If you can, go to some hifi shops,and have a listen to what’s out there. You may want to give some details,like room size. What kind of listening do you do? 110 db rock concert levels,or low level listening. In a large room,and concert levels, LS50’s might not cut it.
Time, Wear, and Technological Evolution
Hi, all. I only recently got into high fidelity audio more seriously, and have gotten my system to a place where I am fairly happy with it. The configuration:
SMSL DO100 DAC, balanced XLR to
PS Audio GCC-100 integrated, "control," amp output to
SVS SB-3000 subwoofer from the sub outs and
80Hz in-line high-pass filters and then JM Lab Electra 926 floorstanding loudspeakers
Long story short the high-pass filters and subwoofer are a room compensation configuration because I do not have a dedicated listening space, just have everything set up in the family room/home office, and the Electra 926s produce a massive room gain between 40-50Hz which I was able to overcome by filtering everything out in that range from the floorstanders and using my EQ'd sub to fill in the bottom end in their place. If I adjust the loudspeakers' placement at all, I will be giving up something in the uppers and mids, both in terms of tonality and imaging.
Anyhow, the speakers are house-warming hand-downs from my dad (who, in turn, had purchased them second hand from a friend of his many years ago) from when we bought this house back in 2012. They were not used extensively until very recently when my dad handed down his control amp to me, and concurrently I had begun to dabble with portable high fidelity audio (a separate topic all together). All that being said, the point is that the speakers are almost two decades old, as well as the amp.
So here's my question: do I just leave well enough alone because I am happy with the sound now, or do I consider replacing the aging loudspeakers with something more modern like, say, KEF's LS50 Metas (and continue to use them in conjunction with my subwoofer)? How far has speaker technology come in the nearly two decades between those speakers' releases? My primary concern being longevity of my current loudspeakers (will they wear out in short order due to materials aging?) or are loudspeakers fairly durable?
What would you do, if you were in my listening seat, so to speak?
-Ed
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@rocray Yes, I have begun looking around for shops with demo spaces. Room is around 250 sq ft. I listen to a mix of stuff, primarily pop and rock, some jazz and metal, but almost no rap/hip-hop, or country music. I do not tend to listen super loud, under 85db for sure. -Ed |
Well Ed, our tastes and listening levels are about the same. If the wife is out of the house, listening levels are probably around 85db,maybe a tick more. Usually I’m at around 70 db. My dedicated listening room is small, 9x13x8. Stand mounts and two subs work excellent. You have a decent size room, and may like the added impact of floor stand speakers. You’re definitely doing the right thing by auditioning speakers. Do the shops you have been visiting allow a home audition? If so, then this will give you a great idea about “upgrading”. Ray |
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