Which are the best speakers you have ever heard?
07-09-2011, 03:52 PM
#166
Rennlist Member
Well I just got back from listening to the new JBL Array 1400. http://www.stereophile.com/floorloud...bg_loudspeaker
When I first heard JBL I was turned off but as much as I loved the sound of the Adams these things are amazing. With a frequency response from 8 to 40KHz, the bass kicked in, all I could do is laugh with a 14" woofer and this new vertical aligned horn these have to be the best speakers I have ever heard. Best part is they are highly efficient at 93db have a really unique look and affordable as High end speakers go. For a $12k buy in price if you have the money this is the only way to go at any price.
When I first heard JBL I was turned off but as much as I loved the sound of the Adams these things are amazing. With a frequency response from 8 to 40KHz, the bass kicked in, all I could do is laugh with a 14" woofer and this new vertical aligned horn these have to be the best speakers I have ever heard. Best part is they are highly efficient at 93db have a really unique look and affordable as High end speakers go. For a $12k buy in price if you have the money this is the only way to go at any price.
07-09-2011, 05:19 PM
#167
Formula One Spin Doctor
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Interesting and thanks for the update ...!
Actual sensitivity is 89db/w/m and the Bass will sound powerful considering it's a full 5 db louder than it's 1 K reference . I'm a bit skeptical about horns in a domestic environment where poor time alignment and there phase " y" sound create unpleasantness when sitting close to the, they don't work for me and everyone i have ever heard does this ..
The best are full horns systems ( conical ) of course i would give this JBL a listen to hear what's different if any and with current advancement in software and Sims , can horns become a game changer again ...
The lower sensitivity is not so out of wack also , since it appears the speaker had good balance across the mid/highs , it has been my experience that high sensitivity speakers ( 98+ ) are very unbalanced sounding, you will lose some sensitivity when matching and or designing for good spatial balance ...
Actual sensitivity is 89db/w/m and the Bass will sound powerful considering it's a full 5 db louder than it's 1 K reference . I'm a bit skeptical about horns in a domestic environment where poor time alignment and there phase " y" sound create unpleasantness when sitting close to the, they don't work for me and everyone i have ever heard does this ..
The best are full horns systems ( conical ) of course i would give this JBL a listen to hear what's different if any and with current advancement in software and Sims , can horns become a game changer again ...
The lower sensitivity is not so out of wack also , since it appears the speaker had good balance across the mid/highs , it has been my experience that high sensitivity speakers ( 98+ ) are very unbalanced sounding, you will lose some sensitivity when matching and or designing for good spatial balance ...
07-09-2011, 06:32 PM
#168
Rennlist Member
Well I just got back from listening to the new JBL Array 1400. http://www.stereophile.com/floorloud...bg_loudspeaker
When I first heard JBL I was turned off but as much as I loved the sound of the Adams these things are amazing. With a frequency response from 8 to 40KHz, the bass kicked in, all I could do is laugh with a 14" woofer and this new vertical aligned horn these have to be the best speakers I have ever heard. Best part is they are highly efficient at 93db have a really unique look and affordable as High end speakers go. For a $12k buy in price if you have the money this is the only way to go at any price.
When I first heard JBL I was turned off but as much as I loved the sound of the Adams these things are amazing. With a frequency response from 8 to 40KHz, the bass kicked in, all I could do is laugh with a 14" woofer and this new vertical aligned horn these have to be the best speakers I have ever heard. Best part is they are highly efficient at 93db have a really unique look and affordable as High end speakers go. For a $12k buy in price if you have the money this is the only way to go at any price.
I'd put my money on Bowers&Wilkins Matrix 802s myself.
07-11-2011, 11:22 AM
#169
Rennlist Member
Interesting and thanks for the update ...!
Actual sensitivity is 89db/w/m and the Bass will sound powerful considering it's a full 5 db louder than it's 1 K reference . I'm a bit skeptical about horns in a domestic environment where poor time alignment and there phase " y" sound create unpleasantness when sitting close to the, they don't work for me and everyone i have ever heard does this ..
The best are full horns systems ( conical ) of course i would give this JBL a listen to hear what's different if any and with current advancement in software and Sims , can horns become a game changer again ...
The lower sensitivity is not so out of wack also , since it appears the speaker had good balance across the mid/highs , it has been my experience that high sensitivity speakers ( 98+ ) are very unbalanced sounding, you will lose some sensitivity when matching and or designing for good spatial balance ...
Actual sensitivity is 89db/w/m and the Bass will sound powerful considering it's a full 5 db louder than it's 1 K reference . I'm a bit skeptical about horns in a domestic environment where poor time alignment and there phase " y" sound create unpleasantness when sitting close to the, they don't work for me and everyone i have ever heard does this ..
The best are full horns systems ( conical ) of course i would give this JBL a listen to hear what's different if any and with current advancement in software and Sims , can horns become a game changer again ...
The lower sensitivity is not so out of wack also , since it appears the speaker had good balance across the mid/highs , it has been my experience that high sensitivity speakers ( 98+ ) are very unbalanced sounding, you will lose some sensitivity when matching and or designing for good spatial balance ...
I have to admit although my preconceptions told me these would suck I was proven wrong. The entire audition was done using 16 bit recording so I have yet to hear any vinyl on them which I feel will prove exceptional. I will need many more hours of listening before I pull the plug on these but they are worth considering as my next upgrade. Apparently it took them a long time to get the horns to work in vertical alignment and whatever R&D they did it was enough to get them Best of show for their top of the line model at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in 2010 and from what I have been told these come quite close for a sixth the price and half the size.
