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View Full Version : Deciding on speakers to keep/ comparing - hard work



philv
13-04-2019, 11:22
Hi

i have

upgraded JBL L26
JBL 4312mk2
Snell k an-spe silver wired fettled by audionote

I have been trying to decide which to keep/i prefer this morning.

Finding it nigh on impossible.
I like characteristics of all of them.

It doesn't help that they have different ideal positioning requirements.

The JBLs on the floor next to each other make them easier to compare, but they are on the floor so bass is altered and comparisons become unreliable.

The Snells at their best closer to walls.

Never buy more than 1 set of keeper speakers unless you know you are going to keep all 3.
It's a recipe for trouble

I could honestly live with any of them, but which.

Anyone else had this problem?

Shame i'm not that close to many other members out here in east midlands, and possibly embarrassed by restrictive listening room
I think i`d take a vote and be done with it!

I think i drove my daughter crazy who became as confused as me.

AJSki2fly
13-04-2019, 12:02
What amplifier are you driving them with?

Pigmy Pony
13-04-2019, 12:02
Nicer problems to have!

I suppose it will come down to which type of music you play the most, and which speakers work best with that music. I doubt anyone can give you an informed opinion on this as there are too many variables: room size, musical preferences, synergy, WAF (I know, but it can be important for some of us), and of course your own ears!

And monetary value doesn't necessarily come into it, you can't assume that more expensive=better. My advice, for what it's worth, would be to keep your favourites, sell the others, then use some of the cash to make your "keepers" even better.

But what do I know - I spent stupid money on a pair which delight/irritate in equal measure :(

Macca
13-04-2019, 12:07
Sell them all buy better JBLs.

walpurgis
13-04-2019, 12:40
Sell them all buy better JBLs.

There you go.

(or get some Tannoys)

philv
13-04-2019, 12:47
What amplifier are you driving them with?

Marantz pm4 in class a mode.

Macca
13-04-2019, 13:05
Marantz pm4 in class a mode.

Should be a good match for all of them. I can see your quandary.

hornucopia
13-04-2019, 13:08
Bigger house? (more rooms....)

Looking round, I have 5 sets of speakers, -one dormant ; Leak Sandwiches I've had since '72! Others -one set for computer, one for Living Room/TV; one for 'best' underused in basement/hi-fi room; one small set in bedroom. And, no, I'm NOT single!

AJSki2fly
13-04-2019, 14:00
Marantz pm4 in class a mode.

Well the amp is a well respected and quality one which should do any of them justice.

It's a tricky one with the speakers I used to have a pair of Snell K's and loved them, do you have them on Pirate stands(they weight a ton), I found this improved the bass and soundstage quite a bit, might be worth considering first before getting rid of them. I used to drive mine with an Audio Innovations Series 500 valve amp and these together were very well matched, dynamic and musical. The JBL's are great speakers but I believe will give more low down and if my understanding is right have a bit of a lift around 120hz, probably great for driving rock but maybe not so good for classical and more laid back stuff, but I could be wrong. IMO the Snells are probably the more accurate of the speakers and certainly should be good with all the fettling done.

An approach I have taken several times is as below, and I found it helps to make some sense of it all.

If it was me and I was confused I would pick 5-10 tracks that I know very well, make myself a little spread sheet and score each speaker for each track on top, mid, bass, musicality, separation/detail, attack and soundstage, scoring from 1-10 (1 poor, 10 can't be better). I would listen to all the tracks with each speaker and write down a score for each and at the end add them up. I would also make short notes along the way for each track and a summary at the end, so I did not forget my thoughts/feelings about them at the time.

I would then have a break before moving onto then next pair of speaker so to avoid being influenced by what I had just listened to. Once I had listened to all 3 pairs I would compare notes and decide which was tops and to keep.

