Bjorn's Audio Video

[slipperybidness]

I'm also very happy with my speaker choices, mainly the (Alexa) Philharmonitors and the GE T2.

I really don't see much need for upgrades. I'm sure I will try some different speakers at some point in the future, but I'm at a pretty sweet spot for price and performance.

 

[slipperybidness]

I share this sentiment with you and always have. I didn't suddenly have an epiphany. One of the first things I asked my sister and her boyfriend was if there were any audio stores around. I would do the same in any city or town. I love, LOVE going out and listening to equipment. I always have.

I can still remember the first time I got a taste of true hifi when a friend and I went to a shop and they had these huge (taller than me) Magnepan speakers, 2 huge monoblock amps and a monstrous looking Klipsch Subwoofer. I was pretty blown away that time too. The sound was so clear. It just seemed to appear out of nowhere. Ethereal. We listened to some other stuff too, but those Magnepans will always be etched in my memory. That's where I bought my B&W speakers (used) for about 5 hundo.

My uncle was the vp of plasmatronocs. The guy he worked for developed these speakers. Still considered by some to be the world's best tweeter. Unfortunately Alan didn't have a very good head for business and it never took off, but I think a company or two is experimenting with the technology.

Technically it's almost a perfect speaker. They produce sound by ionizing helium in a plasma field. I got to demo these speakers when I was in my early 20's and they were still trying to figure out to make money on them. They were pretty amazing. I could blow the plasma out and it would stop playing until it reignited. No drivers or moving parts at all. Just needed a tank of helium! Very cool stuff. He had a pair in the reception area of his office/facility too. I always liked going there with my uncle.

I just got back into audio again last year. So far I'm having a blast and there's no sign of me slowing down.

*Edit: I'm just now reading the article I linked ( ) and I may have very well listened to the same set that was reviewed. Dr Hill only made so many of them.

Perfect speaker as long as you ignore that room filling ozone production

 

[Pogre]

Perfect speaker as long as you ignore that room filling ozone production

I never considered that! I wonder if that was dealt with somehow? Most likely not. They sounded awesome and he sold a few, but they were so big and heavy. They never really made it to production. Relatively high maintenance and you need a steady supply of helium to listen to them.

 

[slipperybidness]

I never considered that! I wonder if that was dealt with somehow? Most likely not. They sounded awesome and he sold a few, but they were so big and heavy. They never really made it to production. Relatively high maintenance and you need a steady supply of helium to listen to them.

haha, just sit there and chain smoke cigarettes while you listen to them. Dunno if you ever seen that some bars have these little ozone generators in the corners to help neutralize all the cigarette smoke. Thankfully, most cities have now banned smoking in bars and restaurants.

Yeah, those things are just completely unpractical, you almost have to appreciate them for that alone. WAF be-damned!

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

I think it’d be a dream to own some flagship speakers. Not only for the sound, but the aesthetic. Those Diamonds are just pure art. Truth be told though, when I do start shopping in that range(maybe someday?), I’ll probably start at Legacy.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

...They were expensive back then, but they've gone to another level now...

Without question you're paying for a lot of fluff with this brand. I'd like to hear your thoughts on that collection of speakers though...a killer set there.

These high-end gears (speakers and electronics) are definitely fun to play with and look at.

What makes me laugh the most about the 802D3 isn't the $7K price hike, but the specs:
1" tweeter, 6" midrange, 8" woofer = fake FR of 14Hz-35kHz (the F3 was close to 40Hz on Stereophile).

14Hz, really?

When I bought the Linkwitz Orion, the price was around $9K. Then about 2 years later, the price increased to $15K, but that was due to actual design changes and subsequent cost increase and inflation.

So the $7K price hike by B&W isn't a total shock to me, assuming B&W actually added some cost/ design changes to the speaker, not just hot air.

Now in terms of being in awe with the SQ of these expensive speakers? There is a good reason they do double-blind testing when comparing speakers & amp - so that you don't take a look at the speakers and see the $22K aesthetic or price tag.

If you are lucky enough to own them in your house, well, just like anything else, IMO based on my own experiences, the honeymoon period will eventually end.

