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Thin Walled Speakers -Tonian, Musical Affairs, etc

Hello,
It seems that a few speaker makers are using the thin walled, lightweight, less damping approach to building. For example Tonian, Musical Affairs and some others.

http://tonianlabs.com/
http://musicalaffairs.com/
http://vimeo.com/28295029

And I've read some very positive reviews of such speakers. I can see how they would sound unreal with vocals, acoustic instruments etc. But how do they sound with other more spectrally complex music- lets say rock. Do they turn to sonic mud?

I'd be curious to hear feedback from anyone who actually owns or has heard such speakers.

Thanks
anchan
yogiboy's avatar
yogiboy
5,454 posts
 
I am a long time Spendor guy. They rock with the best of them.
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,540 posts
 
I have Tonian TL-D1s and yes, they can rock without the use of a mudroom. Even electronic fare like Trent Reznor's and Atticus Ross' soundtracks sound wonderful, varied and nuanced.

Just because a speaker is designed/voiced like an instrument, it will still give you a gratifying listening experience. In all genres.

Granted, it may be off a bit, but what isn't? What matters is, is it convincing enough to allow you to suspend belief?
With the Tonians, I always leave my brain behind.
philjolet's avatar
philjolet
2,305 posts
 
the Musical Affair speakers (and video) are very interesting

thanks!
gsm18439
895 posts
 
To me, this is one of the more interesting speaker design issues. That two opposite approaches - eliminating vs controlling/incorporating cabinet resonance - can both work if optimized. For example, Audio Note uses cabinet resonance to its advantage - like the body of a stringed instrument. I believe that Living Voice does as well, but perhaps not to the same extent.
anchan OP
6 posts
 
Nonoise- thanks for your account. People seem to love the TL-D1, and I am very interested myself.
Tnt-audio had a nice review, but their musical material was:

Chesky Jazz and Audiophile tests Vol2; Arthur Rubenstein - Fryderyk Chopin; Ustad Shahid Parvez; Live in Toronto; and Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto.

All good music, but c'mon! It makes these speakers sound like old man speakers. No offense to anyone ;)
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