Lack of high-end speaker reviews

[TurtlePaul]

I think Amir is hesitant to review hundred pound speakers. I believe Erin has a setup for measuring floor standers - and perhaps a better back.

The key to some pf these is to be able to read the stereophile measurements - even without a spin or preference score. JA measures a LOT of high end floorstanders.

The Meridian speakers seem to have a fairly typical directivity error near 2 khz.

 

[Sokel]

Realistically I assume 10% of ASR members (or less ?)
can even afford $100K-$300K speakers
So not very relevant to us .

That's 5.000 members according to your statistics.
Even 1% is 500 members so no small number.

BUT,I'll say it again,to some that stuff costs less than the cheapest chinese dac,literally nothing.
They would either get that or pay some similar tax.

Money brings money.

 

[fpitas]

"Being able to afford" and thinking it's worth the extra money is a big difference.

 

[DanielT]

Also they're an enormous and expensive pain in the ass to ship back and forth.

I think Amir is hesitant to review hundred pound speakers.

That is of course the explanation. Pretty obvious.

 

[Penelinfi]

"Being able to afford" and thinking it's worth the extra money is a big difference.

Yes, of the people who can afford to spend $100k on speakers, how many actually sit down and fuss over their gear and music?
Maybe they'll get some B&O for the looks and ease of use
Or some might just use their TV speakers. Some TVs have "adequate" speakers . Not those down firing oval things in the bottom

 

[fpitas]

Yes, of the people who can afford to spend $100k on speakers, how many actually sit down and fuss over their gear and music?
Maybe they'll get some B&O for the looks and ease of use
Or some might just use their TV speakers. Some TVs have "adequate" speakers . Not those down firing oval things in the bottom

If they're here, and serious about sound, chances are they'll choose reasonably on value and performance.

 

[FrantzM]

Hi

I

Realistically I assume 10% of ASR members (or less ?)
can even afford $100K-$300K speakers
So not very relevant to us .

Since we are speculating, I could also surmise that less than 10% of TAS or S'Phile readers can afford $100~$300K speakers... So Not relevant to them?
Or Readers or Car& Driver, or Road and Track? or any of the car magazines? Most of them cannot $100K vehicles.. yet , they regularly review Bugatti and Hennessy and Mac Laren And Maybach And Ferrari and ..
Do you see where this is going?

ASR is predicated on the "Science" in Audio that Science is the way to provide better audio reproduction in the home... It happens that the application of Science also shows that many (all?) of these violently expensive audio products do not cover the "Science" part and are for the most part poor performers, OTOH ASR regularly demonstrates that there are items that provide superior performance at what most mortal would call "normal" price e.g. the Apple dongle, that outperforms a $15,000 audiophile DAC or SMSL, Hypex, Topping DAC or amplifier that walk all over any of those DACs so petulantly peddled by the subjective audio press... Let's not talk about the fact that ASR, Science, yes, are showing that (numerous) < $60 IEM are better than some costing >$1000... or ...
Now concerning speakers favored by the HEA. The logistics of reviewing these are not for the faint of heart, Shipping, receiving and then placing a 150 Kg speaker on a testing rig is fraught with danger, yes, danger as in being harmful to the operator... Of course if you place these in your living room and listen to these and extoll the rift open in space time by the speakers ... Now that you have a galaxy-wide soundstage, then you won't be so bothered


So I don't believe we will see many of those, maybe, never... on top of that, I am not sure HEA manufacturers believe enough in the performance e of their ware to send these .. anywhere near @amirm , zip code ... One of those HEA manufacturers did not get the memo (it wasn't yet written perhaps , it was in the early years or was it months of ASR) and did send a box of dirt (literally) to @amirm and it was demonstrated that it was just that: a box of dirt with some kind of antenna attached to it ...
....


Peace.

 

[fpitas]

did send a box of dirt (literally) to @amirm and it was demonstrated that it was just that: a box of dirt with some kind of antenna attached to it ...

It was a ground. How do you ground something better than good honest dirt?

 

[Penelinfi]

If they're here, and serious about sound, chances are they'll choose reasonably on value and performance.

I guess for ASR members. Though depending on the person they'll pick something that looks good too. Assuming they're living in some kind of aesthetically pleasing room . Then again some don't mind the mixture of modern decor and studio monitor

 

[Blumlein 88]

I wish we had some more reviews of expensive speakers. I think some are good. I do think the larger Revel and a few others have become so good that most super expensive speakers are less good sonically. Still some spaces can use very large speakers, and there is simple luxury and appearance considerations if you can afford it. So for someone able to play in that market surely some would like confirmation the speakers they might buy are well designed to perform in line with the price.

