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Meadowlark Kestrel II vs. Soliloquy 6.2

I'd like to duplicate the live music experience with a two-way speaker. My goal is to miraculously have Coltrane, Miles, Jimi, Stevie Ray, etc. perform in my living room. This speaker also must have a high "WAF" (Wife Acceptance Factor).

I'm very interested in the Meadowlark philosophy regarding time and phase coherency and the use of 1st order crossovers, reproducing the original wave form as the music was recorded. How will these two speakers compare? Is the apparent smaller "sweet spot" of time/phase coherent speakers significant?

My system: Ah! Njoe Tjoeb CD Player w/upsampler
Eastern Electric MiniMax Preamp
Quicksilver Minimite Monos
Klipsch Heresys

My room: 20'x14'x8'

I listen to a variety of music including Jazz, Classic Rock, and Classical so this speaker needs to be versatile. I don't need to shake the walls with thunderous bass but I like to crank it up once in a while.

Any other suggestions for two-way speakers in the 2k range would be appreciated.

Mike
mootsdude
boa2's avatar
boa2
1,551 posts
 
Mike,

It would seem to be your best move at first, installing the dedicated lines. And Samac's suggestion regarding the preamp is also excellent. From there, you certainly have a lot of room to move in the way of a speaker upgrade. I'd just be sure that you are heading in the direction of the sound that you like. Namely, one of transparency and immediacy. What kind of power cord are you using on your CD player right now?

Are you still racing? In Colorado?
Regards,
Howard
boa2's avatar
boa2
1,551 posts
 
Tojman,
You really found a 30Hz speaker to have "no bass at all"? I'm guessing that you had them for more than the 300-500 hour break-in period, yes? Because during that initial period, the treble glares harshly and the bass is anemic. Afterwards, however, they open up and become the speaker that so many people rave about. Or so was our experience.

Congrats on finding a speaker to your liking. Those Tylers sure have a devoted following.
All the best,
mootsdude OP
51 posts
 
Howard - I didn't mean to mislead you by saying I'm a "Moots rider". Moots sponsors a racing team based in Steamboat Springs, Colorado (where the bikes are made). I race a Moots bicycle in NJ. Actually I've retired from racing but continue to train with a local amatuer team in Trenton, NJ. To do well in racing requires incredible dedication and tolerance to pain. Beacuse of family and work obligations I've decided to taper off on the racing.

The power cord on the CD player is an upgraded captive cord that is factory installed. For this reason, Im probably not going to mess with it.

Tojman - I have consistantly heard great things about the entire Tyler line of speakers. I'll need to give them a listen. Sounds like they're less finickey with regards to component and cable synergy than the Soliloquy's. What is your associated equipment and what power requirements are necessary to drive the Tyler's?

wdi
40 posts
 
Don't mean to derail this thread, but in regards to Boa2's remark about the VH Audio Hotbox sounding veiled, I'm curious as to what specific component might be the cause? I'm using a couple of DIY powerbox's comprised of Cryoed Wattagate 5266i to VH 4 cable to Porter Ports in plastic boxes; so the differences are the outlets, lack of Auricaps, and plastic versus the metal box. I haven't noticed any problems, but was considering adding the Auricaps next; and I hope this won't result in the problem that Boa2 has experienced.
boa2's avatar
boa2
1,551 posts
 
Wdi,
I should say that we have a SET amp/horn system, with 104dB speakers. Many of the cables, power boxes, and even power conditioners have had the effect of veiling the sound, making it seem like the highs are simply smoothed over. So I can't imagine that everyone would have the same experience, given the differences in our systems, as well as in our listening preferences. In other words, YMMV.
All the best,
Howard
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