Haven’t had one of these in at least a day or two, but I’m kinda cranky. I think it is the heat- I should have waited until tomorrow morning to cut my grass.
This did make me a touch happier, though.
*** Update ***
BTW- I have been out of the stereo market for so long, I no longer have the first clue what constitutes high-end speakers any more. Anyone an audiophile? I have some NHT’s I like, but the center speaker died and I am thinking about buying a whole new system and putting the other two up on ebay. One of these days.
dan
Here on Long Island it hasn’t rained in about … 2 years or so? Feels that way. That plus the heat means I don’t have to cut the grass. Though, I do have to clear tumbleweed out of my driveway.
J.W. Hamner
Mowing lawns also encourages kids to walk on them, which we all know is a determining factor in crankiness level.
General Stuck
I got nothin’
Felanius Kootea (formerly Salt and freshly ground black people)
Conrad Black is out on bail and expected to win his appeal.
stuckinred
KO is on fire!
schrodinger's cat
Yes, this place has gone to the dogs
..Tunch
South of I-10
I just acquired approximately 72 mosquito bites while watering plants, so I am a little cranky (and itchy) too.
stuckinred
“The people around him have allowed this president to be dumbed down”.
lamh32
Anyone catch Keith Olbermann’s special comment? he came off vay-kay just to do this comment.
Efroh
I will never understand that marriage, ever. How can you build a life with someone whose beliefs are so antithetical to your own? I understand being friends, but lovers? partners? parents? It’s just bizarro world to me.
You Don't Say
@stuckinred: Put him out.
schrodinger's cat
We need a photo of Tunch on his favorite blanket with or without the dog hair.
Kthx
Tunch fan
General Stuck
I bet Mary runs around her house in a Candy Striper outfit chased by Carville with a buggy whip in his birthday suit.
mikey
I’m kinda cranky too. It’s just getting stoopid. The lying, the manufactured outrage, the faked gotchas, the straw men, the he said/she said, the phony anger and the bogus tears.
This is what we’ve become. We’re all sort of guilty – we sowed the wind with endless posts of hypocrisy and disingenuous stories of zero importance. Sure, ‘they’ did it too, and they did it worse. Maybe it had to end up like this – we’ve gotten to the point where there is no conversation, there’s only poo, flung and yet-to-be-flung.
Now we cry out for honesty, for truth, for a media that won’t give credence to the lies and politicians that won’t pander to them. We want to find a way to talk honestly and seriously about race, about war, about greenhouse gas polution and the deficit. Instead we get lies, and manipulation, spin and fabricated data, arguments about what a word means and what constitutes a fact or an opinion. We’ve created a condition where there’s not even any way to agree about a place to start a conversation.
It’s become a win-at-all-costs world, and that’s all anybody wants to do any more. Win. Win the argument. Win the election. Win the day. Win the news cycle. Win. Seems like it used to be that winning came with an obligation – if you won the election, you had to govern. If you won the argument, you had to have a solution ready to implement. Now it’s only about the argument.
I have a theory about how so much of the degeneration in national political discourse is predicated on the abortion argument – the polarization, the spittle and bile, the lies and the manipulation, religion and science and society and ‘values’ all conflated in a giant ball of never-gonna-get-to-common-ground, but that’s for another time. I remember the things they could say on that Archie Bunker TV show thirty odd years ago, that you just couldn’t say now, and I don’t know if that’s good or bad. I remember when people cared whether we were a ‘nation at war’, but maybe they just didn’t want to be drafted.
I don’t know anymore. I don’t know what to do, and I don’t know how to even think about making a difference anymore. I know I don’t want to be Breitbart, but I’m pretty sure I don’t want to be Greenwald.
I’m going to pour a rum and clean and oil a few guns. It always makes me feel better…
mikey
Porco Rosso
Hmmm. Speakers?
I like my French made Triangles.
Where are the Spica’s of yesteryear.
lamh32
Whoa, wait, someone on another blog just posted that BillO apologized about the Sherrod story…
So everyone please be on the lookout for earthquake, or random acts of karma….
BTW, we’ll know how this is gonna go down at Fox, by how soon they give up the NBPP story.
Davis X. Machina
“Center speaker” — I missed something. Speakers always come in two’s, usually from AR, EPI or Advent.
General Stuck
Sometimes there’s nothing to do, but let a fever run it’s course.
TaMara (BHF)
@South of I-10: My new favorite thing for bites is Tea Tree Oil. Immediately gets rid of the itch. And I like the smell, but YMMV.
Other than that I got nothing. I’m packing for a long ass drive and weekend away.
Davis X. Machina
@lamh32:On DKos, he said “Ms. Sherrod is NOT Dreyfus, and I don’t pretend to be Emile Zola.”
Only half of which he actually believes….
stuckinred
@You Don’t Say: He was at his best tonight. Hammering every fucking idiot on both sides of the Sherrod caper.
