Perlisten R7t Floor-Standing Loudspeaker Review

[xrqp]

+1 this. There is no way the Focals have greater dynamic range than the Perlistens. I have to wonder if the amp isn't clipping?

My amp was Parasound JC2 feeding to JC5 (600w for 4 ohm). Are you familiar with the Focal 1027be? Is it possible the Focals just attenuate the frequencies they can not handle, vs playing them loud w distortion? I have often wondered if speakers do that, and maybe you can comment.
From the R7T's I guess the distortion I hear is probably under 100 hz. There is a lot of music under 100hz.

Your tip about nearfield listening is a good one. It's nice in nearfield.

 

[xrqp]

If you want more loudness and bass, you don't need a home stereo, you need a PA system.

I had written I will add bass management and subs, and your reply is I need a PA system. I guess we disagree.

 

[xrqp]

your 'limit' was your hearing pain ? Brilliant kid............

The amp and Focal speakers could go so loud it hurt. I only did it for a second to check how load it could go without much distortion. I have to guess what you meant, but I think you meant I am stupid to listen at pain levels for more than 1 second. But I do not do that.

 

[shadyJ]

My amp was Parasound JC2 feeding to JC5 (600w for 4 ohm). Are you familiar with the Focal 1027be? Is it possible the Focals just attenuate the frequencies they can not handle, vs playing them loud w distortion? I have often wondered if speakers do that, and maybe you can comment.
From the R7T's I guess the distortion I hear is probably under 100 hz. There is a lot of music under 100hz.

Your tip about nearfield listening is a good one. It's nice in nearfield.

While I have a lot of experience with Focal products, I don't recall listening to the 1027be. However, when speakers are pushed hard, they mostly just run into distortion. They will attenuate when they have been continuously pushed so that they heat up and are running into thermal compression, but that wouldn't happen at brief moments of high drive levels. The Perlsiten speakers almost certainly have way more thermal capacity as well as dynamic range from distortion than the 1027be speakers. However, one condition that the Perlisten may produce more distortion is deep bass boost. If you are EQing the speakers for a boost in deep bass, the way that the 1027be speakers are tuned might make them less prone to over-driving than the Perlisten speakers, or at least less obvious over-driving.

 

[Mikado463]

I have to guess what you meant, but I think you meant I am stupid to listen at pain levels for more than 1 second. But I do not do that.

The fact that you listen any length of time so as to induce pain, comprehend it, is not good. Be it one second or one minute !

 

[highfigh]

I had written I will add bass management and subs, and your reply is I need a PA system. I guess we disagree.

You want massive output. That's not the usual requirement for consumer goods and it's not something consumer audio equipment is typically capable of, although you're not using your system in an extremely large room.

You also wrote "When I play my current system loud, sometimes the highs get harsh, and I am guessing it is from ceiling reflections, so I am very interested in this subject."- it's possible to exceed the 'good sound' limits of the room- the sound reflects from the various surfaces and objects at all times, but when the SPL is low, the reflected sound isn't always audible or, at least, it's not noticed. Once the SPL reaches a high level, the reflected sound is easily heard and when it arrives later than the direct sound (this is unavoidable), cancellation in the form of comb filtering occurs and this can cause the harshness you noticed.

The specification known as RT60 describes the time needed for the reverberations to decrease by 60dB and in a reflective room, it can exceed 5 seconds. It's bad for speech intelligibility, but it's terrible for listening to music at more than low level.

While all amplifiers distort, I don't know that yours was doing this. It would be helpful if it were possible to know it wasn't distorting, I suspect the room's reflections were causing this, especially the ceiling as you wrote, since that's not usually treated. Humans are more sensitive to most frequencies equally at high SPL, but the low frequencies will be less apparent when the SPL is high unless reflections are reduced. I noticed that the recommended amplifier power for the Focal speakers is 40-300W and your Parasound is rated at 600W- how far did you rotate the volume control?

