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Your Favorite Loudspeakers of all time whether you owned them or not

thecity2

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Feb 1, 2019
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I've owned many different speakers from Paradigm to NHT to Klipsch, but my favorite speakers are a pair that I DIY'd almost 25 years ago and am still using in my main system today.
IMG_2022.jpg
 

Plcamp

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The one that held my fancy for the longest time was Klipschorn. Another that caught my attention was Mirage OM-1.

Right now I am mostly confused about what I would pick. The more I know the less capable I am of deciding what to do. At some point I will suddenly decide.
 

Anton S

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Mar 9, 2021
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In descending order of preference, Definitive Technology Mythos ST-L, KEF 104/2, R11, & R700, PSB Synchrony T600
 

AwesomeSauce2015

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Apr 14, 2022
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Probably Danley Synergy horns; Then good JBL compression driver + horn speakers; then KEF R11. Below that it starts to vary greatly.
Subwoofer wise my favorites are the Danley tapped horns, and JBL's big PA subs.
Of course, I place high importance on dynamic capability as I find inefficient speakers to not sound clean at "realistic" volumes...
And AC/DC was realistically played at 11... So my favorite speakers are ones which can actually go to 11.
 

deniall83

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Aug 28, 2018
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Location
Australia
Quad ESL 57

MBL 101E

Devore O/96


(I've been lucky to own a few of my favourite all time speakers as well - Thiel 3.7, MBL 121, Joseph Audio Perspectives, among them)
I'm very curious what you think of the Devore's. I've never heard them but have always wanted to.
 

MattHooper

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I'm very curious what you think of the Devore's. I've never heard them but have always wanted to.

The measurements those can be found in the Stereophile review of the Devore O/96.

If you are looking for my subjective impression, they are as follows. (Anyone made squeamish by the attempt to put sonic impressions in to words...you may want to avert your eyes). For those who can enjoy such things, here's my little "review:"

I auditioned them numerous times, in different set ups/rooms. I really loved the sound. They combined an excellent sense of clarity with a sense of richness and density. Instruments tended to sound bigger, more substantial, more body, vs the many other speakers I auditioned at the time. For instance some piano pieces I'd play on many speakers tended to sound like plinky piano keys floating in the air all by themselves. On the O/96 there was a sensation of weight, like the piano keys were attached to and activating the resonant body of the piano, more like I hear with the real thing. I also found they had other qualities I look for: a sense of timbral warmth, presence and "texture." In this case by "warmth" I mean the timbral "warmth" I hear from many live instruments - the way the woody body of an acoustic guitar adds warmth to the tone, the way a wood block sounded particularly "woody" and thus convincing, vs sounding more plinky and plasticy on other speakers. And there was a sense of texture to the sound, so the skin of a bongo, fingers picking guitars, really anything, seemed to have more of a "live" "in the room" presence.

One test I often do is play tracks with hand claps or bongos and I snap my fingers or lightly clap my hands etc along. Often the sound of hand claps etc through speakers sound more artificial, plastic or tinny or hard, not flesh and blood. With the Devores the sound had an almost bang-on sense of the same timbral warmth and "happening right there" presence that really blew me away. Like my own snapping fingers or hand claps could meld right in with what I was hearing. The combination of warmth, texture, density and body also worked wonders for string sections, to my ear. So often strings can sound to me whispy and almost like digital samples. String sections had more heft, and more often reminded me of real strings on the Devores.

Finally, drums made a huge impression on me through the O/96. I'm a massive fan of a genre of music that mixes drums with horns, orchestral, etc.
One of my beefs about drums in reproduced sound is that there is a sort of "Pear shape" to the reproduction of sounds. A bass guitar, kick drum, Oboe, etc may be reproduced with some size and weight, but things sound thinner and thinner up the frequency spectrum until you get to drum cymbals, which sound like little bright things squeezed through tiny tweeters. Whereas in real life drum cymbals sound BIG, like the big resonating discs they are. I was very pleased that the O/96s seemed to reproduce drum cymbals with a greater sense of "heft" than many other speakers. Snares were big, had weight and presence and that familiar papery texture "pop" I hear in real drums, and always came through really clearly. Then the bass which is "different" on the O/96s than many modern audiophile speakers. It's not super tight and controlled. It tends to have a sort of warm, big, rolling along the floor quality that gives a nice "room feel" to the bass. So when a drummer is working on the kick drum it doesn't just sit "back" in the mix the way I hear on many really straight up neutral speakers...it had more impact and "feeling it" sensation. The combination of attributes meant that the drum parts were constantly engaging on the Devores, more than other speakers I auditioned. I was constantly aware of, and appreciating, the different emphasis the drummer was playing with, which gave a bit more "live" vibe to the presentation.
(For instance, when I played the same drum tracks on some wonderful Revel floor standing speakers and closed my eyes, they did not give me the same "could be real drums" impression that I got from the Devores).

They are fairly directional and finicky to set up, to it's pretty easy to hear them sound substandard (e.g. rolled off, overwarm and conjested in the bass etc. Even in fact lacking body. They seem to like to be spaced at least 7 to 8 feet apart).

I'd listen to the Devores, audition some other speaker, come back and always heard those same engaging quality on the Devores. So that's why they are one of my favourite speakers that I've never owned. Maybe one day...(but they don't fit very well in to my listening room, hence I bought smaller, thinner Joseph Audio Perspectives instead, a totally different sound, but engaging in their own way).