MattF
FWIW, my ‘audio system’ is just a pair of good-quality powered speakers in my living room connected to an ‘Airport Express’ wireless gizmo. For software, I use Airfoil to capture audio from whatever source on the intertubes (e.g., Pandora), and send it to the speakers. More than adequate, given my lousy hearing.
Elisabeth
@stuckinred:
Did he call out co-workers of his at MSNBC? Of course not.
(BTW, I guess I should mention I didn’t watch ’cause I’m at work. That really was a question which I answered because I doubt he’ll call out Scarborough. )
r€nato
Oh wow, I have NHT speakers as well… two main speakers, subwoofer, center and rear speakers. Acoustic Research speakers are compatible with NHT, I think…
El Cid
On the speakers, I’d say figure out what you most frequently listen to and the volume you need them mostly to produce. If you’re working with the same receiver / amp, I’d choose speakers whose RMS rating was within a very conservative RMS estimate of your amp output.
If you haven’t done so you might want to see if any of NHT is left enough to help you with a parts RMA, or you could maybe buy the replacement tweeter online.
These days subwoofers often do much of the heavy lifting for bass, the highest energy requirement, so if you’re using subs (two are better than one), you don’t necessarily need to focus on speakers which are strong on the low end (i.e. below 80Hz).
I don’t like horn tweeters, like Klipsch, some really do. I like cloth dome tweeters and two way speakers. For fronts & centers I like dual mid/woofer drivers, i.e., 2 x 5.25 or some such. Everyone’s different.
‘Audiophile’ could mean ‘really good’ or it could mean $2K per speaker (and far above). I’d pick a budget first. I like looking for refurbished and open box specials from major online electronics retailers. One of those, Audioholics, also does lots of reviews. So does Crutchfield. Etc.
Stereo & home theater mags regularly have shootouts so that’s a good ref.
Angela
@TaMara (BHF):
Thanks for the Tea Tree Oil tip. I was talking to my neighbor and came in with at least 20 bites. Gonna try it now.
stuckinred
@Elisabeth: He sure as fuck did.
Warren Terra
It looks like <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/07/21/us/politics/AP-US-Colorado-Senate-High-Heels.html?hp">there's some fun to be had in the Colorado Republican primary for the Senate:
Gravenstone
@Elisabeth:
By individual name? No. By specific network, at least twice.
andynotadam
First, remember that friends don’t let friends buy Bose. As a recovering high-end audiophile, it is hard to go wrong with B&W (or Bowers & Wilkins) speakers in any price range. They are technology-driven and advances in their top-of-the-line products trickle down very quickly. Remember though, if your receiver puts out crap, even the best speakers can’t make it any better, so if your source electronics are tired, think about unloading them too. Modern electronics have improved by leaps and bounds over even the past 5 years in terms of bang for the buck. There is a website audiogon.com where you can peruse and purchase used high-end electronics at excellent prices. I used them to sell my over-the-top system to those who had yet to take the 12-step program to audio sanity. Good luck.
stuckinred
@Elisabeth: Obviously you didn’t watch or you wouldn’t have asked. He did not mention Joe by name so don’t be comin back on me.
General Stuck
I don’t think you really need to fool with standard stereo equipment these days. The Logitech hi end computer speakers can’t be beat imo, for the price and for exquisite sound along with a good sound card.
A lower wattage version is just as high quality.
Elisabeth
@stuckinred:
Wow! I’ll have to give him a watch when the replay airs. I stand humbly corrected.
Nethead Jay
@General Stuck: Heh, now there’s a mental image. I have my own pet theory, maybe not so different: They spend most of their time exchanging dirty tricks and quarrelling followed by grudge- or make-up fucking. Or they’re just world-class cynical assholes…
stuckinred
@Elisabeth: I was surprised he was on at all. He’s off for 2 weeks and I guess he was so pissed he came in to do a special special comment. Rachel followed with and equally, or even more brutal, dissection.
Gravenstone
@General Stuck: I’m sending you the bill for the tankerload of brain bleach I just had to use. Thanks for nothing…
Elisabeth
@stuckinred:
I did edit my original comment to reflect that I wasn’t able to watch. I really didn’t think he would mention MSNBC given he hasn’t in the past when they’ve deserved it.
J.W. Hamner
@General Stuck:
I recently replaced my old Klipsch set on my multimedia PC with those Logitech speakers and am quite pleased with their performance… though note that I live in an old Cambridge apartment with paper thin walls/floors, so I can’t even use the subwoofer. In a low volume environment, however, I like their fidelity at least as much as my old ones.
sven
Dear god, my day has finally arrived!
I’m a total audio dweeb.
With the state of the economy there are amazing deals on speakers if you are willing to shop around.
If you have a good stereo shop nearby they can be great help in auditioning and it’s always great to support local retailers.
If you can’t get somewhere there a many highly regarded direct to the consumer speaker companies and you save money by cutting out the middle-man.