The bass roll off was as realistic as I have heard from any speaker and is something I normally only experience from speakers costing 6 to 10 times as much, the imaging was outstanding. Dynamic range was all there. They were not harsh or bright as I would have expected and handle a variety of placements well. These seemed to work best from about 12 feet back which is ideal for my listening room.
I highly recommend a listen if you can find a dealer.
Sorry as much as the B&W's are a nice speaker and were a big name for a long time even the considerably more expense 802 diamonds IMO don't offer what these or the Adams do for quite a bit less $$. I would place both far ahead of the 802's in value, overall sound and imaging. Although I need to spend more time to really feel these JBL's out they do have a sound that IMO should come from speakers costing more than double possibly triple their asking price.
07-11-2011, 02:01 PM
#170
Rennlist Member
Sorry as much as the B&W's are a nice speaker and were a big name for a long time even the considerably more expense 802 diamonds IMO don't offer what these or the Adams do for quite a bit less $$. I would place both far ahead of the 802's in value, overall sound and imaging. Although I need to spend more time to really feel these JBL's out they do have a sound that IMO should come from speakers costing more than double possibly triple their asking price.
07-11-2011, 02:55 PM
#171
Race Director
Not sure why a lot of you would not believe in JBL. JBL has the experience and builds top of the line speakers in both professional markets and consumer markets.
There is simply a lot of speakers on the market that faithfully reproduce music that both cost a fortune and are not all that expensive. Keep in mind....what was the studio engineer using for speakers and what was the mastering engineer using to master the recording you are listening too?...think about it!
There is simply a lot of speakers on the market that faithfully reproduce music that both cost a fortune and are not all that expensive. Keep in mind....what was the studio engineer using for speakers and what was the mastering engineer using to master the recording you are listening too?...think about it!
07-11-2011, 03:26 PM
#172
Rennlist Member
Not sure why a lot of you would not believe in JBL. JBL has the experience and builds top of the line speakers in both professional markets and consumer markets.
There is simply a lot of speakers on the market that faithfully reproduce music that both cost a fortune and are not all that expensive. Keep in mind....what was the studio engineer using for speakers and what was the mastering engineer using to master the recording you are listening too?...think about it!
There is simply a lot of speakers on the market that faithfully reproduce music that both cost a fortune and are not all that expensive. Keep in mind....what was the studio engineer using for speakers and what was the mastering engineer using to master the recording you are listening too?...think about it!
07-11-2011, 04:21 PM
#173
Formula One Spin Doctor
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Not sure why a lot of you would not believe in JBL. JBL has the experience and builds top of the line speakers in both professional markets and consumer markets.
There is simply a lot of speakers on the market that faithfully reproduce music that both cost a fortune and are not all that expensive. Keep in mind....what was the studio engineer using for speakers and what was the mastering engineer using to master the recording you are listening too?...think about it!
There is simply a lot of speakers on the market that faithfully reproduce music that both cost a fortune and are not all that expensive. Keep in mind....what was the studio engineer using for speakers and what was the mastering engineer using to master the recording you are listening too?...think about it!
07-11-2011, 08:06 PM
#174
Race Director
08-16-2011, 10:18 PM
#175
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This isn't the best system I've heard, but a fantastic all arounder that I've had for the past 10 years without any upgraditis- Dynaudio 1.8 mkII. Mate with Krell/Sim Audio/Bryston, pretty much any good solid state amplification and enjoy for life. I've had a number of amps in and out but the speakers stay every time.
08-22-2011, 05:13 PM
#178
Rennlist Member
JBl makes great band systems but for living area, not a fan, not even the Array 1400, the highs are just too harsh, and do not know any instrument that sounds like the JBL reproduce on the highs. I just heard Bostons 336, and for the proce, i was taken back. If you are econmy shopping you need to give these a listen. I personaly like Vandersteen 5a's or Quatro's, currently like Martin Logan Sumit X.
Just goes to show you, speaker selection is based on personel audio preferences.
Just goes to show you, speaker selection is based on personel audio preferences.
08-23-2011, 10:55 AM
#179
Rennlist Member
JBl makes great band systems but for living area, not a fan, not even the Array 1400, the highs are just too harsh, and do not know any instrument that sounds like the JBL reproduce on the highs. I just heard Bostons 336, and for the proce, i was taken back. If you are econmy shopping you need to give these a listen. I personaly like Vandersteen 5a's or Quatro's, currently like Martin Logan Sumit X.
Just goes to show you, speaker selection is based on personel audio preferences.
Just goes to show you, speaker selection is based on personel audio preferences.
Interesting. I found the vandies to sound less realistic to me although a good all around speaker I have never been a fan of his designs and feel they lack the transparency of these other speakers . I did not find the JBL's to sound harsh initially in the high end but the room, placement and equipment used can make a huge difference. When I had them switch over to the accuphase amps which is what i would be using I did find them, to be a bit more brash than my first impression.
I have decided to wait for the redesign of the ADAM speakers which I still find very hard to match at the $10k level if they just weren't so darn ugly I would have them now.
08-23-2011, 02:37 PM
#180
Track Day
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Interesting. I found the vandies to sound less realistic to me although a good all around speaker I have never been a fan of his designs and feel they lack the transparency of these other speakers . I did not find the JBL's to sound harsh initially in the high end but the room, placement and equipment used can make a huge difference. When I had them switch over to the accuphase amps which is what i would be using I did find them, to be a bit more brash than my first impression.
I have decided to wait for the redesign of the ADAM speakers which I still find very hard to match at the $10k level if they just weren't so darn ugly I would have them now.
I have decided to wait for the redesign of the ADAM speakers which I still find very hard to match at the $10k level if they just weren't so darn ugly I would have them now.