Jasonindenver
11-11-2013, 10:17 AM
I thought I would comment on some impressions of how these speakers have "matured" now that I finally have put some good hours into them. I bought these based solely upon the impressions of forum members here and wanted to add some input after my experience with them.
For comparison, I tested the snot out of multitudes of speakers in the $3,500 -$5,000 range before deciding to take a chance on these sound unheard. The only speaker that I felt was a "knock my socks off" demo experience was the KEF R series and a Sonus Faber (can't remember the name but the price made me cry).
Granted, with an ongoing home remodel project, two young kids and a wife who likes to go to bed early, my listening time has been less than abundant recently. This period was further complicated by constant juggling and tweaking of my components, however, I finally have everything dialed in and am happy to report that these speakers have exceeded my expectations in every way.
I have always heard that speakers need around 100 hours to break in. If anything, I have noticed only a slight expansion and degree of warmth in the mid-range. The tweeters seemed to be ready to rumble right out of the box IMHO.
I have these paired with a Denon 2312 for HT use and a Marantz PM8004 for two channel listening. I also use an old Paradigm sub but could not begin to tell you were I have it crossed over. At best, it is used only for a tiny bit of the bottom end but it does help add some range. I am seriously thinking of adding a Rythmic sub this Christmas.
In comparison to what I have used in the past (B&W DM 602), these towers are a major improvement. The RAAL tweeter is simply the best I have heard. When you can hear a singer breathing in, or the slide of a finger across an acoustic guitar string, it really adds an amazing dimension to the experience.
The best benefit for me with these speakers, however, is being able to enjoy the music at a lower volume level than I have typically been able to listen to (due to kids and wife sleeping). At these lower levels, I still feel an immersive experience when listening to well-recorded music. Which brings me to my next point.
The only downside to these speakers is that they reveal all of the flaws in crappy recordings or lower quality sources (such as some of my old Itunes downloads). I have gone back to buying CDs and am now beginning to explore some of the higher quality digital downloads. In light of this, I would appreciate any input from forum members on the best source to purchase high-def downloads.
Finally, the Horizon center is the one true surprise for me. I bought it solely because my wife hated the old beat up Paradigm center I previously used. I felt at the time that I was probably wasting my money on this speaker as I really am not that into HT audio. Man, was I clueless. I never knew how much nicer a quality,unified front end was. Frankly, my HT friends have always had stuff from ****, Paradigm or Definitive and I have owned two of these three brands based on their recommendation. Now they are drooling over my HT front end.
Thank Dave.
For comparison, I tested the snot out of multitudes of speakers in the $3,500 -$5,000 range before deciding to take a chance on these sound unheard. The only speaker that I felt was a "knock my socks off" demo experience was the KEF R series and a Sonus Faber (can't remember the name but the price made me cry).
Granted, with an ongoing home remodel project, two young kids and a wife who likes to go to bed early, my listening time has been less than abundant recently. This period was further complicated by constant juggling and tweaking of my components, however, I finally have everything dialed in and am happy to report that these speakers have exceeded my expectations in every way.
I have always heard that speakers need around 100 hours to break in. If anything, I have noticed only a slight expansion and degree of warmth in the mid-range. The tweeters seemed to be ready to rumble right out of the box IMHO.
I have these paired with a Denon 2312 for HT use and a Marantz PM8004 for two channel listening. I also use an old Paradigm sub but could not begin to tell you were I have it crossed over. At best, it is used only for a tiny bit of the bottom end but it does help add some range. I am seriously thinking of adding a Rythmic sub this Christmas.
In comparison to what I have used in the past (B&W DM 602), these towers are a major improvement. The RAAL tweeter is simply the best I have heard. When you can hear a singer breathing in, or the slide of a finger across an acoustic guitar string, it really adds an amazing dimension to the experience.
The best benefit for me with these speakers, however, is being able to enjoy the music at a lower volume level than I have typically been able to listen to (due to kids and wife sleeping). At these lower levels, I still feel an immersive experience when listening to well-recorded music. Which brings me to my next point.
The only downside to these speakers is that they reveal all of the flaws in crappy recordings or lower quality sources (such as some of my old Itunes downloads). I have gone back to buying CDs and am now beginning to explore some of the higher quality digital downloads. In light of this, I would appreciate any input from forum members on the best source to purchase high-def downloads.
Finally, the Horizon center is the one true surprise for me. I bought it solely because my wife hated the old beat up Paradigm center I previously used. I felt at the time that I was probably wasting my money on this speaker as I really am not that into HT audio. Man, was I clueless. I never knew how much nicer a quality,unified front end was. Frankly, my HT friends have always had stuff from ****, Paradigm or Definitive and I have owned two of these three brands based on their recommendation. Now they are drooling over my HT front end.
Thank Dave.