These companies all sell direct, have great price/performance, and have made their reputations on rock-solid customer service (I believe all three offer 30-day no-questions asked money-back guarantees)
Aperion Audio
Axiom Audio
SVS Sound
If you’re willing to answer a few questions I might be able to help you narrow it down a little…
Analog or digital?
How much listening to music vs. home theater?
Does size/appearance matter much to you?
I have some sense of your musical tastes from the blog but can you give a couple sentence summary?
Without being a (total) jerk can you give me a hint about your price range? (like which NHTs are you replacing)
You have no idea how tired my friends get from hearing about this stuff…
stuckinred
@andynotadam: What does technology-driven mean?
stuckinred
@Elisabeth: I saw that an appreciated it.
mikey
My wife preferred TV to music, so when we separated in 1992 I bought a not-crazy-but-somewhat-high-end fisher system. Still using the amp and speakers, although I’m using a netbook loaded with a customized version of Amarok to manage my music. From the rest of the network, yep, I’m using Airfoil to drive an Apple Airport Express into the amp. Now, between my love for loud music and my many, many years on the range, I have significant hearing loss, so I’m no judge of the actual quality of what I’m listening to, but hey, it sounds fine to me…
mikey
jackson
Linn speakers ( and other components) are excellent. Made in Scotland. The best I’ve ever had in my (relatively) long life.
That's Master of Accountancy to You, Pal (JMN)
So, since I may be moving, does anyone have advice on moving cats 1500 miles?
It gets better. If I get the job in Boston, I’ll find out in August and the position starts in September. So I won’t have a lot of time to make my preparations. Then I go to work for a week, and then I get sent to training for a month. “Sent to” as in sent to St. Louis, or Cincinnati or some other place nowhere near Boston. So, I figure the plan has to be that, even if I find a buyer for the house, don’t close until after I’m back from training, because, if the cats are going to have to be alone for four weeks, that should probably be alone somewhere they know and have all the boundaries marked out.
I guess I want the job (the IRS is well down the list of government agencies I really wanted to work for), but this is going to be tough.
RedKitten
Nothing to report, really. It’s hot out. Hubby and I have decided to go to Halifax’s version of Comic-Con in October. I will hopefully get to meet Chekhov, Boba Fett, and Tyrol from BSG. This is how my husband and I will be celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary — by being complete and utter geeks.
Nethead Jay
@stuckinred: Rachel was really great on this story last night. I get both KO and her show as podcasts, really looking forward to both now. Sounds like a righteous double-barrel unloading :)
stuckinred
@Nethead Jay: She’s killin it tonight, theme, “scare the white people”.
andynotadam
@stuckinred: I guess by that I mean that they do their own scientific research and use the results to make their shit sound better (and then figure out how to do the same shit more cheaply for their lower-end products). As opposed to buying someone else’s components and stuffing them in a box. It takes a certain amount of scale to make this work. Dynaudio does this as well. But hey, it’s only rock and roll and what’s important is that you like it.
jaquestraw
Paridigms,I have monitor 9’s and 330 center and monitor atom rears.All parts are made in house at their factory in Ontario.Get subwoofer separately.Epik,SVS are American made and top rated.You can go to speaker forum on this site and the people there are great at analyzing any consideration.
http://www.avsforum.com/
And Another Thing...
@Elisabeth: Uhhhh…yes he did call out MSNBC. His best evah…. He effing smacked everybody who needs it. What a disgrace.
Although I have to say that I was impressed with how Vilsack handled himself today.
Gibbs – not so much.
debit
I like my old Cerwin Vega speakers. And my old Sansuis. And when I say old, I mean from the 70s. And I still miss my Ohm Fs (stupidly sold during a moving sale. Stupid, stupid, stupid!). So I obviously have nothing relevant to this discussion of today’s cutting edge audio technology. All you kids get offa my…eh.
Despite being migrainey, I took Chloe to the dog park. She’s sort of coming out of her shell. Instead of ignoring the other dogs, or snapping when they won’t ignore her back, she’s decided to be the enforcer of discipline. “You! Stop running! You guys, stop wresting! I said no running! LEAVE THAT PUPPY ALONE!” It was actually kind of funny when it wasn’t mortifying.
stuckinred
@RedKitten: Do you get to meet Ashley MacIsaac, Natalie Mc Master or Pema Chodron?
stuckinred
@andynotadam: Cool, I’m so fucking old I can barely hear anything so I gotta crank it!
Svensker
@General Stuck:
Stuck, I’m going to sue you for that comment. It has caused permanent brain damage.
RedKitten
@stuckinred: Nope. They’re up in Cape Breton. A prior acquaintance of mine once hitched a ride with Ashley, though, and said he seemed rather…eccentric.
debit
@Svensker: The buggy whip is wearing the birthday suit?
stuckinred
@RedKitten: When I saw him with The Chieftains he was awesome. Kilt and paratrooper boot and an absolute dervish on stage!
