Speaker Auditions

[cgk]

Sometime down the road (12-24 months), I plan to upgrade my speakers.

My wife is going out of town for two weeks, so I plan to make use of the time to run around and do some auditions. My goal is to teach my ears to hear differences in speakers so I can make a better choice when I am in buying mode.

I've put together an audition CD with a variety of musical styles including classical (instrumental loud and soft, vocals loud and soft), jazz, rock, electronic, etc.

A few of questions:

How attentive to listening volume should I be? Should I bring my SPL meter with me?

Any suggestions to which speakers and models I should try to listen to? I'd like to hear a variety so I can see (hear, really) what is out there.

I'm in Southeastern Michigan; does anyone reccomend any particular dealers around here? Canada is a 15 minute drive from me, any advantage to going over there to listen?

Thanks!

 

[mtrycrafts]

I've put together an audition CD with a variety of musical styles including classical (instrumental loud and soft, vocals loud and soft), jazz, rock, electronic, etc.

This is good, especially if you are familiar with those tracks.

How attentive to listening volume should I be? Should I bring my SPL meter with me?


Very important. A louder presentation will impress you more. You cannot level match by ear! You may want to add a test tone to that disc to use to measure the volume of speakers. Music is not good to level match. Which instant will you level??? Not possible.

Any suggestions to which speakers and models I should try to listen to? I'd like to hear a variety so I can see (hear, really) what is out there.

Listen to what is available.

I'm in Southeastern Michigan;

You need to join an audio club near you:
Southwestern Michigan Woofer and Tweeter Marching Society, in Berkley. You have time, they have the expertise

 

[einsteinjb]

This is all good but folks will need to know your budget to make appropriate suggestions. Also what style of music do you mostly listen to? Is this for stereo only or HT, and if HT are you upgrading all your speakers including sub? Also what will be the ratio of music to HT? Are you looking at towers, bookshelfs, etc.?

What kind of room will the system be used in? Size, floor and wall materials, etc.

What are you powering your speakers with? These are all questions we'd need to know to really make good suggestions.

Also take the time to search and browse this forum and others. There's already tons of great speaker recommendations and discussions here.

Good luck.

 

[cornelius]

Take your time. I do this when I'm trying new drums and cymbals for the first time - revisit the gear your trying. I often put in a long listening session at a store, then give my ears are rest for a couple of days, then go back to the store and listen again. A fresh perspective. I do the same at hi-fi shows. I'll hang out in a room for a while and if I like what I hear, go listen to some other systems and revisit the room after a couple of hours. Do I still like the sound? Does it sound the same to me (after hearing other systems, does it sound bright, dark, uninvolving...)? How does it sound compared to other more/less expensive systems that I've heard since my intial listen?

 

[JeffB]

I think you should also try to take note of the design of the speaker you are listening to. How many drivers, what size are the drivers, is it a two-way or a three-way design, bass reflex, ported, transmission line, type of tweeter(ribbon, silk dome, metal dome), etc. Each type of speaker design has its own unique sonic signature or advantages and disadvantages. A good implementation will minimize the disadvantages of a given design, but you still might pick up on the design's sonic signature. You may find that you prefer a particular design. Then again the design may not matter to you at all, and it will just be the sound. I was at a Fry's Electronics recently, and they have the entire line of Polk speakers. These speakers have tweeters with 5", 6" and 7" drivers in various configurations. For example, 1 tweeter with two 6" inch drivers. Or 1 tweeter a 5" driver and two 7" drivers. This exercises made for good ear training.

 

[jaxvon]

CGK, I live in Ann Arbor. There are a few stores around here that are worth checking out, and you can hear quite a range of products. There's the Stereo Shoppe (B&W, Phase Tech, Klipsch, Yamaha, Rotel), Paragon Sight and Sound (Wilson, and a crapload of other expensive stuff, but some budget end too), and Overture Audio (Paradigm, Rega, Linn, and others). I've only dealt with the Stereo Shoppe, but they're great. Oldest B&W dealer in the state. Very nice, low pressure sales.