Help Me Pick Out New Bookshelves :)

[Flint]

Yeah. we heard them at the high end show during CES.

 

[Deleted member 133]

Jeff -

Didn't you get to hear the AT-1 at show a year or three ago?

It was at CES and it was basically the last prototype / demo pair before they went on sale.

I'd known that Peter Tribeman was going to be there so I showed up and sat through some demo sessions and then Peter and Phil Clements, the inventor of H-PAS, and I chatted about it for a good 30 minutes or so. (Peter used to call me from time-to-time to talk about a variety of things / get my feedback. If all company Presidents / CEOs were like him, the world would be a much better place!).

I then linked up with Flint for dinner and encouraged him to go have a listen. Remember that prior to that I was saying how amazing the bass on these speakers were going to be (and they were) but Franklin was adamant that, because of laws of physics etc., it could not be so. Turned out it was and he posted a photo of him handing a buck over to Peter - for the bet he'd lost.

Anyhow the AT-1 was released for sale a few months later and all the reviews that I've seen have been very positive.

If, for example, I were ever hit really hard on the head with a blunt object and somehow lost my taste for the Koss CM/1030, the AT-1 would be on the top of my list to take the place of the pair that I have in a no-sub stereo set-up in my living room.

Jeff

ps. Methinks that Flint doth simplify things too mucheth!

 

[Razz]

I want to hear that AT-1

 

[team_tsp]

To answer a few of the questions that have been posed:

Regarding acoustic treatment, I absolutely agree this is valuable but haven't gotten around to it. Someday it would be nice, but for now it's pretty low on my life priority list (so much to do, so little time/money LOL). As mentioned before, I'm pretty happy with my music room for now, the main reason I'm window-shopping for new speakers is if I decide to move the 'Digms to my living room.

Why bookshelf speakers? My music room is pretty small, and I love the SVS so I'd rather have the speakers focus on midrange and treble. But I always appreciate thinking outside the box JeffMackwood

Batman, sorry I didn't answer your question as I was typing up that long post and didn't realize you had asked. I'm in the North Dallas, TX area. I'm not sure where Batman's pad is (to Razz's question), but I doubt I'm nearby? Attending a GTG someday would definitely be cool, especially since none of my friends are audio enthusiasts

Jamhead, I liked your story about telling the snake-oil-salesman to stop talking, I'll have to keep that mind if I encounter more of them!
--

I didn't keep up with the audio world much after I bought my 'Digms. It's good to get re-familiarized, and auditioning is fun too. Life is busy so it's tough to find time to audition, but I'll keep you posted as I listen to more speakers and come up with more questions. I appreciate the lively discussion and suggestions, keep them coming :handgestures-thumbup:

 

[team_tsp]

Hope everyone is well

Last weekend I stopped by a dealer to see what they had. In terms of bookshelves they only had a pair of low-end KEF's, and a pair of Anthony Gallos, neither one of which were hooked up nor did I have interest in auditioning them. I've heard Anthony Gallo floorstanders before so didn't care to hear the bookshelf versions.

They did have a pair of Vandersteen Treo floorstanders hooked up, so I listed to those for a while for fun. In some aspects I thought the imaging was a tiny bit better than my Paradigms. They also had a sense of delicacy (good), but also did not seem as detailed/articulate as my Paradigms, which I found puzzling. I also found the lower midrange a bit lacking, and the bass was pretty sloppy for the most part.

I knew my Paradigms and SVS were a good value, but I see it much more so now that I'm auditioning speakers again. :shock:

 

[heeman]

Hope everyone is well

Last weekend I stopped by a dealer to see what they had. In terms of bookshelves they only had a pair of low-end KEF's, and a pair of Anthony Gallos, neither one of which were hooked up nor did I have interest in auditioning them. I've heard Anthony Gallo floorstanders before so didn't care to hear the bookshelf versions.

They did have a pair of Vandersteen Treo floorstanders hooked up, so I listed to those for a while for fun. In some aspects I thought the imaging was a tiny bit better than my Paradigms. They also had a sense of delicacy (good), but also did not seem as detailed/articulate as my Paradigms, which I found puzzling. I also found the lower midrange a bit lacking, and the bass was pretty sloppy for the most part.