Svensker
@debit:
Do I look like I wanna think about this in DETAIL?
Gaaaack.
sherifffruitfly
HSU Research should qualify as high-end.
http://www.hsuresearch.com/packages.html
General Stuck
@Svensker:
Brain damage is my middle name. Well, it isn’t, but could be.
And Another Thing...
Link to Olbermann’s editorial tonight.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/vp/38353508#38353508
MikeJ
@RedKitten:
If a phaser shows up in the first act, it should go off by the third act.
ellaesther
Well this isn’t cranky. But my (not quite-11 year old) kid is sitting on my couch singing the words to American Idiot from the lyric sheet and it makes me more happy than I can even tell you.
South of I-10
@TaMara (BHF): Thanks for the tip! I put some benadryl cream on them and I’m having a glass of wine, one or the other is working. I will try some Tea Tree next time.
So did anyone see any footage of the awesome lift the moratorium rally in my home town today? 15,000 people showed up. Sponsored by the LA Oil and Gas Association. *Sigh*
sven
@sherifffruitfly: I almost recommended Hsu but I’ve only heard their subs. Great customer service and I’ve been really, really impressed by their subwoofers. If you don’t mind a large subwoofer I can’t recommend Hsu enough.
I’m also dying to hear any of the Elemental Designs subs but can’t recommend them yet.
http://www.edesignaudio.com/index.php?cPath=2_41
gwangung
@MikeJ:
Win! Win! Win!
Mostly because I saw this today.
I think it was from a tweet from a BJer, too…
sven
@gwangung: Portland rocks!
R2
Check out Salk speakers. I hear they’re top quality speakers custom made to your preferences.
Svensker
@South of I-10:
Another thing that works for mosquito bites is vinegar, applied as a compress as soon as possible. I’m extremely reactive to any kind of itchy bite and vinegar really cuts back the reaction swelling, intensity of the itch and the length of time the itch hangs around (normal for me is 5-7 days).
RareSanity
First thing I would say about speakers is, if you do not consider yourself an audiophile, there is not much point to buying really expensive speakers.
So much about “good sound” is related to speaker positioning, the acoustics of the room, your listening position, the equipment playing the music and how the music was initially recorded/produced/mixed in the studio.
I have some 10 year old Technics tower speakers and a mid-level Sony receiver, whose sound, will absolutely put to shame my friends $7000 Yamaha receiver and Axiom speakers. The stereo image my budget setup yields is amazing, when you close your eyes, you can almost see a stage in front of you…but, I digress.
Just get some quality speakers, no need to go full on audiophile.
Like my father told me when I was young, good sound is really more about physics than finance.
TaMara (BHF)
@That’s Master of Accountancy to You, Pal (JMN): Do you have someone who can stay with them for that time? The plan sounds good. Difficult on you, but reasonable.
Once you move, besides making sure they don’t try to sneak out, I don’t think the transition will be that difficult. My cats usually hide for a week or more, come out only for food and nighttime reconnaissance.
They will have you and have each other, so they’ll do fine. Really.
Now getting them there….are you driving them? Mine usually stop yowling after 4 or 5 hours. Yup, you read that right.
PeakVT
@sven: Have you encountered the Orb Audio satellites? I’ve been tempted to get them because I have a pretty small place.
Matt
Paradigm or Monitor audio
charlied
I really like Tannoy speakers, esp. the models with the concentric design. (the tweeter is nestled in the center of the woofer) The sound is open with good definition, and they have models for a variety of budgets. Professional models are used in many film, video, and recording studios. because of their fidelity.
gwangung
@sven: Yup, Portland rocks.
Now I want to do the same. And given that I’m a theatrical producer…
South of I-10
@Svensker: I am not that reactive to mosquitos, but my daughter is. Anytime she gets mosquito or ant bites they make horrible welts on her. I will try some vinegar too. Can’t hurt, right?
Max B.
If you’re not looking to splurge the best bang for your buck IMHO is Onkyo. I have this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882120123
and love it. I think there’s a fresher model out there but I’m sure it’s pretty similar.
EnfantTerrible
I have two systems – an old-school stereo in my office that has a Marantz tuner and amplifier combination and Advent speakers. It provides the musical equivalent of comfort food while I’m working. :-) You can get really nice vintage audio on eBay for very reasonable prices. Choose your seller carefully, though.
My living room setup is comprised of a mid-priced Pioneer A/V receiver (5.1) and Blue-Ray player and a speaker array made by Mirage, a Canadian speaker company. Oh, and a powered subwoofer made by Dahlquist. Not a high-end system, but very satisfactory for music and movies.
My favorite demonstration DVD is decidedly retro: the Gene Kelly movie “American in Paris”. It’s a 60-year-old movie, but it is still a feast for the eyes and the ears.
