jdm56

I guess I should have confined the question to accuracy, because subjectively, who knows? By definition, there can be no "subjective" best -anything. But if we limit the question to accuracy, or faithfulness to the recording, I think all the points go to controlled dispersion camp, which includes horns, line-source arrays and dipoles. Of course that leads to the next question: Do 2-channel recordings need some seasoning from the speakers to sound "right"? Seasoning they don't get from controlled disperion designs. I think you could make a pretty good case for that, at least with many recordings. Definitive Technology speakers sound very good, imo. I've never owned any, but I'm just calling it like I hear it. I've never heard a pair that didn't sound VERY good. Mind you, I've got LS2's and I love em. I'm just playing devil's advocate here.

Not sure if this is the best place to post this, but I had to put it somewhere. This is one of those things that makes me go "hm"... Maybe it does you too. Or I could just be really odd. Doesn't it strike you as strange that precisely opposite design goals can be invoked in an attempt to supposedly achieve the same thing? I'm talking about loudspeakers here, in case you were wondering. Specifically, radiation patterns. And the achievement being sought is sound quality, or perhaps accuracy, which is not necessarily the same thing. One company says controlled or relatively narrow dispersion is the right, true and shining path to audio Nirvana. Another equally well-respected company says broad dispersion is needed for open, natural sound. And then, if that wasn't bad enough, there's other companies proclaiming bipolar, dipoplar, omnipolar and all sorts of hyphenated variations. Quite confusing stuff, but also quite fascinating, at least for an audio-dork. My question, if I have one, is this. Is there truly a "right" way to project recorded sound into a room, or is it all just a matter of opinion. Is it dependent upon the type of music, the playback room acoustics, or the listening habits of the end user, that ultimately determines the subjective quality? I think most of us have heard totally different types of loudspeaker systems, from the highly directional to the omni-directional, and they almost all can sound good at least some of the time. But is one right and the other wrong? It seems to depend on which sound "philosophy" you've bought in to. I think it's hard to argue against the logic that minimizing room sound allows the recorded sound to be clearer. But that doesn't mean it will subjectively sound better to any given person. I know I have been struck by a sense of "aliveness" or "air" when switching from a controlled dipsersion design to a broad dispersion design. And conversely, I've been impressed with the clarity when going the other direction. That seems to get back to personal preference, because live music quality too, is judged on clarity AND the pleasant addition of the right amount of room sound, or reverb. Notice, no one listens to music in an anechoic chamber! I think this is one of the reasons many hard-core audiophiles tend to speaker swap so often. One design is appreciated for what it does well, but then you realize after awhile, the things it doesn't do so well that another design does...and the wheel goes round and round. It's kinda like women. It's sometimes hard to be content with vanilla when there is also, chocolate and strawberry! Have I answered my own question?[8-|]

Well, I guess I'll stay on the fence a while longer. Looks like "change" is coming to satellite radio, though. I was hoping with the merger of Sirius and XM, they would up the sound quality, maybe to the 128kbps range. If I just want crappy, low-level background music, I can get that with my Dish service. It's a shame, really. Think of the quality we could be getting if they weren't so intent on cramming as many channels through the system as they possibly can. Same statement applies equally to video (Dish, Direct, Cable). They compromise quality way too much for me. The love of money is not only the root of all evil, it is the enemy of quality in ANY endeavor.

Good Grief! That thing is humongous!! It scares me a little bit.[]

I e-mailed them at one point, too. I got the impression they just didn't have the models I was looking at (Valor and Knight) and that they didn't know when they would be able to get them, either. So I'm still "corn-fused" (as we say in Cedar County). It seems to me if a particular model is special order only, they should just say so. When I contacted them, I don't recall being told I could get the product in question at all; just that they were out, period.

Enjoy dem purdy speekerz! (Don't ya' feel just like a kid on Christmas morning when you get'em?)

Congrats! Sounds like a good decision to end up with a killer HT rig and a wonderful, classic heritage two-channel stereo. What are you using for sources with the cornwall rig?

