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Which speaker would you like to be reviewed? (community interest thread)

BrokenEnglishGuy

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What about Elac?:p

Elac-Vela-408-15_399506_1.jpg
elac_vfs409_gb_vela_fs_409_3_5_way_1486936.jpg
 

hardisj

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@hardisj, any idea when we might see the Arendal 1961 bookshelf video?

I just finished up my on-wall testing of it. Was waiting for that before I did the review. Still will be a bit, though. Currently neck deep in my center channel video with countless hours spent on it thus far.
 

dezza

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I'd like to see more 'Outdoor Speakers' reviewed.
It's always hard to choose a pair as they are often referred as poor sounding, and
there are very few, if no technical reviews on them.
 

hardisj

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I'd like to see more 'Outdoor Speakers' reviewed.
It's always hard to choose a pair as they are often referred as poor sounding, and
there are very few, if no technical reviews on them.

I've no interest in outdoor speakers at this moment in time. Amir (seemingly) likes to do those, though, so maybe you can ping him about your idea in one of those "what do you want Amir to review" threads.
 

Weeb Labs

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I would love to see spins for the KEF Q550, Q750 and Q950. Possibly the Wharfedale EVO 4.2, too.
 

Justin Ayers

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This!

We desperately need more measurements of speakers like this, and other dipoles. I think the Harman science is pretty good for monopole speakers, and we have a good idea of what good measurements for that type of speaker look like(flat on axis, smoothly decreasing off axis). Dipoles and panels are basically uncharted territory, and it would be great to start to try and figure out what good measurements in these domains should look like. Of course, we also need listening tests to correlate the measurements to, but that can come later, as long as the data is there.
I don't know if testing them on their side would work but one I'd like to see is the Magnepan 20.7i. It doesn't matter to me who tests it so long as the methodology is sound.

The Quad ESL-57, which someone also mentioned, is another curiosity point. The trouble with those, however, is that they have to be restored (likely rather recently) in order to perform well — from what I've read at least. The quality of the restoration may vary. I have read the claim (and it doesn't seem to be controversial) that the speakers, even if new and unopened, would be degraded and would have to be restored. Perhaps it has to do with the thinness of the mylar and/or the coating used. I have read a number of times, the claim that a speaker like the Acoustat 2+2 does not have the same degradation because it uses a thicker diaphragm and a more robust coating. For those, one of the people who worked for that company said the transformers are the weak point (although the speakers, overall, are unusually reliable for electrostatics), at least those made prior to the 'medallion' specification.

I am very curious about the Acoustat 2+2, on the basis of it being rather inexpensive these days — with the reputation of being reliable if not subjected to bad treatment like panels being washed in bathtubs — but even on its side it's likely too much for you to deal with. Its claimed demands on amps is also of interest, as is the claim I've read a number of times that it doesn't have the detail of some other electrostatic speakers, perhaps because of the use of the thicker diaphragm.

Amir's LRS review found that, at least in a small format, planar magnetic technology may not offer much value. Some have claimed* that planar speakers must be very large (such as a Magnepan Tympani IV) to really shine. It's too bad testing that is so difficult.

*I believe the claim is based on the need of planar speakers to have lot of surface area to compensate for the low mass of the diaphragm, especially when it comes to bass. It may also be related to the flat shape of the diaphragm. It has been quite some time since I read into all of this.
 

Ericglo

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Newegg had Mission tower speakers for a good price in today's ad.
 

phoenixdogfan

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How about the Sierra LX?

 

nathan

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I don't know if testing them on their side would work but one I'd like to see is the Magnepan 20.7i. It doesn't matter to me who tests it so long as the methodology is sound.

The Quad ESL-57, which someone also mentioned, is another curiosity point. The trouble with those, however, is that they have to be restored (likely rather recently) in order to perform well — from what I've read at least. The quality of the restoration may vary. I have read the claim (and it doesn't seem to be controversial) that the speakers, even if new and unopened, would be degraded and would have to be restored. Perhaps it has to do with the thinness of the mylar and/or the coating used. I have read a number of times, the claim that a speaker like the Acoustat 2+2 does not have the same degradation because it uses a thicker diaphragm and a more robust coating. For those, one of the people who worked for that company said the transformers are the weak point (although the speakers, overall, are unusually reliable for electrostatics), at least those made prior to the 'medallion' specification.

I am very curious about the Acoustat 2+2, on the basis of it being rather inexpensive these days — with the reputation of being reliable if not subjected to bad treatment like panels being washed in bathtubs — but even on its side it's likely too much for you to deal with. Its claimed demands on amps is also of interest, as is the claim I've read a number of times that it doesn't have the detail of some other electrostatic speakers, perhaps because of the use of the thicker diaphragm.

Amir's LRS review found that, at least in a small format, planar magnetic technology may not offer much value. Some have claimed* that planar speakers must be very large (such as a Magnepan Tympani IV) to really shine. It's too bad testing that is so difficult.

*I believe the claim is based on the need of planar speakers to have lot of surface area to compensate for the low mass of the diaphragm, especially when it comes to bass. It may also be related to the flat shape of the diaphragm. It has been quite some time since I read into all of this.
I can't find the link now, but the one CEA2034 measurement I dimly recall seeing of a bipolar speaker like the Maggie showed astonishing poor off axis response and terribly inconsistent dispersion (as one would suspect, given how they work).

Don't get me wrong: I have owned 4 different Magnepan models over the years and enjoyed them. But in my mind they are like tubes and turntables in that they can sound really fun, and they are anything but accurate, transparent, or neutral.
 

GabrielPhoto

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SVC Ultra Center and JBL 590 :D
 

tw 2022

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revel books : the m16 and the m 105/106 .. let's see if the praise is semi universal...edit : the elac carina book as well .. everything elac seems to have been reviewed several times, except for the carina...
 

quattro98

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Not sure if your post in the other thread means a KEF Reference 1 Meta review is coming, but hopefully that's the case. I would feel comfortable extrapolating that review to the Reference Meta line.

I'm also looking forward to the Focal 1000 IWLCR6. That line of custom install speakers is quite different between models, but this appears to be a nice design.
 

stevenswall

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KRK Rokit RP10-3 G4 please.

RP103G4-left.png

This because it's one of the few studio monitors at this price point with a 10" woofer.

I'd also like to see a Devialet Phantom Reactor or Phantom I... To my ears it seems to do things much better than most anything I'd heard besides Genelecs. (Note: You would need to make sure there is no lip or shelf area in front of it, as that changes the sound. I put it on stands and it seems there is wide enough dispersion that there is some diffraction if it's not all the way at the edge of whatever it's standing on, or very far back.)

devialet-phantom-reactor-900-looks-unconventional-elegant-and-premium-.jpg
 

Martin

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The Fritz Speakers Carbon 7, the darling of the audio show circuit:
TeakCarbon7mk2900.jpg



I owned a pair at one time and thought they sounded very, very good. I'd love to see them measured. Fritz is a really nice guy and would probably even loan a pair for measurement.

Martin
 
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