Sony Launches New High-End ES Speaker Lineup

[monkish54]

According to Stereophile:

I confirmed this by looking at the step responses of the individual
drive-units (not shown); the important point to note is that the decay
of each unit's step in this graph blends smoothly with the start of the
unit next lower in frequency. This implies optimal crossover design and
correlates with the excellent integration of the drive-units' outputs in
the frequency domain. The SS-AR1's cumulative spectral-decay plot
(fig.7) demonstrates superbly clean decay through the region covered by
the tweeter. (Ignore the dark ridge just below 16kHz, which is the usual
pickup of the computer monitor's line-scan radiation.)

Higher in frequency, the Sony speaker is remarkably flat throughout the
midrange and mid-treble, its farfield response averaged across a 30°
horizontal window meeting superb ±1.5dB limits from 300Hz to 9.9kHz

The Sony SS-AR1's measured performance indicates almost textbook design,
and that beautifully constructed enclosure is as acoustically effective
as it is drop-dead gorgeous to look at. I am not surprised that KR
considers it a "statement" product.—John Atkinson

I don't mean to be an *** here, but JA holds absolutely no water with me. He says almost only good things about 100% of the speakers reviewed in his magazine.

Gene and I have had our differences, but I respect him a great deal. Gene has the consumer at heart, while JA thinks about money and his business.

The SS might sound great, but its measured performance is not textbook.

Summing up the Linn Majik 140's measured performance is difficult. On the one hand, there are some definite problems: that lively cabinet, the sub-optimal drive-unit integration on axis. On the other hand, the problems seemed to step out of the way of the music much of the time. Some listeners will love this speaker for what it does right; others will not be so impressed because of what it does wrong. Bob Reina is definitely in the former camp.—John Atkinson

 

[Bghead8che]

I've seen the measurements!

This is your original quote:





The measurements.



Yes I did. Those are the measurements.



They measured OKAY. Poor for a 27 thousand dollar speaker.



They played the midrange through beaming. Look at the off-axis.



We are talking about the SS AR1. Well, I was when I replied to your post. The AR1 is $17,000 more than the Pioneer S-1EX.



Those drivers can be purchased and one can build a better speaker for less, IMO.





First of all, define bright please.

Secondly, what, from a design perspective, makes the KEF bright?

OK, we have you marked down as thinking they don't measure that well. ;-)

What makes KEFs bright? IMO, the sound. They measure well, no debate there. I just can't take their tweeter and find them to be very bright. I get fatigued listening to them very quickly. Fine speakers though. No doubt. Just not my cup of tea.

I'd rather have some overpriced soft dome tweeters from Sony. And I love beaming midranges!!!


I looked up the JBLs you mentioned. What's the scoop on those? Do they work well in a typical home HT environment? The matching sub is definately a poor value unfortunately.

-Brian

 

[monkish54]

OK, we have you marked down as thinking they don't measure that well. ;-)

They measure alright. Much like other speakers at lower prices. That's the problem. Moreover, they get bested by speakers at lower prices. They cost 27K..what do they do differently? I want something I can't get at a lower price. Isn't that the point of spending 27K??

An even off-axis would be a great start, IMO.

IMO, the sound.

First we must define bright. Based on below I assume bright means they cause listening fatigue?

I get fatigued listening to them very quickly

Which KEF were you listening too?

And I love beaming midranges!!!

LOL Stereo imaging, in most rooms, does not like beaming midrange drivers.

What's the scoop on those?

What do you mean?

They are high sensitivity speakers with excellent off-axis response, low distortion, and a huge woofer. Pretty much the Revel Studio 2 for 3k. Not nearly as good looking though.

Do they work well in a typical home HT environment?

I don't see why not.

The matching sub is definitely a poor value unfortunately.

