Speaker review

[azekeil]

TDLs: Ugh. Ugh ugh ugh ugh. Guh.

914s: Oh thank fuck for that. *teary*. Wheee.

..

Um. Actually.. ouch. Bugger. *cringe*. Really? *imploring look*




And that's it. Such highs, such lows. I will keep listening to the 914s and hope they mellow a bit, try some different interconnects. Ultimately this room is really hard for speakers to cope with - echoey and boomy. Shows up cheap boomy speakers quickly, muddles details, makes treble unnecessarily harsh. Still, some proper thick curtains and some other furnishings might improve things a lot.

Comments

[serena-lesley.livejournal.com]

Repressed detail: check
Overblown midrange: check
Lack of stereo seperation: check
Undynamic: check
Harsh and grating: check
Tiring to listen to: check

And those were the better pair of speakers...

I'd like to try them on the end of my HiFi at my place before they go back, this would be helpful in establishing how much of the problem is your room. They should be well suited to my setup.

Despite all this, they do sound better than the bass-boxes and your Grandfather's speakers. They're different to the Dynaudios, though overall not quite as nice. A lot cheaper though...

Also, yes, you need to get better cabling at some point. Why not get some speaker cable and decent interconnects now so that you're giving any speakers that you audition a fair chance? Some speakers are fussier than others and cobbled-together mains wire of different lengths is the speaker equivalent to feeding somebody spoiled food. Bleurgh. :/

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

Such distain! :p

Those ARE speaker cable... just different types and lengths

Yes, I know. Still, it's not going to match up to yours, but if it's pleasent to listen to then that's good. Not quite there yet though.

[dylan.livejournal.com]

What possessed you to go to Richer Sounds? Start saving for a real pair of speakers, you know you'll just want to upgrade again if you get a cheap pair.

The type of sound and volume you like really needs some large cones to shift that air and they don't come cheap unless you build your own

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

*sigh*

Richer Sounds would give me a bargain. I'd like you to listen to these 914s before I return them (in two weeks). I plan to go to Audio-T tomorrow morning to possibly borrow some B&W DM602.5s

I hear you - I just don't have time to build them plus I have sort of resigned myself to not being able to put together as nice a sounding package as a pre-made speaker. I just don't think I've got the money or the time to spend on it at present :(

[dylan.livejournal.com]

I'll see if I cab get up there sometime next week. In general though I've not been impressed with cheap floorstanders, usually very woolly sounding and booming. Its expensive to make and ship such large wooden boxes so they have to cut corners somewhere. See if you can borrow some Tannoys to compare to what you've got before you take them back.

[gerald_duck]

If you can hang on, I can probably furnish you with some Van den Hul CS-12 next time I see you (yes, I really will see you some time, sooner or later!). We buy the stuff by the kilometre for use inside our products. I use one black conductor and one red, twisted together, as speaker cable (or two of each, for heavy-duty use).

Incidentally, solid-core 30A mains wire isn't as bad as you'd expect as speaker cable.

I have no idea what the "TSP" price Richer Sounds quotes is, but if you do have to shop there, I strongly recommend ignoring it and concentrating on what they're actually offering, at what price. I'm not convinced they're the bargain they seem — good products and intelligent advice can be worth more than you save by shopping there.

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

I can hang on. That would be very gratefully received :) Two (four to bi-wire) 10m lengths would be lovely :)

Having pretty much decided the 914s, although a vast improvement aren't quite the right thing for my hifi/room - I am using this two-week period to get myself off my arse and try and get some reasonable speakers - I don't mind second hand but I don't want to pay much more than £300 unless they are something really special. (I am supposed to be doing up my house, you know *grin*)

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

Yessir! Although I've been keen to try some B&Ws too.. kissycat1000 recommends I try stand mounts in my room to get away from the boom.