HiFi Subjectivist ¦ Audio Forum ¦ NVA User Group

Some like small stand mounts others prefer ones you could fit inside. Some like 2 ways others multi way, sealed enclosure, ported, horns, open baffle. The choices and compromises are endless.

Countless arguments on forums have ensued over the years. I don't really care what others like anymore it is what I like that matters. I am sick of all the marketing, fan boys going on and on about a particular brand, willy wavers who make sure they tell you how much their speakers cost, arm chair experts who post graphs and techno waffle.

Luckily that sort of behaviour does not happen here. What is the point of this thread ? I have forgotten.

I am now definitely a big speaker guy. No going back to 6.5 " mid bass drivers now. There is a whole section of music missing.

The cost of a speaker is a key specification for me.

I have not come across a speaker that cost more than a million Yen when new and which weighs more than 70 kgs per channel that sounds bad.

Therefore if I were looking to buy speakers and I saw heavy weight million Yen speakers that I could buy for £500 or less, I'd buy them without hesitation.

Also, the aim for me with hi fi is to assemble the best sounding system I can for the least amount of money. So that at most bake offs I have 2 winners. One for best sound and one for best value for money.
You could call this "inverted snobbery" from me. Or waving my willy about how little I've spent.

I agree about spekers being a compromise. As once you get to a certain level, changing one aspect of the design to improve one area, usually inevitably leads to compromise in another area. EG adding a bass driver to a full range single driver speaker gives more extended bass as the expense of a crossover and crossover region.

There does also seem to be a cult of the "Flat Frequency Response" amongst a large proportion of modern manufacturers and some enthusiasts. Where a flatter frequency response is prioritised over aspects like dynamics, clarity, detail.

The whole flat frquency response thing. Do some actually make their decisions on this one aspect and nothing else ? It is nice to have but not the ultimate goal for me.

Have to agree, there is no substitute for surface area when it comes to speaker cones. You don’t appreciate this until you hear it for yourself. I didn’t anyway.

Yeah.

Someone recently asked me what the best upgrade to my digital set up had been. I said a 12" woofer...

Little I can add to what is said about Cubes on the favourite NVA equipment thread. The living room is not a concert hall and they blend to the surroundings. Thanks Doc. After hearing a pair of thin floor standers I agree with everything the Doc said about them. They are shite. Purchasers are either taken in by the trend or deaf.i

Self built cabinets for me- built two types in my time and to me they are the best ever
Currently each cube has a 12”, 8” & tweeter- just wish I had ordered Docs 12” doped drivers
I’ve always had floor standing speakers as I was too tight to buy stands but the drivers were never over 6” so now I agree with the no going back from 12”

Still have an ancient pair of Arcam One which have a pleasant, restrained character that presents all music in an enjoyable way (no real balls, though) and I did like the Magnepan MMG planars I had for a while. They painted lovely pictures in sound.

But they lacked life and oomph - I found that out when I Doc-modded a pair of tiny Mission 760's that blew the Maggies in to the shade.

Always loved Cubes since I heard them back in the 80's.
Very happy with my Cube2 which impress the socks off me every day.

The primary difference with the cubes over normal speakers is the lack of mid/bass crossover.

An idea that deserves a wider audience.

Very large extended range drivers do it for me. I wouldn't call them full range as no driver ever is. No crossover at all.
The ease that comes with a big driver is not something I would want to be without now
I haven't had a pair of bought speakers in about 15 years, partially because I have been too skint to buy any, and partially because I got into so called full range drivers around that time. Those 'full rangers' have got bigger and bigger over the years until I ended up with the 15" sealed cab ones I have now. By accident, not by design, the drivers became available and I had the space to house the large cabs the drivers needed.
They work for me, and the f5 amp because of the high efficiency