Also, with sensitivity of 91dB/W/meter, the SPL in that room would have been close to 128dB. The Osha Noise Exposure guidelines indicate that at 120dB, the allowable exposure should be about seven seconds.

http://www.sengpielaudio.com/NIOSH-OSHA-Standards.gif

 

[xrqp]

Thanks everyone, for your replies. I think when I get subs and bass management, the R7Ts will be loud enough for when I want it loud. Sadly I cannot give numbers to quantify my comments. I will try to share my findings, and maybe REW graphs, here when I get setup right. But it may be a long time if I wait for Dirac Bass Control to be my bass management.

 

[Nondemo01]

Thanks again James and Audioholics for the great reviews! Question I have is regarding 2 channel audio. I heard some Martin Login Impression ESL 11As and loved them. But I am interested later in also incorporating subs, surrounds, and height channels and am wondering if you could give a general comparison between the R7ts and the ML ESLs. I know I know, completely different but with your eyes closed, how much compromise is there between that holographic effect of the ESL and the R7t? I just want to be able to come home, hit play or turn on the TV and sink into my favorite music/YouTube channel without feeling FOMO with either one.

 

[shadyJ]

Thanks again James and Audioholics for the great reviews! Question I have is regarding 2 channel audio. I heard some Martin Login Impression ESL 11As and loved them. But I am interested later in also incorporating subs, surrounds, and height channels and am wondering if you could give a general comparison between the R7ts and the ML ESLs. I know I know, completely different but with your eyes closed, how much compromise is there between that holographic effect of the ESL and the R7t? I just want to be able to come home, hit play or turn on the TV and sink into my favorite music/YouTube channel without feeling FOMO with either one.

I doubt that anyone has done a close comparison to answer your question with certainty, but I can speculate. I think one of the things you enjoyed about the ML speaker's soundstage was due to the dipole dispersion pattern. It will have a lot more late reflections than a conventional speaker. That can make it sound very spacious but at the cost of precise imaging. The ML speakers will probably be a bit more challenging to set up, since its rear acoustic radiation is out of phase with the front radiation. Definitely do not place them too close to a back wall. The Perlisten speakers are very easy to setup, since the acoustic radiation is so tightly controlled. I would go for the Perlistens since they are sure to be more tonally balanced, but I can understand those who have a preference for the expansive soundstage of different polar patterns.

 

[Nondemo01]

I doubt that anyone has done a close comparison to answer your question with certainty, but I can speculate. I think one of the things you enjoyed about the ML speaker's soundstage was due to the dipole dispersion pattern. It will have a lot more late reflections than a conventional speaker. That can make it sound very spacious but at the cost of precise imaging. The ML speakers will probably be a bit more challenging to set up, since its rear acoustic radiation is out of phase with the front radiation. Definitely do not place them too close to a back wall. The Perlisten speakers are very easy to setup, since the acoustic radiation is so tightly controlled. I would go for the Perlistens since they are sure to be more tonally balanced, but I can understand those who have a preference for the expansive soundstage of different polar patterns.

Thanks James! Again great review and I think the decision is going to be Perlisten. Just gives so much more flexibility for placement and expansion. The ML were in a large room out in the open with a typical Herman Miller Eames chair right in the center. Win for the showroom folks! I was surprised by the low end and extension of the R7t. A speaker that I personally could live with and forgo a sub. And now they come in white! Keep up the great work and thanks again for your time! Cheers!

 

[Mikado463]

I doubt that anyone has done a close comparison to answer your question with certainty, but I can speculate. I think one of the things you enjoyed about the ML speaker's soundstage was due to the dipole dispersion pattern. It will have a lot more late reflections than a conventional speaker. That can make it sound very spacious but at the cost of precise imaging. The ML speakers will probably be a bit more challenging to set up, since its rear acoustic radiation is out of phase with the front radiation. Definitely do not place them too close to a back wall. The Perlisten speakers are very easy to setup, since the acoustic radiation is so tightly controlled. I would go for the Perlistens since they are sure to be more tonally balanced, but I can understand those who have a preference for the expansive soundstage of different polar patterns.

Having lived and loved di-poles for many years, if one has the space and the patience, you're right, they can be marvelous !

