Click title to read one, or click date to read all below it.
01-22-13
Yg acoustics anat iii signatures in three different rooms. ... Tom_hankins
01-22-13: Freddieish
www.youtube Walsh style TLS-1 speaker by HHR Exotics review 1
I recently purchased a pair of HHR Exotics Walsh style TLS-1's. Before doing so I spent many months on a quest for the best system I could afford to celebrate my fiftieth year on planet earth. After reading some great reviews on Audiogon and other threads I decided to give Dale at HHR Exotic Speakers a call.
When I first spoke with Dale it was not too hard to come to the conclusion that Dale was very passionate and beyond qualified when it came to all things audio. Dale referred me to a client who purchased a pair of their TLS-1’s and who was also a musician. This was very helpful because I could speak to someone who shared a view point that was similar to my own. After that call, I did what was the unthinkable for me. I purchased a pair of TLS-1’s without hearing them! Mind you I did much reading and learned as much as I could about the Walsh style transmission line driver.
The process took about three months from the time I ordered the speakers from Dale, as their were prior orders ahead of me. We shared many ideas and had many phone conversations over the course of the time Dale was building my speakers. He also provided pictures and info teaching me about the speakers as he built them.
I drove to Ohio to pick them up when they were completed. When I arrived I was welcomed by Dale and his wonderful wife Yin like an old friend. Dale had my speakers set up and ready to go. We sat in his listening room, he fired up his system and off we went. After putting the TLS-1’s though a laundry list of music spanning many decades and styles focusing on content as well as recording techniques I must say I was feeling like the Cheshire Cat.
What the HHR TLS-1’s produce is much more than I could have conceived. The sound stage was more than a wide front facing curtain of sound, it was enveloping me. The amount of uninterrupted overtones produced by a single driver delivering the whole wave over the three different cone materials captured so many nuances in the timbre of all instruments it was mind boggling. I had never heard music produced this way. The sound is so three dimensional it actually becomes addictive, like some ride at Disneyland that stimulates senses you’d forgotten or didn’t know you had.
After spending two great days with Dale I packed my truck with my speakers and headed home. It has been three months and I must say this is turning out to be a never ending honeymoon. I must also mention the fit and finish of the speakers all the way around are impressive.
Dale Harder offers a hand built speaker with old world craftsmanship while incorporating cutting edge upgrades that bring this speaker design to a whole new plateau. At this price point it would seem impossible that you could acquire something of this quality custom built by a master like Dale.
My System:
Speakers- HHR TLS-1
Amps- Carver Cherry 180 mono blocks
Pre- Conrad Johnson PV-12 (tube upgrade)
Processing: Aphex Aural Exciter
CD Player: Jolida DD-100A (with platinum Hotrod upgrades)
Tape: Akai 747 DBX
Tape: Denon DR-M44HX
Turntable: Audio Linear TD 4001
Dale and I still stay in touch and share our passion for music, I am so grateful for such an amazing product and experience.
Dan Donofrio, Connecticut
Freddieish (Threads | Answers | This Thread)
01-22-13
Chahed, i am sorry. reading my post, i realized that it soun ... Roxy54
01-23-13
Not at all my dear roxy54..!..if it does happen to you to c ... Chahed
01-23-13
Roxy54,the speakers talon khorus will disaper leaving place ... Chahed
01-26-13
Wilson alexia, in december 2012. has creamy midrange, relax ... Billeames
02-02-13: Zenkai1950
Focal Utopia series. They just sound right.BTW,I'm taking a Poll on two very influential jazz recording engineers. Please visit my website and vote for your favorite jazz engineer: Rudy Van Gelder or Roy DuNann and spread the word. TIA.
