I don't think a new speaker is the answer. The Fletcher-Munson curve dictates that the bass must be turned up at lower volumes to achieve proper tonal balance, because the human ear is not linear. I have never tried it with my Quatros, but it seems you could turn up the bass on your model 5As to compensate a bit and see if it is enough to get you a satisfying result. I am lusting after the new Vandersteen Line Stage, which has a feature to boost the bass for my late-night listening.
BEST HORN LOUDSPEAKER TO PURCHASE
I am a 73 year male with normal hearing as per my ENT doctor. I am comfortable listening to music at 50-55 dbs, with occasional peaks of 60-62 dbs. Looking for the music to sound alive at these levels. Did some acoustic treatments, purchased an equalizer which did not help(workaround of Fletcher Munson Curve). Finally I made a change and purchased a pair of JBL 4349 horn loudspeakers, which is a 2 way speaker with a horn midrange and a large dynamic woofer. Sensitivity was 91. I was able to get full bodied sound at lower levels, but the bass driver did not wake up until 70 decibels. I have 2 SVS subs, the DB4000. I adjusted the cross over and volume which improved the bass. When I put my ear next to the bass driver of the JBL at 50-55 db there was very little bass to be heard, in a piece that had substantial bass . This is my den system. I now firmly believe that a horn loudspeaker is the best way to go. My main system consists of 15 year old Vandersteen 5A's, Thor Audio Monoblocks 150 watt tube each side, and a Thor Audio linestage. The Vandersteens are absolutely wonderful speakers, featuring built in subs. You get top to bottom sound that is full and rich, but not at comfortable listening levels. Uncomfortable levels lead to ear pain. I have tried and tried, but in my system the Vandersteens require about 70 DBS to come alive. I have been researching and I believe I need a high sensitivity. I have been thinking about the Volti Audio Luceras. My budget is $15,000 per pair. I've watched Greg of Volti speak on You Tube and he seems to be perfectionist and seems to really know his business. I believe the Lucera has a 99 db, which should help the dynamic bass driver come alive at lower listening levels. I also believe that the sound will be rich and full bodied at my listening levels. Has anybody heard or own the Luceras? Would be interested in anybody's thoughts. Thanks for reading and responding to my question.
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Thanks for letting us know that Vandersteen is doing this My Brave Browser AI Quickie "Vandersteen Audio has introduced the L5-ACC Audio Control Center, a new line-stage preamplifier priced at $15,000. Developed over seven years with three years dedicated solely to software, this US-manufactured unit contains no Chinese parts and is scheduled to begin shipping in July 2025. Key features of the L5-ACC include:
The L5-ACC is currently being promoted by founder Richard Vandersteen and representative Brad O’Toole on a cross-country tour, with upcoming events scheduled for late 2025 and 2026." //////////////////////////////////// IMO, the Pure/Direct for 2 channel can be a way to shoot yourself in the foot. Gimme an old fashioned full featured preamp! Pure/Direct, for AVRs, Video Sound, has saved the day by getting rid of a lot of pseudo surround, added by who know who how many times, in the chain of getting to you, including your own AVR trying to out-do someone elses AVR. |
this just popped up, looks informative, I’ll skim it tomorrow. https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/tutorials/how-to-interpret-graphs/frequency-response/ One thing to notice, Speakers published response graphs, many of them, are shown ’smoothest’ at 80 db or even higher; and the maker’s published measurements are taken in an echoless chamber.
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agree with @glenmschneider that the Charney Lumacas at CAF were amazing sounding speakers. Truly magical. Unfortunately, they’re also butt-ugly, a bad phallic symbol, so if you care about looks, it’s hard to get past that… |
+2 for Volti Rivals. They sound really good at any volume level. They’re pretty big but nice looking w/ many cool veneers available. They cost about the same as Klipsch La Scalas which I almost bought but glad I didn’t. The Voltis are better in every way imo especially in overall refinement, frequency extensions & tone while being just as dynamic & live sounding. I suspect that next model down, Lucera,are quite close but a bit smaller & cheaper would also be in serious consideration. |
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