I'm definitely just one among many guys who have owned and then sold high-end speakers like Salon2, 802D, Likwitz Orion, etc.

There was a time when I was more into analyzing, critiquing, and critical listening. That time has past. Now I'm all about enjoying the actual movies, TV shows, and music.

 

[slipperybidness]

I think it’d be a dream to own some flagship speakers. Not only for the sound, but the aesthetic. Those Diamonds are just pure art. Truth be told though, when I do start shopping in that range(maybe someday?), I’ll probably start at Legacy.

I doubt that I would ever get speakers over $10k per pair, more realistically, maybe $6k or so.

But, if I were looking for the high end, I would likely start with Focal!

Of course, the flagship Phil 3 is the most likely speaker that I would go to, or perhaps a Salk.

Alas, my GE T2 speakers were indeed the GE flagship for a couple of years! Now, I think they are the 3rd in the Triton hierarchy.

 

[slipperybidness]

If you are lucky enough to own them in your house, well, just like anything else, IMO based on my own experiences, they will eventually just become some speakers that you overpaid.

There is a lot of truth right there! I don't regret the $ that I have spent on speakers and electronics, but the honeymoon is definitely over.

A wise decision in this hobby is to be satisfied with what you have and not just "upgrade" out of habit.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

I doubt that I would ever get speakers over $10k per pair, more realistically, maybe $6k or so.

But, if I were looking for the high end, I would likely start with Focal!

Of course, the flagship Phil 3 is the most likely speaker that I would go to, or perhaps a Salk.

Alas, my GE T2 speakers were indeed the GE flagship for a couple of years! Now, I think they are the 3rd in the Triton hierarchy.

I’ve been drooling on some T3+’s lately. Going to hopefully do a remodel soon, and GE has been on my list for awhile, as well as the usual suspects. Been dreamin of legacy Whispers for years....oh hum.

 

[Pogre]

There is a lot of truth right there! I don't regret the $ that I have spent on speakers and electronics, but the honeymoon is definitely over.

A wise decision in this hobby is to be satisfied with what you have and not just "upgrade" out of habit.

I'm in that place now. Honeymoon is over, but I'm still happy. I have no burning desire to upgrade. My only 2nd thought is... maybe I shoulda got the Phils instead of the towers..? Not gonna dwell on it. I put a lot of work into balancing, placement and studying to get as much as I can from my equipment and I think my humble setup is still one of the best systems I've heard.

 

[slipperybidness]

I’ve been drooling on some T3+’s lately. Going to hopefully do a remodel soon, and GE has been on my list for awhile, as well as the usual suspects. Been dreamin of legacy Whispers for years....oh hum.

Honestly, if I had it to do over again, I would probably go with complete passive GEs, then spend the extra $ on subs (Rythmik most likely). Probably the T5 would be my choice if I started out today.

I did have an amp die in my T2. But, out of the warranty period, and GE sent the part for free and AudioSystems where I made the original purchase did the 30 minute labor for free too. So, it's tough to complain.

Of course, when I bought my T2, the only GE passive speakers were the Sat line, so didn't have much option. And, the price of the T2 went up by $500 maybe 6 months after my purchase so they are not quite as appealing at that price either.

Don't get me wrong here, I absolutely love the sound from these with the built in amps and "subs"! For music, you really don't need a separate sub with the T2, and I do tend to like bass heavy music. But, I'm not even sure how long the amp was out before I noticed since I'm running the F15HP sub.

I just didn't properly consider the chance for internal amp failure when I made the purchase.

 

[slipperybidness]

I'm in that place now. Honeymoon is over, but I'm still happy. I have no burning desire to upgrade. My only 2nd thought is... maybe I shoulda got the Phils instead of the towers..? Not gonna dwell on it. I put a lot of work into balancing, placement and studying to get as much as I can from my equipment and I think my humble setup is still one of the best systems I've heard.

My TV and AVR are about 10 years old. Definitely time to upgrade, but I've been putting it off, mostly hoping that OLED would finally become standard.