Michael Miguest
www.audiocognoscenti.com
Zenkai1950 (Answers | This Thread)
02-07-13
Well of course i would havce to say our speakers are superb ... Makcer9
02-08-13
Makcer9, i can't help thinking that your self-promotional co ... Hesson11
02-11-13
He's apparently lost his hearing so he shouts. like the guy ... Lemmycaution
02-22-13
Jbl speakers of the highest -end, no over-hype! just pure so ... Audiolabyrinth
02-24-13: Markalarsen
Joseph Audio Pearl III
Markalarsen (Threads | Answers | This Thread)
02-25-13
Five years have past since i have posted on this thread. sam ... Zenblaster
03-20-13
Focal utopia Nyaudio98
03-23-13
I recently got the chance to get an old pair of mgiia. they ... Criquet
03-23-13: Zenblaster
MBL is at the pinnacle of sound reproduction right now. The cost of admission is ridiculous though. that said,I have to agree with Tom_hakins- YG acoustics is a game changer for us humble audiophiles.
Zenblaster (System | Threads | Answers | This Thread)
03-23-13
Look at the replies !!! the title should be : the best spe ... Aprica88
03-23-13: Jallen
The best speaker I have ever heard is the Dukane Ionovac plasma speaker. A horn speaker that will cover from 3.5K to likely 50K plus. Some venture to say possibly 100k with very low distortion. Until you have heard one it is hard to describe. I have heard one on the Aerial 10T and the Nestorovic 5AS MK IV Signature, and the sound blew me away. Nothing at the audio show impressed me as much. They do not use conical horns the way current plasma horns are produced today. They use compound diffractional horns and radiate about 165 degrees so the air and space is all over the room. No head in a vice needed. I have had Maggies, great ribbon tweeter, but nowhere close. The MBL also is very nice, still not this good. For those of you who have not heard one, you may get your chance if you go to RMAF. I hear through the grapevine that Jim of Vaughn Loudspeakers will be offering a speaker which will be be built for those who want a speaker to put their tweeters in. These are a must hear. Supposedly, he will have a Dukane Ionovac plasma setup there with one of his speakers. Get to either RMAF or Newport if he shows there. His speaker will be worth the trip. Only problem will be if you don't already have a pair of the tweeters..... Jallen
Jallen (Threads | Answers | This Thread)
03-27-13
I was recently out speaker shopping with my father and he wa ... Gpetrons962
03-28-13: Raytheprinter
Analysis Audio ,The best I have heard ! I have not heard all the top dogs ,but they impressed me . They dont seem to have a lot of dealers in the states.
Raytheprinter (System | Threads | Answers | This Thread)
04-04-13
Shahinian diapason ! that`s it ! Teslamade
04-05-13: Bjesien
I listened to the Magico Q7 at a local Boston dealer a few months ago and was taken away by the power and scale of the music. The room was big and well treated and the amplification and components were excellent. The speakers were placed slightly back mid room and maybe six feet from the side walls.
Incredible detail, staging, and sense of being at the venue. It would take serious resources to pull this system together (350K) but a true experience.
I'll hang on to my Verity Audio Parsifal Encores and Luxman gear, "But hold on to the dream.."
Bjesien (Threads | Answers | This Thread)
04-05-13
Bjesien, presume that was goodwins high end? did you hear ... Lloydelee21
04-06-13
No i didn't but i've spent lots of time with the aquila and ... Bjesien
04-07-13
I hope to hear them early in july...will let you know! Lloydelee21
04-07-13
Coincident pure reference! unbelievable speaker system. with ... Rkmoyle
04-08-13
Lately, i have concluded that speakers have reached a level ... Tbg
04-08-13: Rlawry
The best speaker I have ever heard is the mbl 101E as part of a $200K system at the 2012 Newport Beach Audio Show in a relatively large room. That being said, the best I have had in my small room is a recent purchase of Wyatt Acoustics 2.8 using Audio Nirvana 8 inch Alnico drivers. I was amazed at the coherence, immedicacy, presence, and clarity of a single driver. The total price was $1500 and I find the sound much more realistic than speakers I have owned that cost up to $40K.