For example tracks I use are, obviously you could just do yours:-

10cc - Sheet Music, The Worst Band in the World - very dynamic and great separation of instruments

Alan Parsons - I Robot, I Robot - a classic with lots going one, you will know if it sounds right

Paul Simon - Graceland, Boy in the Bubble - a great pacey track with lots of drumming, listen out for the backing singers, should be clear

Sinead O’Connor - I Feel So Different - a very telling track, her vocals are easily mucked up with sibilance if something is not right, you should be able to hear her breathy vocals, the bowed string sections should be clear and there is plenty of bass. The drumming on the following track has loads of attack to check out the speakers.

Peter Gabriel - Security - Rhythm of the Heat - drumming and bass abounds on this track, his voice should be clear in the mix, and there is a lot of bass extension at the beginning and end.

Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold - this is probably one of the most telling vocal tracks I know of, her voice should sound natural and unforced, if sibilance is creeping in it then its not right, listen to her acoustic guitar should sound warm and natural like it is in the room, the electric guitar as some subtle harmonics going on in several places which can be easily lost.

Ravi Shankar - Portrait of a Genius, Tala Rasa Ranga - all natural instruments, a superb track to check out reproduction of drums, you should be able to clearly hear the two hand drums and how they interplay, the sitar should sit in the middle of the mix with the high ringing drone clear, there is hand percussion which should sound clean and crisp with a ring to it. The flute should sound smooth and natural.

philv
13-04-2019, 16:41
They all sound great.
I can live with them all.
So no desire to upgrade.

Unless a pair of jbl 4430 come up.....then reason goes out of the window


Sell them all buy better JBLs.

philv
13-04-2019, 16:45
That is the quandry.
Too much money in speakers and the pm4 sounds good with them all.


Should be a good match for all of them. I can see your quandary.

philv
13-04-2019, 16:53
Thanks.I may try this.
The snells are luvly, always liked them and the silver wire and audionote refoaming take them to a different level.
But at the same time the jbls have great listenability, accurate or not. Fun!

Today was tne first time i trued comparing tnem.
I sort of didn’t want to in case it was not the result i expected.

Well the amp is a well respected and quality one which should do any of them justice.

It's a tricky one with the speakers I used to have a pair of Snell K's and loved them, do you have them on Pirate stands(they weight a ton), I found this improved the bass and soundstage quite a bit, might be worth considering first before getting rid of them. I used to drive mine with an Audio Innovations Series 500 valve amp and these together were very well matched, dynamic and musical. The JBL's are great speakers but I believe will give more low down and if my understanding is right have a bit of a lift around 120hz, probably great for driving rock but maybe not so good for classical and more laid back stuff, but I could be wrong. IMO the Snells are probably the more accurate of the speakers and certainly should be good with all the fettling done.

An approach I have taken several times is as below, and I found it helps to make some sense of it all.

If it was me and I was confused I would pick 5-10 tracks that I know very well, make myself a little spread sheet and score each speaker for each track on top, mid, bass, musicality, separation/detail, attack and soundstage, scoring from 1-10 (1 poor, 10 can't be better). I would listen to all the tracks with each speaker and write down a score for each and at the end add them up. I would also make short notes along the way for each track and a summary at the end, so I did not forget my thoughts/feelings about them at the time.

I would then have a break before moving onto then next pair of speaker so to avoid being influenced by what I had just listened to. Once I had listened to all 3 pairs I would compare notes and decide which was tops and to keep.

For example tracks I use are, obviously you could just do yours:-

10cc - Sheet Music, The Worst Band in the World - very dynamic and great separation of instruments

Alan Parsons - I Robot, I Robot - a classic with lots going one, you will know if it sounds right

Paul Simon - Graceland, Boy in the Bubble - a great pacey track with lots of drumming, listen out for the backing singers, should be clear

Sinead O’Connor - I Feel So Different - a very telling track, her vocals are easily mucked up with sibilance if something is not right, you should be able to hear her breathy vocals, the bowed string sections should be clear and there is plenty of bass. The drumming on the following track has loads of attack to check out the speakers.

Peter Gabriel - Security - Rhythm of the Heat - drumming and bass abounds on this track, his voice should be clear in the mix, and there is a lot of bass extension at the beginning and end.

Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold - this is probably one of the most telling vocal tracks I know of, her voice should sound natural and unforced, if sibilance is creeping in it then its not right, listen to her acoustic guitar should sound warm and natural like it is in the room, the electric guitar as some subtle harmonics going on in several places which can be easily lost.

Ravi Shankar - Portrait of a Genius, Tala Rasa Ranga - all natural instruments, a superb track to check out reproduction of drums, you should be able to clearly hear the two hand drums and how they interplay, the sitar should sit in the middle of the mix with the high ringing drone clear, there is hand percussion which should sound clean and crisp with a ring to it. The flute should sound smooth and natural.

goraman
13-04-2019, 17:25
I do not like most JBL's in smaller rooms , they are an in your face speaker ,My vote is for the Snell K's on lead shot filled stands near the wall.
Unless the room is large.

Pharos
13-04-2019, 22:30
The problem is that each type has its own good aspects and also poorer ones, and we habituate to one pair, and then, when we change, with another pair are bowled over by a slightly different emphasis which may allow us to hear a particular frequency range better - they all have different F responses and good aspects.

We can then go through all or material and enjoy that revelation, until we habituate to that speaker's sound.
If you want, and choose for accuracy, then you will IMO hear failings on everything you listen to in some area, each recording having its own failings and merits minimally altered by the speakers.

I have been comparing and changing speakers since '85, having had eight expensive pairs in that time, and I know that I can become addicted to a 'certain sound', even if it is not accurate, which is another facet of the situation.

I think that there is no doubt that a more expensive speaker will in general be better than a cheaper one, but it is not a linear, (directly proportional) relationship between money and SQ. Surely we all seek the anomalously good one for any given outlay.

If you have three sets in competition in only one situation, does it not seem better to invest that money in only one better pair?

Discopants
14-04-2019, 00:20
I do not like most JBL's in smaller rooms , they are an in your face speaker ,My vote is for the Snell K's on lead shot filled stands near the wall.
Unless the room is large.

Not having heard any of these speakers , my instinct would also be with the Snell’s. Personally I wouldn’t decide until I added a subwoofer* and choose whatever sounded the best integrated with the sub over the largest range of music (as I like Jazz, classical, EDM, indie, folk, rock and pretty much everything in between).

* Something like a Rel Stadium 2 coincidently I have a mint one available [emoji6].


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

oldius
14-04-2019, 03:53
Having had many, many speakers, my vote would be to keep your favourite JBL. Snell are good but, in my experience, with a more limited range of music. JBL are also increasing in value as UK listeners begin to realise what the rest of the world has known for a long time.

Macca
14-04-2019, 06:32
Having had many, many speakers, my vote would be to keep your favourite JBL. Snell are good but, in my experience, with a more limited range of music. JBL are also increasing in value as UK listeners begin to realise what the rest of the world has known for a long time.

True but neither of the JBLs is amongst their best offerings which is why I suggested flogging all three sets and getting some better JBLs. I'm not keen on the Audionote/Snell approach so I deffo wouldn't keep them. If I had to keep one of the three it would be the 4312. They are also the most likely of the three to increase in value.

Lawrence001
14-04-2019, 07:56
Well the amp is a well respected and quality one which should do any of them justice.

It's a tricky one with the speakers I used to have a pair of Snell K's and loved them, do you have them on Pirate stands(they weight a ton), I found this improved the bass and soundstage quite a bit, might be worth considering first before getting rid of them. I used to drive mine with an Audio Innovations Series 500 valve amp and these together were very well matched, dynamic and musical. The JBL's are great speakers but I believe will give more low down and if my understanding is right have a bit of a lift around 120hz, probably great for driving rock but maybe not so good for classical and more laid back stuff, but I could be wrong. IMO the Snells are probably the more accurate of the speakers and certainly should be good with all the fettling done.

An approach I have taken several times is as below, and I found it helps to make some sense of it all.

