Trying to find speaker brands I like

[DanH12]

Yesterday I was testing out speakers at my local speaker store and I listened to Monitor audio, paradigm, KEF and B&W speakers. I listened to all the speakers for an hour while they were playing Steely Dan and Adele. First I heard the B&W 685s and 686s and I immediately thought they sounded too flat. Then I heard the Paradigms and I liked the punch they had in the higher end but I felt they were just a tiny bit too bright. I didn't like the Monitor audio speakers at all. When I first heard the KEF I thought they sounded great. They were completely smooth and and a little more punch in the higher end without being too bright. Then I switched to the B&W speakers again after a while and I started to like they way they sounded. I thought it was strange; how could I not like the B&Ws initially and then prefer their sound. I also tested Klipsch at Best Buy and liked their clarity but hated their brightness. I also listened to Polks which were more balanced and warm but seemed to really be lacking in the higher end.

Basically, after seeing that I liked B&W and KEF the best out of the speakers I tested yesterday, I am wondering what other speaker brands would sound like B&W and KEF. Do brands like Aperion Audio, Ascend Acoustics and EMPtek sound similar? I still plan on reading more speaker reviews but I am curious if you guys would know off top of your head. I do plan on listening to more speaker brands but the other nearest speaker store is 70 miles away so I will have to wait a little while before I can do that.

 

[ImcLoud]

You had a busy day, I have done it before, one day I went to 3 different states auditioning systems...

Ascend sierra line {the towers are amazing}.
I heard the Focal 726v towers with 706 {I believe} bookshelfs, strong bass response with super clear/natural highs, electra line didnt impress me for the price, the fit and finsih was really top notch, but the sound was IMO under $2000 range, not $5-6K

Also wharfedale {I prefer over the affordable Focal}, diamonds {10.7's are really nice}, jade, opus, evo any of them sound good. In my opinion the opus 2-3 is one of the only {affordable} ht towers I have heard that can hold there own with no sub for any type of music I fed them, the bass is very strong and low, sounds like you are using a sub...

Are these just for music, and what is your price range? If its a music only rig with no subs, then I enjoy tekton, they sound real, like your at a small personal concert and the singer is in 1 speaker with the band unplugged... They do have a little of their own soul, but its hard to explain they have their own feeling with out coloring the sound.... I havent heard them all, but I have heard the lore line, and own the lore 10", but the lore S looks really good too..

There are so many brands out there, some are just overpriced , and a lot I didnt care for Rega, definitive technology, and Epos were not on my favorite lists...

 

[lsiberian]

Don't forget the placement.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Don't forget the placement.

and Level matching

and in the end speaker preference is very personal

 

[zieglj01]

Basically, after seeing that I liked B&W and KEF the best out of the speakers I tested yesterday, I am wondering what other speaker brands would sound like B&W and KEF. Do brands like Aperion Audio, Ascend Acoustics and EMPtek sound similar? I still plan on reading more speaker reviews but I am curious if you guys would know off top of your head. I do plan on listening to more speaker brands but the other nearest speaker store is 70 miles away so I will have to wait a little while before I can do that.

Audio is subjective, and depends on preference and taste.
Room placement/enviorment and the source will play a big
part. Speakers can sound different in your home, from what
you did prefer in the store - you may end up with a differnt
outcome. There is no guarantee that one speaker will sound
similar to another, and No one can guarantee that you will
prefer a certain brand over another. I do not take sides with
with the so-called ID vs Retail game. I have taken speakers
home and after 2 or 3 weeks, I found that they were really
not for me. Have fun with the adventure.

 

[jcl]

When you are listening take notes on what you like and don't like. This will help you narrow down the selection and concentrate on certain designs, brands and lines that suit your taste.

I'd suggest listening to a few different designs as well to get a feel for the sound of a design -
Magnepan or Martin Logan for planars.
Definitive Technology for bipolar designs.

 

[Steve81]

Speakers can sound different in your home, from what
you did prefer in the store - you may end up with a differnt outcome.

Indeed. For example, the audition of Klipsch and Polk at Best Buy probably isn't going to give you a good representation of what those speakers may actually sound like properly set up in a half decent listening room, not to mention the respective lines BB has from each brand may not have much in common with their upper end lines (for example, a Klipsch Synergy speaker has about as much in common with a Klipschorn as a bullhorn does).