I would never buy a matching sub. Most of the time, a better sub can be had from stand alone subwoofer companies such as SVS.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

OK, we have you marked down as thinking they don't measure that well. ;-)

No one can argue about personal preference. The $27,000 Sony SS AR-1 measured pretty good overall, but if you compare to the KEF 201/2, which is $6K/pr and the KEF LS50, which is around $1500/pr, the Sony does not measure as well objectively.

 

[gene]

I'm going to be really disappointed if all of you Loudspeaker Guru's don't show up at our next GTG event in November at the Safety Harbor Spa and Resort. It will be a 2 day event with more demo rooms and educational seminars. We plan on making it very speaker heavy focused. Mark this down in your books, we may even hold an open debate platform where you can all argue loudspeakers and measurements till your blue in the face

 

[majorloser]

I'm going to be really disappointed if all of you Loudspeaker Guru's don't show up at our next GTG event in November at the Safety Harbor Spa and Resort. It will be a 2 day event with more demo rooms and educational seminars. We plan on making it very speaker heavy focused. Mark this down in your books, we may even hold an open debate platform where you can all argue loudspeakers and measurements till your blue in the face

"Two men enter, one man leave"


Do we need to bring our own chainsaw and battle axe?

 

[Adam]

Mark this down in your books, we may even hold an open debate platform where you can all argue loudspeakers and measurements till your blue in the face

Would you consider a webcast, too? Seriously. That would let the vast majority of us that can't/won't make it there in person to watch (or participate depending on how you do it) the discussion. And, yeah, I'm sure that I'll be drinking.

 

[cpp]

I'm going to be really disappointed if all of you Loudspeaker Guru's don't show up at our next GTG event in November at the Safety Harbor Spa and Resort. It will be a 2 day event with more demo rooms and educational seminars. We plan on making it very speaker heavy focused. Mark this down in your books, we may even hold an open debate platform where you can all argue loudspeakers and measurements till your blue in the face

Well Gene I think most of us would show up if it wasn't in south Florida and more like someplace central in the US.

 

[Adam]

Well Gene I think most of us would show up if it wasn't in south Florida and more like someplace central in the US.

Yeah, like Tucson. That's pretty central...

 

[gene]

Sorry guys but I cannot move the show too far away from home base. There is a lot of planning my wife does with the hotel to get things all set making it hard to travel to another state. Also, she is highly motivated to do even more planning at this location which also happens to have a pretty damn good Spa facility built on natural springs

 

[cpp]

Sorry guys but I cannot move the show too far away from home base. There is a lot of planning my wife does with the hotel to get things all set making it hard to travel to another state. Also, she is highly motivated to do even more planning at this location which also happens to have a pretty damn good Spa facility built on natural springs

ah come on Gene . I lived in central Fl from 1955 - 2010 I know all about natural springs, spa's,resorts, theme parks, fishing and tourist etc... . We all know that the wife drives the show, like mine does, expand a little, try it ya might like it.

 

[gene]

ah come on Gene View attachment 11196. I lived in central Fl from 1955 - 2010 I know all about natural springs, spa's,resorts, theme parks, fishing and tourist etc... . We all know that the wife drives the show, like mine does, expand a little, try it ya might like it.

Last time we moved the show off location to Orlando the turnout was terrible. I like the location we chose this year. It's close to Tampa airport and Clearwater beach and its a bridge off from Sarasota where there is quick a big Audio Society membership presence.

 

[cpp]

Last time we moved the show off location to Orlando the turnout was terrible. I like the location we chose this year. It's close to Tampa airport and Clearwater beach and its a bridge off from Sarasota where there is quick a big Audio Society membership presence.

True, Orlando pretty much died due to the over abundance of tourist, B&M stores, economy . PS: There is also a presence in Jacksonville w/ the North Fla Audio Society, not to mention Charlotte Nc and of course Atlanta anyway carry on.

