Def Tech StudioMonitor 65 before and after break-in period

[Hetfield]

Also I've tried to find out and really, REALLY want to know who supplies Def Tech's drivers. I can't find the answer anywhere and if you ask them they'll say we build our own which I kinda doubt. Technically they may not be lying but they aren't most likely telling the exact truth either.

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[shadyJ]

The LSR6332s are on the JBL Pro site. Many so-called audiophile speakers can not match their linearity. If you are interested in high-fidelity sound, they are an outstanding choice.

As for Deftech's drivers, Deftech would have had a Chinese factory make them per Deftech's design, if Deftech did not own the factory outright, so they are probably not lying. Those are not off-the-shelf drivers.

 

[Hetfield]

The LSR6332s are on the JBL Pro site. Many so-called audiophile speakers can not match their linearity. If you are interested in high-fidelity sound, they are an outstanding choice.

As for Deftech's drivers, Deftech would have had a Chinese factory make them per Deftech's design, if Deftech did not own the factory outright, so they are probably not lying. Those are not off-the-shelf drivers.

Ah the pro site, that's where I went wrong, I was going to the consumer site. Wow look at those JBL's. Out of my price range, but still gotta say WOW. I bet those babies sound insane. I gotta win the lottery!

 

[Pogre]

The LSR6332s are on the JBL Pro site. Many so-called audiophile speakers can not match their linearity. If you are interested in high-fidelity sound, they are an outstanding choice.

As for Deftech's drivers, Deftech would have had a Chinese factory make them per Deftech's design, if Deftech did not own the factory outright, so they are probably not lying. Those are not off-the-shelf drivers.

I think if I were to try another brand, jbl would be top of my list for serious consideration. You just don't see a lot of negative things posted about them. I like a speaker that's a little forward yet accurate and from what I'm gathering jbl speakers fit that description.

 

[Hetfield]

I think if I were to try another brand, jbl would be top of my list for serious consideration. You just don't see a lot of negative things posted about them. I like a speaker that's a little forward yet accurate and from what I'm gathering jbl speakers fit that description.

I guess so huh, I just never think of them for some reason. Out of my price range....for now.

 

[Pogre]

I guess so huh, I just never think of them for some reason. Out of my price range....for now.

I've considered klipsch too, but after some listening I determined a lot of their stuff is a tad too bright. That was their entry level and mid tier offerings. I'm sure when you start adding zeros their top of the line will stand with pretty much anything out now.

 

[Hetfield]

I've considered klipsch too, but after some listening I determined a lot of their stuff is a tad too bright. That was their entry level and mid tier offerings. I'm sure when you start adding zeros their top of the line will stand with pretty much anything out now.

Yeah I keep reading how harsh Klipsch horns are, and that scares me. It also makes me think twice about PSA because they use horns as well. I'd like to hear these RAAL Ribbon tweeters though because all I hear is they are crystal clear. That being said my Def Techs now sound great despite the abuse they take justifiable with what they do with the goofy specs. If they use extremely cheap drivers they are doing something right because it sounds extremely good. That being said you can always go better.

 

[Pogre]

Yeah I keep reading how harsh Klipsch horns are, and that scares me. It also makes me think twice about PSA because they use horns as well. I'd like to hear these RAAL Ribbon tweeters though because all I hear is they are crystal clear. That being said my Def Techs now sound great despite the abuse they take justifiable with what they do with the goofy specs. If they use extremely cheap drivers they are doing something right because it sounds extremely good. That being said you can always go better.

I haven't heard a Deftech speaker that I thought sounded like crap. I still have a pair of Promonitor 1000's and the SM 55's. My son is running the 55's in his bedroom. He has a 10" sub helping out with the lower frequencies and it sounds really good.

I thought the Klipsch speakers I auditioned were just a touch bright for my tastes, but it wasn't like I ran out of the store with my hands over my ears tho! I'm really happy with my Ultras. It's gonna take a pretty serious speaker for me to want to even think about upgrading and IME, that's gonna be outside my affordability zone.

 

[Hetfield]

I haven't heard a Deftech speaker that I thought sounded like crap. I still have a pair of Promonitor 1000's and the SM 55's. My son is running the 55's in his bedroom. He has a 10" sub helping out with the lower frequencies and it sounds really good.