Cheers.
 

deniall83

Active Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2018
Messages
182
Likes
213
Location
Australia
The measurements those can be found in the Stereophile review of the Devore O/96.

If you are looking for my subjective impression, they are as follows. (Anyone made squeamish by the attempt to put sonic impressions in to words...you may want to avert your eyes). For those who can enjoy such things, here's my little "review:"

I auditioned them numerous times, in different set ups/rooms. I really loved the sound. They combined an excellent sense of clarity with a sense of richness and density. Instruments tended to sound bigger, more substantial, more body, vs the many other speakers I auditioned at the time. For instance some piano pieces I'd play on many speakers tended to sound like plinky piano keys floating in the air all by themselves. On the O/96 there was a sensation of weight, like the piano keys were attached to and activating the resonant body of the piano, more like I hear with the real thing. I also found they had other qualities I look for: a sense of timbral warmth, presence and "texture." In this case by "warmth" I mean the timbral "warmth" I hear from many live instruments - the way the woody body of an acoustic guitar adds warmth to the tone, the way a wood block sounded particularly "woody" and thus convincing, vs sounding more plinky and plasticy on other speakers. And there was a sense of texture to the sound, so the skin of a bongo, fingers picking guitars, really anything, seemed to have more of a "live" "in the room" presence.

One test I often do is play tracks with hand claps or bongos and I snap my fingers or lightly clap my hands etc along. Often the sound of hand claps etc through speakers sound more artificial, plastic or tinny or hard, not flesh and blood. With the Devores the sound had an almost bang-on sense of the same timbral warmth and "happening right there" presence that really blew me away. Like my own snapping fingers or hand claps could meld right in with what I was hearing. The combination of warmth, texture, density and body also worked wonders for string sections, to my ear. So often strings can sound to me whispy and almost like digital samples. String sections had more heft, and more often reminded me of real strings on the Devores.

Finally, drums made a huge impression on me through the O/96. I'm a massive fan of a genre of music that mixes drums with horns, orchestral, etc.
One of my beefs about drums in reproduced sound is that there is a sort of "Pear shape" to the reproduction of sounds. A bass guitar, kick drum, Oboe, etc may be reproduced with some size and weight, but things sound thinner and thinner up the frequency spectrum until you get to drum cymbals, which sound like little bright things squeezed through tiny tweeters. Whereas in real life drum cymbals sound BIG, like the big resonating discs they are. I was very pleased that the O/96s seemed to reproduce drum cymbals with a greater sense of "heft" than many other speakers. Snares were big, had weight and presence and that familiar papery texture "pop" I hear in real drums, and always came through really clearly. Then the bass which is "different" on the O/96s than many modern audiophile speakers. It's not super tight and controlled. It tends to have a sort of warm, big, rolling along the floor quality that gives a nice "room feel" to the bass. So when a drummer is working on the kick drum it doesn't just sit "back" in the mix the way I hear on many really straight up neutral speakers...it had more impact and "feeling it" sensation. The combination of attributes meant that the drum parts were constantly engaging on the Devores, more than other speakers I auditioned. I was constantly aware of, and appreciating, the different emphasis the drummer was playing with, which gave a bit more "live" vibe to the presentation.
(For instance, when I played the same drum tracks on some wonderful Revel floor standing speakers and closed my eyes, they did not give me the same "could be real drums" impression that I got from the Devores).

They are fairly directional and finicky to set up, to it's pretty easy to hear them sound substandard (e.g. rolled off, overwarm and conjested in the bass etc. Even in fact lacking body. They seem to like to be spaced at least 7 to 8 feet apart).

I'd listen to the Devores, audition some other speaker, come back and always heard those same engaging quality on the Devores. So that's why they are one of my favourite speakers that I've never owned. Maybe one day...(but they don't fit very well in to my listening room, hence I bought smaller, thinner Joseph Audio Perspectives instead, a totally different sound, but engaging in their own way).

Cheers.
Much appreciated, thank you.
 

dlaloum

Major Contributor
Joined
Oct 4, 2021
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Quad ESL63/988/989 (and later models) - they do get (very marginally) better as you move to more recent models, but even the earliest 63's are never disappointing!
Quad ESL(57) - legendary for good reason - and has its limitations!
Boston A400 (forgotten in the mists of time... sadly - prone to woofer surround rot I believe, so there won't be that many survivors now)
Martin Logan CLS
 

dougi

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May 31, 2020
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Duntech Princess (the original ones). I have seem them (in an anechoic chamber, powered by a big Krell) but never heard them. At the time, the Govt Communications Laboratory was well funded. They also had a Day-Sequerra tuner amongst the stuff. Alas it was shut down and all auctioned off.
 
D

Deleted member 51065

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Best value bookshelf - Wharfedale Diamond 9.1; I paid £99 for them 6 or 7 years ago. I modded them for about another £50. Hard to beat (for the money) as desktops with a sub :cool:
 

dualazmak

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Yamaha NS-1000 (not NS-1000M) after renovation into full active system, sub-woofer Yamaha YST-SW-1000 (L&R!), super-tweeter Fostex T925A.

You would please find the details of the latest system setup as of May 30 2022 here on my project thread.

WS003806.JPG


WS003805.JPG


WS003804.JPG

 

dualazmak

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