 

[xrqp]

I was wrong. I got a new Buckeye amp NCX 500 And now the R7T’s can play extremely loud with no distortion. My apologies to everyone for having put out incorrect information. I think there was something wrong with my previous amp. It may have been damaged.
Not only can they play extremely loud, but the sound quality is fantastic. With this new amp, I have not been using any subs yet and I still get amazing bass. When I get Dirac set up on my HTPC I will add subs.

 

[xrqp]

I got my pair of R7T's working with my 2 subs (Outlaw Ultra X-13) and Dirac Live and Dirac Bass, and it sounds great. It can go loud, but on rare momentary occasions I make it so loud that the R7Ts distort, so I back off so it does not distort. Probably is good that I reach that mechanical limit - to save my hearing (or destroy my hearing more slowly).
I have not experimented much with setting the Dirac sub crossover higher to see if the R7Ts could then go louder. Perlisten told me I should crossover about 30 to 40hz roughly.

The first time I did REW with the R7Ts I found out that one tower had a failed tweeter. I don't know if they were that way new, or if it happened later. Without REW I did not know. Perlisten sent me a replacement tweeter assembly, including good instructions and all is good now. No arguments. No cost. Their support was very good.

My living room with the R7T's is small. If you have a big living room, and like loud, I would get the S7T instead. Since my living room is small, and if I sit close to the speakers, and found that James' evaluation that the sound integrates quickly for good near listening is true. Perfect for my small living room! I set up various Dirac presets for near, mid, and far distance from the speakers. My couch is on carpet sliders. "Far" is not that far since my living room is small. I also have a Dirac setting for speech intelligibility.

If we gave a single loudness number, like a db number, to the R7T - then what would that number be for the S7T?

 

[Golfx]

I got my pair of R7T's working with my 2 subs (Outlaw Ultra X-13) and Dirac Live and Dirac Bass, and it sounds great. It can go loud, but on rare momentary occasions I make it so loud that the R7Ts distort, so I back off so it does not distort. Probably is good that I reach that mechanical limit - to save my hearing (or destroy my hearing more slowly).
I have not experimented much with setting the Dirac sub crossover higher to see if the R7Ts could then go louder. Perlisten told me I should crossover about 30 to 40hz roughly.

The first time I did REW with the R7Ts I found out that one tower had a failed tweeter. I don't know if they were that way new, or if it happened later. Without REW I did not know. Perlisten sent me a replacement tweeter assembly, including good instructions and all is good now. No arguments. No cost. Their support was very good.

My living room with the R7T's is small. If you have a big living room, and like loud, I would get the S7T instead. Since my living room is small, and if I sit close to the speakers, and found that James' evaluation that the sound integrates quickly for good near listening is true. Perfect for my small living room! I set up various Dirac presets for near, mid, and far distance from the speakers. My couch is on carpet sliders. "Far" is not that far since my living room is small. I also have a Dirac setting for speech intelligibility.

If we gave a single loudness number, like a db number, to the R7T - then what would that number be for the S7T?

Hmmm so in post 112 above you had a new amp and no distortion from the R7T when playing loud. Then in post 113 you added in the subs and dirac and now you have distortion playing loud??

Something is amiss. I would back out the subs and/or Dirac and see if your distortion disappears. Those subs are not the quality of your Perlistens. I also think your crossover should be 80 as well. Perhaps the dealer told you 30-40? That doesn’t sound like something Perlisten would have recommended.

 

[shadyJ]

Hmmm so in post 112 above you had a new amp and no distortion from the R7T when playing loud. Then in post 113 you added in the subs and dirac and now you have distortion playing loud??

Something is amiss. I would back out the subs and/or Dirac and see if your distortion disappears. Those subs are not the quality of your Perlistens. I also think your crossover should be 80 as well. Perhaps the dealer told you 30-40? That doesn’t sound like something Perlisten would have recommended.

Those subs are actually pretty darn good- the people who did those subs also designed those speakers. I think they can be used along with those speakers pretty well. I would experiment with crossover frequencies to see what sounds best. A higher crossover will certainly alleviate the R7t bass drivers of heavy lifting.