I thought the Klipsch speakers I auditioned were just a touch bright for my tastes, but it wasn't like I ran out of the store with my hands over my ears tho! I'm really happy with my Ultras. It's gonna take a pretty serious speaker for me to want to even think about upgrading and IME, that's gonna be outside my affordability zone.

Oh good on the Klipsch because people make it out to be ears bleeding bad. You hit the nail on the head, it has to be a pretty special speaker, an ridiculous step up for me to buy new speakers. One thing that is not exactly bothering me about Ascend, because they are a small company but they don't answer emails quickly at all. I emailed them last Friday, didn't get a response for 5 days asking me a bunch of questions. They still haven't responded to that follow up email. Just a little weird.

 

[tom67]

The Def Tech bookshelf units are the hidden treasure. Their use of the old passive radiators is an excellent idea...I have a set of the SM450s that precededthe present 65s I got for $200 at New Egg....Try them just 2 channel with music and no sub and you will be surprised. I frankly never understood the Def Tech units with powered subs since most people also have separate subwoofers which makes integration problematic. I also have Klipsch and will say that the Def Tech aluminum tweeter is brighter than the Klipsch....but I am 68 and thats a good thing since your hearing rolls of after middle age...

 

[tom67]

The idea of "break in" becomes absurd when you consider that it assumes that a given speaker will only "break In" to a specific parameter and stop there. If speakers do change after several hours, what would keep them from changing to an optimum level, and then continuing to change to a less desirable level?.....I frankly don't think designers could predict such a thing and that it is a factor beyond a few minutes of seasoning a tight driver.

 

[Hetfield]

The Def Tech bookshelf units are the hidden treasure. Their use of the old passive radiators is an excellent idea...I have a set of the SM450s that precededthe present 65s I got for $200 at New Egg....Try them just 2 channel with music and no sub and you will be surprised. I frankly never understood the Def Tech units with powered subs since most people also have separate subwoofers which makes integration problematic. I also have Klipsch and will say that the Def Tech aluminum tweeter is brighter than the Klipsch....but I am 68 and thats a good thing since your hearing rolls of after middle age...

See I don't find the SM 65 tweeter bright but maybe I don't know what a bright tweeter is and sound like. I admittedly have only had Def Tech speakers so maybe I am just so used to them. I am thinking in a year or two of going in another direction, Ascend acoustics is very high on my list. That RAAL ribbon tweeter has me intrigued but I have feeling it's something that is totally and completely different than what I am used to in Def Tech. That could be a good thing, who knows. The RAAL ribbon tweeter is supposed to be absolutely Crystal clear.

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[lovinthehd]

Oh good on the Klipsch because people make it out to be ears bleeding bad. You hit the nail on the head, it has to be a pretty special speaker, an ridiculous step up for me to buy new speakers. One thing that is not exactly bothering me about Ascend, because they are a small company but they don't answer emails quickly at all. I emailed them last Friday, didn't get a response for 5 days asking me a bunch of questions. They still haven't responded to that follow up email. Just a little weird.

Small company that keeps busy...you can just call them, too....

 

[Hetfield]

Small company that keeps busy...you can just call them, too....

Yeah we are in contact. Email mostly. I guess they shut down for 2 weeks for vacation. Back up and emailing now. I love the way thier speakers are described. They sound like they are awesome.

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[lovinthehd]

Yeah we are in contact. Email mostly. I guess they shut down for 2 weeks for vacation. Back up and emailing now. I love the way thier speakers are described. They sound like they are awesome.

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I have a few

 

[Pogre]

The Def Tech bookshelf units are the hidden treasure. Their use of the old passive radiators is an excellent idea...I have a set of the SM450s that precededthe present 65s I got for $200 at New Egg....Try them just 2 channel with music and no sub and you will be surprised. I frankly never understood the Def Tech units with powered subs since most people also have separate subwoofers which makes integration problematic. I also have Klipsch and will say that the Def Tech aluminum tweeter is brighter than the Klipsch....but I am 68 and thats a good thing since your hearing rolls of after middle age...

I think the SM450's are the equivalent to the current SM45's they have today. I had the 55's in my main system for a while and really liked them. They do dig pretty deep. I didn't find the tweeters to be too overly bright, but they are the newer line.

 

[Hetfield]

I think the SM450's are the equivalent to the current SM45's they have today. I had the 55's in my main system for a while and really liked them. They do dig pretty deep. I didn't find the tweeters to be too overly bright, but they are the newer line.