If it was me and I was confused I would pick 5-10 tracks that I know very well, make myself a little spread sheet and score each speaker for each track on top, mid, bass, musicality, separation/detail, attack and soundstage, scoring from 1-10 (1 poor, 10 can't be better). I would listen to all the tracks with each speaker and write down a score for each and at the end add them up. I would also make short notes along the way for each track and a summary at the end, so I did not forget my thoughts/feelings about them at the time.

I would then have a break before moving onto then next pair of speaker so to avoid being influenced by what I had just listened to. Once I had listened to all 3 pairs I would compare notes and decide which was tops and to keep.

For example tracks I use are, obviously you could just do yours:-

10cc - Sheet Music, The Worst Band in the World - very dynamic and great separation of instruments

Alan Parsons - I Robot, I Robot - a classic with lots going one, you will know if it sounds right

Paul Simon - Graceland, Boy in the Bubble - a great pacey track with lots of drumming, listen out for the backing singers, should be clear

Sinead O’Connor - I Feel So Different - a very telling track, her vocals are easily mucked up with sibilance if something is not right, you should be able to hear her breathy vocals, the bowed string sections should be clear and there is plenty of bass. The drumming on the following track has loads of attack to check out the speakers.

Peter Gabriel - Security - Rhythm of the Heat - drumming and bass abounds on this track, his voice should be clear in the mix, and there is a lot of bass extension at the beginning and end.

Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold - this is probably one of the most telling vocal tracks I know of, her voice should sound natural and unforced, if sibilance is creeping in it then its not right, listen to her acoustic guitar should sound warm and natural like it is in the room, the electric guitar as some subtle harmonics going on in several places which can be easily lost.

Ravi Shankar - Portrait of a Genius, Tala Rasa Ranga - all natural instruments, a superb track to check out reproduction of drums, you should be able to clearly hear the two hand drums and how they interplay, the sitar should sit in the middle of the mix with the high ringing drone clear, there is hand percussion which should sound clean and crisp with a ring to it. The flute should sound smooth and natural.Personally I wouldn't choose between speakers before also hearing some orchestral, chamber and choral music on them.

Sent from my BLN-L21 using Tapatalk

Lawrence001
14-04-2019, 07:58
Having had many, many speakers, my vote would be to keep your favourite JBL. Snell are good but, in my experience, with a more limited range of music. JBL are also increasing in value as UK listeners begin to realise what the rest of the world has known for a long time.My first pair of speakers at 16 were JBLs, must have had good taste [emoji3] I preferred the sound to the Missions, JPWs etc I compared them to at Manders in Grimsby. They weren't classics though sadly.

Sent from my BLN-L21 using Tapatalk

philv
14-04-2019, 10:33
I have the snells up for sale at the moment as they are possibly easier to sell.
Finances dictate, etc.

For tne jbls, the 4312mk2 has great clarity amongst other attributes.
Really impressed.
And of course, 12 inch drivers.

But tne L26 are just fun to listen to as well. Expecially after tne upgrades.
The L26 are far better for tne mods.

Are they the best JBLs?
Of course not, tnere is always better.
But having owned snell a3, kef 104/2 and some over well respected speakers, i seem to listen to music longer with the jbls.
It does seem with L100 through 4312 and beyond, the jbls divide opinion.

It’s not always about perfect reproduction of sound for me.
By tne time sound passes through tnese compromised ears, who knows what sort of frequency curve i need from a speaker for it to sound great.

A/b ing is hard i find because playing a snippet of music and switching via speaker out button to compare 2 speakers, i come to the conclusion a is ‘better’ than be.
But in isolation b just sounds great.

Macca
14-04-2019, 10:43
Could be argued that it is possible to have a pretty much perfect source and amp but no speaker is perfect. I've got the Hi-fi Choice review of the 4312 Mk2 from when it came out. The technical report lists all sorts of issues but in the blind listening it walks it against the other speakers tested. I really fancied some but they were way above my pay grade at the time.

AJSki2fly
14-04-2019, 10:58
Quote Originally Posted by AJSki2fly View Post
Well the amp is a well respected and quality one which should do any of them justice.