Really, with the current prices of OLED, I'm about ready to roll the dice with LG

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

There is a lot of truth right there! I don't regret the $ that I have spent on speakers and electronics, but the honeymoon is definitely over.

A wise decision in this hobby is to be satisfied with what you have and not just "upgrade" out of habit.

I believe the name of the game for us mere mortals is to find the speakers that do exactly what we envision (Dynamics, SQ, Bass, Aesthetic, Placement, etc.) for the least amount of money. But the balancing act can be difficult.

When people sell their speakers, I think most of the time it's not because the speakers don't sound good, but because the speakers just don't meet all their pesonal requirements.

 

[2channel lover]

I doubt that I would ever get speakers over $10k per pair, more realistically, maybe $6k or so.

But, if I were looking for the high end, I would likely start with Focal!

Of course, the flagship Phil 3 is the most likely speaker that I would go to, or perhaps a Salk.

Alas, my GE T2 speakers were indeed the GE flagship for a couple of years! Now, I think they are the 3rd in the Triton hierarchy.

$6-7k max was my budget (inclusive of a CC)...I think I've done well to drop the $5200 on the Salks and saved a few bucks. I think with the HSU subs, the Song3-A will work out fine.

From what I'm hearing, the Phil3s might just be the best value in high end audio speakers.

 

[killdozzer]

I was surprised to read here that a lot of you complain about having no shops in vicinity. I found that strange, I thought there must be more of them than where I live.

These are just walking distance:

Audio dream

Planet Audio

hd-multimedia

Sonus Art

Audio Cinema Art

Sigma audio

Even this is not all of them that are walking distance from my place. Are you saying you don't have these around you or were you talking about something in particular?

 

[2channel lover]

I believe the name of the game for us mere mortals is to find the speakers that do exactly what we envision (Dynamics, SQ, Bass, Aesthetic, Placement, etc.) for the least amount of money. But the balancing act can be difficult.

When people sell their speakers, I think most of the time it's not because the speakers don't sound good, but because the speakers just don't meet all their pesonal requirements.

Spot on...I have not been bitten by the upgrade bug too often.

When I got the okay from wifey to redo an aging 20 y/o AV system...it was my 3rd time doing this and balancing was still difficult.

I pretty much knew I would get higher quality subs to augment whatever my new speakers were because I was going to make a real go at HT this time. That took the "no sub needed" speaker price points off the table for me.

 

[2channel lover]

I was surprised to read here that a lot of you complain about having no shops in vicinity. I found that strange, I thought there must be more of them than where I live.

These are just walking distance:

Audio dream

Planet Audio

hd-multimedia

Sonus Art

Audio Cinema Art

Sigma audio

Even this is not all of them that are walking distance from my place. Are you saying you don't have these around you or were you talking about something in particular?

I'm in metro ATL and we still have a few B&M dealers around town...the one closest to me had two locations. They consolidated them in to one location about two years ago and you can guess which one they closed.

 

[killdozzer]

B&M dealers as in brick and mortar?

 

[slipperybidness]

I was surprised to read here that a lot of you complain about having no shops in vicinity. I found that strange, I thought there must be more of them than where I live.

These are just walking distance:

Audio dream

Planet Audio

hd-multimedia

Sonus Art

Audio Cinema Art

Sigma audio

Even this is not all of them that are walking distance from my place. Are you saying you don't have these around you or were you talking about something in particular?

Dedicated audio shops (or HT shops) in the USA are indeed few and far between! Big Box stores almost certainly contributed to that.

I have 2 here in town that I like, and I think think there may be 1 or 2 more that I have never visited. But, I'm in a large city.

There are several shops that are "install only", and they don't even have a show room!

 

[killdozzer]

Dedicated audio shops (or HT shops) in the USA are indeed few and far between! Big Box stores almost certainly contributed to that.

I have 2 here in town that I like, and I think think there may be 1 or 2 more that I have never visited. But, I'm in a large city.

There are several shops that are "install only", and they don't even have a show room!

Odd!

The ones linked are regular; shelves with products and a showroom as you can see if you look around those websites. Usually fewer products are physically in the shop than stated on the web. I guess it's because big chains are still not that interested in us. When they move in a lot of these are out.