Jager
In my garage I have a set of mid 70’s Bose triangles, a set of KLH (12 inch bass honkers) and a set of Boston Acoustics about 3 and half feet tall plus a mid 70’s Marantz 500 watt amp/receiver…think Mrs J will allow them in the house, not a freakin chance! Last winter (a SoCal winter) my nieghbor Paul and I set up the old rig in the garage, pulled up some lawn chairs and listened to 24 Nights, Sticky Fingers, Creedence Greatest Hits, several Van Morrison lps on an audio system that did the old tunes justice…you haven’t lived until you’ve heard Brown Sugar at high volume through the old KLH speakers at one AM with a good Cuban in one hand and glass of Jack in the other. Rock fucking on! The girls; Mrs J, Sally, Barbara and Randy were dancing their asses off! My grandsons were staying with us and the youngest said, “Grandpa, you rock”! One of the great moments of my life!
As far as new speakers go…not a clue!
Proportion Wheel
Vandersteen makes very good speakers. Someone above mentioned his regret at selling his Ohm Fs–this was truly one of the finest speakers ever made, but limited in dynamic range, and the Walsh drivers always deteriorated over the years, with damping material hardening up and foam surrounds falling apart. In a former life, 30+ years ago, I used to sell them. The company still exists, selling only directly. I have no idea how good their current lineup is. When my Fs fell apart I replaced them with Vandersteen II CEs, which are still cranking nearly 20 years later, and are still made I think. They are almost as coherent as the Walsh drivers, although you do need to be in a “sweet zone” to get the full spatial image. They are better at reproducing voices and sibilant sounds than just about anything I’ve ever heard at less than several times the (rather steep) price. And they have plenty of dynamic range.
mvr
I’ve been happy with some old PSB alphas in the bedroom for about 15 years. From what I hear PSB has continued to make affordable speakers that audiophiles like, but I have no idea of the current models. And I have never bought a center speaker.
The suggestion above to see if you can get the part for your NHTs is not a bad one. They have a decent rep, and ought to be worth fixing. It should be possible to find such a part and the involved work is not really beyond the average person, so long as you don’t stick a screwdriver through a dome or some such mishap. Or was it a powered unit of some sort that died. If it wasn’t and you didn’t blow a coil you might also just open it up and see if any connection came loose. There is not that much in an ordinary speaker that goes bad short of physical damage from an object so long as they aren’t blown. I guess the surrounds on some go bad, but that should be obvious from an inspection as well, and a replacement or repair would fix that.
Myself, I’m partial to older speakers with really old amps, but I’m a bit of a nut.
Jebediah
I have Epos ELS-3’s and a subwoofer, plus an Outlaw RR2150 receiver.
I didn’t have to break the bank, and it makes pretty sounds. If you have better ears than me, maybe it would be insufficient. Come on over and have a listen – and bring the pups – Otto will probably get along fine with them. (Tunch is welcome, too, of course, but he might not like Otto.)
Mondo Gentleman
B&W Nautilus or the GS/GR line from Monitor Audio are the best bang for the buck. Shop here first: http://www.audiogon.com
@sven: @sven:
My Epik Dynasty is sublime.
handy
I still think KO and his “special comment” jumped Jaws after the ’08 primaries, but he pretty much killed it tonight, especially whenever he sneered Breitbart! And he referenced The American President, which is a big okay by me.
AndyG
I have a pair of Thiel CS2.1s and have been very happy with them. I would second the suggestion for looking for things on Audiogon.
ellaesther
Also not cranky:
I found that I was in possession of a journal that my great-grandmother kept of her trip to Mexico — in 1894 — and I wrote a little something about it yesterday:
http://emilylhauserinmyhead.wordpress.com/2010/07/20/of-family-and-journeys-completedbegun/
Ash Can
@Jager #79: That story made my night. :)
sven
@PeakVT: Unfortunately I haven’t heard the Orbs but I’ve heard good things about them. A former roommate of mine (a non-crazy audiophile) later had a pair in his home office rig and he was very pleased with them.
Gallo Acoustics makes speakers with a very similar look (tiny and spherical) and great sound.
With speakers as small as Orb or Gallo a subwoofer is really necessary to get satisfying sound so make sure that is part of your price/space consideration. If there is a Gallo dealer nearby (check the Gallo website) you might swing by and check them out.
Jay in Oregon
@Svensker:
It could be worse — it could be Carville in the candy striper outfit and Matalin with the buggy whip…
(…you’re welcome…)
Jon H
Just pick up an inexpensive pair of Polks.
Most audio marketing is sheer bullshit.
My “surround sound” system is a Pioneer 5.1 unit that was designed to integrate with the XBox 360; has a remote control that can also control the XBox. I don’t actually have an XBox, but that doesn’t bother me at all.
