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Thread: Warm, Smooth vs Detailed Mid range

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
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    169

    Default Warm, Smooth vs Detailed Mid range

    Hi Dave

    I was reading on the audio forums that some people prefer smooth or warm mid range as opposed to detailed speakers. I think the word they use to describe a speaker with more details as “analytical”.

    I have heard paradigm speakers which sound “ in your face” and BMW CM series which are very laid back. May I know where your Sierra towers and Sierra line in general fall in this spectrum?

    Thanks
    Ron

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
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    360

    Default Re: Warm, Smooth vs Detailed Mid range

    Hey Ron, you have the Ascend Raal Towers right? How do they sound to you? IMO, warm and detailed are not oppsites.

  3. #3
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    Dec 2012
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    169

    Default Re: Warm, Smooth vs Detailed Mid range

    Quote Originally Posted by mikesiskav View Post
    Hey Ron, you have the Ascend Raal Towers right? How do they sound to you? IMO, warm and detailed are not oppsites.
    Hi Mike

    I guess this is a situation of “I know what I know, but don’t know what I don’t”. To me the towers are perfectly in the middle. They are not overly bright or laid back. They do reveal a lot of detail in the recordings but I am not sure if there are more detailed mid range speakers which reveal even more making some bad recordings really harsh.

    I am not good with audio adjectives but that is why I am asking Dave where the sierras stand in terms of warm, smooth and Detailed spectrum. I was of the opinion that too much detail is what makes some of the speakers un-listenable for bright or bad recordings where as the warm speakers mask this but is a little bit less detailed.

    Did I muddy up this further?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
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    148

    Default Re: Warm, Smooth vs Detailed Mid range

    If you use room correction and/or subwoofers you can usually achieve your desired tonality.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
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    455

    Default Re: Warm, Smooth vs Detailed Mid range

    I'm no expert with audio adjectives, but here is my understanding. "Laid back" and "in your face" are describing how much the sounds come out into the room towards you. Or, said another way, if you were to close your eyes, where you would be at in a music performance? "In your face" would be if you were towards the front of the theater, whereas "laid back" would be more towards the middle or back of the theater.

    "Warm" is commonly used to describe a boost in the mid to upper bass region. "Analytical" is likely used to describe accurate, even to the point where on lesser recordings, things sound bad. I have no idea what "smooth" means. It might be used in the context of imaging, but I don't know.

    I could be wrong about things here, but this is what I have understood these adjectives to mean.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
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    5,538

    Default Re: Warm, Smooth vs Detailed Mid range

    Quote Originally Posted by rsmt2000 View Post
    Hi Dave

    I was reading on the audio forums that some people prefer smooth or warm mid range as opposed to detailed speakers. I think the word they use to describe a speaker with more details as “analytical”.

    I have heard paradigm speakers which sound “ in your face” and BMW CM series which are very laid back. May I know where your Sierra towers and Sierra line in general fall in this spectrum?

    Thanks
    Ron
    Hmmm.... Warm and detailed are not mutually exclusive. Detailed refers to the ability of the speaker to reveal subtle details in the source material. Many speakers are not capable of resolving these details. Warm generally refers to a speaker that might have a mild midbass bump or a slight downward slope in the frequency response from lows to highs.

    In your face typically means that midrange sounds more upfront (think first row at a concert) while laid back can mean a few different things, typically a speaker that is more relaxed sounding (not aggressive) or a speaker that reproduces music like you are sitting at a concert at Row 20+....

    It is absolutely impossible for me to categorize our speakers as anything other than being neutral, accurate to the source, and detailed. If someone is used to listening to a forward sounding speaker, our speakers will sound more laid back, if someone is used to listening to a laid back speaker, our speakers will sound more forward.
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    Good Sound To You!

    David Fabrikant
    www.ascendacoustics.com

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