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The Official $2,500 Speaker Evaluation / Home Audition Event

260K views 1K replies 328 participants last post by  needspeed52 
#1 ·
This is...

The Official $2,500 Speaker Evaluation / Home Audition Event



Introduction

On November 1st and 2nd we will come together for another speaker evaluation in my home in Luverne, AL. Attending the event and participating in the evaluation and auditions, in addition to myself (Sonnie), is Wayne Myers (AudiocRaver), Joe Alexander (ALMFamily) and Leonard Caillouet (lcaillo), all members of the HTS staff. All of the speakers are here and being broke-in as recommended.

This is not a shootout, but instead it is an evaluation and home audition of six speakers. You might even consider this a combined review of six different speakers, although not by one individual, instead by three or four individuals in a very controlled and organized evaluation. This evaluation is not conducted to determine the best speaker, as there are too many variables from home to home for us to tell you which speakers are the best for you. Therefore, ranking them may encourage you to buy speakers that may not accurately suggest which speakers will be right for you. Your room size, acoustics, speaker location, amplifier type, amplifier power, other electronics, and your very own ears, will all play a significant part in how a speaker will sound to you. What we will do is carefully measure and listen to these speakers, then provide you with the objective and subjective results. This will be influenced by the equipment on hand and the dedicated home theater/listening room... which is fairly well treated acoustically, and is setup to allow flexible placement of the speakers. In this evaluation, we hope to be able to tell you what speaker locations sound best for this room, including close to the front wall and out into the room. Unfortunately, we cannot completely mimic your room, so there is no way we can guarantee you that the speakers will sound the same in your room. As always, we encourage you to evaluate speakers in your own home to be absolutely certain you get what is best suited for you. Hopefully this can be a guide that in some way will aid you in the differences we hear, but ultimately your ears are what is most important in determining what speakers are right for you.

This event will include speakers from two of our sponsors, SVSound and Underwood HiFi (Emerald Physics). There are four other speakers that were voted on in our $2,500 Speaker Evaluation Event - Nominated Speakers Voting Poll. Pricing for these speakers is for the pair. We do realize that these speakers may not necessarily cost exactly $2,500/pair. We get that number from the fact that the average of all 20 speakers that were nominated is right at $2,500. However, all of the speakers in this evaluation can be purchased for $2,500/pair or less (add $350 to the Emerald Physic speakers if you get the DSP). That may not always be the case in future rounds. Actually most of these are closer to the $2,000 range than $2,500. We are basically covering speakers that range from $2,000 to $3,000... capping the max MSRP at $3,000. I suspect in the next round we will be closer to the $3,000 range on most of those.


The Speakers


Associated Equipment
  • OPPO BDP-105 Universal Player - We will again be using the 105 as the source for the evaluation. There have been some questions about recorded CDR's being used because they are a copy of a copy (extracting from original disc to computer and then burning to a disc). Personally I cannot tell a difference one way or another from the original and a burned copy. As a matter of fact, I know of a double blind listening test where a gentleman was unable to tell the difference from an original CD and a burnt copy of a computer copy, although he insisted he could tell a difference beforehand. However, to eliminate any questions, we will use either dBpoweramp or Exact Audio Copy (EAC) to extract the tracks from the original CDs to a USB thumb drive and use it in the 105 for our evaluation music. We will use the XLR balanced outputs on the 105. Be sure to check out our review of the OPPO BDP-105 by Luther Ward. We appreciate OPPO being a sponsor here at HTS.


  • Anthem Integrated 225 Amp (i225) - At 225 WPC (8Ω) and 310 WPC (4Ω), this integrated amp from Anthem should provide plenty of power to drive any of the speakers we are evaluating. It boast a 105dB signal to noise ratio and is built with high quality, close-tolerance parts. The main power supply includes an advanced generation toroidal transformer, which contributes to its low-noise floor. The conservatively rated massive transformer is designed with high rail voltage, fed by two oversized low-ESL, low-ESR Nichicon filter capacitors that employ a total capacitance of 30,000 microfarads. The preamp audio circuits are fed by two precision voltage regulators, thanks to the ±15 V rails in the main power supply. The input and voltage amplifier stages are a differential design, although the output power stage has a fully symmetrical complementary Class AB design with three pairs of high-quality bipolar output devices per channel. The amps design significantly reduces distortion and ensure extreme linearity. This is one solid built amp that is no doubt one of the best in its class and price range. We will be using the XLR balanced inputs on the 225. We sincerely appreciate Anthem lending us this unit for use in the evaluation.