Sounds great. Everything connects to the subwoofer box. It includes a little microphone that you put where you normally sit and it balances the speakers automatically, using test tones. The controls and display are in a small head unit type thing, connected to the subwoofer by cable.
It’s hooked up to my Blu-ray player and my Apple TV via optical. There’s a coaxial digital input, analog inputs, and a built-in radio.
When I was in high school I read the stereo mags, but these days I just want something that sounds decent and – most importantly – is easy to move.
Matthew Dessem
I’ve been really happy with a set of Mordaunt-Short Mezzos, though I got a KEF subwoofer instead of getting the Mezzo one. Really crisp sound at any volume, and they are beautifully made. Which was the only way I was gonna get to set up tower speakers in the living room…
Jager
@Ash Can:
It was a night, I even pulled the covers off the KLHs so we could watch the woofer pump!
sven
@Mondo Gentleman: As with ED, Epik is another company I’ve been dying to check-out. The direct-to-consumer retailers have absolutely destroyed the price/performance barrier over the last ten years but it also makes hearing different makes more difficult than in the past.
I second your comment on Monitor Audio. I loved the RS line and almost bought a pair of RS6s a couple of years ago.
hitchhiker
Flat speakers. Astonishing array of choices, great sound, take up no room, that’s where I’d start. When I buy shit, I go to a good store (meaning, they stand by their products) and say something like “I have $1,000 and not a dime more. What can you do for me?”
Then the minute they try to talk me into spending more, I give them the evil eye. “Are we done?” They usually behave after that.
Kind of bored with Breitbart, who never was really interesting enough to appeal to anyone with an IQ over 100 . . . but, given that’s the average, he worked what he had pretty well. I think his gig is up.
Q
Audiogon.com is a great site for high end gear on the cheap. I have Audio Physic speakers from Germany with Naim electronics from the UK, sublime. Best speakers at reasonable price points are the Dynaudios from Denmark. They engineer and manufacture their own drivers in house not purchase them out of a parts catalogue like most “High End” makers. Check them out.
EnfantTerrible
@ Jon H
When I was in high school I read the stereo mags, but these days I just want something that sounds decent and – most importantly – is easy to move.
My sentiments exactly. Several years ago, I heard a live performance of Wagner’s “Das Rheingold”. I was sitting about 10 rows back, directly behind the conductor. The Entry into Valhalla, the finale of the opera, was an unbelievably intense sonic experience – by the last chord, every nerve in my body was tingling. That taught me that you cannot reproduce that experience with audio electronics in your living room, regardless of budget. Since then, I’ve gone with modestly priced equipment and spent the savings on season tickets to the local orchestra.
sven
Chait has a nice column on Breitbart and the tactics of right-wing journalism.
http://www.tnr.com/blog/jonathan-chait/76451/andrew-breitbart-pseudojournalist-method
Comrade Luke
I have DynAudio speakers that I really like. Highly recommended.
ETA: I bought these in 2001, right when the whole stereo-in-a-box thing was taking off. If I had to do it over again I might just go with one of those. It’s way easier, and you can get pretty good ones for not a lot of money.
Fallsroad
@Jon H:
There is a lot of BS in high end audio. I was in the business for 15 years in various capacities and can attest to it.
Since speakers actually have the hard job of translating an analog waveform into sound waves, there really are significant differences between speakers, which is why there are a number of radically different design choices that all can work, when done well, to reproduce recorded music as faithfully as is technically possible.
There is nothing wrong with buying cheap speakers, but it would be a gigantic over simplification to assert that it makes no difference at all which type, how large or small, and how expensive. Speakers have to reproduce a wide range of frequencies without distortion, and take into account dispersion patterns, time coherency, and the physical environment in which they will be listened to (plus that whole ear/brain interface thingy).
Compared to building an amplifier, this is no small task. As to what speakers any individual should purchase, it comes down to size of room, budget, and personal preferences.
Of course, marketing still applies to speakers, but making absurd claims is much harder to do, beyond the flowery language you can find in any advertisement for any kind of higher end product. Swap one model for another and it should be quite clear in what ways it sounds different. Whether it is better or not is subjective, but it is likely the two models will be differently designed and built, and have significantly different measurements. That will have real world sonic consequences.
Any old pair of Polks (and I’ve owned several different Polks over the decades) may not suit everyone’s listening habits, expectations, and preferences. Since most speakers sound different to one another it makes sense people would choose one over another for the things they deem important to the way they listen to music.
darms
John,
As subwoofers predominate these days, the only driver I concern myself with anymore is the tweeter. While I prefer horns, dome or ribbon or EMTs or other exotic technology are my preferences, anything but a cone tweet. If you have a good sub then I suggest you either fix your NHTs (good stuff) or buy the most affordable new speakers with exotic tweets you can find, suggestions on request. We have a 5.1 system here, while the fronts are different the center & surrounds are the same & have the same tweets. That matters.
Jon H
@Fallsroad: “There is a lot of BS in high end audio. I was in the business for 15 years in various capacities and can attest to it.”
