New Year: My Best Advice In Regards To Audio is...

[orgel]

Become a real audiophile

 

(1) Choose an audio file format (24/480, DSD-HQX, GCQ-WTF, etc.) and be a total dick about it and refuse to listen to any music not available in your chosen format.…

 

I have to say I found this post hugely entertaining. Bill, you should compile your "best-of" curmudgeonly posts, and publish a book (or at least an e-book).

 

I'd like to say more, but I have to get back to my comparison of the SQ of different eSATA cables.

 

--David

[Nikhil]

Consider DIY. After a little research, it is often not as hard as it may appear at first, and you may enjoy the process. On the other hand, if you know you aren't the type to enjoy this sort of thing, forget what I just said.

 

+1 Just got into it a few months back and it's been fun.

[semente]

Determine your equipment's shortcomings, then try to identify the causes and find a replacement that improves on them.

Easier said than done, though.

 

R

[Nikhil]

I would recommend more people to consider stand mount speakers.

Specially if you have a smaller listening room.

 

Floor standing speakers have issues when it comes to clean bass delivery.

Bad/poor bass can eat into your mids and muddy the sound a bit.

Setup a stand mount speaker well and you might be surprised by the results.

[semente]

With floorstanders you can tackle floorbounce by using 2 or more woofers. The fact that the baffle stretches all the way to the floor helps too.

 

On the other hand, floor bounce is often associated with a subjective impression of "cleaner", "tighter", "faster" sounding bass...

 

R

[4est]

I do not get this post at all. In general, stand mounted speakers simply have less bass. Maybe this is true for large two way speakers....

I would recommend more people to consider stand mount speakers.

Specially if you have a smaller listening room.

 

Floor standing speakers have issues when it comes to clean bass delivery.

Bad/poor bass can eat into your mids and muddy the sound a bit.

Setup a stand mount speaker well and you might be surprised by the results.

[Nikhil]

I do not get this post at all. In general, stand mounted speakers simply have less bass. Maybe this is true for large two way speakers....

 

Floor standing speakers can overload a room, specially a smaller space, with too much bass. This typically needs some type of room treatment. A stand mount speaker, in comparison, will provide a much cleaner sound with (adequate) tight bass.

[semente]

Floor standing speakers can overload a room, specially a smaller space, with too much bass. This typically needs some type of room treatment. A stand mount speaker will provide a much cleaner sound with (adequate) tight bass.

 

I don't understand your reasoning.

What do you mean by "overloading a room"?

Are you referring to low frequency extension or SPL/magnitude at a frequency range that is influenced by the room modes?

Is there a reason why a speaker shaped like a tower extending from the floor would overload a room more than a box of similar volume "floating" somewhere between floor and ceiling if they both have similar frequency response and low frequency extension?

 

R

[Nikhil]

I don't understand your reasoning.

What do you mean by "overloading a room"?

...

 

This is a subject by itself deserving a thread all it's own.

 

Briefly, in a smaller room a floor standing design can over power a room with excessive bass due to different reasons (depending on speaker design). Room modes is one where a room will reinforce certain lower frequencies (sometimes in the 100 - 120KHz range) causing the bass to bloat or distort in some cases. Floor bounce etc are all other nuances that are subject to a room.

[semente]

This is a subject by itself deserving a thread all it's own.

 

Briefly, in a smaller room a floor standing design can over power a room with excessive bass due to different reasons (depending on speaker design). Room modes is one where a room will reinforce certain lower frequencies (sometimes in the 100 - 120KHz range) causing the bass to bloat or distort in some cases.

 

I fail to understand how a floorstander can overpower a room more than a standmount if the both have similar frequency response and low frequency extension.

 

Floor bounce etc are all other nuances that are subject to a room.

 

I have the impression that floor bounce depends on the speaker topology and not on the room.

 

R

[4est]

Bingo!

I fail to understand how a floorstander can overpower a room more than a standmount if the both have similar frequency response and low frequency extension.

 

R

[semente]

I fail...

[Nikhil]

I fail to understand how a floorstander can overpower a room more than a standmount if the both have similar frequency response and low frequency extension.

 

Because they don't. Seriously.

 

Theoretically you can but in reality a good floor stander would be much more expensive. A lot of people try to shoe horn a large floor stander into a room that is not ideal and it takes a lot of work to make it sound right. Room treatments, bass traps, DSP, cables, etc. A good stand mount might sometimes be the smarter thing to do. And less expensive.

 

Like I said this is a discussion for another day but for those interested do give it a thought.

[Paul R]

Bingo!

 

Maybe we are overthinking this a bit? Not many stand speakers have the same low bass capability that most floor standers have. I wonder if that is pretty much what we are talking about here?

 

-Paul

[Nikhil]

Maybe we are overthinking this a bit? Not many stand speakers have the same low bass capability that most floor standers have. I wonder if that is pretty much what we are talking about here?

 

-Paul

 

It's also about quality of bass vs quantity.

 

A floor stander might have too much bass and at the cost of quality.

A stand mount on the other hand can deliver bass that is tight and fast if setup well.

 

As always YMMV ...

[sandyk]

It's also about quality of bass vs quantity.

 

A floor stander might have too much bass and at the cost of quality.

A stand mount on the other hand can deliver bass that is tight and fast if setup well.

 

As always YMMV ...

Why?

