End Game Speakers - The Quest Continues

[Mr. Widget]

Never even heard of this one. Is it even available? No matter, at least back in 2019 when released cost is $40k (!), so I am sure well over that now, and well above my budget

But thanks for the info regardless!

Yeah, what a dysfunctional company. They spend R&D money and bring a statement product to market and then virtually keep it a secret.

And then there is branding...no one thinks of Lexicon as a speaker company. JBL, sure, Revel, you bet, even Infinity, but Lexicon? The rocket scientists who run Harman never fail to amaze me. Even the press release title is AUTOMOTIVE... really?

 

[MKR]

Yeah, what a dysfunctional company. They spend R&D money and bring a statement product to market and then virtually keep it a secret.

And then there is branding...no one thinks of Lexicon as a speaker company. JBL, sure, Revel, you bet, even Infinity, but Lexicon? The rocket scientists who run Harman never fail to amaze me. Even the press release title is AUTOMOTIVE... really?


View attachment 356220

Agreed! I wonder how much Samsung ownership is contributing to the dysfunction. Sad to see

 

[kemmler3D]

what a dysfunctional company.

Most likely >99% of their sales are through dealers, they probably just assume this speaker will need demos to sell at all, so the marketing and PR is an afterthought, distribution goes to the front.

That said, yeah, Lexicon is not a speaker brand, IIRC it's mostly a recording / studio / reverb brand. So whichever exec came up with that needs to go back to Marketing 101.

 

[FrantzM]

Agreed! I wonder how much Samsung ownership is contributing to the dysfunction. Sad to see

Harman marketing ways predate their acquisition by Samsung. IOW, their marketing was always bad.

Peace.

 

[Soniclife]

their marketing was always bad

I think they aspire to bad, but they are a few light years away from bad.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Never even heard of this one. Is it even available? No matter, at least back in 2019 when released cost is $40k (!), so I am sure well over that now, and well above my budget

I do not believe that it was ever released. I spent about an hour with it at CES and indicated my interest but it never appeared. The demo was impressive.

 

[Mr. Widget]

I do not believe that it was ever released. I spent about an hour with it at CES and indicated my interest but it never appeared. The demo was impressive.

I'm not surprised.

As I have said before, Harman has some of the best engineering on the planet. If the rest of their organization (marketing, manufacturing, customer support) was of the same caliber, wow; they would be formidable!

 

[ChrisHeinonen]

Agree with what Kal said. They had a demo at CES, it was very impressive as you could walk around the room and use the app to redirect the sweet spot of the speakers to be exactly where you were, or move the soundstage all around you as you stayed in a single location. It would be great if you could have them on an open floor plan house and the sweet spot would follow you around, but I don't think these ever came out.

 

[MKR]

@MKR

You may have given this info before but...

Aside from the fact you have narrowed down what you will actually buy and live with as a speaker, what is your experience with or taste concerning...

Electrostatic speakers - Quads etc - or Ribbon/Maggies? Did they ever hold allure?

Ever hear Audio Physic speakers?

What about the British school of speakers - Spendor, Harbeth?

Ever hear some horn speakers you liked? Avante Guard or any others?

Did you ever go the tube amp route in your audiphile life? Or is that just too goofy?

Very sorry @MattHooper , I fully missed this one. Great questions.

Electrostatic … I have heard MLs on multiple occasions (though not recently) and while they had some nice traits to be sure, never really did it for me. Never heard Quads.

Ribbon/planar … As you should know, two ribbon planars were on my short list for long time, the Diptyque and Clarysis, which I really liked. They do some things that are very special (that huge soundstage is really outstanding). But in the end, a bit one trick ponies so to speak, not the most accurate portrayal of a recording in all cases, plus they do not lend themselves well to home theater application.

Audio Physic … yes, heard them before, just another passive monkey coffin. Meh

British … yes, heard the usual suspects. Far from neutral FR, no thanks.

Horns … depends on what you mean my horns. Horn loading or wave guide has become a must criteria for me for end game. But specifically the “actual” and larger than life megaphone type horn speakers like Avante Garde, heard them on multiple occasions and never did like them. Had the very typical “shouty“ characteristic.

Tubes … yes, in my early audiophile days, before I knew better, I played with tubes. Though not amplifiers, rather preamps. Had a very nice First Sound Presence Deluxe preamp many years ago that I really liked, in a subjective way. This was in the early 2000s, and I see they are still in business (not surprised, the owner/designer Emmanuel Go is a true gentleman in this business)! But knowing what I know now, no tubes for me.

 

[srrxr71]

Agree with what Kal said. They had a demo at CES, it was very impressive as you could walk around the room and use the app to redirect the sweet spot of the speakers to be exactly where you were, or move the soundstage all around you as you stayed in a single location. It would be great if you could have them on an open floor plan house and the sweet spot would follow you around, but I don't think these ever came out.

That would need a camera to figure your location out. I agree that’s the future of stereo tech. Still it can mostly only optimize for one person.

Kinect powered stereo. Bacch sort of uses a camera to figure out your head position and adjust accordingly.