Clearly, there’s a lot of suck at the bottom of the range for speakers, such as most computer speaker systems, but for most people, I can’t see spending more than a few hundred bucks. After that point it gets down to visual aesthetics, bragging rights, the assumption that more expensive = better, and placebo effects confirming that.
Then again, I live in a 1 bedroom apartment, I rarely watch movies, don’t watch TV, and mostly listen to podcasts, BBC radio, and downloaded music from iTunes, so transcendent audio quality isn’t really an issue. Large speakers are out of the question, expensive gear would just get damaged in my next move, high volume is neither desired nor feasible, the arrangement of my furniture is not optimal for listening, and the acoustics are probably horrible.
Wile E. Quixote
@Warren Terra:
OK, how long before Ken Buck is arrested in full drag for trying to blow a cop in a men’s toilet?
Linkmeister
@debit: I’m still using Pioneer 88s that I bought in 1973. I did buy a new Onkyo amp/receiver because the Sansui from that era died. So did the Pioneer PL-50A turntable (well, the belt rotted onto the platter), so I replaced that with an inexpensive Audio Technica turntable.
Fallsroad
@Jon H:
Not really.
The human ear/brain system can be quite acute to minor differences in frequency response, phase, and time coherence. For things like decently designed amps, disc players and the like it won’t matter much if at all.
But anyone who knows well the music they like to listen to can tell the difference between say, a $1000/pair PSB tower speaker (which are really quite good), and a $5000 pair of B&W’s. This isn’t difficult. Being the kinds of devices they are, and being the only devices in any audio chain that directly interacts with the listener and the room, differences between any two speakers at any price points can be anything from somewhat subtle to absurdly obvious.
The question becomes, do these sonic differences matter to the buyer?
This is not at all analogous to buying interconnects or speaker cables for hundreds of dollars a foot versus going to Radioshack. It is categorically different in terms of the science, perception, and actual, audible differences in reproduced sound.
It is possible to buy a speaker for $1000/pair and $10,000/pair from the same manufacturer and have obvious and audible differences between them, even when they are based on the same design. This is reproducible even in blind testing, if that is what you are getting at when you mention the placebo effect.
It is simultaneously true that the two can sound different, and that a particular buyer may choose the more expensive model because of status or aesthetic considerations. Maybe solely for those considerations. That doesn’t alter the fact that the speakers sound different, and that those differences are far more than subtle. In fact, in most cases, they will be easily measurable (though measurements of speakers are difficult to translate to any specific acoustic space, which is why they are of limited use when making purchasing decisions).
More than a couple of hundred bucks for a pair of speakers may be more than a lot of people want to spend, and it is their prerogative to prioritize how they spend their entertainment dollars. But it is simply not true that spending anything more only garners a buyer “visual aesthetics, bragging rights, the assumption that more expensive = better, and placebo effects confirming that.”
More money often does buy significantly improved sound quality. This is not in the least controversial. If your argument is that sometimes those more expensive speakers are over priced, that is a fair discussion to have, but it is one that will run headlong into the vagaries of the pricing schemes of any high end product. But a couple of hundred dollars is most certainly not the cutoff point at which there are no differences in the actual sound.
ETA: In your situation there are plenty of high quality small speakers that can sound amazing. Some can be had for under 1k a pair (well under), some exceed that. Bigger, when it comes to speaker sound quality and musical enjoyment, is definitely not always better, objectively and subjectively.
This all really come down to personal circumstances, preference and choice.
burnspbesq
@andynotadam:
B&W is a good recommendation, as was Triangle (I have a pair of Triangle Cometes in the family room). Epos and PSB are two other highly reputable and affordable brands.
Decide your budget and stick to it. Otherwise, the sales person will start you with some awesome but crazy expensive speakers like the Magico V2 ($18k/pr), you’ll fall in love with them, and then …
And keep in mind that at any reasonable price point, the best headphones are better than the best speakers – in some cases a lot better. If you’ve never listened to the Sennheiser HD800 ($1,400), you owe it to yourself.
Fallsroad
@burnspbesq:
I’ve got the HD650. I’d love to audition the HD800, but my marriage wouldn’t survive it.
burnspbesq
@Fallsroad:
I created a diversion, and snuck them into the house while Spouse was enjoying an upgrade in the family room (Cambridge Audio DACMagic is a lot better than the internal DAC in the Sonos ZP 90).
burnspbesq
@Fallsroad:
If you’re ever in OC, come on over. I’m pretty happy with my desktop setup: MacBook Pro running Amarra on top of iTunes, Ayre QB-9 DAC, Ray Samuels Audio Raptor headphone amp with vintage RCA and Tung-Sol tubes instead of the mediocre tubes it ships with, and the Senns.
cliff enz
Depending on the space- if you are 8-10 ft from speakers- Tannoy Reveal monitors do well, cost little, and will use less power than the NHT’s- next upgrade- B&O – but you can’t afford that.
