What's the best system you've heard?

[walpurgis]

Yeah. The DM101 was highly rated and still is by those who have them.

[Yomanze]

Is it just me, but when I hear mega expensive speakers from the likes of ATC, Avalon and Wilson for instance, they just don't sound that wonderful.

Not enough soul. Detail freaks would love it though.

[paulf-2007]

You as you had already covered the room aspect, if I had seen your post I would have said something like "As Paul mentions".

Just being polite.

ok thanks Bob

[Pharos]

The trouble with high end speakers is that they usually use the same technology as lesser stuff, and so the sound is unlikely to be radically better, just improved versions of the same operating mechanisms.

So high end stuff is usually bigger and thus more visually imposing, and this demands that the finish has attention paid to it, and this contributes greatly to the cost, and this leads to the evolution of audio jewellery, because we end up choosing speakers with our eyes.

You may remember that Quad put slats into the 63 because they thought that the public would think they were paying a lot of money for little in the way of internal works.

We should audition speakers blind, using a curtain.

[walpurgis]

We should audition speakers blind, using a curtain.

Perhaps some should, but I've never had difficulty knowing that I'm hearing a good speaker when I can see it.

[bobvfr]

We should audition speakers blind, using a curtain.

This is exactly how I came across Tannoy's, as mentioned before, I was in the big Lasky in Tottenham Court Road, I was looking at headphones, someone else was having a speaker demo using a switch to go through different speakers, one stood out by such a margin, they went through them again and again the sound coming from this one particular speaker just shone out, so I went over and asked what they were.

A few weeks later Tannoy had a half price sale prior to moving to Scotland and to celebrate their 50th, so I got my Cheviots for about £350 in 1976.

[walpurgis]

I got my first pair of HPD Eatons at about the same time, from Edgware Road though at £200 new. I'd been using the IIILZ forerunners until then. I'm using Cheviots at the moment. The mega rare Mk.II model.

[walpurgis]

By the way Bob. What amplifier do you drive your Cheviots with?

[bobvfr]

Normally a QUAD 33/405 but they are hooked up to a Pioneer receiver at the moment as I use them with my TV and Xbox One, I plan to get the Xbox One X next weekend, and then sometime next year look at a new amp.

And yes the Xbox One is my source for everything, I really do recommend some of you trying one, especially doing some blind testing, you might be surprised at what you hear.

[Macca]

Decades ago now a friend of mine had a Linn LP12, Arcam A60 and Wharfedale Diamond 4 speakers, firing down a large room, about 35 foot by 14, speakers were either side of a bay window and you listened from about half way down the room.

The LP12 was an old one even then, with the s shaped Basik arm and a budget AT cart. Not the last word in anything, not by a long margin. but one of the most involving and entertaining systems I have ever heard. On paper, especially with the size of the room it should have been nothing much. He also had a Technics tape deck with enormously long level meters which sounded fantastic too.

Conversely I have heard systems with 6 figure price tags that, whilst clearly technically superior were boring or even unpleasant to listen to, and some that were good, but not to the extent that the price or technical spec indicated that they should be. It is one of the great mysteries of hi-fi that sometimes all the planets align and you get a great sound. To my knowledge no-one has ever been able to quantify this but there is no doubt in my mind that it happens, and I know others who have had similar experiences.