I’m okay sitting in the middle and looking mostly ahead for now.

 

[srrxr71]

Very sorry @MattHooper , I fully missed this one. Great questions.

Electrostatic … I have heard MLs on multiple occasions (though not recently) and while they had some nice traits to be sure, never really did it for me. Never heard Quads.

Ribbon/planar … As you should know, two ribbon planars were on my short list for long time, the Diptyque and Clarysis, which I really liked. They do some things that are very special (that huge soundstage is really outstanding). But in the end, a bit one trick ponies so to speak, not the most accurate portrayal of a recording in all cases, plus they do not lend themselves well to home theater application.

Audio Physic … yes, heard them before, just another passive monkey coffin. Meh

British … yes, heard the usual suspects. Far from neutral FR, no thanks.

Horns … depends on what you mean my horns. Horn loading or wave guide has become a must criteria for me for end game. But specifically the “actual” and larger than life megaphone type horn speakers like Avante Garde, heard them on multiple occasions and never did like them. Had the very typical “shouty“ characteristic.

Tubes … yes, in my early audiophile days, before I knew better, I played with tubes. Though not amplifiers, rather preamps. Had a very nice First Sound Presence Deluxe preamp many years ago that I really liked, in a subjective way. This was in the early 2000s, and I see they are still in business (not surprised, the owner/designer Emmanuel Go is a true gentleman in this business)! But knowing what I know now, no tubes for me.

I will admit that when I demoed some Conrad Johnson (tube) stuff it sounded great. It’s the demo person that knows what to use to impress you.

Mostly some vocal music was played.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

That would need a camera to figure your location out.

Nope. Just the ability to localize a signal from the remote control.

 

[hex168]

I was just at the Montreal Audiofest. I was listening (not "auditioning"- I was not trying out for a part) to several speakers and headphones, unfortunately with mostly unfamiliar source material. A few quick observations:

1. MKR is right about Diptyques; the DP140s are very good and do some things spectacularly well.
2. The big McIntosh line arrays were impressive, but I am a sucker for that sort of presentation.
3. Not surprisingly, Kii3 / BXT was excellent, probably my choice of the show.
4. The Yamaha NS-800, a simple but "premium" two-way, was surprisingly nice up to its limits.

If I could have selected material I was familiar with for the Diptyques they might have changed my mind.

The folks who had the Kiis also had Genelecs but they were not hooked up.
I went back a few times to the Focal exhibit to hear the Grand Utopias and they were never playing anything.

Headphones: no surprises here. Sennheiser 800s are good. Stax and Dan Clark electrostatics were better. Discount that opinion appropriately for the lack of EQ. Would have liked to compare some Hifiman products but did not see any.

People were very nice and it was a pleasant experience.

 

[hex168]

I was just at the Montreal Audiofest. I was listening (not "auditioning"- I was not trying out for a part) to several speakers and headphones, unfortunately with mostly unfamiliar source material. A few quick observations:

1. MKR is right about Diptyques; the DP140s are very good and do some things spectacularly well.
2. The big McIntosh line arrays were impressive, but I am a sucker for that sort of presentation.
3. Not surprisingly, Kii3 / BXT was excellent, probably my choice of the show.
4. The Yamaha NS-800, a simple but "premium" two-way, was surprisingly nice up to its limits.

If I could have selected material I was familiar with for the Diptyques they might have changed my mind.

The folks who had the Kiis also had Genelecs but they were not hooked up.
I went back a few times to the Focal exhibit to hear the Grand Utopias and they were never playing anything.

Headphones: no surprises here. Sennheiser 800s are good. Stax and Dan Clark electrostatics were better. Discount that opinion appropriately for the lack of EQ. Would have liked to compare some Hifiman products but did not see any.

People were very nice and it was a pleasant experience.

A couple of additional thoughts:

1. KEF R3s with a single big KEF sub were not as close to the really good stuff as I thought they might be. Not bad, just not impressive. Same caveat as above: unfamiliar source material.
2. I also heard Stein Bobbys and they were surprisingly good, even though the company deals in voodoo. Stronger caveats here: I was significantly off-axis, unknown source material on vinyl.

 

[Pearljam5000]

Also a good option

 

[flysouth]

Also a good option

2 times cost and not meeting requirements. they know which two options

 

[Sputnik1957]

In your price range, I think it would behoove you to consider http://meadowlarksings.com/raven.htm

 

[Ktacos]

The key to good end game speakers for me, is trying out a bunch of different things, over analyzing everything and endlessly considering other options until you're just bored of it all, and stick with whatever you currently have that is probably perfectly fine.

Probably not useful info for op but perhaps a prediction of their future

 

[Mr. Widget]

The key to good end game speakers for me, is trying out a bunch of different things, over analyzing everything and endlessly considering other options until you're just bored of it all, and stick with whatever you currently have that is probably perfectly fine.

Probably not useful info for op but perhaps a prediction of their future

So true, but you forgot the last line.

...and then get back to listening to the music that you love.

 

[Pearljam5000]

The suspense is too much for me lol
I'll enter the thread again when MKR announces what he got