It's a tricky one with the speakers I used to have a pair of Snell K's and loved them, do you have them on Pirate stands(they weight a ton), I found this improved the bass and soundstage quite a bit, might be worth considering first before getting rid of them. I used to drive mine with an Audio Innovations Series 500 valve amp and these together were very well matched, dynamic and musical. The JBL's are great speakers but I believe will give more low down and if my understanding is right have a bit of a lift around 120hz, probably great for driving rock but maybe not so good for classical and more laid back stuff, but I could be wrong. IMO the Snells are probably the more accurate of the speakers and certainly should be good with all the fettling done.

An approach I have taken several times is as below, and I found it helps to make some sense of it all.

If it was me and I was confused I would pick 5-10 tracks that I know very well, make myself a little spread sheet and score each speaker for each track on top, mid, bass, musicality, separation/detail, attack and soundstage, scoring from 1-10 (1 poor, 10 can't be better). I would listen to all the tracks with each speaker and write down a score for each and at the end add them up. I would also make short notes along the way for each track and a summary at the end, so I did not forget my thoughts/feelings about them at the time.

I would then have a break before moving onto then next pair of speaker so to avoid being influenced by what I had just listened to. Once I had listened to all 3 pairs I would compare notes and decide which was tops and to keep.

For example tracks I use are, obviously you could just do yours:-

10cc - Sheet Music, The Worst Band in the World - very dynamic and great separation of instruments

Alan Parsons - I Robot, I Robot - a classic with lots going one, you will know if it sounds right

Paul Simon - Graceland, Boy in the Bubble - a great pacey track with lots of drumming, listen out for the backing singers, should be clear

Sinead O’Connor - I Feel So Different - a very telling track, her vocals are easily mucked up with sibilance if something is not right, you should be able to hear her breathy vocals, the bowed string sections should be clear and there is plenty of bass. The drumming on the following track has loads of attack to check out the speakers.

Peter Gabriel - Security - Rhythm of the Heat - drumming and bass abounds on this track, his voice should be clear in the mix, and there is a lot of bass extension at the beginning and end.

Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold - this is probably one of the most telling vocal tracks I know of, her voice should sound natural and unforced, if sibilance is creeping in it then its not right, listen to her acoustic guitar should sound warm and natural like it is in the room, the electric guitar as some subtle harmonics going on in several places which can be easily lost.

Ravi Shankar - Portrait of a Genius, Tala Rasa Ranga - all natural instruments, a superb track to check out reproduction of drums, you should be able to clearly hear the two hand drums and how they interplay, the sitar should sit in the middle of the mix with the high ringing drone clear, there is hand percussion which should sound clean and crisp with a ring to it. The flute should sound smooth and natural.


Personally I wouldn't choose between speakers before also hearing some orchestral, chamber and choral music on them.

Sent from my BLN-L21 using Tapatalk

I would agree, I was just giving some good examples.

For orchestral I would choose a good rendition of Also Sprach Zarathusa (Richard Strauss) - some great deep bass and lots of dynamics.

A good cello concerto is always a good one, cellos can be telling on the mid range.

Choral music is not really my forte, but one piece that I think is good is Tenebrae Responsories for Holy Saturday - Carlo Gesualdo (The Tallis Scholars) CD CDGIM015, some superb harmonies and a lovely sense of the church acoustics where it was recorded.

Bach organ music can sort out the men from the boys speaker wise that is.

oldius
14-04-2019, 11:06
I have had similar dilemmas over the years. The best advice I can give is to go with your gut. It is only 'stuff' and it is replaceable, unlike loved ones. Just make a decision and have done with it. I've sold stuff I abolutely loved and I don't regret it.........much!

Go with the speakers that you listen to the most. The advice on choral music is only relevant if you listen to it, even if it is now and then. Just using your most loved, and listened to music is the right way IMO.

