@OP Ed. Excellent. I would start with them 2ft from the wall and gradually move them out until you find the best balance of soundstaging and bass response. Let us know how it goes. And happy birthday!
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 @yoyoyaya @kingbr @soix @mofojo Got the LS50 Metas in. Haven’t even broken them in yet, but this did the trick, especially once I installed the included foam port plugs. I removed the in-line high-pass filters and am running the LS50 Metas full range straight from the GCC-100, and have already achieved a flat total response curve with minimal time spent tuning the subwoofer through the phone app. Initial speaker placement is based on the guidelines set in the included manual, although they don’t think the bass port plugs are needed when placed with far from surrounding walls, I ended up needing the port plugs to cut down the room gain at ~45hz. Curiously, the floorstanders were more sensitive than the new bookshelfs. Actual volume level when listening to the new speakers set to 30 on the GCC-100 sounds more like 23 or 25 with the Electras combined with the high-pass filters. Answering the broader question, it seems time and technological evolution have not been so kind to my Electras. The new setup provides better resolve in the bass and sub-bass, and superior imaging with basically no experimentation with placement yet (waiting for break-in to progress more before doing so). The sound is also smoother/easier to listen to on the top-end and also overall more neutral across the spectrum, which, from a subjective point, fits my listening tastes more (I’m not a V-shape kind of guy, plus vocals were a little too forward compared to the rest of the ensemble with the Electras for me taste). I am finding that complex metal and classical/orchestral pieces maintain better integrity from the new speakers than the Electras. It’s a hands-down winner, especially once I plugged the bass ports on the Metas. I wonder if the Electras are just too much speaker for my room (approximately 250 sq ft, lowish ceiling) or if they really are degraded in performance due to age. I can’t take a time machine back 20 years to tell for sure. Most critical of all, however, the system has reached end-game sound for me. I think, at the end of the day, this is something for which a price tag cannot be put. To have the sound where it is good enough that I no longer have any desire to change anything, and just enjoy the music, well, can’t beat that, right? -Ed |
Ed, that is awesome! So glad to hear that you’ve hit it out of the park! It’s remarkable how are ears somewhat adjust to deteriorating crossover parts over the years. We may think our 20 year old equipment sounds as great as the day we brought them home, until the new kid shows up,and tells our ears something different. It’s such a slow, incremental deterioration we don’t really even notice. Ray |
@OP Ed - very glad the speakers LS 50s worked out well. The manual is correct in that theoretically you shouldn't need the port plugs if the speakers are well away from the walls. However every room is different so if your ears tell you you need them then you do. Regarding your old speakers, all of the JM Lab / early Focal speakers were too bright for my taste. The KEFs are much more neutrally balanced. Enjoy your listening. |
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