Speaker A or B ?

[mustang1]

I chose "A" without exception. It's nice to see the difference of opinion. The unveiling was hard to swallow since I just spent money on "A".

[cyclonecj]

I chose B, for almost the same reason as Dean. For A, I thought the bass was a bit muddy & too much mids. B just sounded more "real" to me.

I remember writing that I could tell exactly where one of the speakers was, but not the other. I just don't remember which one I wrote that on.

[j-malotky]

It was a fun test, but First off, it would have been better if I could have played something I use as a reference.

There was something wrong with both sounds in my head. Neither A or B were set up in a way to hear any imaging.

It also seemed that 80% of the test, A was playing, I did not get to hear B for very long.

At some switch points, I almost felt like I needed to turn my head as if the phase was off.

A sounded like it had a fuller range, more bass, but not as detailed in the midrange. I was shocked when I learned what speaker it was, so maybe the amps or switching limited its detail? At one point Steve switched in a vocal segment, to B and I could clearly hear more midrange detail and the quietness in the background much more clearer, which swayed my vote

B was much more defined in the midrange as I listened. The underlaying quietness was better. but there were big holes in the frequency response.

I would not be happy with a system that sounded like A or B at my house.

But it was a fun test.

JM

[J.4knee]

I agree neither was properly set up and I felt both were somewhat lacking however comparatively I thought B sounded small and very subdued. A was more open but yes as some have indicate it sounded heavy. I would not have bought either based on that test. But having to pick a winner A had more to offer in that setting than B did.

[DrWho]

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On 6/27/2005 12:30:00 PM Parrot wrote:

No matter what the speaker, there is only so much it can do with Diana Krall as source. Stevie Ray Vaughan and Alison Krauss were better, of course, but my brain had already gone to self-protection mode after hearing Krall.

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Wow, here I thought I was the only one

I picked A btw (even though I thought it was a bit muddy sounding). I thought B sounded thin and a bit harsh in the highs. I think the test should have been conducted with a mono source and the speakers should have been further away from the listening position. It was very distracting when the location of the sound was shifting back and forth (and up and down for that matter too).

Wait a minute, now I'm confused...was A or B the shorter speaker on the outside? I remember picking the shorter one on the outside, but I'm confused because I thought A was the inside speaker? Gosh...I hope I didn't fill out the sheet backwards.

[richieb]

"A" here, Linda too. Could it possibly be because that is one we have at home? Sounded more forward, fuller with better mids. "B" came off as a little distant sounding, veiled, thinner and empty in the mid-range. Can these differences be an effect of efficiency? But it was smooth and I must admit, toward the end of the test the sound grew on me. Who knows, a bit longer and I might have switched to "B". I did write the following on the comment section - "Could this be test between a 2-way and 3-way"? I am rather rather proud of myself.

[Zen Traveler]

I chose "A" and was somewhat disappointed because I own B. It wasn't until I got home and played "Building a Mystery," from the 'Afterglow Live" Dvd in 5.1 I realized 2 things:

1) I prefer multichannel over 2 channel and 2) Speaker B {major edit: I mistakenly wrote "A" in original post}was designed mainly to be played with a subwoofer and 3 other channels.

All I can say is that listening to Sarah Mclachlan belting out "Building a mystery" in multi-channel, in my HT was more impressive than her singing (another song) in that testing room in 2 channel.

That being said, I wonder how 5 speaker "A"s in a multi channel configuration would sound.

[ScorpsFan]

I was another vote for "A", and was happy to hear that it isn't quite finished yet as far as tweaking goes. While "B" sounded a bit clearer, to me it was thin sounding (I like bass) while "A" had an enveloping soundstage. Like everyone else I was pleasently suprised and look forward to the final product.

Thanks to everyone at Klipsch for the opportunity to A/B these products and to listen to our comments and suggestions!

[Trey Cannon]

ok the speakers were set up

AB amp AB

This does cause the center stage to move.

Due to the time we had, 4-5 people were in the test at a time...

the right way would be to have only one in there, with that persion switching and choising the song.

We knew that we were giving some things up to get you all in there. But over all it points out what not to do next time.

