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In the Forum: Audio Discussions
In the Thread: A quest for a better monitor.
Post Subject: Buyers, Sellers and Predictable OutcomesPosted by Paul S on: 1/12/2010
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Mani, sorry, but I forget if you mentioned very specific size limitations.  I have enjoyed in spates but am generally wary of "big sound from small boxes", as this invariably wears thin, eventually requiring not only a tiring stretch of the imagination but also, often, more power than anticipated, which gets expensive in acceptable amps.  Looking at longer term, amp matching is much easier and cheaper if one plans everything around mid-ish power.  From memory, there are some fairly efficient "mid-field" monitors that might be advantageously adapted for a closer listening seat, if space remains a concern.  I have mentioned before the old (and hard-to-find...) Tannoy 10" MFMs, not to suggest a particular marque, rather to suggest a generic gambit you might find less difficult than swapping drivers (and networks...) in "otherwise-OK" speakers.

I think of shopping as a necessary evil, and I suppose we all have our ways of going about this most unsavory aspect of the hi-fi.  While I might buy something I've somehow targeted without listening, I would never recommend this practice, for too many reasons to list.  Nothing is more of a time-and-money-eating crap-shoot than buying speakers, but it might be possible to narrow the field with generic catagories.  For instance, I happen to think of the non-paper cone speakers as one-trick ponies, except maybe a very few of the British hydro-carbon-ish/paper-ish cones are actually not bad, given SPL restraints and enough of the right kind of power.  I will also say that the horn-loaded "FR" drivers I have heard were quite colored and also tone-challenged and rather "fuzzy" compared to direct-radiator versions of the same drivers, albeit I have not, myself, worked to exhaust the loaded implementations in that vein.  Whatever; it's got to be a good idea to get and retain some focus to avoid early or ultimate exhaustion via the suicidal "shotgun approach".

One of the real pissers with retail shopping is that it is usually impossible to properly contextualize anything in the proffered setting.  Because of this, I have long preferred hearing a "targeted" component in "mid-fi" systems rather than "high-end" systems.  And while it might defy "common sense", this is especially true for cartridges and speakers.  After all, when shopping, one actually wants to hear and evaluate the targeted component, itself.

Sure, any good salesperson knows how best to sell his product.  But it's up to the buyer to do his own evaluations.

Good luck,
Paul S

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