I could pay a shrink for help, and he could cure me of my audio obsession, but then, he would have the money for new audio equipment. How is that an improvement for my condition?

So, I love my Harbeths. They are the best sounding stand mount speakers I've ever had in any of my systems, and I have a few.

A word about my main 2 channel, because, yes, I love talking about it. I got a pair of BAT VK56 monoblock tube amps and the BAT VK53 preamp. (Feikhert Woodpecker turntable, Koetsu Black Goldline cartridge, Marantz SA10 disc player, Goldnote DS10 streamer DAC with power supply, and my prize, a pristine TASCAM 32-2 Reel to Reel)

This system sounds incredible, but ... bass is great in room, but not great enough. I tried a pair of EP500s, which improved the bass, but seemed to detract from the divine midrange. So, I took them out.

So, backtrack, I ordered a Bottlehead tube preamp for the reel to reel last month. It should arrive in December. Exhausted my discretionary disposable, but then an opportunity came along that I could not resist.

A pair of Marten Django L floor standers, demo pair, at a terrific price. I have to go to the bank, and then at 11 AM, the Martens should arrive. If they are everything I hope, I will sell the Harbeths. If they disappoint, I will sell the Martens.

I will report back.

So, what is the goal of our hobby? I'm speaking of stereo not home theater. The goal is achieving the most life-like reproduction of music. I think for most music lovers that is the goal, the goal is not 120 decibels.

The Harbeth 30.2 Anniversaries lacked the last bit of air and twinkle in the highs and lacked much below 45 Hertz. But, despite that their mids are so wonderful and they achieve a verisimilitude of live music.

In search of a speaker which could match the Harbeths' midrange but add the lower frequencies and achieve airier highs, I grabbed a pair of piano black Marten Django L floor standers. They are not broken in (yes, I believe in speaker break-in). Their highs are beautiful. Their bass is full and accurate. But, the mids are not divine. I'm going to give them a chance to break-in. They are a very nice sounding speaker, but, for now, lack the beautiful mids of the Harbeth's.

I was over at a friend's house a few weeks ago. He has a pair of Marten Form Floor speakers. Instead of a trepezoidal cabinet, like Axioms, they are triangular, a single 4 or 5" ceramic driver, a ribbon tweeter. I had previously heard these speakers in his den driven by a big Macintosh tube integrated. It sounded undistinguished. When I heard them again, this time driven by a vintage Sansui integrated AU701 amplifier, playing a record on an old Sony turntable (a good one) with an old Ortofon moving iron cartridge, a modest ATI phono stage ... I was gobsmacked. Like live music I tell ya.

Yes, he moved the speakers to his screened sun room, so it was sort of anechoic, swapped a big tube amp for a vintage Sansui, and played "Now's the Time," with Willis Jackson on the tenor sax. I didn't see him come into the room and start playing his horn. I was shocked, not the last word in bass, but the mids and the highs were sublime.

So, today when the Marten Django Ls arrived, before we set them up, we all sat around while I played Now's the Time, through the Harbeths, and there it was again, it sounded like the tenor sax was in my living room.

So, after much fiddling, we set up the Django Ls, spun Now's The Time, and it was very nice Hi-Fi. It was not live sounding. Like I said in the beginning of this post, the bass was great, the highs were better, but friends, the music is in the mids.

I am sufficiently dejected about the election and won't let this bring me down further, nice speakers, but not like live.

2x, One of these days, I love to sit down with you to understand your side of things on that ... I'll even supply the whiskey.

I'd love to sit with you as well. If you ever make it to California, I'll supply a 15 year old (scotch, I am, after all a conservative), music, and steaks, or tofu, whatever your druthers!

If the two of you stay away from politics and stick to music, you may get along.

I don't think Trump's appeal is all that complicated... he's a big orange thumb in the eye of political correctness, and says things that a lot of people feel needed to be said.

The fact that he's a bit of dumpster fire in most other respects gets in the way, unfortunately, but the underlying message (whether Trump took it seriously or not) is still really important.

