Jaw dropping enhancements in sound quality

Discussion in 'Hi-Fi and General Audio' started by kmac, Oct 14, 2007.

  1. kmac

    kmac

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    What's the most "jaw dropping" speaker upgrade you have had?

    Not being into serious h-fi for long (been into music for ages though) I started off with some NAD mini monitors (list £100) I then happened to win a pair of MA Silver 9is (list £1000) in a competition and they sounded considerably better than the mini montiors. I would say " jaw droppingly " better.

    My current speaker is only my third pair ever (LSA2) and sound great to me - however, I think perhaps held back a little by the room.

    The biggest leap in performance I experienced though was between the NAD and the MAs. Okay the price difference is a factor of ten and I would not have taken that route neccessarily if I hadn't won them.

    I'd be interetd in hearing where others have experienced a huge increase in sound quality from speaker upgrades and also what the cost differential (if any) was.
     
    kmac, Oct 14, 2007
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  2. kmac

    Tenson Moderator

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    Going from MA Gold 10s to PMC AML1s was a pretty damn nice upgrade. Cost is ~£800 vs. ~£4,000 so a 5x increase. but they were active with Bryston amps too.
     
    Tenson, Oct 14, 2007
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  3. kmac

    RobHolt Moderator

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    Naim IBLs to Impulse H2s, closely followed 25 ears ago by Heybrook HB2s replacing some nasty cheap Marantz things.
     
    RobHolt, Oct 14, 2007
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  4. kmac

    scott_01

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    Rega Juras replacing 1970's Cheapo Sony Boxes.
     
    scott_01, Oct 14, 2007
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  5. kmac

    DavidF

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    similarly my ruark sceptres were a lot better after maudort short ms20s

    some day i'll try some floorstanders.....some day..
     
    DavidF, Oct 14, 2007
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  6. kmac

    unique72

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    going from some Kef Q35's to ProAc D38's ... that was pretty jaw dropping :D
     
    unique72, Oct 14, 2007
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  7. kmac

    peez

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    B&w cdm2 SE's to Sonus Faber Concertino's - far less artificial in every way -
     
    peez, Oct 14, 2007
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  8. kmac

    sq225917 Exposer of Foo

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    moving house..
     
    sq225917, Oct 14, 2007
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  9. kmac

    DavidF

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    can't quite run to that....

    ...sorry I didn't read the question properly.....the biggest enhancement was when pete set my styff up properly

    ie far more space between speakers (sorry about that pete :) )

    they certainly wern't going back again.......
     
    DavidF, Oct 14, 2007
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  10. kmac

    Bob McC living the life of Riley

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    the biggest enhancement was when pete set my styff up properly


    Multi-talented that lad!
     
    Bob McC, Oct 14, 2007
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  11. kmac

    serratia

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    Move from CD to vinyl.
     
    serratia, Oct 14, 2007
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  12. kmac

    kmac

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    Okay so at what price point then do you have to spend significantly more to get only a small increase in sound quality?

    Take Tensons example of AML1s at circa £4000 - how much do you have to spend to get the same increase in sound quality again from the MA Gold 10S (withput going DIY)

    Not a great example as they are active and the inlcuded Bryston ampos could be said to account for some of the sound quality gains
     
    kmac, Oct 14, 2007
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  13. kmac

    Stereo Mic

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    With loudspeakers it's not always about the money, but importantly the speaker's interaction with the listening room.

    Also remember that 80% of your loudspeaker's cost is mark up. only 5% is likely to be the drive unit cost. So spend £1000 and you've got £50 worth of drive units. £2000 gets you £100 worth. Would you expect an enormous difference based on parts quality alone? Unlikely IME. Far more important will be system and room matching and simply personal taste. No loudspeaker is close to being accurate - so experimentation might produce something you personally prefer that costs substantially less.

    My own personal experience suggests jaw dropping loudspeakers are frighteningly expensive all other things mentioned above being equal. But you can always save some money on cables ;-)
     
    Stereo Mic, Oct 14, 2007
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  14. kmac

    DavidF

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    Whats the next step up from my sceptres Mike?

    Would you recommend compact floorstanders for a smalish lounge? (I think its 17'x12' or there abouts)

    Home build?

    My brothers spenders sound nice but more than I wil lever afford.

    (a good 2nd hand buy?..........I only usually buy 2nd hand)
     
    DavidF, Oct 14, 2007
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  15. kmac

    sastusbulbas

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    What about R&D etc, not all speakers are a box with cheap drivers and a high price bling badge are they?

    Cheap and expensive speakers have varied price points, costs and value-actual and percieved do they not?

    I am sure the drivers in my CV pa speakers cost almost as much as buying the speakers themselves.
    As for my main speakers, the drivers and crossovers cost a little bit, and including cabinet materials and the little bits and bobs plus construction time, would still be a fairly costly exercise which I could not guarantee being better than the off the shelf product, and where does the cost of measuring equipment and such come in?
     
    sastusbulbas, Oct 14, 2007
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  16. kmac

    Tenson Moderator

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    I think Mike has a point.

    I mean.. the Cyrus CD player you have is about as good as you are going to get simply because there is not a lot more to do in a CD player to make it better... You can find something differnt of course, and you might like that more.

    In a similar way, I think once you get to a certain point in speakers there are not really many ways to turn for better performance. But you could look for something different. Although I do think your speakers can be improved, but not in the jaw dropping way you are after.

    Just some thoughts
     
    Tenson, Oct 14, 2007
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  17. kmac

    Stereo Mic

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    If you know of a loudspeaker manufacturer whose production cost is more than 20% or retail do tell me.
     
    Stereo Mic, Oct 14, 2007
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  18. kmac

    nickhor

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    speaker change

    B&W 804 to SF amati homage
    Night and day change :)
     
    nickhor, Oct 14, 2007
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  19. kmac

    Purite Audio Purite Audio

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    Mine.
     
    Purite Audio, Oct 14, 2007
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  20. kmac

    ShinOBIWAN

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    All commercial loudspeakers are a joke really. Your either paying stupid, and I mean stupid amounts for the good ones or your just pissing in the wind and getting something 'nice'.

    Sadly, except in rare cases Mikes 5-10% rule for driver value vs. retail cost is quite true. You don't have to spend a huge chunk on drivers to get a good sound but there's a price point in drivers where the performance becomes least compromised, below this your looking at moderate to heavy compromises. For example, if you've spent £2k on a pair of speakers with 6 drive units spread between them then that averages out at around £17(5% rule) or £33(10% rule) per driver. Which is right at the very bottom for respectable performance drivers.

    The more you get into this the more you want and you very quickly run out of money whilst striving for something that isn't so compromised. I expect £2k is large chunk of money to anyone but the sad fact is that this is really the entry point for least compromised speakers and if your looking for the next significant step up then £4k+ isn't an unrealistic figure and beyond this I find you start paying for prestige, aesthetic and other silliness rather than noticeable and definite steps forward.

    A much more interesting market is studio monitors which I consider to be far better value for money.

    You can also be an oddball and DIY your stuff but this isn't a free meal either and requires a lot of devotion, research and time to exploit fully. At first its quite likely you'll end up spend more on a DIY project than the equivalent quality commercial alternative and this is especially true if you factor in costs for tools, measurement equipment and such like if your just starting out.

    Top and bottom is you pick whichever suits. My vast over simplification is: Got deep pockets? Go commercial. Got enthusiasm and a creative edge? Go DIY. Got sense and want the best for your money with no fuss? Go Studio monitor.
     
    ShinOBIWAN, Oct 14, 2007
    #20
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