GoodSoundClub - Romy the Cat's Audio Site

In the Forum: Horn-Loaded Speakers
In the Thread: Munich High End 2010

Post Subject: Same old storyPosted by Joe Roberts on: 5/19/2010

The only reason I don't have a giant WE system is that I can't afford it and I don't have room. I sold all of my WE and Lansing field coil gear to my Silbatone friend back in 1989, because I know he would never sell it, he was putting together a serious working collection, and I can still visit it in Korea today.

Yes, I consider myself an Altec man, mostly, but where i am living now, i don't have room for anything. I'm in school, living in a small place.

Altec sure can be "good enough" for me, especially 1505s and 288s. I love Altec, but I have to concede that WE is on another planet in terms of scale, refinement, and performance.

I recently got a pr of 755As and plan to make up some wall cabs for them....that is where I am right now. Low aspirations, small scale.

I feel I am being objective when I say that a Mirrophonic system simply blows away Altec, Vitavox, TAD, etc. All hype aside, I can't imagine that anybody who ever heard a complete WE system with the field coil woofers and the good WE horns (e.g. 15A, 26A) and appropriate crossovers would dismiss it for more typical home horn attempts. I can only guess that they heard a few WE parts in a mismatch jumble.

For example, above you trash open baffles...well the BEST bass I EVER heard, EVER, came from a pair of 4181 woofers in an large open baffle with a front exponential horn that I heard last year in Korea. It was like an earthquake and it shut off in an instant. No hangover whatsoever. Incredible slam and power. I was astonished and I heard a lot of big woofer systems, including various WE multi woofer systems. This was IT.

So when I read your words above on open bafffle woofers, although I follow the logic and appreciate the intent, I have to say that you are DEAD WRONG in practical terms. The 18" in an open baffle destroys everything I ever heard in my life.

I wouldn't necessarily believe it either but I heard it (and you didn't, so you are forgiven for your attempt to logic your way around it).

Pic attached below. You laughed at this system last year as a hodgepodge. Go ahead and laugh. You have no clue what you are dismissing.

Yeah, the guy is stupid rich and has too much stuff...but SO WHAT? I felt it was a privilege to hear this woofer system. It was beyond anything else in my 35 years of audio.

So, yes, for most of us WE is the unfucked woman. Too bad because it is an experience to behold and a learning opportunity. At least I regularly get a good deep sniff of the bicycle seat, as it were.

You accuse me of dealing with mental images when in fact you are the one doing that. That's all you have on WE. Your "advisors" are wrong and probably have not in fact heard the kinds of systems I'm referring to. Where could they possibly hear them?

Maybe someday i will write about WE on the techno/practical level you are looking for, but I am retired from audio journalism and working on archaeology these days. A Silbatone brochure is not a DIY journal like Sound Practices, so don't confuse the genres.

As for marketing, leave it to the pros, boy. We know what we are doing and we know our audience and it isn't you (or most of the readers of this forum). We are talking to a wealthy Asian market who understands what we are saying, not some DIYers looking for good drivers for an Oris or Edgarhorn. 95% of the Silbatone market is Korea domestic and they swiftly buy everything we can produce.

Actually, if I were addressing the DIY crowd, I'd be talking about the details of the Silbatone electronics, especially the latest generation designed by the crazed tube genius jc morrison. That's where our real center of innovation lies not in our show speakers. However, as with the WE demo in Munich, the funky speakers get the lion's share of the attention...alas.

So, Romy, as our discussions always end...stick with what you have experience with and don't project your theoretical likes/dislikes on Western Electric stuff you haven't heard. You really have no idea what you are missing.

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