The journey so far...
I took the day off today for road trip to visit some audio dealers. The first one, a PSB dealer. When I arrived there was a big PSB sign on the outside of the building, along with signs and logos for other brands they carry. When I went in, I saw cardboard boxes from PSB, but he said they were no longer carrying the brand. He said they were good speakers, but they just didn’t sell. So I asked him what he had in a $2k - $5k range that would produce real good clarity and soundstage. He had me listen to 3 different pairs of B&W. Didn’t seem that detailed at all. Then, he said he wanted me to listen to another brand. He brought in some bookshelf speakers (though I clearly stated I wanted towers) for me to listen to. To my surprise, they were McIntosh. I didn’t even know they made speakers. And, I figured anything with their name on it would be way beyond my budget. But, these were quite affordable. And – they sounded great. I heard detail that I wasn’t hearing from other speakers. Each instrument was clearly discernable. On other speakers I’ve been listening to, it’s all just a jumbled muddle of sound – full range, but still all jumbled together. Good luck picking out specific instruments and feeling like you could hear the artist playing the instrument. Unfortunately, they were bookshelf speakers and the low mids weren’t there as much as I’d like. The frequency’s I’m talking about were too high for a sub. I asked about the next model up from McIntosh, which were towers. $5k. But unfortunately, that was the price per speaker.
On to the next dealer. He had a nice show room, but he had as much enthusiasm as someone would have towards moving piles of dirt. He played some Focals and Paradigm, but it just wasn’t want I was looking for. I asked him if he had anything else. He said, “
no, that’s it.” and walked away. Not sure how he stays in business.
The last dealer I went to, also carried Paradigm and B&W, but didn’t have any Paradigms in stock or on display. He said his rep is local and he’s going to see if he can get something in for me to listen to.
I’ve learned some things in this venture. I honestly didn’t realize that the space behind the speaker had anything much to do with the soundstage. The speakers are at the front of the cabinet and so, except for bass management, I thought it was all about the room and opposing surfaces. I’ve since moved my RBH MC-6CT speakers out a bit, and it’s made a big difference. I’ve also got them closer to facing straight as opposed to toed in. Again, a big difference. I’ve also learned, it’d probably be best to call each dealer and see if they have the speakers that I’m interested in on display.
I’m starting to see where at least for me, buying direct via Internet (or phone) with places that offer free shipping (both ways preferably) and a trial period, may be the best way to go. I heard the Magnepan 1.7’s last Saturday, but found a certain sound annoying, which I think was room reflections. Again, another reason to buy direct from manufacturers, especially those that offer free in-home trials with return shipping covered - I can hear the speakers in my home where I know the room sound, which is mostly dead due to a lot of GIK panels.
I’m going to call RBH to see what’s in my price point, and then call the local dealers to see if they actually have them on display.
For Internet/direct, I may try Salk SongTower SC, “On lower priced models with a standard finish, we offer a 30-day in-home trial period. You can feel free to return the speakers within 30 days, in new condition, for a refund in the event they do not perform to your satisfaction.” End-user pays return shipping.
Axiom M100 free in-home trial, but again, the end user pays the return shipping.
PSB Imagine T2 – same thing.
Philharmonic Slims - $125 shipping each way. I might do this and consider it a $250 gamble.
Magnepan 1.7i – pay shipping both ways (and $100 if you don’t like them?!)
And, coincidentally, Audioholics just published,
http://www.audioholics.com/how-to-shop/internet-direct-comparison.
I’m bringing my RBH speakers to the dealer that has the Magnepans on display this Saturday so I can get an idea of how mine compare and more so, since I know my speakers, find out how much the room is affecting what I’m hearing. And this time, I’ll bring my own CDs. Last time I didn’t thinking he’d have a good selection. Mistake – he had a selection of good stuff, just not my taste. Also, since they weren’t my CDs and I didn’t know the material, I wasn’t sure if the sound I was hearing was due to the room or what was on the CDs.
I'm curious, for anyone reading this, of the above mentioned speakers, which do you feel would most likely be the most revealing and detailed?
The journey continues…