    Specifications

  • Onkyo PR-SC5509 - We will use the heavy duty 5509 as our preamp processor during our home theater speaker system review and our $20,000 speaker system review (see last part of this post for more info on those). It may also serve some duties as a preamp in the two-channel speaker evaluation. Of course the Onkyo does not really need any introduction. It is well known and owned by several members in our forum. It is a beast of a processor and very well regarded as one of the top preamp processors available. You can learn more about it by clicking on the link above or visiting our Onkyo PR-SC5508 - PR-SC5509 SSP / Integra DHC-80.2 - DHC-80.3 SSP thread. Be on the lookout for upcoming reviews on the Onkyo TX-NR929 9.2-Channel Network A/V Receiver and the TX-NR626 7.2-Channel Network A/V Receiver, as well as a couple of their soundbars. We appreciate Onkyo being a sponsor here at HTS.


  • RAM Electronics Custom Speaker Cables - "Ram-Flex Custom Series" 11 AWG Canare 4S11 speaker cable sleeved with ViaBlue braid and terminated with gold plated locking banana plugs. These are also good looking high quality speaker cables that will not break the bank. We all fell in love with these speaker cables... they performed flawlessly and in no way hindered or colored the sound. These locking banana plugs are awesome! I have already ordered several of these since our last event. We appreciate RAM being a sponsor here at HTS.


  • RAM Electronics Custom XLR Cables - RAM "Custom Series" XLR Balanced Cables includes the Mogami 2534 with Neglex Quad Cable and Neutrik Connectors wrapped with the ViaBlue braided sleeve... as well as CBI Ultimate ML with Belden Wire and Neutrik "X" Connectors. RAM will custom build just about any cable you can think of... just tell them what you want and they will fix you up. Their service is awesome, as is the quality of their cables. These are good looking, good quality cables that are very reasonably priced. RAM does not play around... you order up what you want and in a few days it is on your doorstep. Compare RAM to places like Blue Jeans Cable and you will see the savings, using the same quality wire and connectors.



The Listening Room

As with the previous event, we will use Cedar Creek Cinema, our dedicated home theater/listening room that is a converted two car garage. The interior dimensions are 19.5' wide x 23.5' deep x 8.5' high. There is a 6" high x 4' deep stage across the front of the room, and a 12" riser in the back that is used partially as a ported enclosure for the rear subs. The room is excellent for our purposes with ample acoustical treatment on side walls and ceiling, large corner bass traps in front from floor to ceiling, a centered Primary Listening Position (PLP), lots of space to work with, and well-controlled early reflections and ambiance.



As shown below, the RT60 reverb time for the room is very well-controlled, 0.2 seconds overall, and below 0.3 seconds clear down almost to 100 Hz. This is a nice level of control with enough ambient liveliness to aid soundstage and image development. There has also been some additional acoustic treatment from GIK Acoustics that has been added to the side walls and back wall since the last event.




After Hours Fun... with a Few Surprises!

As a bonus to our members and readers, we will also be reviewing a $20,000 two-channel system. This review will be published later in our Reviews forum, but we will introduce you to the company and the products during the event. This system is truly to die for... just plain awesome and worth every penny of its price.

But that's not all... we plan to enjoy a little late night fun at Cedar Creek Cinema, and this event is sure to spark some excitement with a special guest, who will also be providing a truly unique 5.0 home theater speaker system (costing well over $10,000) for us to review. This will be the first review of this product. Our plans will be to watch a movie each night of the evaluation, hopefully Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Then on Sunday evening and Monday, we plan to do more testing and evaluation for a complete review of this speaker system, which will also be posted later in our Reviews forum. I don't think you will want to miss this review. We will announce the manufacturer, the owner and the product a little closer to the event.

We believe you will truly appreciate these extra reviews we have in store for you. Personally, I think they are pretty significant... huge in fact!

I don't know about everyone else, but I am EXCITED!!!

BTW... :shhh: Remember... it's a secret! :whistling:


Results

As you can see below, we have reserved several posts for the results, which will be posted as soon as possible after the event. We will post some of the known information about the speakers between now and the event. You will want to subscribe to the thread. After the results are posted, we will post in the thread that the results are complete and the reserved posts have been updated.

The REW measurement .mdat files will be uploaded to each speaker thread and available for download.

...
 
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#145 · (Edited)
I am very excited to read about first impressions and over all performance of the MartinLogan ElectroMotion ESL units. They look impressive and the specs speak for themselves and paired with an already proven Oppo for the source and Anthem Amp to drive them I can only imagine these would be as close to audio nirvana as one can get. I just wish I lived closer to you guys so I can share in the fun. Just for fun can you guys test some 96/24 or higher bit rate vinyl rips? You choose the records.
 