Lawrence001
14-04-2019, 11:27
Yes theTallis Scholars recordings on Gimmel are excellent. Other good recordings are:

Holst Planets Montreal SO/Dutoit Decca
Haydn Cello Concertos Coin/AAM/Hogwood L'Oiseau Lyre
Monteverdi - Sacred Vocal Music Kirkby etc/Parley of Instruments - Hyperion.
Part - Frates/Tabula Rasa etc Little/Roscoe - EMI or HMV
Vivaldi - Concertos Op.8 La Stravaganza Huggett/AAM/ Hogwood l'Oiseau Lyre

Pigmy Pony
14-04-2019, 13:42
I have the snells up for sale at the moment as they are possibly easier to sell.
Finances dictate, etc.

For tne jbls, the 4312mk2 has great clarity amongst other attributes.
Really impressed.
And of course, 12 inch drivers.

But tne L26 are just fun to listen to as well. Expecially after tne upgrades.
The L26 are far better for tne mods.

Are they the best JBLs?
Of course not, tnere is always better.
But having owned snell a3, kef 104/2 and some over well respected speakers, i seem to listen to music longer with the jbls.
It does seem with L100 through 4312 and beyond, the jbls divide opinion.

It’s not always about perfect reproduction of sound for me.
By tne time sound passes through tnese compromised ears, who knows what sort of frequency curve i need from a speaker for it to sound great.

A/b ing is hard i find because playing a snippet of music and switching via speaker out button to compare 2 speakers, i come to the conclusion a is ‘better’ than be.
But in isolation b just sounds great.

Don't be concerning yourself with JBL's 'dividing opinion' - only one opinion matters! I like Macca's idea, selling them all and buying better JBL's. You already like what your current ones do, so you'll probably get much the same only more so. And seek out the more desirable models, as these would be easier to move on if you decide they're not for you. But try to keep 'em a couple of years - give me time to save up :D

One of the AOS members has/had a big JBL in his avatar, it looked the dog's danglies and no doubt sound amazing too.

AJSki2fly
14-04-2019, 16:23
Don't be concerning yourself with JBL's 'dividing opinion' - only one opinion matters! I like Macca's idea, selling them all and buying better JBL's. You already like what your current ones do, so you'll probably get much the same only more so. And seek out the more desirable models, as these would be easier to move on if you decide they're not for you. But try to keep 'em a couple of years - give me time to save up :D

One of the AOS members has/had a big JBL in his avatar, it looked the dog's danglies and no doubt sound amazing too.

Well yes if JBL's are Phil's bag then he should probably stick with them. But it depends on what he is looking for. If Phil wants a more natural and musical rendition then I would question having JBL's. If Phil sold all 3 speakers he would probably realise around £2K maybe more if lucky. There are some extremely good speakers out there for less than £2K. These are a good example Vienna-Acoustics-Beethoven-Speakers-Rosewood-Boxed-With-Stands-And-Grills (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vienna-Acoustics-Beethoven-Speakers-Rosewood-Boxed-With-Stands-And-Grills-90606/273772948630?hash=item3fbe23ac96:g:8d0AAOSwoAFcI8H r) they will blow a lot of speakers out of the water in terms of sound quality across the frequency range. I have a smaller model in the range and they are superb. They are not very well known in the UK, so are easily overlooked.

philv
14-04-2019, 16:34
Ye gods man....noooo!

I’ll soon have 4 sets if you put ideas in my head.



Well yes if JBL's are Phil's bag then he should probably stick with them. But it depends on what he is looking for. If Phil wants a more natural and musical rendition then I would question having JBL's. If Phil sold all 3 speakers he would probably realise around £2K maybe more if lucky. There are some extremely good speakers out there for less than £2K. These are a good example Vienna-Acoustics-Beethoven-Speakers-Rosewood-Boxed-With-Stands-And-Grills (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vienna-Acoustics-Beethoven-Speakers-Rosewood-Boxed-With-Stands-And-Grills-90606/273772948630?hash=item3fbe23ac96:g:8d0AAOSwoAFcI8H r) they will blow a lot of speakers out of the water in terms of sound quality across the frequency range. I have a smaller model in the range and they are superb. They are not very well known in the UK, so are easily overlooked.

