynamic sound. However, not by much. Bass was still unsatisfying. Again, the detail and separation was not there during busy passages. When I put in Jethro Tull, some instruments just sounded flat out wrong - I know these things sound so much more real on my L3000 rig. I went home and listened to the same CDs on my Polk LSi15 setup (Denon 2910 -> Denon 3805 -> Outlaw M200 x2 -> Polk LSi15 & Hsu STF2 - and my room is worse than HiFi Buys'). The LSi15 are $1700/pair and the STF2 sub is $400. Honestly there is no point in upgrading to the Logans or Focal speakers - the LSi15 is on a similar level (or at least close) and even does some things better (though piano is not one of those things). I think I've been taking these Polks LSi's for granted a bit - I definitely want better, but it may not be as easy or affordable as I originally though. I ended the night listening to my L3000 rig (see sig), now THAT was pure bliss compared to those speakers. Detail, tonality, and dynamics were nailed by the L3000 relative to tonight's speakers. Bass was soooo much more extended, articulate, powerful, and satisfying. Sound was in the head as to be expected from headphones, but everything else more than made up for that Well, The Martin Logans are off the short list, and JMLabs won't be considered either. Speaker audio is so much more complex. The Sig III -based system I heard was clearly a cut above my L3000 rig, which made me think it would be relatively easy to put together a speaker rig at about $6K (minus source) that at least equalled or approached the L3000 rig. Didn't hear that tonight - they were at least a cut below the L3000. After talking with a friend, he's starting to convince me that Sig III - level speakers are probably overkill for my living room situation anyways. At this point I'd settle for something I enjoy more than the LSi15/Denon/Outlaw rig (which I do enjoy, just not quite enough ). I'm still holding out hope for the Legacy Classic and Tannoy Eyris DC3, maybe with something like a nice PS Audio amp. I guess at worst I could just upgrade to the LSi25 (would be cheap due to an upgrade option) and get a better amp - I know I like those more than the 15's. We'll see... Just wanted to post my thoughts out there

Setting up a great-sounding speaker rig does not come easy or cheap. Welcome to MY world. After years of searching, I basically had to make my own to fit my tastes. If a certain speaker line fits your tastes, I would just go with that...

However, the problem is you NEVER get to hear a speaker's full potential, or even half-way close to it, in any dealer setups or shows. I've heard many, many great speakers sound like beetle piss in shows and dealers over the years. It's much more informative to listen to speakers in someone's own system after reasonable optimization.


Some speakers I would try to listen to include: Cain & Cain Abbey or IM Ben, Zu Druid Mk IV, Gallo RefIII, Older Thiels (like 2.2), and from the left field, Edgarhorn Slimline Signatures (plus sub). The latter is a KILLER system.

 

[clarke68]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon L Some speakers I would try to listen to include...Older Thiels (like 2.2)

What is it about the older Thiels you prefer to the current models?

 

[James63]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mulveling: I'm still holding out hope for the Legacy Classic and Tannoy Eyris DC3,

Have you heard the Tannoy Eyris DC3? I like that pair of speakers a lot. I thought they had good detail with out being harsh or bright. Loved the highs and thought the vocals were good. On the bad side they were a little laid back but I compared them to B&W 703s and Klipsch RF-7s. All in all I though they were balanced. The bass had good punch but was not earth shaking (which I like). They are $2700 by the way.

 

[LFF]

I say you hunt some these down and give them a good listen. I think they are among the very best speakers I have ever heard.

JBL 4311

 

[wtlng]

A speaker that you should give serious consideration to is Jim Salk's Veracity HT3's. You can visit his site at http://www.salksound.com/gallery-avail.html. He currently has one available in your price range. This is unsual because it normally takes up to 3 months for him to hand make a pair. The nice part besides the sound of these speakers are the different veneers that he can make them out of. There is a forum on audiocircles for his speakers http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/viewforum.php?f=82

I have a pair in waterfall bubinga and they look and sound fantastic.

 

[ooheadsoo]

Since the Salks use a DM xover, you can trust that they are amongst the best non-voiced near magical minimal component conventional designs, period. Salk's hand made cabinets are amazing in the photos and museum piece quality by word of mouth.

However, it is voiced absolutely flat! You won't like it! Stay away! You will hear soundstage and depth that you may find undesirable!

[size=xx-small]I'm serious.[/size]

I think Jim's queue is getting close to a year long, so this is a nice opportunity.

 

[mulveling]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ooheadsoo Since the Salks use a DM xover, you can trust that they are amongst the best non-voiced near magical minimal component conventional designs, period. Salk's hand made cabinets are amazing in the photos and museum piece quality by word of mouth. However, it is voiced absolutely flat! You won't like it! Stay away! You will hear soundstage and depth that you may find undesirable! [size=xx-small]I'm serious.[/size] I think Jim's queue is getting close to a year long, so this is a nice opportunity.

LOL!
Got to admit, that set is drop-dead gorgeous. *Sigh* - wish it were voiced like an L3000

 

[mulveling]

Looking back on my headphone history, it took owning a LOT of cans/amps before I could (sort of) settle down. Just too damn curious and particular in tastes.

So I may have to continue that trend with speakers

This week I hopped on audiogon, picked up a set of Tylo Ref monitors (in rosewood; Dark Angel's set looked so nice it was like a siren call) and a PS Audio HCA-2 amp. The monitors will be easy to move, and fairly easy to sell if they don't please. I've heard the HCA-2 and wanted to try one in my home - plus I need something better than Outlaw M200s to drive the Tylos. I plan to use my SDS as a temporary preamp to evaluate this system.

If I like the Tylos I'll consider getting the bass module and/or moving up the line. I still plan to hear the Eyris DC3's again when the local dealer gets a demo pair in. Still keeping an eye out for Atlanta-area Legacy speakers on Agon.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone; I may give them all a shot at some point

Ooheadsoo, the fiddleback mahogany/macassar ebony Veracity HT1's Salk is selling were sooo beautiful and sooo tempting.

 

[mulveling]

Let me add that while I prefer a slightly dark sound with headphones, that may not necessarily be the case with speakers. Was comparing my LSi9 (bookshelf) to LSi15 (floorstanders) this weekend, without a sub, and ended up preferring the LSi9. The 9's have less bass, but they're more musical and the 15's bass quality isn't good enough (there was clearly some weirdness, possibly room related) - I only like lots of bass if it's good quality.