#146 ·
very interested in seeing the results of this Audition/Evaluation Event...I bought my first pair of home theater speakers a little over 2 years ago and now I'm hooked on audio...my current speakers aren't crazy high end but they are great for someone like me who was starting out (Aperion 5T towers, center, and bipole/dipole surrounds)...the Aperion speakers are pretty impressive in their own right...audio is definitely 50% of the experience and maybe even more...adds a whole other dimension to a movie...Pacific Rim sounded amazing on Blu-ray

lots of excellent speakers at the event and it will be interesting to see how they all fare...can't wait to see what demo material you guys bring to test the equipment as well...might even help me upgrade
 
#148 ·
I am so excited. You guys really now how to get me hooked on threads. I wish I could attend it in person. I still need to buy some front and center Chanel speakers for my HT room and was planning on getting some RSL's based on the reviews. Then along came the $1000 speaker shoot out on here which made me hold off. Now along comes the $2500 shoot out.
In the test, you guys loved the ARX's with the ribbon tweeter so much that I am now leaning toward them but I want to see the $2500 results. I really love the look of the SVS Ultras's and love love my PB12 from them.
I am just excited for this event. Thanks so much for doing this for us.
 
#149 ·
I look forward to what will be coming out of this. I'm not in the market myself at this price bracket, but it will be interesting to hear (!) what the reviewers find out.

I hope there will be a variety of music being listened too, especially something with dynamics in it. The beginning of Stravinsky's Sacre du Printemps would be a good one.
 
#151 ·
I am incredibly interested in seeing the results of this evaluation. The previous $1000 speaker eval was a hit and definitely a useful guide to those looking in that budget range. I'm curious to see how the emerald physics and SVS speakers do compared to the rest. I've heard the rest of them, but just not those two!

I value every one of the four reviewers opinions and look forward to hearing impressions after the event has taken place!
 
#152 ·
I was scarred as a youth reading Audiophile and other like magazines. The floofy, subjective wording (complete even with made up words) to describe speakers and equipment sound never sat well with my scientific mind (including reviews of 6ft silver power cables that somehow improved the "sound" of the 60ft of copper to the fuse box). And it's very hard to map their lab measurements to what something would sound like (even with the accompanying subjective wording). They would compare everything to their $50K reference system, but that's not the same as comparing to other same-level components.

*Shootout* is how sound is supposed to be compared! I posted a link to the $1K shootout on my FB page and declared it the best speaker review I had ever read.

I'm really excited about this $2.5K level. This is where I live, personally (Sonus Faber Concerto's). Arrrreeee you ready to rummmmmmmmmble?????

Thanks guys, have fun!
--Myles(Wooderson - I do love those redheads)
 
#153 ·
I love the idea and only wish this was a little closer to me. I'm a SVS fan and would like to see how they compare to a few of the other speakers in this group. I think for most of us with a dedicated theater setup a $2500 investment is speakers is not out of line....$25,000 yes. I look forward to seeing the results.
 
#154 · (Edited)
This shootout will be the best one so far in my opinion... The $2500 speaker is a very good price point for a pair of speakers for a home stereo setup. While it may not be the best, it is a price point that a lot more people can afford than the exotic speakers seen in some of the magazines (although the exotics are nice to hear... Even if it is just to hear the absolute best money can buy). I would like to see more shootouts in the future too. Some suggestions would be:
1: DIY speakers (if someone can get them to Sonnie) compared to the best of the shootout speakers
2: Pro speakers compared to the best of the shootout
3: Powered speakers compared to the best of the shootout speakers
4: Video flat panels and projectors

I wish that I lived closer, and was able to attend the shootout to listen to all the different speakers in the shootout. This will be a excellent opportunity to evaluate all the speakers in a environment that is optimized for each speaker (unlike the environment most people hear the speakers in when they are evaluating), and much more like they will have in their own home.

Once again we see what makes HTS so much better than the other forums. Thanks again Sonnie, and the Sponsors for making this happen.

Patiently awaiting results.

Ron
 
#155 ·
I was about to pull the trigger on the $1000 winner when I see the $2500 Evaluation getting ready to take shape. I think I'll wait for the results and try and get by on my old Infinity speakers from the 80's. In my area there just isn't anywhere to audition so this type of thing takes all the guess work out of it. Thanks guys...I know its a burden :T
 
#156 ·
I'm REALLY looking forward to reading the results of this shootout! The first one with the $1,000 max was very well done and I found it very interesting the ARX won out. There is such a broad range of speakers in this evaluation not just from looks but driver materials, tweeter materials, DSP, etc. I've gotta be honest, I am really the most interested in the Emerald Physics speakers! They're so interesting and not many others similar to them to compare to. Next to the Emerald Physics, I'm very curious how the SVS' compare to the Paradigms. I've always been a big Paradigm fan so this will be really interesting to read.