I don't think I have any special listening "skills", but I do like to practice a lot![] I listen to a lot of different styles of music. Mostly rock, jazz and country, but more "classical", too, as I get older. Volume can be from barely there, background levels for going to sleep, all the way up to shake the rafters loud when the wife and young'uns are out of the house. But I hardly ever listen at levels that are so loud I can't hear my own normal speaking voice over the music, so I guess my idea of "rafter shaking" might be more tame than others. I just don't want to harm my hearing more than it already has been from years of farm and industrial noise, plus all the hours spent at concerts, movies and in front of stereos. My favorite listening scenario is a good sounding recording of good music turned up just enough to sound full and to get your attention. Good music always draws me in. I am NOT a passive listener! (unless my intent is to drift off to sleepyville) Also, the house needs to be empty, because my "A" system is in an open, family room type area of the house, and prime listening can only be achieved when background noise is low and volume is unrestricted. Most of my music listening is done solo. We have enough room for the family to spead out all over the house, so the typical evening at home finds my big, dumb arse listening to 2-channel music in the family room or watching TV in the media room while the wife is upstairs watching the tube with the two youngest in the living room. My oldest son is usually locked in his bedroom doing whatever it is that 15 yr. old boys do these days.[^o)] We do have family movie nights, where we all gather in the media room for a...family movie. I also listen to music in the media room. Mostly when I want more volume than might be considered family-friendly at the given time, or if I want multi-channel. But most quality music listening time, by far is with the La Scala II's in the 2-channel rig. Ah![H]

I've read lots of good things about Epik subs, but for MONTHS now, everytime I check their website, they only have one model available. They show quite a few, but only the Conquest seems to be a real product that a person could buy. Seems kind of strange to me. I assumed their products were made in the USA, but maybe they're just imported and they can't get them for some reason. The advertised prices are very competitive, but so far, the actual products seem to be mostly vaporware.

I watched a show about the JFK presidency the other night. It is sobering to realize how close both sides came to pushing the button in '62. Thank God JFK was on his game. Actually, I'm not sure if at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, we even had our Minuteman silos up and running here in MO, yet. They may have been put in later. If they had been here, and the birds had flown, I almost certainly wouldn't be here today. For that matter, neither would a lot of the rest of us, I suppose.[:S]

PE just had the Titanic 15"er on sale for $178/each! ...They're back to the regular price now, though. ($220/ea.) The Titanic driver is only 1.7dB more sensitive than the Reference, though, which is only $160. Of course, every little bit helps.

Interesting! Thanks for the link, Bob. I work with a guy who, when in the Air Force, sometimes worked at the ICBM bases up here in SW Missouri. I'm not sure, but I don't believe these were Titans. MinuteMan's? ...I dunno. This would have been not long before they were all done away with. Anyway, I like hearing his stories about them, what they were like inside and how the system (control & command) worked. Fascinating stuff.

We can safely assume you lock your doors (even when you are home...) We do now!

I hope you gave the smart-mouthed upstart a good tongue lashing.

I'm prejudiced of course, but you can get this Onkyo for around $500.

I've never been put in that situation, so I can't say for sure what I would or wouldn't do. All I know is most people who have, confess to praying. The human mind is an amazing thing and can function on multiple levels at once, so I think it reasonable that a person could pray fervently and have thoughts of family and friends too. It's just that "reflecting" to me implies a passivity or calmness that I think to most people would be hard to come by in such a situation.

I think it is just a learners permit.

Somehow, I find it hard to picture anyone doing much reflecting on a crashing airplane.

I hate when that happens. BTW, I always find it very interesting to hear the accounts of people praying on planes that are in distress. It's amazing how priorities can become clear in dire circumstances. I wonder what atheists do in similar straits.

Sorry, how unfortunate.[]

There's a teenager on our street who has been seen spanking his monkey out in broad daylight. His older brother (discharged military) was reported for being in the middle of the highway, throwing rocks at passing cars. I don't have to drive to CO to find weirdos! I can just look out my back door, like ol' John Fogerty.

Personally, I don't believe in luck. A skillfull pilot at the controls and a gracious God in Heaven...THAT, I believe in!

Gee, I'm surprised we, the taxpayers, didn't bail them out. We bail everybody else out, don't we? "America, The Land Where No One Can Be Allowed To Fail" ...If you're "big and powerful" enough, that is.

Your old speakers sound like a good design, but they are rather long in the tooth. Is the company still in business...are parts available? If not, and the insurance company is willing to give you a decent allowance for them, I would definitely look to upgrade. If you love big drivers and the triple 8's of the RF83 don't do it for you, your subs should pump up the testosterone factor somewhat. A better idea[6]...I see Klipsch Heritage in your future! How about a beautiful pair of Cornwalls, new or used? No harshness there!

My three. Jordan (15), Kelsey (13) and Nathan (10).