 

[Duke]

Larger speakers don't get reviewed much here as our host says they are too heavy to move around.

My understanding is that weight and/or complexity can make a speaker impractical for Amir to review. And I totally understand that.

A speaker that is complicated to measure can easily require several times more time to do so, which not only hogs more than its fair share of Amir's time, it also puts that much more wear-and-tear on the Klippel machine. Then perhaps even more time-comsuming for Amir is figuring out how to present the data in a way that correlates well with perception. So a review of a complex speaker can easily eat up as much time as several, or even many, conventional speakers.

 

[TurtlePaul]

Yes, of the people who can afford to spend $100k on speakers, how many actually sit down and fuss over their gear and music?

I can afford $100k speakers easily. I fuss over gear and music. I also live in an NYC apartment. I sit in the “mid-field” about 7-8 feet from my mains. I listen below 80 dB.

Unless you need 100 dB or higher levels in large rooms when listening in far-field or your ego demands that you own $100k speakers, there really is no point. $10 - 20k will get you a 20 hz - 20 khz system with flat frequency response, good directivity, low distortion, at volumes in the mid-90s dB for average rooms. Think Genelec Ones, Revel Be/Ultima or Kef Reference, plus ample subs, DSP and supporting electronics.

The Rolex analogy is apt. Nobody is spending that money to tell time. In speakers, nobody is spending $100k for the sound.

 

[fpitas]

In speakers, nobody is spending $100k for the sound.

Yeah, if I wasn't a DIY masochist, I'd just buy Salon 2s or K2 S9900s and be done.

 

[Justdafactsmaam]

If there are speakers you, or anybody else, is interested, why not contact the manufacturer and request that they coordinate with Amir to send a pair for review? The more reviews in the ASR database, the better in my opinion.

However, the question becomes whether manufacturers of extremely expensive speakers will be inclined to send the speakers to ASR for review. There are two reasons I can envision as to why they won't: 1) How many people who are willing to spend that kind of money on speakers follow ASR? I suspect not too many. 2) Amir's reviews are honest and blunt. If a speaker does not provide performance on par with its price, Amir won't shy away from stating that.

I wouldn’t send Amir speakers if I were a high end designer/ manufacturer. I’m sure I will get pelted for this but IMO his approach to reviewing speakers is very flawed and has a major set of biases that favor one specific approach and philosophy of speaker design. So unless as a designer I shared that approach and philosophy there’s no way I’d send him my speakers.

Excuse me now while I duck for cover.

 

[YSC]

I doubt Amirm will be willing to review any of these though, most of them weights like a bear and not for his poor, middle aged back. more so the speakers are likely finished in exotic state with sometimes artistic curves, those are nowhere easy to secure firmly on the Klippel platform and scratching that surface finish will likely cost the kidneys and some parts of @amirm's body.

 

[bluefuzz]

Realistically I assume 10% of ASR members (or less ?)
can even afford $100K-$300K speakers

The notion that anything close to 10% of ASR readers could afford $100K speakers is ridiculous. A tenth of a percent would probably still be way over the mark. $100K is almost double my yearly salary and I earn a fairly average wage (and live quite comfortably) in one of the richest and most expensive countries in the world ...

 

[Pearljam5000]

The notion that anything close to 10% of ASR readers could afford $100K speakers is ridiculous. A tenth of a percent would probably still be way over the mark. $100K is almost double my yearly salary and I earn a fairly average wage (and live quite comfortably) in one of the richest and most expensive countries in the world ...

I probably spend too much time on What'sthebestforum.com

 

[sweetchaos]

Price =/= Performance.

 

[sweetchaos]

The thread title is wrong.

It’s not high-end. It’s expensive.
We have a lack of expensive speaker measurements.

High-end =/= expensive.

 

[Sokel]

The title is wrong.

It’s not high-end. It’s expensive.
We have a lack of expensive speaker measurements.

High-end =/= expensive.

I wouldn't narrow it to that.
We have a lack of big,high output speakers no matter the price.

And it makes sense,this reviews is a one person task.
Anyone who ever bought big speakers knows how difficult is just to unpack and set them up,and can never be done without help.
I can only imagine what it would take to up them on the machine to measure them,just remember what happened with the Meyer speaker.
So...