Which brand makes the best quality loudspeakers?

[Replicant 7]

I'm gonna upgrade my mains this coming Fall. RBH new Towers or Polk's R700's. Or buy a House.

 

[ryanosaur]

Buy the house but get the home theater upgrade included in the loan!

 

[Danzilla31]

You also owned the JBL 5 series speakers and those are very good as well!

The JBL 5's were the second best system I've ever owned I loved those speakers

 

[Replicant 7]

Buy the house but get the home theater upgrade included in the loan!

Why didn't I think of that!! Thanks for the tip!

 

[ryanosaur]

Why didn't I think of that!! Thanks for the tip!

New AH Smart house on the way! Time to get Poes on retainer and consulting on your new Rig!

 

[Jerkface]

Why didn't I think of that!! Thanks for the tip!

And here's a sneaky way to do that - get the home inspection done, and as long as there's nothing REALLY wrong with the place other than minor BS (that just happens to add up to around $20K), offer the seller $20K more for the house with a contingency that they give you $20K at close for your home theater upgrade repairs.

 

[dutchholic]

Time flies.. We are now in 2022, this thread is sticky and from 2011. This is not a fair representation of the current opinion, it shouldn't be sticky because of that imo.

Let's reset the poll and let everyone vote again (keep the old results archived so we can compare) with added brands such as:
Focal, KEF, Wharfedale, Arendal, Dynaudio, Elac, Monitor Audio, Genelec, Kii audio, Perlisten and maybe separate Harman group, Infinity, JBL and Revel are different leagues and the speaker brand is not Harman but one of those 3.

It would be interesting to see how things changed in 11 years!

I expect A LOT less votes for B&W and also some fair amount of votes for the other brands that I mentioned.

@gene Good idea right?

 

[ryanosaur]

DRINK TWICE!

The Official _/Unofficial/_ AH Drinking Game!

I've been joking about this for far, far too long. It started up as an idea in my head after AH was inundated with people buying lower-tier B&W Speakers and coming on the Forum to find out why they sounded like @$$ once they set them up in their home. :) After that, there were... other topics of...

forums.audioholics.com

 

[Jerkface]

I contemplate for a moment what I voted when I joined the forum (Klipsch, obviously), and I realize, the best speaker Klipsch makes really isn't available anywhere. I live a rock throw from a major metro area, yet there are no dealers carrying K-horns within five hundred miles of me. If you can't audition something and can't buy it, it doesn't really exist anymore, does it?

Without the Khorn, you can't call Klipsch the best.

 

[dutchholic]

I contemplate for a moment what I voted when I joined the forum (Klipsch, obviously), and I realize, the best speaker Klipsch makes really isn't available anywhere. I live a rock throw from a major metro area, yet there are no dealers carrying K-horns within five hundred miles of me. If you can't audition something and can't buy it, it doesn't really exist anymore, does it?

Without the Khorn, you can't call Klipsch the best.

Just out curiosity: what makes you believe that Klipisch makes the best quality speakers? From the objective information that I find online; most Klipsch speakers measure completely terrible. Have I missed something?

 

[Jerkface]

Just out curiosity: what makes you believe that Klipisch makes the best quality speakers? From the objective information that I find online; most Klipsch speakers measure completely terrible. Have I missed something?

The implication here is that the Klipschorn is the best. Because for all the speakers I've auditioned in my life, I've never, ever heard another speaker sound like a pair of properly installed Khorns on an SET amp.

 

[hole46]

The implication here is that the Klipschorn is the best. Because for all the speakers I've auditioned in my life, I've never, ever heard another speaker sound like a pair of properly installed Khorns on an SET amp.

If you like that distorted “in your face” sound. Everyone to their own preferences.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Jerkface]

If you like that distorted “in your face” sound. Everyone to their own preferences.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

"distorted" doesn't describe my experience at all, but okay.

 

[dutchholic]

"distorted" doesn't describe my experience at all, but okay.

Hole46 is right because tube amp's and Klipish are clearly coloring the sound in a huge way. It's clear that you are used to distored sound and that you prefer this over correct response curves with low distortion. You're not alone with that since vinyl, tube amps and very weird measuring speakers are still a huge part of the sales in the audiophile-market.

Having said this; after seeing your answer; you came with zero facts to prove that Klipish makes the best quality speakers in the world, it's solely your opinion based on subjective biased listening experiences. This is okay but with solely that you cannot say that Klipish is the best loudspeaker in the world, this is simply not the case because of facts. Facts that prove that Klipish speakers measure way way less optimal then for example Revel, Genelec, Kef, Focal, Kii and many others.

 

[Am_P]

Hole46 is right because tube amp's and Klipish are clearly coloring the sound in a huge way. It's clear that you are used to distored sound and that you prefer this over correct response curves with low distortion. You're not alone with that since vinyl, tube amps and very weird measuring speakers are still a huge part of the sales in the audiophile-market.

Having said this; after seeing your answer; you came with zero facts to prove that Klipish makes the best quality speakers in the world, it's solely your opinion based on subjective biased listening experiences. This is okay but with solely that you cannot say that Klipish is the best loudspeaker in the world, this is simply not the case because of facts. Facts that prove that Klipish speakers measure way way less optimal then for example Revel, Genelec, Kef, Focal, Kii and many others.

I briefly had Forte 3s and sold them because they were awful. Klipish lacks resolution, detail, coherence etc and just doesn't have the fidelity that other speakers have at the same bracket (reason I got rid of it)

But, what track are you on about color?

FYI, every recording out there is "colored". You have no idea or reference for what colored or uncolored is because you have NEVER heard uncolored.

Speaking of colored, I start with a flat line and I deliberately color it all day long with PEQ to my heart's content (as it pleases me). Colored uncolored...my ass...

 

[Mikado463]

the longer this thread runs the more comical it becomes !

 

[Pogre]

But, what track are you on about color?


FYI, every recording out there is "colored". You have no idea or reference for what colored or uncolored is because you have NEVER heard uncolored.

Well technically any deviation from that flat line you mention would be considered colored in the context of the post you quoted, and there are a lot of speakers out there with deviations from flat (aka distorted or colored). I'm pretty sure thats what Dutchie is talking about.

Speaking of colored, I start with a flat line and I deliberately color it all day long with PEQ to my heart's content (as it pleases me)

That said, I do the same thing you do. I think a flat line sounds kinda dull so I bump the bass a little and do my own tweaking until I get the sound I like. The thing is, a neutral or uncolored speaker is easier to eq to taste, and the really good ones don't need much at all with careful placement and setup. I can only speak for myself, but for me it's not about "perfect reproduction". It's about having a neutral speaker that's transparent, uncolored and easy to work with.

 

[dutchholic]

Yes that is(of course ) exactly what I meant Pogre; I have nothing to add regarding that subject.

 

[Knottian]

I went with B&W but feel like in their respective price ranges, Polk and Paradigm have been consistent and high-quality; I haven't heard every speaker or brand under the sun, but I think of those listed, they'd be my top three. I've generally found at least one series in every brand that I've heard though that I'd take home if needed (recently got a set of KEFs that surprised me after not liking the tone of some of their others, for example).

 

[WookieGR]

I looked at the poll results. I'm concerned at how so many people can be dead wrong.