Hey guys!
So I'm trying to decide on the speakers for my first (budget) audiophile system. After auditioning, I've narrowed it down to the PSB Imagine X2T and the Paradigm Monitor 11s.
To give some context on my setup: it's going to be a living room setup for a college house of 6 guys. As such, it's going to be playing just about every genre of music, and for that reason I've been leaning towards a neutral sound signature (I tend to like that anyway). Also, as our living room is a little awkwardly laid out, it's important that the speakers still sound similar at angles. (I noticed that the Monitor 11s have a superior frequency response at 30 degrees to the X2Ts; am I correct in assuming that this means the Monitor 11s will perform better at an angled listening position?)
I thought it would be easy to compare the two after auditioning, but I'm having far more trouble than I thought. To my untrained ears, they both sound great. The only note that I could make was that the Monitor 11s seemed to have slightly more fatiguing (and airy) vocals, though I have no clue if this had something to do with the amp setup, room size, or volume. I'm going in again to audition them back-to-back on Thursday, but it's just so tricky comparing speakers when they're at different stores and you can't listen to them them side by side.
So, for that reason, I'd greatly appreciate general opinions about these speakers and speaker brands. How do they compare? How have your experiences been with the brand/specific speakers? I'd also really appreciate any tips on "remembering" the two unique sounds that I hear from the speakers and comparing them. Are there certain things I should be looking for?
I'm really excited to begin my audiophile journey, and I'd be so grateful if you guys could help steer me towards the best decision!
Thanks so much.
Dim