For better or worse the Democrats have become the party of the rich without anyone noticing (same with the Liberals in Canada) and the Republican party has failed dismally at getting that message out. Trump managed to do that, even if he ended up failing due to a number of other problems.

Bridgeman, that third paragraph is an amazing statement to me. If you swapped “Republican” and “Democrat“ It would be something I’d say.

Trump in my view is a con man and there is only one thing he believes in ... how to enrich himself. He’ll tell you (make up) anything if he thinks it would help him. The more he insists it’s true, the more times he repeats it, the more people question the facts even when they are right in front of them.

As far as saying things that need to be said ... nothing is black and white ... It’s complex and what looks like easy and obvious solutions often makes things worse. Which is what politicians have been peddling for many decades now, as sound bites (Often with ulterior motives) not true solutions get them elected. This is a way longer discussion then we can do here ...

I'll jump into this nonsense lol, Trump is a dumb ass for becoming the president without realizing at some point he has to become a politician. His policies have improved the vast majority of lives. The net worth of most Americans have increased significantly, myself included. He was just too ego maniacal to stay in office. I bet China (our biggest economic competitor) is loving that he is not being reelected, that in and of itself should speak volumes. It's just too bad someone couldn't keep him off Twitter. The man has a HUGE ego but he did a lot for America, so much in fact, China had to manufacture a virus and send it world wide (perhaps our embargo was too harsh, but there is a reason why you don't see terrorist attacks in China, you don't mess with them). China knew what would happen, Trump is a business man, not a president, at least not for much longer according to most news outlets.

btw, can we get back to speakers now?

I think I’m out numbered ... I give ... speakers it is ...

I try to stay out of political discussions. The contractor doing our yard grading packed up his machines and left after he brought up politics and I didn't agree with him. It was actually quite comical other than the fact that my wife got pissed off because the work didn't get done and we had to do it ourselves. I guess the silver lining is the money we were going to pay him can now go to more speakers.

Your wife is likely eyeing that spare cash too.

I can have a heated debate with someone and still like them and enjoy their company. Actually, we should make up a political drinking game ... where if there is a disagreement on a fact, we trace it down and the loser takes a shot. Last person standing gets the title of president and 2nd to last is V.P., on the other end we can have village idiot and town drunk.

I hope to have that conversation with you Mr. rrlev and though we will certainly disagree, I am confident it will be civil and interesting!

Yes, let every legal ballot be counted. Undo the Dominion Voter Counting Software (thank you Clinton voting initiative) 'glitches,' track Scorecard/Hammer tricks and undo them, don't just scratch your heads about hundreds of thousands of 'votes' dumped in the wee morning hours, in swing states, 100% of which were for Biden, and I think we would be discussing the re-election of President Donald Trump and the greatest political scandal in the history of our dear Republic.

Yes, Trump is a vulgarian. He has an adversarial relationship with the English language, but he is not brain damaged (IMHO Biden suffers from obvious neuro deficits), he does not exercise the executive powers through a Politburo, and is not ruled by the Davos globalists (Neu Weltordnung). His policies made this country wealthy, prosperous and powerful. He, unlike the democrat globalists, is not resigned to ceding global leadership to Red China,

Did the leftist democrats ever accept Trump's 2016 win as legitimate? Did they ever treat Trump as a legitimate president? Did the mainstream media ever have good word to say about President Trump? Were the president and his supporters silenced by social media? That is quite a headwind. Yet, I believe, tricks aside, Trump won 2020.

Trump is a bone in the throat of leftist globalists, the hair in their muffin. He had to go at any price, even if that price was free elections and our democratic republic.

So was this a thread about gear hoarding or politics?

Remember last time...... everyone stay on the boat!

Well, it seems this thread has broadened. Let a thousand flowers bloom. Speak your minds. Don't be silenced.

The goal is to find pleasure in something we enjoy. For myself part of it is trying to reproduce what was recorded exactly as if you were in the room when it was made. Part is in playing with the gear. Part is pride of ownership. Part is the pleasure of sharing it with others.