 

[TICA]

The ideas is a certain possibility. We might do something via AVRant as we used to in the past. We will see, it all depends on the attendance

 

[TICA]

The problem with find with an off-site location is cost. We're trying to keep it cost efficient for the staff as well and once you move off location, cost goes up. A lot of the trade shows in the industry are very high in price to host and we're still growing in the EXPO face. Once we see the interest come back and further increase, then that could be a possibility. Most host places also require a yearly return commitment to keep the cost low for all. We're sure you will like this location. Compared to the ones we've been to for shows, this is a great one. Great amphitheaters, dedicated rooms and more... We hope to get your attention and keep the manufacturers coming down to interact with you, the consumer at a 1:1 basis. No one else can give you that yet!

 

[TICA]

Just so you can take a quick pick, we have this for you to find out more of what you can have.
http://www.safetyharborspa.com/meetconf/Facilities_and_Venues

Also, keep an eye on our Facebook page for more details as well
https://www.facebook.com/events/531857736832483/

Hope to see you all back!

 

[psbfan9]

I'm going to be really disappointed if all of you Loudspeaker Guru's don't show up at our next GTG event in November at the Safety Harbor Spa and Resort. It will be a 2 day event with more demo rooms and educational seminars. We plan on making it very speaker heavy focused. Mark this down in your books, we may even hold an open debate platform where you can all argue loudspeakers and measurements till your blue in the face

November?! What happened to October?

Since me and my eye are lazy, could someone start a new GTG event thread?

Thanks.

Barry.

 

[gene]

Would you consider a webcast, too? Seriously. That would let the vast majority of us that can't/won't make it there in person to watch (or participate depending on how you do it) the discussion. And, yeah, I'm sure that I'll be drinking.

Great Idea. I will talk to Clint about setting something like this up at the show.

 

[cpp]

Great Idea. I will talk to Clint about setting something like this up at the show.

A webcast from the next event would be a great idea for those that cannot attend.

 

[Chu Gai]

I don't mean to be an *** here, but JA holds absolutely no water with me. He says almost only good things about 100% of the speakers reviewed in his magazine.

My understanding is that with rare exception, the reviewers are the ones who choose what speakers they want to review. Then of course, there is the subjective followed by a small amount of measurements.

There is an art to reading these reviews, Monk. It takes some interpretation because it's written quite diplomatically. I once made a comment on AVS that a particular speaker was a turd. A well known reviewer PM'd me and stated that he wished he could've said the same thing in print however were he to comment thusly, it would not go over well. IMO, if one is going to follow a particular reviewer and take their comments to heart, then one needs to become familiar with their body of work and see if it aligns with their own experiences.

After all, Monk, one can state that a person is a fool based on something they said or wrote. OTOH, one camare phrase one's thoughts in a much more polite and diplomatic fashion.

Gene and I have had our differences, but I respect him a great deal. Gene has the consumer at heart, while JA thinks about money and his business.

The SS might sound great, but its measured performance is not textbook.

I respect Gene also but I think he keeps his business, brand, and money in clear focus. His writing style is different and perhaps that is what draws you.

They measure alright. Much like other speakers at lower prices. That's the problem. Moreover, they get bested by speakers at lower prices. They cost 27K..what do they do differently? I want something I can't get at a lower price. Isn't that the point of spending 27K??

An even off-axis would be a great start, IMO.

To focus solely on the FR as the determinant of quality is like just looking at distortion numbers on amps. Or how loud something can play. It's the 800 pound gorilla.

They are high sensitivity speakers with excellent off-axis response, low distortion, and a huge woofer. Pretty much the Revel Studio 2 for 3k. Not nearly as good looking though.



I don't see why not.



I would never buy a matching sub. Most of the time, a better sub can be had from stand alone subwoofer companies such as SVS.

I don't know who is going to buy those and why. While this may be a serious hobby for you and you may be looking at this from your own financial perspective, there are others who view such an expenditure as not such a big deal just as those who buy a Kluft mattress even though it's the price of a small car. Some folks don't feel like going through a long process of analysis. They buy and move on to pursuits they feel are more important.