I knew my Paradigms and SVS were a good value, but I see it much more so now that I'm auditioning speakers again. :shock:

:text-bravo:

 

[Towen7]

Are you sure that your not just more accustomed to the sound of your current rig?

 

[BrianZ]

Are you sure that your not just more accustomed to the sound of your current rig?

yeah, that's what i was thinking too. i am really no expert at all, but as a fellow Studio 20 V3 owner (lover) i can imagine it would be pretty tough to find a set that ever-so-slightly tweaks one end of the spectrum without changing everything else. so i'm tempted to suggest you might be better off staying in the Paradigm family. for instance, have you considered the Studio V5? or maybe even the Signature series?

or the cheapest solution of all: turning down your Treble knob a bit? (i'm kinda serious)

 

[team_tsp]

Are you sure that your not just more accustomed to the sound of your current rig?

While I like to think I'm an objective person, I could definitely be biased/accustomed to the sound of my current system

When listening to speakers, I do try to pay careful attention to how the timbre of instruments/voices sound, imaging, speed, detail, overall balance, etc. I feel like a couple of the speakers I've auditioned so far might score a bit better overall than my current system, but at a much higher cost. I'm trying to find a pair of speakers that will make upgrading worthwhile

To BrianZ's recommendation, I was thinking of trying something other than Paradigm this time around, but I'll probably make my way to the local dealer sometime to listen to the Signature line, especially since nothing is catching my eye (ears?) so far.

Audition update:
Last weekend I listened to some Totem Rainmaker and Forrest speakers. I felt the upper treble was a bit hot on them, other than that they were alright but rather expensive for what you get. Not really a step up from the 'Digms IMO.

 

[Dennie]

Treat your room NOW!

Why waste time (and money) with new speakers if your room is not acoustically treated??!!!!

It really will be the best investment you can make... really!

I can't believe people aren't all over you about this, has everyone lost their minds and just want you to buy new speakers? That's crazy! :scared-eek:

Treat your room NOW! :angry-banghead:

BTW, Welcome and we're glad you are here! :mrgreen:

Dennie

 

[MatthewB]

Welcome to the Annex team (we're always glad when folks from out old stomping ground find their way here). Yeah Bats lives in Deleware and for the past five years he and his lovely wife have been hosting the yearly big GTG's. Picture about 20 audio video nuts having a blast with great food, Bar B Que, alcohol, great friends and great conversation. We get to sample a wide variety of speakers (ScubaBob brings his Wilson Watt Puppies down each year and since Bats is an authorized Dynaudio dealer and his system is Dynaudio we get to sample some pretty high end stuff. Other members also bring down some speakers. Pauly brought down some DIY speakers, Titanium Troy brought down his massive Magnapans and Saldog his Paradigms all hooked up to Scubas very powerful amps.

If you can make it this year (or any year) it is a blast with just the greatest group of people. Now if I could just get Jeff to smuggle me down some Cuban cigars from Canada then my life would be complete.

 

[team_tsp]

... Why waste time (and money) with new speakers if your room is not acoustically treated??!!!!
...I can't believe people aren't all over you about this, has everyone lost their minds and just want you to buy new speakers? That's crazy! :scared-eek:
...BTW, Welcome and we're glad you are here! :mrgreen:
Dennie

Hey Dennie, I mentioned earlier that I'm not getting rid of the Paradigms, rather I want to enjoy them in another room. As such, I am looking to get some new speakers in my music room. But I know what you're saying, I too am surprised I haven't gotten more grief about not acoustically treating my room Also thanks for the warm welcome bscene-drinkingcheers:


MatthewB, get-togethers sound awesome. I'll seriously consider attending next year :handgestures-thumbup:


Audition Update:
I listened to a pair of Proac Response D Two's - the tweeters sounded too loud in some regards (they didn't feel overly bright, but maybe there were?). I'm very familiar with the music I bring when auditioning speakers, and certain things seemed too loud (i.e. snare hits were too loud compared to the rest of the instruments, etc). However, for the most part, timbre reproduction of voices/instruments was quite good (I would say better than my 'Digms). Also, mid- and lower bass was fairly impressive for being bookshelf speakers. Maybe the bass was a bit emphasized, but it was fairly tight and well controlled.