The two most common mistakes are bass and treble


OK, so I know many of you will have a knee jerk reaction to that with something like "well you've just covered most of the spectrum!" but I mean to say more than what I can fit in a headline.

When first purchasing speakers the biggest regrets, or sometimes bad choices without regret, is looking for a speaker that is too detailed. In the store over 10 minutes it mesmerizes you with the resolution of frequencies you thought you would never hear again.  You take the speakers home and after a month you realize they are ear drills.  High pitched, shrill sounding harpies you can't believe you listened to long enough to make a choice.

The other mistake, which audiophiles life with far too long is buying too big a speaker for the room.  The specmanship of getting 8 more Hertz in the -3dB cutoff is a huge factor in speaker purchases.

What do you think the biggest mistakes are when buying speakers?
erik_squires
I don't think 4 ohm speakers are BAD. There are some great 4 - 6 ohm speakers. It depends on the drivers. I use planars. Because of the light load @ 4 - 6 ohms they sound quite good. ADD BASS duty to the mix it's a whole different story.. I wire at 8-12 ohms for mids and sometimes 12-16+ for highs. 

If I'm using a valve amp, I only tap 4 ohms if there is NO bass duty.
If  there is bass in the mix, 8 ohms or better for the tap.. 

High E speakers are fine NOW it wasn't always that way.  Gear use to be a LOT noisier. 95% speakers were a no no.. Floor noise was HIGH on a lot of gear 30 years ago.

Quiet as a mouse with 93/91% I use now... and valves to boot..

Regards
Hey Ralph, I finally got the speakers. Roger has labeled them 645-8's. I put a picture of them on my system page. I have a new Cosmos coming from Sota and a Schroder CB to put on it following which it will be time to think about amplifiers:-)
@mijostyn Sound Labs, like most speakers with rear-firing information, need at least 5 feet from the wall behind them. I can't tell if that is what you have or not.
No free lunch, high output at what cost ?

the laser scan of the cone compared to the input signal does not lie...

iF life were this simple the world would be ruled by OTL 30 wpc tube amps....

best to own and run planers , dynamic and horn speakers to understand what each does well, and otherwise...
Jacked up fake leading edge detail and loud continues to sell a lot of gear to the treadmill crowd.... Roger Modjeski ( RIP ) was a stickler for level matching....


What do you think the biggest mistakes are when buying speakers?
Never try them before at your home (not easy but always the same mistake), i know some will demur.
Not knowing well enough your amp/amps or your spouse. 

G