I have a background in science and tend to be very detail oriented. Like many aspiring audiophiles I find things like SPL, frequency response, diagrams, and ohms law very quantitative and comforting. The irony, I believe, is that what makes a good composer, singer-or speaker for that matter- GREAT, rather than just good, is entirely in the qualitative relm. Therefor, all you will read is just what I hear sans the science.
Audiophiles are probaly a little obsesive compulsive, my girlfriend Andrea seems to think I am. So when I got the bug to get a new system after several years without, I started obsessing over every printed review, periodical, and electronic document I could lay my eyes on. So many products, claims, and prices floating through my head, it was mind boggling!
Since this is all about speakers I'll stay focused. My first choice was a set of Mission M71's that had received the Product of the Year award from WHAThifi. Very nice, very reasonable in price and had a bit of what I would later learn to be the Brithish sound, though a bright British sound. I was so proud of my new speakers! How clean, how smooth, and look at the, I mean hear, the soundstage!
But did they engulf me with sound like a concert? Sadly not. So I kept looking, Epos, Joseph, Kef- incredable and too expensive. Wharfdale Pacific Pi30's also too expensive. But I scored the Internet deal. They arrived at my house in gigantic boxes, I was a kid in college again! Bigger is better.
They did indeed throw a big sound. A warm winter nite cabin in the woods sound but the highs seemed to contain too much effort and they lacked the sense of spacialness (?) that I felt when I went to a concert. I continued to read and learned this was a characteristic of smaller speakers. Back to the web.............and by chance on July 25th I came across the site Goodsound (www.goodsound.com) that we all hear so much about. This was my first aquaintance with Srajan Ebaen and his budget ethos- We were two peas in the same pod! So I wrote him and asked his advice. He suggested the Triangle Titus and Axiom M3Ti's. More reviews, god I love the process, and more searching the net.
Finally, on Monday,July 30th I called Noreen at a sleepy 9:00 in the morning credit card in my eager hand. I love Canadians (I actually hosted some of the Canadian national cycling team every spring while in college at Arizona where we trained and raced) and I really loved the exchange rate. I wonder if these sell for $360 in Canada. But who cares! I had sunk the hook and Noreen told me to exspect my speakers Friday or monday at the latest.......