Rlawry (Reviews | Threads | Answers | This Thread)
04-12-13
How come no ones mentioned bose 901? lol he,he Audionutcom
04-12-13: Mcondon
The Kaiser Kawero Classic is now the best speaker I have heard. I thought they sounded better than anything else at the New York Audio Show this year, much better than the top of the line TAD, Coincident, KEF, GamuT, or Raidho. I could listen to those speakers all day long...and I had never even heard of the brand before today. Moreover, they were in the LessLoss room, a company I thought was about smoke and mirrors. Go figure.
Mcondon (Threads | Answers | This Thread)
04-13-13
Mcondon, interesting...can you describe what you heard in t ... Lloydelee21
04-13-13
Ocellia speakers or similar are the most natural speakers (f ... Nkvelvet
04-14-13
Mcondon, i second your opinion. one of the top 5 for sure. ... Dgad
04-18-13: Jmaffia
Just heard the Wilson Sophia - and it was twice as much as I wanted to spend. But it was amazing. Might have raid the college fund. Heard it against a pair of avalon, bw 804 and 803. Am going back to hear a watt puppy 7.
Any feedback on Wilson audio?
Jmaffia (Threads | Answers | This Thread)
04-18-13
Lloydelee21, what i loved about the kaiser kawero was their ... Mcondon
04-19-13: Lloydelee21
Mcondon - thanks for taking the time! Sounds intriguing. Intrigued by the ribbon? tweeter. I have seen many a discerning audiophile speak of these speakers...i have heard they are coming out with an all-out assault speaker to compete with the likes of XLF and Q7. Should be out later this year...presumably much bigger and much more capable of serious bass.
Would love to hear a Kaiser.
Lloydelee21 (Reviews | Threads | Answers | This Thread)
04-19-13: Twilo
Jmaffia, tell me what you like better when Wilson Sophia's or the Wilson Watt Puppy's 7.
My favorite color of the Watt Puppys was in Bugatti Blue.
Here's a pic.
app.audiogonaudio-watt-puppy-7-cleaned-and-refurbished-buga
Twilo (Threads | Answers | This Thread)
04-20-13
Danley sh 50 with tube gear. ugly speakers that produce heav ... Dragon_vibe
04-21-13
Loved the sophia 3 better over the wp. it created a better ... Jmaffia
04-21-13: Lloydelee21
I heard the Genesis 1.1s...but completely and i mean completely reworked...external Dueland Silver crossovers, ribbons, etc. It is to date the finest sound i have heard and by a wide, wide margin. I have been to Sound by Singer, Extreme? in Turkey, Audio Exotics in HK, KJ & Metropolis in London, A10 in Amsterdam, a few spots in Cambridge, MA, Madrid Spain, and elsewhere. I have heard at least 4 installations of Wilson X1s, X2s, XLF...plus Tidals with full Sunrays dual tower subs, big Thiels, ML CLX/Descents, Maggie 3s, Apogee Stages, SF Strads with subs...nothing prepared me for this. Or my wife who kindly joined me (and also has heard the XLFs, Strads, X1s as well). She, having minimal interest, has patiently taken the time when asked to listen to a few systems and provided comments. In her mind, as my own, there is no contest to what we have heard to date.
The system was in high-ceilinged room (maybe 15') and 17' by 30'. A panetheon of Kondo electronics...Gakuons, M1000, DCS Scarlatti, poured concrete flooring that had been physically separated from the floor that sustained the speakers...you name it. But in the end, i strongly suspect the noise floor, detail and human-ness of all sounds was from the extraordinary dedication to electronics...but the sweeping stage was the speakers:
- It made the X1s and XLF installations i heard sound artificial and small by comparison. Dire Straights on Walker Proscenium III...was the last track of the evening, and the scale of the stage (not soundstage...i mean the stage where they were playing)...eclipsed that of the XLFs. OK...different room/different system...but this was not a close contest, and while i would NEVER say NEVER on the XLF sounding bigger in a different room...it would have to reach so far to achieve what i heard last nite, i personally am extremely skeptical it would do so...again having heard big Wilsons in 3-4 set ups in different rooms, some also very large and professionally treated (unlike the set up last nite which had no treatments other than isolation).
