Henry
I have brought my sp10 to the location where the 57's are once for a week to try it out. My VPI TT is too big to move. So I am in the process of setting up a good TT at that location. My opinion so far and remember I am a linear tracker guy and I tend to keep the cartridge on there for a while before I change. But here is my opinion with examples.
Telling tonearm/cartridge differences - Low bass below 40hz will be an obvious challenge – HF needs to be worked on – 57 placement in room is very important. Any sounds in that midrange area will be very good – their strength - maybe too good (colored?) thus sounding better than they should? I don’t think this is necessarily bad. I explain later. Telling of cartridge differences in the transitions between these in the “57’s frequency range” will be excellent as these 57’s are very even in the db levels, I find between the high, mid and low sounds. It is very consistent.
Natalie Merchant Ophelia album and play the song – Effigy . These speakers give me the chills and goosebumps when the lady at the end finishes the song with only her beautiful voice. It is so strong and at such a low volume level it is incredible. This IS the 57 magic to me. I have to call whoever is in the house into the room to hear it and tell me if they hear it and if it is affecting them in the same way. I have played this song on my other speakers and they do a really really good job of it as well. But no chills. That is what I am looking for. I think different cartridges may do different things with this section.
HF – the 57’s really need to be placed properly and pointed at you because of the way they beam. They will compensate for “not ideal” tonearms/cartridges i.e. resonances, shrill sounding - better because their treble does not blare out at you. Another speaker like my 801’s would not let me play those tracks with those cartridges – they would be unbearable. But I find all ESL are sweeter in this regard as far as the HF goes. The 801’s are monitors and let you right away if u have put on bad LP. They cough it up.
Transparency - Chris Rea’s Auberge – Before this song begins we hear a man walking in the street, birds chirping, he walks from one side to the other and kicks a bottle across the street. What frequency does a kicked bottle do – higher midrange ? They reproduce this in a very uncanny way – the scene is so real in front of you. The bottles revolutions as it spins on the ground is so clear.
Soundstage- Eagles – Hell Freezes over – Hotel California – When people come over I like to do this test. The Acoustat Spectra 33’s are placed about 5 feet behind each 57 close to the front wall. The song starts with just instruments. Alternates from left to right at different depths for each instrument. People in the sweetspot think the music is coming from the bigger Acoustats in the back. The 57’s are only about 6 feet in front of them.
Bass – it is what it is – full to 40 hz.
Still The bass is tight and short. So if the cartridge tends to be more loose or longer sounding in the bass the 57’s will compensate and make it sound tighter.
My opinion – I think if a person likes voices and midrange sounds alot - you may not be listening to alot of music that has alot of music below 40 hz because it tends to take away from those songs where the voices are predominant?
Now I listened to Simply Red – Picture Book on my 801’s last night and it was phenomenal - highs, mids - lows . Can’t wait to hear this lp on the 57’s to compare.
The theme seems to be the frequencies they do well sound better ? Wonder why they are so addicting and still popular after all these years:)
With my TT project in progress for that room the 57’s make good recorded cd’s sound nice. Eric Clapton Unplugged is another one that comes to mind. I can’t wait to hear the vinyl versions more there. That is when I will be getting into a personal challenge with the SPL’s I think since vinyl is so linear compared to the compressed way a cd is recorded. I will be turning it higher without realizing it.
I have brought my sp10 to the location where the 57's are once for a week to try it out. My VPI TT is too big to move. So I am in the process of setting up a good TT at that location. My opinion so far and remember I am a linear tracker guy and I tend to keep the cartridge on there for a while before I change. But here is my opinion with examples.
Telling tonearm/cartridge differences - Low bass below 40hz will be an obvious challenge – HF needs to be worked on – 57 placement in room is very important. Any sounds in that midrange area will be very good – their strength - maybe too good (colored?) thus sounding better than they should? I don’t think this is necessarily bad. I explain later. Telling of cartridge differences in the transitions between these in the “57’s frequency range” will be excellent as these 57’s are very even in the db levels, I find between the high, mid and low sounds. It is very consistent.
Natalie Merchant Ophelia album and play the song – Effigy . These speakers give me the chills and goosebumps when the lady at the end finishes the song with only her beautiful voice. It is so strong and at such a low volume level it is incredible. This IS the 57 magic to me. I have to call whoever is in the house into the room to hear it and tell me if they hear it and if it is affecting them in the same way. I have played this song on my other speakers and they do a really really good job of it as well. But no chills. That is what I am looking for. I think different cartridges may do different things with this section.
HF – the 57’s really need to be placed properly and pointed at you because of the way they beam. They will compensate for “not ideal” tonearms/cartridges i.e. resonances, shrill sounding - better because their treble does not blare out at you. Another speaker like my 801’s would not let me play those tracks with those cartridges – they would be unbearable. But I find all ESL are sweeter in this regard as far as the HF goes. The 801’s are monitors and let you right away if u have put on bad LP. They cough it up.
Transparency - Chris Rea’s Auberge – Before this song begins we hear a man walking in the street, birds chirping, he walks from one side to the other and kicks a bottle across the street. What frequency does a kicked bottle do – higher midrange ? They reproduce this in a very uncanny way – the scene is so real in front of you. The bottles revolutions as it spins on the ground is so clear.
Soundstage- Eagles – Hell Freezes over – Hotel California – When people come over I like to do this test. The Acoustat Spectra 33’s are placed about 5 feet behind each 57 close to the front wall. The song starts with just instruments. Alternates from left to right at different depths for each instrument. People in the sweetspot think the music is coming from the bigger Acoustats in the back. The 57’s are only about 6 feet in front of them.
Bass – it is what it is – full to 40 hz.
Still The bass is tight and short. So if the cartridge tends to be more loose or longer sounding in the bass the 57’s will compensate and make it sound tighter.
My opinion – I think if a person likes voices and midrange sounds alot - you may not be listening to alot of music that has alot of music below 40 hz because it tends to take away from those songs where the voices are predominant?
Now I listened to Simply Red – Picture Book on my 801’s last night and it was phenomenal - highs, mids - lows . Can’t wait to hear this lp on the 57’s to compare.
The theme seems to be the frequencies they do well sound better ? Wonder why they are so addicting and still popular after all these years:)
With my TT project in progress for that room the 57’s make good recorded cd’s sound nice. Eric Clapton Unplugged is another one that comes to mind. I can’t wait to hear the vinyl versions more there. That is when I will be getting into a personal challenge with the SPL’s I think since vinyl is so linear compared to the compressed way a cd is recorded. I will be turning it higher without realizing it.