Hey Porge how you doing? How's the SVS ultra system doing? Would you say the new towers are fully broken in, any difference to you?
Also I agree with the above statement that the SM65s are the a hidden treasures. I call them the best kept secret in home theater speakers. I really love them so it would take a ridiculous better speaker to get me to spend more money on speakers. I know you've said about the same about the SVS Ultras.

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[Muzykant]

I also like the SM-65 speakers a lot. Initially I bought just a pair for 2 channel music (no sub). I noticed that the sound loosened up and became smoother in the first few hours of operation. Later, when I bought 3 more to complete my home theater, I confirmed this by switching between new and old sets. The difference was apparent at first and disappeared after a few hours. The 5 of them are still in my home theater as fronts, center and surrounds and I like their smooth natural sound. So much, in fact, that I also bought a pair of SM-55 monitors for another room. That was a 3 years ago...

Now, after reading and researching for a while, I wonder if I made the right choice. The SM-65 speakers have a very impressive bass response that digs lower than seems possible from speakers their size. This is a good thing if you run them by themselves as a simple stereo set, but in the real world these would probably be paired with a subwoofer. In my case it's a couple of SB-13 Ultras. Now, all that bass extension is simply wasted because my SVS subs cover that range with much more precision and authority. So, I think that if you want bookshelf speakers and plan to run a subwoofer as well, it makes more sense to get the ones that concentrate on the mid-bass frequencies and higher, but do it extremely well. The extension below 60 Hz or so is not necessary.

I've got a pair of SVS Prime Bookshelves sitting on top of PC-2000 subs, and they sound amazing. You would never guess that these speaker can't dig all that deep.

 

[Pogre]

Hey Porge how you doing? How's the SVS ultra system doing? Would you say the new towers are fully broken in, any difference to you?
Also I agree with the above statement that the SM65s are the a hidden treasures. I call them the best kept secret in home theater speakers. I really love them so it would take a ridiculous better speaker to get me to spend more money on speakers. I know you've said about the same about the SVS Ultras.

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All is well. How's Metallica doing?

I never really notice a break in with new speakers. I'm pretty sure they sound the same as they did when I hooked them up, which is a good thing. They're very similar to the bookshelves and I *think* (placebo anyone?) I detect more presence in the midrange. Imaging, sq, everything else is still there. Every time I look at my system it puts a smile on my face.

I have been experimenting with direct, pure direct and l/r bypass on Audyssey a lot lately. In fact I considered starting a thread about it and still might. I like some things about direct or bypass and I also like things that Audyssey does.

When I'm in direct mode I get more of the mid bass that kicks you in the chest from my towers, which I like, but the rest just doesn't sound as good to me as having Audyssey enabled. Basically, I do like Audyssey's room correction, but it makes my towers sound enemic in the bass department. Even at full range. In direct mode it's actually too much (no sub, just towers), but plugging the ports on the towers tames it down nicely.

Keep an eye out. I think I'm gonna start a thread about this.

 

[Pogre]

I also like the SM-65 speakers a lot. Initially I bought just a pair for 2 channel music (no sub). I noticed that the sound loosened up and became smoother in the first few hours of operation. Later, when I bought 3 more to complete my home theater, I confirmed this by switching between new and old sets. The difference was apparent at first and disappeared after a few hours. The 5 of them are still in my home theater as fronts, center and surrounds and I like their smooth natural sound. So much, in fact, that I also bought a pair of SM-55 monitors for another room. That was a 3 years ago...

Now, after reading and researching for a while, I wonder if I made the right choice. The SM-65 speakers have a very impressive bass response that digs lower than seems possible from speakers their size. This is a good thing if you run them by themselves as a simple stereo set, but in the real world these would probably be paired with a subwoofer. In my case it's a couple of SB-13 Ultras. Now, all that bass extension is simply wasted because my SVS subs cover that range with much more precision and authority. So, I think that if you want bookshelf speakers and plan to run a subwoofer as well, it makes more sense to get the ones that concentrate on the mid-bass frequencies and higher, but do it extremely well. The extension below 60 Hz or so is not necessary.

I've got a pair of SVS Prime Bookshelves sitting on top of PC-2000 subs, and they sound amazing. You would never guess that these speaker can't dig all that deep.

I did the same thing when I ordered my third Ultra bookshelf for a center channel and compared it with the two I already had and couldn't discern any differences. The new one sounded the same as the other two I'd already had for a few months without any break in. That's my experience with SVS anyway.