AJSki2fly
14-04-2019, 17:32
Ye gods man....noooo!

I’ll soon have 4 sets if you put ideas in my head.

No do the listening, sell 2 and then buy these, and then do it again and sell the pair you don't need.:eyebrows:

Bourney
24-04-2019, 15:03
If it's difficult to decide between two pairs of speakers. Leave each pair on for a week without swapping. If you still can't decide....sell the more expensive ones.
It's easy to latch onto what each speaker does well or struggles with when doing comparisons but harder to decide if you actually enjoy music through them if you're swapping over too regular.
I've had speakers that I know are less technically proficient ie slightly looser bass but I've still enjoyed music through them more than the more technically capable set up..maybe this says more about my lack of of taste mind :D

Macca
24-04-2019, 15:21
. If Phil wants a more natural and musical rendition then I would question having JBL's. .

JBLs do not sound natural? Not in my experience. I'd say they show up a lot of other speakers in terms of naturalness. 'Musical' I can never understand as a descriptor so I'm not even going there.

oldius
25-04-2019, 05:25
JBLs do not sound natural? Not in my experience. I'd say they show up a lot of other speakers in terms of naturalness. 'Musical' I can never understand as a descriptor so I'm not even going there.Spot on. Isn't natural showing what is on the recording?

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Pharos
25-04-2019, 08:04
Absolutely, and I also have never understood the 'musical' nature of equipment.

philv
26-04-2019, 18:40
I’m finding this as you say.
The 4312mk2 are clearer, tighter than tne L26.
When trying to a/b tnem tne sound was arguably better.

But, i love tne L26.
Part of that is because i DIYd them, which makes tnem special to me.
But also the L26 sound great, irrespective of whether tney lose out to tne 4312mk2 in a/b tests.

Still a bugger as i don’t want to sell tne 4312mk2.
But tney may go if needs be.

I shouldn’t be selling the snells as they are superb.
And i know i’ll need some smaller speakers one day.
It’s sod’s law.

Anyway, no rush at the moment.





If it's difficult to decide between two pairs of speakers. Leave each pair on for a week without swapping. If you still can't decide....sell the more expensive ones.
It's easy to latch onto what each speaker does well or struggles with when doing comparisons but harder to decide if you actually enjoy music through them if you're swapping over too regular.
I've had speakers that I know are less technically proficient ie slightly looser bass but I've still enjoyed music through them more than the more technically capable set up..maybe this says more about my lack of of taste mind :D

philv
26-04-2019, 18:47
Just a thought....l.the crossovers in the L26 have just been replaced/upgraded.
Priobably have around 20 hours on them.

Imagine they will improve yet further?
With possibly more clarity as well?

Just to confuse matters.

Firebottle
27-04-2019, 07:06
Yes you need to give the new xovers more time for sure. :)

philv
27-04-2019, 10:23
Yes you need to give the new xovers more time for sure. :)

Hi Alan.

That is good news, because i'm already more than happy with them.
Great work by the way!

philv
03-05-2019, 12:31
Well, thanks for all the replies.
The decision has been made.

The snells are sold stp.

Tne 4312mk2 will be up for sale soon.

The L26 are staying.
They are very good at low volumes, maintaining a full bass.
And they are my babies, having diy’d tnem.

Very sad to see the snells and 4312mk2 go as both excellent speakers.

I thought having 3 sets of speakers would be great, but in the end it just nagged at me that i wasn’t listening to tnem properly.

Are tne L26 the best?
Probably not, but tne sound suits me more at tnis moment.

Lawrence001
04-05-2019, 16:31
I'm going through a similar exercise at the moment. Have compared my NHT T5 Evolution system to my Jordan Matteis TLs and decided the latter suit my listening habits best (mainly low/very low volume). Am now bringing my Celestion A1s down to London to compare to the Jordans and one pair of these will go too. Probably the A1s based purely on the low volume performance which is my main criterion (in room bass performance at low and mid volume being second, particularly lack of boom).

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