Erin's Top 5 Speakers regardless of price (June 2023)

[bodhi]

Man, some of you guys sure love Erin.

He’s just another person who started out doing something as a hobby then realised he could make money from it. I personally don’t love the way he goes about things so tend not to watch his vids.

I don't think he's going to make any money anytime soon because of the Klippel purchase.

About the clickbait thing: it seems silly to criticize the video because he has already reviewed the speakers. It's not like his only target audience is enthusiasts who have already watched every video he has made and already know everything about the speakers. It's not like some guy wanting to get into hifi will go trough all his videos, learn to read graphs from scratch and start comparing all the options.

It's nice to have the Linton there because the other four are probably in the "lol nope"-territory for aspiring audiophiles.

 

[tw 2022]

I don't think he's going to make any money anytime soon because of the Klippel purchase.

About the clickbait thing: it seems silly to criticize the video because he has already reviewed the speakers. It's not like his only target audience is enthusiasts who have already watched every video he has made and already know everything about the speakers. It's not like some guy wanting to get into hifi will go trough all his videos, learn to read graphs from scratch and start comparing all the options.

It's nice to have the Linton there because the other four are probably in the "lol nope"-territory for aspiring audiophiles.

i was somewhat hoping he would include one pair in the sub $1000 price range... but we can't have everything, i'm glad he at least included the linton's, but based on his review they are really one of his very favorites...

 

[TheBatsEar]

Let's not go off topic. If you don't like something, feel free to open a topic.

I think he was talking about @Chester @VintageFlanker and @bodhi before they posted.
Time travel?

 

[Chester]

...What's wrong with that ? Producing free quality content (what he does) for the Audio community and dare to get rewards from it ?! What a sacrilege !

Nothing at all, I agree. Just be transparent about your motivations.

 

[TheBatsEar]

i was somewhat hoping he would include one pair in the sub $1000 price range... but we can't have everything, i'm glad he at least included the linton's, but based on his review they are really one of his very favorites...

Bought the Linton 85 with stands for 650€ used. They are on the market for some time now.
As for the others, usually you can remove 30% or so from retail in the real world.

 

[TheBatsEar]

JBL 4367

I have noticed and drooled over these in another thread, but the price is high, even used.

Does anyone have a favorite speaker with roughly the same attributes, high sensitivity, low compression/distortion above 150Hz or so and good enough frequency response? Below 1000€ used would be nice.

 

[jhwalker]

They also look and sound pretty good, even in a weird room like this one. Not to mention a fairly high wife acceptance factor...
View attachment 295535

What a lovely room

 

[tw 2022]

Bought the Linton 85 with stands for 650€ used. They are on the market for some time now.
As for the others, usually you can remove 30% or so from retail in the real world.

i was hoping for something along the lines of the emotiva b1+.. i have the b1's Dennis Murphy modded.. granted they are more like a $1000 /pr speaker than the stock b1+'s (i'd suggest the mods may be similar to elac carina's, but more linear) , the stock b1's are still pretty decent (and identical to the "+" per Dennis's testing) , and very good at the retail price...i know Erin liked them..

 

[norcalscott]

What a lovely room

Thank you - it is pretty nice acoustically, although I have had to add some deadening items to prevent echos and some minor room correction. The Lintons like more toe-in than other speakers I’ve had but the overall tonality, especially with female voices is excellent and the soundstage even in a fairly narrow room seems wide. I have a sub behind the speaker on the left - I may go for another sub at some point, but for now I am happy with the setup. One note on the looks of these - you can get them in different finishes, and we have this cherry mantle on the fireplace (home was built in the 1970s when they used real cherry) - I ordered the red mahogany Linton finish and it matches almost perfectly! Not something I worry about too much, but the wife loves it.

 

[quattro98]

I've found Erin's reviews helpful. A summary video is a good thing.

 

[Timcognito]

Is a golfing panther click bate? Erin TESTS and adds subjective comments about a lot of speakers. Given the number of speakers Erin and Amir test I think their observations on speakers are more reasoned and astute than most in the industry. Both do a huge service the hobby and consumer and are willing to condemn a bad product, though Erin is less emphatic. They each have there own style and Erin is trying to make a living out of testing and reviewing speakers and doesn't have forum. What other designer, manufacturer, or seller in the industry isn't trying to do that, some even post here at ASR.

 

[amadeuswus]

I am surprised that the Kii THREE didn't make Erin's list of top 5 speakers he has tested. From his print review: "The Kii THREE is one of those game-changing speakers that you hear and you question what you’ve been missing your entire life. From the aesthetic to the way they sound, I love everything about the Kii THREE." (I've never heard it. Maybe it was D&D vs. the Kii and the D&D limped away. )

 

[Purité Audio]

They are both really good loudspeakers, perhaps one ‘all in one’ system was considered enough in terms of the list.
Keith

 

[BrokenEnglishGuy]

im only curious why he pick the linton over the bmr, he wasnt a fan of wide horizontal dispersion? i guess his problem was the distortion (?)

 

[Dennis Murphy]

im only curious why he pick the linton over the bmr, he wasnt a fan of wide horizontal dispersion? i guess his problem was the distortion (?)

The above distortion plot comes from his first review of the previous generation monitor, which had a different woofer and the older 64-10 RAAL tweeter. His second review of the current BMR with the new 64-10X tweeter showed much lower distortion in the treble, reaching a maximum of -40 dB at an output level of 96 dB. I've had the very same Wharfedale Linton speakers in my listening room (the owner sent them to Erin), and I think they're a fine speaker. However, if I still had them, I would have no reservations in performing an A-B comparison with the BMR's for anyone who wanted to stop by. .

 

[BrokenEnglishGuy]

The above distortion plot comes from his first review the previous generation monitor, which had a different woofer and the older 64-10 RAAL tweeter. His second review of the current BMR with the new 64-10X tweeter showed much lower distortion in the treble, reaching a maximum of -40 dB at an output level of 96 dB. I've had the very same Wharfedale Linton speakers in my listening room (the owner sent them to Erin), and I think they're a fine speaker. However, if I still had them, I would have no reservations in performing an A-B comparison with the BMR's for anyone who wanted to stop by. .

You are right! The v2 barely hit -40% at 96dB. Much better tweeter

 

[Opal]

Nothing at all, I agree. Just be transparent about your motivations.

He IS transparent about it. He mentions he hopes to earn something back to pay back the shipping fees. He also has affiliated links to products that viewers can use to let him earn a little commission. His intention are made known in his recent videos. At least watch before you accuse

 

[MattHooper]

I am surprised that the Kii THREE didn't make Erin's list of top 5 speakers he has tested. From his print review: "The Kii THREE is one of those game-changing speakers that you hear and you question what you’ve been missing your entire life. From the aesthetic to the way they sound, I love everything about the Kii THREE." (I've never heard it. Maybe it was D&D vs. the Kii and the D&D limped away. )

Yeah that omission surprised me too! I'm curious about his reasoning there.

 

[BrokenEnglishGuy]

Sadly the Kef reference 1 meta doesn't have this graph, it would be extremely useful for see the utility for this graph with 2 similar design, but one being better and Reference

 

[Matt Bell]

Yeah that omission surprised me too! I'm curious about his reasoning there.

I suspect it's just an artefact of the whole "top 5" schtick. Maybe if he'd done a top 6, or maybe if he hadn't felt the need to include a range of different types of speaker (active, passive, floorstanding, standmount), he'd have included the Kii 3s. These things are always pretty artificial. And that's not a criticism of Erin, who's obviously a decent and serious-minded bloke.