Thanks for taking the time/money/energy to get this all put together, its definitely appreciated!

Scott
 
#157 ·
I'm looking forward to the results. It's just as well this isn't going to be a shootout with us guessing which one will win. I was in the minority with the $1,000 shootout and my pic wasn't even in the running. Then, of the three I voted for for this comparison, none of them made it in the first round. :dontknow: This way I can just sit back and enjoy the reports.

This type of comparison can provide some really useful insights. It is all well and good to read individual reviews of different speakers but the one question that is almost never addresses is "how did it sound in comparison to XYZ speaker?"
 
#158 ·
Yes! This looks set to be really useful. What a great and diverse selection of speakers - the voting process has worked a treat (and my main nominees made it into the selection, so how could I think otherwise?). The room is superb, the other system components shouldn't introduce significant limitations, and you are being appropriately fastidious to optimize the placement of each pair under test before starting. Will be interested to see your test program material, and really hoping there will be at least one superbly recorded classical piece included. If you can't decide on one, I'd be very happy to make a suggestion.
 
#173 ·
#159 ·
Good to see "real world" evaluations conducted for people looking to match up quality speakers with a room built and treated to complement the listening activities.

Obviously a time consuming activity to swap out a lot of big, heavy speakers. Don't hurt anything horsing them about!

-Suntan
 
#160 ·
While there is really nothing I could add to what others have already said, I will say that I am curious to hear (read) all of the reviewers' thoughts on these products. I don't have a dedicated listening/theater space, but will be keeping some of these concepts in mind when the time comes to either convert a garage or add to my house!
 
#161 ·
Neat shootout. Glad to see you are using the Oppo BDP-105 in the setup. I have the Oppo BDP-95 and it rocks. I understand that the speakers were selected by the masses. Any plans to try additional speakers at different price points?
 
#165 ·
This looks to be a fantastic gathering! Of these specific models I've only heard the SVS Ultra towers, but I've heard Magnepan and Martin Logan Electrostatics before (different models) and both offered a unique and interesting sound characteristic over traditional speakers!

Some have stated the SVS towers might be a bit borderline boomy or muddy on bass when used in full range, but I did not think that at all during the time I spent with them at one of the recent g2gs in IA. In fact the SVS towers were one of my favorite speakers of the day at that meet --- and there were some tough contenders there - many offerings costing several times more.

I hope this event proceeds without any major hitches and is well enjoyed by all in attendance. I'll definitely stay tuned for the results!
 
#166 ·
Sonnie,
Are you removing the unused speakers when you are doing your evaluations?
 
#168 ·
Dynaudio DM 3/7
Emerald Physics CS2P
Magnepan 1.7
MartinLogan ElectroMotion ESL
Paradigm Studio 60
SVS Ultra Towers
It is interesting to me that the only speaker in this collection that I have not investigated at least for an audition is the Dynaudio.
This is a tough comparison when you consider that the panel speaker ML and Maggies and the open baffle CS2P's can really challenge the room acoustics while the more conventional speakers can, potentially, be more forgiving of room acoustics and placement. So the challenge will be to invest the time in placement and room treatment to unleash the full potential of the "panel" speakers so as not to game the results.
 
#170 · (Edited)
This will be a pretty interesting shootout.

I'm mostly a HT guy and own the Maggy 1.7's and switched from Dynaudios. I previously used the Dyn Audience 52's, 72's then the 82's, then contours, and actually still use Dynaudio for my center channel and subwoofers (dual sub300's to complement the 1.7's). I also use the mmg as my rear channels. The system sounds very good now actually and I've stopped looking to change it, imagine that! It has surround speed with the Maggy's and softness, presense and slam from the Dyns. FWIW, the rest of my gear is outlaw audio (975 prepro and 5 2200 monoblocks).

I havent researched the newer Dynaudios, and cant wait to hear the results. Maybe I'll switch back! One of my mmg blew a tweeter, so now I have an excuse to do some rearranging, hah!

BTW, when you do your testing with the 1.7's, make sure that you test a bit while orientating perfectly ON AXIS with the listener - I'm looking at your room pic in the first post... The speakers sound good everywhere but there is a VERY tight band where they sound amazing and image/stage well. The Dyn's typically sound better a little off axis. :)
 
#171 ·
Happy to see a thorough review of speakers in this price and quality range. As some have stated, speakers in this price range would not be practical for me to purchase, however seeing the designs and components may affect some of my future speaker projects. As a car audio fanatic, I am partial to brands such as Peerless, Morel and Dynaudio...so I'll be paying close attention to the Dynaudio review. :T

Thank you for taking the time to do this review and filling us in on the details of the results!
 
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