tube fanatic Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 I've been responsible for quite a few proselytes to near-field listening. After hearing my system they report going home to their large room, high power, typical 100 db listening level systems and not getting the enjoyment, or musical involvement, they had when listening here at levels between 70-80 db. When trying a similar listening level at home the consensus was that it wasn't terrific. They were especially amazed that some of the demos involved super low power SETs (such as a power output of only 400 milliwatts/channel.) An interesting description of this mode of listening was presented here: http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?886-Near-Field-Listening-Acquired-Taste-or-Proper-Paradigm Comments and views are welcome. Maynard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 Good article Maynard. I did have to chuckle at his speaker wire stands though. Everything he says makes sense. You're basically trying to remove the room from the listening equation which is logical. It's also why I like to listen to music outside away from any boundaries if possible. Speakers just sound better outside without the reflections that the room creates. In answering your question, no I haven't tried it but I'm sure I'd enjoy it. I would imagine single/full range drivers would work well in this application. Carl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 Near field is the way to go for critcal listening when you want to hear every note and insturment in the media. Imaging is unbelieveable. I tried this with a pair of bookself speaker that I had setup downstaris. You won't bother anyone since the volume is fairly low, lol. I think he has to many room Tx for his near field setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 Me. More like quasi-nearfield. I listen using Radian coaxials (8" stiff paper cone & 1" compression driver) mounted in a cubic foot box with a 4" port and a 12dB/octave filter. They die at 50Hz, I use subs. I move things around a little when I have the house to myself -- the speakers move in and out a little and the chair gets pushed forward. I end up about six feet back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube fanatic Posted September 11, 2013 Author Share Posted September 11, 2013 Near field is the way to go for critcal listening when you want to hear every note and insturment in the media. Imaging is unbelieveable. I think he has to many room Tx for his near field setup. No question about the musical involvement and imaging. I can't listen any other way at this point. From what I can tell, at a level of around 70 db or a little higher, the room doesn't seem to be doing much of anything in terms of influencing the sound. At least not to the point that I have felt the need to use anything for absorption like the guy did in the post. The furniture in the room and carpet on the floor seem to be sufficient. My RF-15s are rear ported so they're positioned to get the bass just right for my ears. It's amazing just how little one would have to spend to achieve phenomenal sound. A pair of RF-52IIs, a decent cd player, and a flea power SET could be had for around $1500 and provide sound that would be hard to duplicate imo. Not a bad price for truly high-end sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 My khorns are only 12 feet apart so I've been listening near-field for many years. My basement listening room has awful acoustics and it doesn't sound great at high volume, but at 70-80dbs with my chair about 8ft or so from the wall....heaven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cut-Throat Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 It may very well sound better, but I know I would not enjoy it much. I have 5 senses and they all come into play when I'm listening to music. Example: If I had perfect sound, but the room was filled with a putrid odor, I'm not enjoying the music. Probably part of the reason Audiophiles like aesthetically pleasing looking components. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 "Any forum members into near-field listening?" Absolutely. I often slide my chair up to make a 4ft x 4ft x 4ft equilateral triangle with my pair of Heresy II's. Not much room acoustic anomalies to interfere with the enjoyment of listening. No need to pump up the volume too much to get the detail and soundstage I desire. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 I've mentioned before that I use Rat Shack LX-5 Lyneum speakers on my home office PC, and am rarely driven to jump up and head for the music room when I listen. Excellent stage, nice balance. adequate bass. At 75.00 each when I purchased them for an HT setup in the 90s, one of the best bargains purchased at retail ever, IMHO, when used for near field. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaiser SET say Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 Near field is the way to go for critcal listening when you want to hear every note and insturment in the media. Imaging is unbelieveable. I tried this with a pair of bookself speaker that I had setup downstaris. You won't bother anyone since the volume is fairly low, lol. I think he has to many room Tx for his near field setup. And the closest thing to being inside a good pair of cans! I nearfield at my desk all day long, before I got into our current house and got my big long Man Cave I was nerafield in this sunroom 8.5 X 11 and it was sweet[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 Me. More like quasi-nearfield. I listen using Radian coaxials (8" stiff paper cone & 1" compression driver) mounted in a cubic foot box with a 4" port and a 12dB/octave filter. They die at 50Hz, I use subs. I move things around a little when I have the house to myself -- the speakers move in and out a little and the chair gets pushed forward. I end up about six feet back. You get a good pair of coaxials, get them set-up right and they are kinda like glorified headphones. I've been listening lately to my Taiwan made CDK (now AMK?) coaxes. These have a poplar radial horn type of tweeter, and (I think) they use a titanium diaphragm. These particular pair have a foam ring around the outer diameter of the radial horn...dunno why, but I think it has to do with damping the ragged sound of cone breakup around that area of the cone along with the frequencies involved. I have them in cabinets with two ports per cabinet, and roughly the -3dB drop-off is at 45 Hz. Hiked up ear level with Khorn top-hats for risers. I like these coaxes enough that I should be making better cabinets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornman Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 Very cool set up Kaiser. The boys in the frames look like there in Stereo as well. [H]. Still working on my cave here but I am enjoying the sound of near field delight in a small room. Cornman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boxx Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 Excellent setup...Enjoy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube fanatic Posted September 12, 2013 Author Share Posted September 12, 2013 I have 5 senses and they all come into play when I'm listening to music. Example: If I had perfect sound, but the room was filled with a putrid odor, I'm not enjoying the music. Probably part of the reason Audiophiles like aesthetically pleasing looking components. Your comment about the putrid odor reminds me of the time my buddy Garrett stopped by while I was doing some critical listening. He had eaten a few corn dogs for lunch. Needless to say the listening room became unusable very quickly!!! Regarding the visual aspect, I always do critical listening with my eyes closed. Removing the visual stimulus heightens the auditory awareness for me. As far as the look of the equipment goes, I don't totally agree, although aesthetics seem to influence the perceived sonics for some people. Companies like NAD have always favored the electronics side as opposed to the cabinetry and it hasn't affected their marketplace acceptance. Sometimes though, I do shield the equipment I'm demonstrating (except for the speakers obviously) from the view of the listener until after they have listened and drawn a conclusion. How does your sense of taste and touch influence your enjoyment of the music? Maynard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cut-Throat Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 How does your sense of taste and touch influence your enjoyment of the music? The better the "Taste" of the wine, the more I enjoy the music. The "touch" of the furniture that I'm sitting in also affects it. Whether it is a big comfy soft leather chair, or a plush crushed velvet couch. The entire 'atmosphere' of the listening room affects the whole experience. I have tried to build my 'man cave' to accommodate the 'experience'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Richard Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 The nearfield range for a horn loaded loudspeaker extends farther than the nearfield for a direct radiator due to better pattern control with the horns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaddeus Smith Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Because of my room design, near-field listening is my only real option. watching this discussion with great interest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube fanatic Posted September 12, 2013 Author Share Posted September 12, 2013 Cut-throat, that's a nice looking room, and I see your point about the taste/touch aspects. I imagine it would detract from the enjoyment if sitting on a rock hard metal folding chair! Thaddeus, are you doing the near-field listening through the 5.1 system, or do you have something else for music only? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 The asethetic of our music system is a part of the experience. I have walked into a room and knew something really sounded great but, most of us like seeing our gear. This may be the arcing tube, the vintage look of wood, the design, ect. I like listening to my tube amp in the evening and enjoying the glowing vacume tube, just makes the jazz better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube fanatic Posted September 13, 2013 Author Share Posted September 13, 2013 The asethetic of our music system is a part of the experience. I have walked into a room and knew something really sounded great but, most of us like seeing our gear. This may be the arcing tube, the vintage look of wood, the design, ect. I like listening to my tube amp in the evening and enjoying the glowing vacume tube, just makes the jazz better. I agree about the ambience of glowing tubes! But, in regard to aesthetics, it seems that many don't consider that side of it. Apparently, amps built by John Hogan are still in huge demand in spite of their "built in the basement" appearance. Here's an example: http://gallery.audioasylum.com/cgi/gi.mpl?u=13291&f=766sn745frnt.jpg What's your take about this amp's appearance? Maynard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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