Open minded consideration of different speaker types as main daily drivers
Ok, I am looking at a rebuild of my main listening room. For this space I am considering the following choices, that fall within what is a reasonable budget. Legacy Audio Focus SE, Klipsch Klipschorn and La Scala (both the AK7 and AK6 as well as the AL5 and AL6 in the La Scala), Cornwall and Volti Audio. I have serious questions about the sonic differences between the AL5 and AL6 La Scala and the Klipschorn AK6 and AK7. Are the new models worth the price premium? Or are the previous models so close that paying roughly a 1/3 more for the new models is not worth it? Or are the improvements so dramatic that its a no-brainer to move up. Money is always an object so consideration of whether the price increase delivers on value is a consideration. Then moving out of the horn speaker arena into the direct drivers offered by Legacy. Clearly these will not deliver the live nature that the horn based systems will but do they deliver a better daily driver experience on a wider variety of program material? I want to elevate my average experience, not have a peak experience once a month and be drowning in mediocrity until the next peak experience. None of these speakers come cheap. Given the money invested I want the best ROI I can get. Please if you have heard these 3 or 4 speakers please weigh in and help me make a choice I can live with and be happy with long term.
Focusing on the horn speakers, any of the Voltis will retain their value better than any of the Klipsch. If these speakers are endgame, then residual value doesn't matter, but if you get another itch that needs scratching, you'll take a comparative beating on the Klipsch. Regarding the Klipsch Active Crossover, give me a miniDSP SHD with DIRAC at a third of the price with 10x the functionality, six days a week, and twice on Sunday. Enjoy! |
I have tested dozens of speakers in my home with a relatively excellent but modest setup. I had the Klipsch Heresy speakers for several months. My wife and I both thought they were pretty good, but the horns were quite fatiguing. Soon after, I discovered leaf tweeters and highly recommend trying them. The air, sparkle, musicality make my speakers something I can listen to and enjoy all day long with no fatigue. That’s what makes a good daily driver in my case. |
@Pippi - Th e heresy speakers are not on my list except perhaps as a center speaker for more robust mains and surrounds. I have never experienced leaf tweeters and in fact have no idea what they are. Never been exposed to them. I like soft dome tweeters and air motion transformers. Both are excellent. IMHO. @deep_333 I was looking at tekton and kind of drooling...pretty good on paper, and their design with the multi-cone midrange is a compelling idea. The efficiency is high, the Moabs, my choice out of what they offer would be a challenge on the SPAF front, but if they delivered in the sound quality arena she would adapt readily. I want to take things to the next level, but my previous speakers the VMPS tower II special editions were something special, and the larger subwoofers that went with them never failed to deliver on ANY soundtrack I played. I just cannot go backwards on that performance...its gotta be at least as good but preferably better. @ntpc4 I am planning to buy 1 set of speakers that are my end game, at 72 I do not expect to ever buy another set. This will be my last pair and they need to deliver. In all areas. @soix I had VMPS tower II SE mains with their center and AR3a as surrounds and their Larger subwoofer as my system foundation. I was in total auditory bliss with this setup. They did everything I wanted and needed. Now its a new game. Gotta figure out how to do this well or better cause I only get one chance to do this. |
I don't get using any horns with solid state and/or hardware based dsp. High efficiency horns will always be best with with SET or low power push pull tube amps, You shouldn't need any dsp with a properly set up system, and if you still desire it go with something like HQPlayer for a digital based software solution. The right tools for the job starts with proper matching of speaker to amp. |
Considering that the VMPS is your point of reference and... If you are not in some rush, get on the facebook group and coordinate/go to some Tekton guy’s house nearby where you live for an audit perhaps. Personally, i think some front ported Tektons look weird as hell, some models with multiple woofers arranged side by side don’t look very good (WAF fail). The Moab looks fine if you can get a gloss finish with a color that fits your house’s decor perhaps. I got a Moab used from a dude with the crossover upgrade and put a different finish on it. My spouse thinks it looks like modern art A guy nearby bought a smaller model with a gloss finish called the Epic 15...Serious bass from that 15 inch woofer and the extension down in the 20s something hz is very real (the guy doesn’t make up specs), the array comes in and takes over around 300 hz and up, i think. Sonics aside, it looked quite nice to me visually. https://tektondesign.com/product/full-range-speakers/full-towers/epic-15/#color Pendragon doesn’t look bad either... https://tektondesign.com/product/full-range-speakers/full-towers/pendragon/#color The huge catalog probably has something to do with his eccentricity. But, i think there has been some past chatter among the Tektonians that the peak of his midrange magic are the models with the dual mid array d’appolito configuration small to large ---> encore monitor --> moab, symphony ---> ulfberht
Speaking of klipsches, there are also guys doing active crossover mods with older heritage klipsches. It’s a transformation! You probably don’t need the expensive klipsch heritage crossover for it. Something like this analog Harman DBX should do the job just as good for a fraction of the price, i think. I wouldn’t go with anything else besides DBX at this price bracket though. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/752261-REG/dbx_234XS_234xs_Crossover_XLR.html
|
.