If you are driving the R7ts to the point of distortion while using them in close proximity, that would certainly put your hearing at risk. Make sure not to do that; your hearing will die before the speakers will.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I got my pair of R7T's working with my 2 subs (Outlaw Ultra X-13) and Dirac Live and Dirac Bass, and it sounds great. It can go loud, but on rare momentary occasions I make it so loud that the R7Ts distort, so I back off so it does not distort. Probably is good that I reach that mechanical limit - to save my hearing (or destroy my hearing more slowly).
I have not experimented much with setting the Dirac sub crossover higher to see if the R7Ts could then go louder. Perlisten told me I should crossover about 30 to 40hz roughly.

The first time I did REW with the R7Ts I found out that one tower had a failed tweeter. I don't know if they were that way new, or if it happened later. Without REW I did not know. Perlisten sent me a replacement tweeter assembly, including good instructions and all is good now. No arguments. No cost. Their support was very good.

My living room with the R7T's is small. If you have a big living room, and like loud, I would get the S7T instead. Since my living room is small, and if I sit close to the speakers, and found that James' evaluation that the sound integrates quickly for good near listening is true. Perfect for my small living room! I set up various Dirac presets for near, mid, and far distance from the speakers. My couch is on carpet sliders. "Far" is not that far since my living room is small. I also have a Dirac setting for speech intelligibility.

If we gave a single loudness number, like a db number, to the R7T - then what would that number be for the S7T?

What’s the point of being “THX Dominus” or “THX Ultra” (from any brand) if you can’t even play them “loud” in a SMALL ROOM and sitting very close to them?

Might as well get bigger towers of power with more dynamics that’s not “THX Dominus”.

Since one of the tweeters was already blown or damaged, is it possible that the other drivers could also be damaged?

What is the dimensions of your small room?

Did you measure the actual volume? Is it 85dB? 90dB loud? 95dB loud?

We could calculate how much power you were using based on the volume, distance, and sensitivity of the speakers.

 

[everettT]

I got my pair of R7T's working with my 2 subs (Outlaw Ultra X-13) and Dirac Live and Dirac Bass, and it sounds great. It can go loud, but on rare momentary occasions I make it so loud that the R7Ts distort, so I back off so it does not distort. Probably is good that I reach that mechanical limit - to save my hearing (or destroy my hearing more slowly).
I have not experimented much with setting the Dirac sub crossover higher to see if the R7Ts could then go louder. Perlisten told me I should crossover about 30 to 40hz roughly.

The first time I did REW with the R7Ts I found out that one tower had a failed tweeter. I don't know if they were that way new, or if it happened later. Without REW I did not know. Perlisten sent me a replacement tweeter assembly, including good instructions and all is good now. No arguments. No cost. Their support was very good.

My living room with the R7T's is small. If you have a big living room, and like loud, I would get the S7T instead. Since my living room is small, and if I sit close to the speakers, and found that James' evaluation that the sound integrates quickly for good near listening is true. Perfect for my small living room! I set up various Dirac presets for near, mid, and far distance from the speakers. My couch is on carpet sliders. "Far" is not that far since my living room is small. I also have a Dirac setting for speech intelligibility.

If we gave a single loudness number, like a db number, to the R7T - then what would that number be for the S7T?

Is it possible your speakers aren't the issue and your electronics are? It's hard to believe those speakers are distorting in a small room.

 

[Golfx]

Those subs are actually pretty darn good- the people who did those subs also designed those speakers. I think they can be used along with those speakers pretty well. I would experiment with crossover frequencies to see what sounds best. A higher crossover will certainly alleviate the R7t bass drivers of heavy lifting.

If you are driving the R7ts to the point of distortion while using them in close proximity, that would certainly put your hearing at risk. Make sure not to do that; your hearing will die before the speakers will.

Did not know outlaw subs were that good. Thanks Shady

 

[ryanosaur]

Did not know outlaw subs were that good. Thanks Shady

Solid subs. I have 2.

 

[Oddball]

Lol, a funny thread. If Perlistens R7ts are not loud enough in whatever is a "small room" than all bets are off and something is wrong in the whole story. They are really amazing speakers and they go really loud and clean even for HT standards.

I did almost get them at one point, but at the end of the day, my shallow self could not pay so much for their Spartan looks despite of the performance they offer.