chambers1517 Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 Consumer reports just rated the klipsch synergy sb3 system 18th out of 18. They place the speakers in an anechoic chamber on a rotating platform and send it test signals. They say even though this isn't a typical room it represents the actual frequency responce of the speaker. They also admit this doesn't tell how each speaker will sound in a particular room but overall flatter response will result in better sound in more rooms. My friend is wearing me out with this. He says the speaker that reproduces the sound that is feed to it best is the better speaker. I say that you have to actually have to listen to evaluate how a speaker sounds. He says bla, bla, bla, I'm just making excuses. If what goes in is what comes out that is how to tell accuracy. I need help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyKlipschFan Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 Ask him how come and why if Consumer Reports is the whole truth and nothing BUT the truth ranked the tire that Firestone made as it's top choice.... (As had been reported...after several people took their advice and died with that "top choice" too. Much later CR and all the recalls lawsuits that followed finally changed the ratings!!) Consumer reports does a great service and disservice at the same time. It is NOT the last word or Holy book of truths 100% of the time. Enough said. Also know that what was tested means beans unless it is the model he is looking at. This and his room may be quite different than the accoustically testing site and variables as well. Klipsch as well as other speaker manufactuers offer speakers at price breaks vs features too. Some better than others. Last, but not least, it is what YOU like. I have heard home systems costing upwards and over 100,000 dollars and while some were ok... to quite impressive... is it necessary? My lawyer friend with his "500 dollar all in one stereo home theater" is happy with his system. To him it is not a biggie priority in his life. Go figure!! LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted October 22, 2003 Share Posted October 22, 2003 Consumer Report if full of bull,they should rate diapers and absorbing pads.Not real audio,let me guess these clowns must love B0$e and the Acoustic Me$$ distortion modules. Load of crap these bozo the clown ratings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMcGoo Posted October 23, 2003 Share Posted October 23, 2003 I never agree with consumer reports' evaluation of anything. We have different values. CR thinks that flat frequency response is the holy grail of audio; flat response is closer to the flat earth theory than quality audio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor.Ham.Slap Posted October 23, 2003 Share Posted October 23, 2003 ---------------- On 10/22/2003 11:30:25 PM TheEAR wrote: Consumer Report if full of bull,they should rate diapers and absorbing pads.Not real audio,let me guess these clowns must love B0$e and the Acoustic Me$$ distortion modules. Load of crap these bozo the clown ratings ---------------- Yep, I picked up the current issue and if memory serves me right, there were two bose models in the top five. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksdad Posted October 23, 2003 Share Posted October 23, 2003 i can believe that about the synergy line, they arent impressive. but the reference or heritage line are different creatures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muleman Posted October 23, 2003 Share Posted October 23, 2003 When I read the Consumer Report article I wondered why they limited themselves to just "consumer grade" equipmnent. They should have thrown a few very high end, high cost speakers into the evaluation mix for comparison. For a good laugh - compare how Consumer Reports and Home Theater Magizine do a component performance evaluation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whell Posted October 23, 2003 Share Posted October 23, 2003 I must disagree with all of you on this one. Consumer Reports testing strategy is very precise and accurate. You must not be aware that there is a large population of audio enthusiasts who enjoy listening to 1Khz test tones. Why, I spent hours the other day swapping speaker cables and interconnects in and out of my system to try to get my 1khz test tone to sound...well...like 1khz. I just couldn't get it to sound quite right, and I am now getting more frustrated by the day with my system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BobG Posted October 23, 2003 Share Posted October 23, 2003 The reason that our speakers are always low ranked by Consumers Reports is a difference in philosophy. We feel that limited dispersion is more room friendly than extremely broad dispersion design. We limit our coverage pattern to 90 degrees wide by 60 degrees high where possible. This is most true in the output of our horn loaded mid and high frequency drivers, where early reflection from nearby walls etc. is extremely damaging to smooth frequency response at the listening position. Consumers adheres to a belief that is antithetical to ours. They prefer a design which would provide equal output across frequency and through a 360 degree pattern around the speaker both horizontally and vertically. The theoretical true omnidirectional speaker would rate at the top of their list. Over the years we've been taken to task over these consumers reports, but we feel this is purely an artifact of measurement and that our approach absolutely delivers superior in-room performance. Thus we stick to our beliefs and produce products we believe will deliver superior listening results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricktate Posted October 23, 2003 Share Posted October 23, 2003 I dont think a flat freq. response shows the dynamic range of a speaker...i went to a stereo shop a long time ago to meet Mr Paul, they did this demo of a tree being cut down with a slide show and when that tree hit the ground i know everyone in there thought that tree landed right next to thier chair...i did ,LOL, and that was with little Heresys.i would like to see those so called good speakers try this demo thats if they could even do it without blowing.Last time i looked movies dont have flat freq. response tones in them.Its like giving three people a camera to take a picture of the same thing, the one who knows about light and depth of field will make a better photograph even though its same camera and subject...rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burtlively Posted October 23, 2003 Share Posted October 23, 2003 this coming from a group that ranked old milwaukee as the best tasting beer. that alone should tell you something. the dude that rated them probably has klipsch in his ht. they hate everything i have. i mean everything, down to my cofee maker. i am the anti cr. i buy everything they say is crap. i can't complain about any of my "stuff". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthurs Posted October 23, 2003 Share Posted October 23, 2003 This just in, consumer reports has been rated the worst consumer testing rag.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted October 23, 2003 Share Posted October 23, 2003 These are the same people that tell you not to buy a Porsche because there is no trunk space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BobG Posted October 23, 2003 Share Posted October 23, 2003 Dean, your tag line takes me back. Those guys were gooood. Though a bit overarching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMcGoo Posted October 23, 2003 Share Posted October 23, 2003 The Klipsch philosophy of dispersion for its horn loaded drivers makes for a better room response IMO. Apparently Consumer Reports has no knowledge of room acoustics and speaker interactions with the room. Is it true that they rank Bo$e products highly? It will immediately tip off anyone that has any common sense, if they said Bo$e is ok. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hurdy_gurdyman Posted October 23, 2003 Share Posted October 23, 2003 Of course Consumer Reports will say Bose is great. Bose will sue them if they say anything bad about them Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted October 23, 2003 Share Posted October 23, 2003 Thanks for the comments Bob. I did not realize that CR was weighting things that way. It has been my thought that the constant directivity of recent horns is what makes a good speaker, Forte into an excellent one, Forte II. In their reviews of other equipment, the factors and weighing of them have given me pause. For example, in a review of circular saws, an excellent one gets a poor rating because it is too heavy. Not a problem for me at all. CR or another magazine gave my, then beloved, now beloved in memory, Volvo 1800s, a poor rating because it had a manual choke. It started every time. Best, Gil When the white eagle of the north is flying over head, and the reds, browns, and golds of autumn lie in the gutter, dead . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted October 24, 2003 Share Posted October 24, 2003 Seems to me that there is too much subjectivity and opinion. You gotta also wonder how much favoritism goes on. It all kind of reminds me of that horrible Rolling Stone article on the top 100 guitarists of all times. I am still not over that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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