After I finish this theater/listening room I’m not sure that I will do any better sound wise till another break though occurs in sound reproduction ... IMO we are pretty close to limit of what stereo sound can achieve and the break though will involve multiple channels.

Agreed, Mr. rrlev. I have a couple of wonderful home theater systems. Problem is, so few great new movies. Sure, you can shake the place with Transformer, Avenger franchise offerings, but great movies, no.

As to 2 channel having reached its peak, I sort of agree. 2 channel is mysterious. I spent a day with a friend who has a megabucks system, Marten Coltrane II speakers, EAR electronics, a 6 figure turntable with a cartridge to match. We were listening through about a half million dollars of stereo gear. The music sounded really good, but not as good as some much less expensive gear I've heard.

Some of the best included a rig of 2 Axiom made Michaura M66s (2 Axiom 6.5" drivers and .75" Axiom Ti tweeters in a gorgeous large stand mount cabinet), twin Dahlquist 15" subs, Sony 9000ES SACD player. Speakers were blown out by ibid for under $200 the rest all used. That system cost less than $1,000 and to my ear sounded better.

Synergy and the room.

I am listening to the tune below and it sounds as if my surrounds are on. I don't hear any speakers or subwoofers. Just images in space and smooth, even, transparent bass. Is this the end of my stereo journey? Is an active LFR1100 system with five sealed subs it? It sure sounds and feels like it.

https://open.spotify.com/track/4TpXMb9yqBiFv5Oh5x9xY0?si=JXSrDKbvQsGyVYEh6YsqUw

Interesting, as I have found them on ebay, but never seriously considered them as a purchase.

I may need to rethink that!

Yes dollars spent are not always related to better sound. What’s funny is by the time most of us have the means to purchase a top rate system we have aged out of being able to hear the full range of sound It’s capable of.

Maybe axiom should get into the business of creating audiophile hearing aids ... give me another 10 years or so and I will probably be there ... come to think of it I’d probably need a quite a few other replacement parts by then

Hi BBIBH

In my opinion, you can't go wrong with any Michaura. The two stand mounts and the floor stander use beautiful hex shaped, EXTREMELY rigid rosewood (faux but beautiful) finished cabinets. All use the Axiom 0.75" titanium tweeters. The M55 uses two 5.25" Axiom aluminum drivers, the M66, two Axiom 6,5s and the M665, two 6.5s and a 5.25. I've had them all. I use 6 of the M55s as surround and ATMOS speakers in an HT system, gave away my M665s to a good friend, and my M66s are in storage.

The Michauras are very efficient and extremely tube amp friendly. I used the M66s with a 5 watt per channel Antique Sound Labs MG Si 15dt single end triode amp. Along with the pair of Dahlquist 15" subs, a magical combination.

I think the hex shaped cabinets are great. They are very effective at defeating standing waves and make for one of the most rigid and inert MDF cabinets I've ever come across. I've upgraded the caps in my M55s, I don't recall whether I did for the M66s, I know I didn't for the M665 towers because the way the cross-over was mounted in the cabinet.

I think Axiom should come out with a line of hex shaped speakers. I think a large stand mount M66 style speakers, with twin HP 6.5" drivers and the new tweeter would be spectacular. axiom could have a new second line of speakers.

They would be unique among current audio speakers. I'd get a pair.

Speaking of which, don't worry Mr. rrlev, science is wonderful.

Axiom sort of has an M66. It's the M50. I really like it. I am not sure if acoustically, there is anything to be gained from turning it into an M66 which I understand to be the same driver complement but a hexagonal cabinet similar to the Brystons and stand-mounted instead of a floor-stander.

Yes, Mojo. I've had them both. They do not sound the same. The M66s are clean and full sounding, no boxy sound at all.

Very interesting. Have you had the M50v4? It is full and does not sound boxy.

No sir. I think it was a V1 or 2

I don't think you'd like the M50v4. I peg you as a prominent (forward) mid-range kinda listener.

And you?

I prefer a neutral presentation.