Speakers 101?

[stubob]

I'm going to be in the market for speakers soon, and have already learned a lot from this site (and other review sites). My planned setup is a Denon 1911 receiver powering one of the following:

paradigm cinema 70
Infinity Primus P142
Infinity TSS-800
nht absolute zero
htd level 2 (level 3s have ribbon tweeter)
energy cb-10
Energy RC-Micro 5.1
Definitive Technology ProCinema 800
polk tsi100

I think I'm now ready to head out and try to listen to some of those and see what I like. But since I'm new to all this, I'm not sure what I'm listening FOR...

My stack of CDs will probably contain:
Cranberries - female vocals for high representation
Vince Guarardi - piano for clarity of simple tone
John Lee Hooker - low male voice and stage presentation
Willow/Robin Hood soundtrack - orchestral reproduction
Ray Charles - piano/vocal representation
Aerosmith - overall sound reproduction
Pink Floyd - overall sound reproduction

Any thoughts on the music? The system will probably be used for home theater and music listening, so I don't expect the smaller satellites to wow me.

Any advice/articles for the listening test beyond "clear, not harsh, not muffled, but not overpowering"? That's about the limit of my knowledge so far.

 

[j_garcia]

If I were you, I might inlcude the Behringer 2030p compared to what you are looking at. Low cost, great sound and probably better than most or all of what you listed. Of those listed, I'd say the Primus, NHT and Energys would be higher up on my list. These might be worth a look as well: http://www.tweakcityaudio.com/

 

[stubob]

What would you use for a center channel with the Behringers?

 

[its phillip]

Another 2030p.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

What is your budget and how big is your room (H x W x D)?

I like the sound of bipolar speakers the best, but they need at least 3ft distance from the front and side walls.

 

[stubob]

The point I'm trying to make isn't for a specific recommendation, it's more along the lines of "What do I do to make a determination between systems?"

-what music/types of music are good demonstrations? I like guitar/prog rock, but I understand that most of it isn't a technically good evaluation of a system. So I deliberately chose some diverse music to test different aspects of the system.

-what parts of the music are the most telling for evaluating the difference between systems? What do I listen for when evaluating highs/midrange/bass? Clarity, balance, volume (in a geometric sense, not in a decibel sense), that sort of thing.

 

[markw]

You listen to music you're familiar with for what sounds good/right to you.

There's not really much more one can say in a forum with written words.

That's kinda like asking someone to describe the taste of chocolate in writing.

Technically, you've got to listen to either live performances or "the good stuff", preferably both, in order to know exactly what to listen for.

So, take your CD's and go listening. Take your time. Don't expect to do it all in a day or so.

 

[jostenmeat]

My stack of CDs will probably contain:
Cranberries - female vocals for high representation
Vince Guarardi - piano for clarity of simple tone
John Lee Hooker - low male voice and stage presentation
Willow/Robin Hood soundtrack - orchestral reproduction
Ray Charles - piano/vocal representation
Aerosmith - overall sound reproduction
Pink Floyd - overall sound reproduction

Any thoughts on the music? The system will probably be used for home theater and music listening, so I don't expect the smaller satellites to wow me.

I think vocal tracks are absolutely key, because there is no other "instrument" that you are more familiar with (unless you are an avid/professional musician, and even then). You hear, and have heard, naturally produced voices everyday of your life. If not everyday, ok +99% of your life. We are so attuned to voices, it's how we learned, how we obey, how we command, how we order food, etc, etc, etc. Nutshell: I believe it is easier to be demanding/discerning of a speaker system with vocals, for the most of us, on most speakers, than any other instrument.

Piano, I agree it's about clarity, in a way. What I call it (or what musicians call it) is balance (or consistency of tone). However, if you aren't very familiar with complex polyphonic music for example, this may be harder to pick out. Besides other things. Anyways, a piano maintains its similar timbre very well throughout such a large range, and for me, it's not an easy test. Also, the inherently percussive/transient attack of a piano is something I think a lot of speakers cannot do easily. I have the suspicion that my HT speakers may have a tough time as well.

Lastly, if you love prog/rock, maybe you should just use that stuff. The reason being that's what you're going to listen to anyways. (I mean, do you really care that your speaker system can faithfully reproduce opera, even if it was deemed as more difficult?) Also, since that's what you love, that's what you're familiar with, which allows you to be more discerning. You're judging speakers on what you know, not discovering new music for the first time (as that may* prove distracting)?

 

[j_garcia]

I always use vocals as my first judgement of a speaker.