David Burgess
I don’t know what your budget is or how much room you have. I would go for one of the classic Klipsch speakers, like Heresy if you don’t have a lot of room, or K-Horn (Klipschorn) if you have room for two large speakers (you need two clear corners of a room). Also there’s the Cornwall series, which has a slightly boomy upper bass, but if you have one of those up to date home theater receivers which has the room optimizing EQ built in (should come with a microphone), that will likely iron that out. Buy a good sub, as the high efficiency of Klipsch means the very bottom needs some reinforcement. You can find a good Klipsch center speaker on ebay or craiglist; those should match your other speakers fairly well. Surrounds are not as critical, but if you don’t mind spending the extra cash, you can find some excellent Klipsch surrounds also. I myself have these small RCA speakers for my surrounds sold around 8 years ago by Radio Shack which work incredibly well.
I would check ebay or Craiglist for all of the above.
Daniel
@debit: Hard to argue with Cerwin-Vega, tho mine are getting a bit distorted as time goes on. Only piece of advice I can offer is to LISTEN TO DIFFERENT SPEAKERS. Take a piece of music you know very well, doesn’t matter what (my choice would be Allman Brothers at Fillmore East) to a big retail outlet (Best Buy, whatever) and have them play it at the same volume through different sets of speakers you can afford until you find what you like. Then, if you want, look for them online at a better price, but DO NOT BUY WITHOUT LISTENING, no matter what the magazine reviews say – it’s been my experience that you don’t see too many reviews that say “this product truly sucks, don’t waste your money”. Mags/web sites got to eat too, and they don’t make grocery money by saying manufacturers/advertisers are cutting corners and producing shitty products. Also, too – second the motion about what you listen to most. Music sounds best in stereo (that’s TWO speakers), movies/tv in surround sound.
burnspbesq
@Jon H:
“and downloaded music from iTunes”
That’s the issue. Friends don’t let friends download from iTunes; it’s all 256k AAC files that sound like cardboard cutouts of music instead of actual music. There’s no longer any reason to settle for that. CD-resolution FLAC files are increasingly available from artist and record-company websites and the totally wonderful HDTracks.com. Higher resolution files (faster sample rates and bigger bit depths, up to 96/24 vs. CD resolution of 44.1/16) are also becoming more widely available. The differences are audible, and not subtle.
Holden Pattern
I like B&W, and I have had them paired with NAD electronics for a long time. Speakers matter, and different speakers sound really different. B&W (at least the P5s I own) has a really sweet sound in the human voice range that works well for acoustic music (singer / songwriter stuff), celtic music, etc. They do very well with other music, but that’s where they really shine. By comparison, I’ve found some other speaker brands to be a bit muddy in the range I like to really hear, or too sharp in the high notes (the term that real audiophiles use is “bright”) and that’s fatiguing for me. For good speakers that are in the low-end of the high-end (and those can sound very good indeed), you’re going to have to make some tradeoffs based on the design choices made by the brand.
So take your listening habits into account, find a decent high-end audio store and listen to some of your favorite stuff. Then you can buy wherever you like.
Mike
As recommended above, Monitor Audio. I have the RS6’s as fronts and the RS1’s as rears with an Atlantic Technology sub – sounds great when playing jazz cd’s. And burnspbesq mentions above, the 96/24 stuff sounds great. And, DVD audio also sounds great.
Fallsroad
@burnspbesq:
The HD650s were not a struggle – my wife is quite supportive of my music and gear addictions, but the price tag for the 800 might be too much for her to agree to.
My desktop set sounds good:
Headroom Micro DAC feeds a McCormack Micro Integrated Drive (preamp/headphone amp) which feeds a McCormack Micro Power Drive which drives a pair of PMC TB-2 monitors, which are on stands across the room. There is also a Cambridge CD-4SE disc player, but honestly I rarely use it any longer as the lossless files and the Headroom are my primary source now.
That is my entire rig these days, a combo for desktop and regular listening.
Plus the Sennheisers for evenings.
evinfuilt
Acoustic Research is no longer the company it once was. A couple decades ago they still made great speakers, but more recently they got sold off and now make some really underwhelming crap.
Sunfire and B&W (stick with their low-end speakers, prices aren’t horrid and sound is still awesome) are two of my current favs. Though B&W have the yuppie tax on them, they cost double of what they really should. Still, they kick all types of butt.
What I’ve found quite interesting is there’s a lot of real small companies now using some real nice components to build great speakers in the US and Europe for really good prices (the internet is amazing isn’t it.) Most of these speakers are pretty custom, and yet can be a lot less than Sunfire or B&W.
Still dont’ buy speakers on a recomendation. Just go listen to them, and most importantly bring your own music to listen to and set it to a low volume.
http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/ has good reviews with a lot of geeky info.