Greetings everyone ... Since April, we have put together quite the collection of speakers and subwoofers in our place.
This started as a thread idea for Home Theater Shack - but the forum there just does not get a lot of traffic. It's not quite clear where the testing as being done will be posted, but it seemed like a fun idea to start a thread to get ideas about what people would like to see tested.
Here is what we have in house already (with a quick blurb on each):
Legacy Audio Signature SE's (Want B&W Diamond 802 sound for less than half the cost?)
Axiom Audio M3's (Blind tested at length full range against $1100 PSB Imagine B monitor, and with great results)
Axiom Audio M50's (The Swiss Army knife speaker - does fantastic things for under a kilobuck)
Chase Home Theater Theater 10's (Not pretty, but will hang with the $600 per speaker monitors one will find elsewhere)
Bose 301's (Because blind testing against them is a Floyd E Toole approved idea)
Axiom M100's (Delivering performance far above their price point. I would say at least double the price .. except for the next speaker)
Axiom LFR-1100's (For about $1730 more than M100's, increased detail, amazing sound stage, tightened bass)
Martin Logan ESL Hybrids (A fun speaker ... headphones without the annoying headphone feel)
PSB Imagine B Bookshelf (A standard bearer for several magazines)
Klipsch LaScala (Stereophile Class A, and a wonderful experience)
SUBWOOFERS
Axiom EP-800 (Reference quality bass)
SVS-PB-13 Ultra (Fantastic detail for a $2000 sub)
Chase Home Theater SS-18.2 (DIY without the work - Best 18 inch driver Eminence can build)
Outlaw Audio LFM-EX (Wonderful value sub - and working great after 7 years)
UNDER CONSIDERATION ...
SVS PC-2000 and Axiom EP350 ... both take up less than 2 square feet of space, and both around $800 USD delivered in the US.
The "under 2 square feet" is a big deal in most homes. Most subwoofers - especially those over 20 inches deep - stick out into the décor in most rooms.
Both the PC-2000 and EP350 promise excellent bass for relatively little $$$$ and floor space. I am likely going to test each in our 4500 cubic foot theater.
As for the rest ... As we get into late fall and early winter, look for a more detailed write up on the Legacy's, M100's and LFR-1100's. I am just not sure where the write ups will go. The hope is to make each a thread in which the performance and design goals can be discussed without rancor.
The same thing goes for the M3's, PSB's ... etc ...
Guests will be welcome here, should anyone wish to schedule a trip. Any manufacturer's product will be welcome - but it's important to understand many do not like listening tests done unless it's with that manufacturer's own "fan base".
Many would be surprised at the response when I ask if a manufacturer is interested in my purchasing a product for test purposes. For the record, Ed Mullen at SVS and Ian have been the most positive. This speaks volumes about their confidence.
OPEN THREAD ...
So please, consider this an open thread. Invite people from other forums to check this out, and if there is a product or idea you want to explore, let me know.
For some humor (hopefully) ... I do this because I love this hobby. When new speakers show up, it's like Christmas morning to a 6 year old. In the summer, I golf, in the winter, I "speaker", in terms of hobbies.
