Having been raised with musicians and knowing what musical instuments really sound like vs what speaker designers are wanting me to believe they sound like, I have been unsuccssful in finding speakers for my music and Home Theater. When I get close to finding the animal of my choice, the speakers start costing 4000 dollars for each speaker.....Nuts. Am I the only one who knows that a french horn when heard will give you goose bumps and make the hair on your neck stand to attention? Music should and does, when heard by good speakers, bring you to an emotional high. When I talk to fellow Musicians they nod and agree that due to how we are taught or the absence of musical training,the market now focuses on those who simply no longer know how music from instuments is suppose to sound. Speaker designers are lost in the world of numbers and testing methods, but have forgotten that the human ear and brain are the end users so to speak. With that said, how do I find good speakers now that the market seems to have caused many retailers to close up shop. Yet, for those remaining to have a large quantity of crap but only a small quantity of good speakers whose cost is to high.

What speakers have you heard that have been less than impressive, and what speakers that are too expensive have you liked?

Bowers and Wilkens CM 9s were great with Velodyne subwoofers
Martin Logan Vista series were great with Martin Logan Grotto 1 subs, but these systems required an investiment of 7 to 10k.

Dogs were, Kliptish,Definitive, which had bass sounding like it was comming through a wall, not clear, poor cone of sound, using Denon receivers,And Yamaha, with an investment of of 5 to 8K

Thanks Scott

Hey, see if there's anyone who's got Axioms nearby you, and they'll probably give you an audition. I'd say most of us agree with you about how music should sound; that's why we're here.

That and we're a bunch of goofballs.

Scott, check the "Hearing Things" thread if you want an audition or call up Axiom to see if there's someone near you. Also, I would suggest you listen to some Monitor Audio Silver series and also some Paradigm Studio series speakers if you haven't already. They are all priced well below what you have been looking at and in my opinion, are all very enjoyable speakers.

I think what has been somewhat lost in the discussion here is that as much as we would like to be able to duplicate that "live" feeling in our listening choices, we have to remind ourselves regardless of what one spends on their speakers, they will sound only as good as the recording that is played through them! Obviously, the vast majority of music is recorded in a studio and the musicians are not playing in a "live" concert venue thus they are subject to the whims of the sound engineer and producer which can be processed in multiple locations even on the same album! These are the limitations of what a speaker's capability is, not the speaker in and of itself.

I suppose it depends on personal taste, but as far as quality and consistency are concerned jazz and classical recordings tend to stand out here. That is why most reviewers tend to use these in assessing equipment, especially speakers.

In recent years, I have attended a number of performances that were recorded live for sale later in various forms(DVDs/CDs etc.)and as it turns out I much preferred the recording to the live performance just because of better overall balance and the ability to hear ALL the instruments and voices. I was at the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards in April and if one didn't know you would think the person on the mixing board in the theater just came from doing the same thing at a "Poison" concert.

I would suggest, when listening to speakers, listen to the music as a whole and just not one instrument. In recent years all reasonably good speakers can reproduce pretty well anything that is thrown at them.

By the way, as a musician myself for over twenty five years, as much as we would like to think we know best what sounds good and accurate and what doesn't, it isn't necessarily true. That is why even the most successful, have producers.

Scott, welcome. I haven't been a musician since I played(clarinet)in school bands and orchestras, but I attend concerts fairly frequently and have an idea of how I'd like instruments(including french horns)to sound like in my home listening experience. Of course the recordings aren't going to perfectly duplicate the live listening experience and the room and speakers are also going to take a toll on reality.

Having said that, I've found that the Axioms have an excellent quality/price ratio and satisfy me. If you can't give them a listen locally you might consider trying them for a 30 day home trial.

Scott. Welcome to the forums. Most people seem to be happy with an approximation of the real thing, so thats what many manufacturers make. Its always about tradeoffs.

The issues of good sound reproduction have been covered well by previous posts. Speaker design for accurate sound is well known: ruler flat on and off axis without distortion. If you look at speaker manufacturers that follow this design philosophy, you will be on your way. B&W, Axiom, Paradigm, Energy and PSB are a few that come to mind.

I could not locate anyone with Axioms near enough for me to audition prior to purchase. I did go and hear a pair of Paradigms - and now that I have the Axioms, I can atest that the sound is very similar.

thanks to all for the help and I plan to look for someone near me who has Axioms and I will check out the other systems mentioned as well. Again thanks to all

Scott

Yeah, Rick; that's granddad in the front row with the clarinet, pictured in the old country with his polka band.

JohnK has a good point. Even the best surround system is hard pressed to duplicate the sound and ambiance created by the size and shape of a concert hall.

That being said, my local orchestra hall was remodeled many years before I started going there to add more capacity and they totally wrecked the acoustic design that they worked hard on when it was first built. Even as a newb I could tell it sounded flat and I'm probably in a rare minority where I enjoy 'the sound of' classical music more on my home system than I do at the live hall.