- the clarity of detail was so effortless, that listening to deep house, you could hear mumbles and little voices that i honestly think the artist never thought anyone would ever hear, and the words just lifted out of space into the room like they were always there and you knew what words he was saying as easily as if my wife read them to me sitting next to me.
- Audio Exotics in Hong Kong had done a tremendous effort in bringing forth detail from my music...and i had until last nite heard its equal...but unlike trying to compare Tidals to XLFs...where i honestly felt both were contenders...you could choose one over the other, prefer one over the other...extrapolate whether it was the room, or the digital front end...but you could at least make the case that the speakers were contenders to each other...i do not find either to be a contender compared to what i heard.
they're utterly and positively insanely good. I have my own opinions. I make mistakes. I could be making one here. But i have heard good electronics before, quite a bit of it actually. I can extrapolate what the Kondos may be doing, and i have auditioned the Scarlatti before...electronics dont do to a pair of speakers what happened last nite. Its the speakers. If I could ever get my head around how to get a pair, and find a house/room big enough to fit them...I obviously would do a far more extensive test, audition, but if i had to [off hand] provide a measurement of scale/effortless/sheer beauty and resolution that is utterly 'there' without any sense of force whatsoever...its XLF to Sasha (NOT Alexia...which is far closer to XLF than XLF is to last nite's highly modd'd Genesis 1.1s with dual tower subs]. For me, they were that good.
Lloydelee21 (Reviews | Threads | Answers | This Thread)
04-27-13
Hands down, the infinity reference standard ii a system. bac ... Mbrabson
04-28-13
Since numerous responders have mentioned sound lab electrost ... Twb2
05-02-13
Unquestionably radio shack mark 1. that big woofer and horn ... Kiddman
05-24-13
You're kidding me man! oh yeah, you are kidd "ing-me&q ... Sickophant
05-24-13
I worked at radio shack for 5 years or so back in its hifi h ... Mapman
05-24-13: Aintitgr8
There's something worth paying attention to, as we talk about "best" as relates to speakers there's a big difference between those costing over $50k, under $10k, and somewhere between.
Yet there are those notable speakers that don't break the bank and we find guys having tens of thousands in components due to the fact that the speakers fully reward the extreme gear.
Look at the level of cable that seems "right" for an $80k set of speakers, we think nothing of that audiophile spending ten or twenty grand on speaker wire and the interconnects are no price bargain either. Yet the same system and wire can be put to any level of speakers and you will never hear them sound better, you will never hear more audiophile qualities out of them.
Big guns audiophile sound can be had with some of the sleeper speakers out there like Magnepans, and there is an array of components that perform way beyond their price point, same for wire.
I used to put a giant killer system together for less than the cost of a set of the monster speakers typically associated with six figure systems. Even my best value wires that cost a fraction of what they outperformed still put the wire at over the cost of the components. Heck, I was using $3500 power cords on $4000 monoblocks. But here's logic for you that's inescapable, if you are going to put a $4000 amp up against a $30k amp and that amp sounds better with a $3500 power cord the $4000 amp has to get the same power cord and wire to be fairly compared. So what if the power cord costs as much as the amp, where does your logic sit on which you'd rather have, the $30k amp and $3500 power cord or the amp and power cord as a combo that soundly out performs the more expensive combo? For some people it's more about how much it cost, for others it's about what it sounds like. Audio gear doesn't lie, and the only way stellar sounding speakers can compete with those costing vastly more is to be on an equal system footing. So we find ourselves working systems up from speakers that have huge performance reserves, and there are a lot of them out there.
The best speakers I ever heard were on the best systems I ever heard.
Aintitgr8 (Answers | This Thread)
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