Music Lovers Speaker vs. Audiophile Speaker


In my quest for a new set of speakers to replace the Paradigm 5se I've had for 25+ years I've come across a couple of terms I'd like clarified: the musical speaker and the audiophile speaker.

What's the difference? 

I can think of two analogies, both of which may be way off mark.

One is the "mp3" analogy. mp3's dumb down the music, but capture what a music lover may consider to be the important stuff. The audiophile version is the CD.

So in this case, the musical speaker doesn't perform as well as the audiophile speaker, but it is at the right price point or has other features (particularly finish) that the listener desires.

The other analogy is the "radio station" analogy. The station doesn't dumb down the music, but it does intentionally change the sound to suit the audience. Classic rock is bass heavy, and dynamic range may be compressed to raise the overall level. An easy-listening station will have a lighter sound with different frequencies emphasized.

Comments ...
128x128jimspov

Showing 1 response by kotta

I like this answer! I consider myself an "audiophile" but I don't own expensive equipment but what I've matched together sounds very musical and satisfying. In my response to an earlier thread, I mentioned the PSB 300i spk. A very musical speaker. Easy to listen to but I know its shortcomings when comparing to an "audiophile" spk. such as the Dynaudio DM 2/6. Both types req. system matching to sound their best. The "audiophile" spk. will most probably require more $$$ vs. a spk. such as yours or the PSB 300i which would sound good w/a $30 used receiver.