Given similar specifications and proper decoupling from the floor by spikes, ball bearings etc. why should they ?

[4est]

Sorry but I beg to differ and yet this is likely semantics or language differences. This implies that the floor stander has larger drivers and/or deeper bass. Neither are directly implied. Nikhil has a point in that many rooms smaller rooms get overloaded, and many might be better served with a "smaller" speaker providing a shorter RT60 in that room.

Maybe we are overthinking this a bit? Not many stand speakers have the same low bass capability that most floor standers have. I wonder if that is pretty much what we are talking about here?

 

-Paul

[Nikhil]

Why?

Given similar specifications and proper decoupling from the floor by spikes, ball bearings etc. why should they ?

 

Definitely possible but a lot more work may be needed in comparison with a stand mount.

 

Nikhil has a point in that many rooms smaller rooms get overloaded, and many might be better served with a "smaller" speaker providing a shorter RT60 in that room.

 

*thumbs up*

[semente]

It's also about quality of bass vs quantity.

 

A floor stander might have too much bass and at the cost of quality.

A stand mount on the other hand can deliver bass that is tight and fast if setup well.

 

As always YMMV ...

 

A good floorstander should not have (produce?) too much bass (in magnitude, for a given frequency band?); the same is true for a standmount.

 

But standmounts, usually smaller ones, have limited low frequency extension and quite often an up-tilted response from bass to treble and because they don't produce the lower octaves they tend not to excite the room as much; on the other hand, the crippled low-frequency extension is a limiting factor in the enjoyment of music reproduction, unless the speakers are partnered with subs.

The aforementioned tipped-up response is also "un-natural" sounding, especially with classical music or other genres which use acoustic instruments.

 

When it comes to the reproduction of recorded music I find it essential to aim for the widest frequency range within the limits of audibility.

Such philosophy will obviously be fiercely challenged by budget limitations and room characteristics.

In a small room one might have to face modes that produce peaks and troughs of higher magnitude whilst a larger one will probably produce longer decay times and a more objectionable echo.

Longer decay times will impact low frequencies in a way that can be subjectively perceived as "loose" and "slow".

 

I understand what you mean when you say that one should choose speakers whose characteristics are adequate to the room they'll be used in, what I don't agree is when you attribute this to the topology (whether standmounts vs. floorstanders).

 

I get the impression that people like small stand mounts for their limited low frequency extension and lack of warmth, as this is often associated with a subjective impression of "cleaner", "tighter", "faster" sounding bass...

 

R

[Melvin]

snippage ...

 

I get the impression that people like small stand mounts for their limited low frequency extension and lack of warmth, as this is often associated with a subjective impression of "cleaner", "tighter", "faster" sounding bass...

 

R

 

Yet many will pair a subwoofer or two with stand mounts. As usual it depends on room constraints and desired outcome.

[Paul R]

Sorry but I beg to differ and yet this is likely semantics or language differences. This implies that the floor stander has larger drivers and/or deeper bass. Neither are directly implied. Nikhil has a point in that many rooms smaller rooms get overloaded, and many might be better served with a "smaller" speaker providing a shorter RT60 in that room.

 

Well, that certainly makes sense when you put it that way.

[4est]

Heh... Sorry if I was being pedantic.

 

As a side note, something like the Audio Kinesis Swarm might be of value to those smaller (and larger?) rooms. It uses multiple subs in varied positions to reduce room node excitement. And btw, my Tannoys have 15" drivers and are on (short) stands. Just sayin'...

Well, that certainly makes sense when you put it that way.

[Paul R]

Heh... Sorry if I was being pedantic.

 

As a side note, something like the Audio Kinesis Swarm might be of value to those smaller (and larger?) rooms. It uses multiple subs in varied positions to reduce room node excitement. And btw, my Tannoys have 15" drivers and are on (short) stands. Just sayin'...

 

LOL! I see your point!

 

I just did a roughly and loosely scientific survey, and the averge siz of the woofers in stand speakeds id 5-6", and in floor speakers 5-10". While by no means authoritive, I suggest it is indicative of why there might be a idea around that stand speakers have smaller woofers and less bass.

 

My my my, how easily one can be misled in this subject area! Even me!

 

So to rephrase- the advice is, for smaller rooms consider stand mounted speakers, and for larger rooms, consider floor standing speakers. That s not a hard and fast rule, because the reason for those consideratikns is room acoustics, and each room is going to be different.

 

Does that summarize up what you guys were saying?

[Nikhil]

I understand what you mean when you say that one should choose speakers whose characteristics are adequate to the room they'll be used in, what I don't agree is when you attribute this to the topology (whether standmounts vs. floorstanders).

 

Fair enough ...

 

So to rephrase- the advice is, for smaller rooms consider stand mounted speakers, and for larger rooms, consider floor standing speakers. That s not a hard and fast rule, because the reason for those consideratikns is room acoustics, and each room is going to be different.

 

Thanks Paul that is roughly the direction I was pointing towards. Bookshelves are a sub category of stand mount speakers that fall into the small driver category you described. However stand mounts include designs with reasonably large drivers as well.

[ipeverywhere]

Set aside days to listen to the music.

Set aside days to listen to your equipment.

Both of your hobbies will thank you.

 

On your music listening days forget about the "source" or format. If you find something truly spectacular only then hunt down your preferred format. This has allowed me to continuously rediscover some really great recordings.