No one has said not to tell so here you go....

Like A better : 34

Like B better : 18

Indiferent : 1 (there is always a trouble maker in the bunch)

I to wish we would have "level matched" the speakers. We just flat ran out of time.

Thanks again for taking the time to do this.

You are all doing so well keeping quite.

[kenratboy]

I choose C for Cry.

I want to cry for not seeing/hearing the new stuff and meeting all of you and seeing Klipsch itself in the flesh.

[Zen Traveler]

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On 6/27/2005 6:53:39 PM Trey Cannon wrote:

I to wish we would have "level matched" the speakers. We just flat ran out of time.

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That was one of my first thoughts after contemplating my decision to choose A and learning what they were (sensitivity rating being an issue)! My later thoughts are posted above. I was too much of a novice for my first visit to such an event. Thanks for the experience Trey and co. I hope to be invited again.

[Woodog]

I chose B. Speaker A seemed unnaturally wide and diffuse sounding, almost as if altered with electronic effects. Speaker B, to my ears, was cleaner with more space around the music.

Woo

[WMcD]

I favored B over A with some reservations. A minority report.

Most of it was the midrange. A was a tad weak and B was a tad strong . B seemed to have a nasal peak. This accentuated the country music vocal twang. A was okay but not quite enough.

E.g, in the Stevie Ray Vaughn track, you could hear the mild reverb in the voice track with the B. I couldn't hear it with the A.

This may just show that peaks reveal more music than they mask.

There was something going on with the upper bass. I thought A was a bit chesty.

There was also something going on in the bass. I thought B gave the impression of a wider sound stage. At least when it came on, the bass sound was farther to the right. I was sitting at the left.

Lord, I sound like a review in Stereophile.

- - -

Overall I was very impressed with the challenge. What do you like and why. Happily they were both very fine speakers.

Gil

[Deang]

Man, this thread really exemplifies how differently we all hear and perceive things. I could tell the levels weren't matched, as 'A' certainly seemed louder to me. I think we all sensed setup was imperfect as well. Still, it was a lot of fun and a really interesting experience. I think both speakers are winners, but both could use a bit of tweaking.

[greg928gts]

"A" filled the room with ease. "B" sounded like two small bookshelf speakers with a cheap sub. I will admit that I thought "A" was a bit overbearing at first, but the longer it was on, the more I thought it sounded right.

Greg

[damonrpayne]

Dean:

Unless both speakers have the exact same sensitivity wouldn't they really have to go the extra mile with the A/B test to balance them out? Automagically scale the volume from one set to another?

Isn't there a psychological phenomenon with acoustics that make something that is louder sound better? Maybe that helpd A out a bit. I still like A and might just get me some.

[Piranha]

A

[skonopa]

I chose 'B'. I just through they sounded more natural and open. A bit more "refined" than 'A'. 'A' came off as being overbearing to me, with muddy sounding bass. I did comment that I though the 'B' lacked some punch, and could be augmented with a good sub.

And I also agree, the setup could've been better, but as Trey indicated already, it sounded like it was the best they could do given the amount of time they had. I also would've liked to done this with my own music (and I had a Dream Theater CD in my fanny pack that I would've loved to try!)

Well, it seemed in the end to pretty much confirm why I got the speakers/setup that I do, as I have the 'B's in my setup, augmented with a very good sub (REL Storm III), backed by some good power (B&K Ref 200.7 amps). I've always loved how my setup sounds, and even after this weekend, it just make me appreciate all the more just how good I actually have it right here at home.

I'll post more about my own experience, but right now, it is friggan late and I got to get to bed.

[formica]

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On 6/27/2005 6:53:39 PM Trey Cannon wrote:

Like A better : 34

Like B better : 18

Indiferent : 1 (there is always a trouble maker in the bunch)

I to wish we would have "level matched" the speakers. We just flat ran out of time.

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Let me guess, "A" was the louder of the two? Proves the louder speaker is generally prefered...

Trey, you should be ashamed for not level matching...

Rob

[DrWho]

Ok good, I filled it out the right way. For some reason I remember hearing the speaker on the right first and thought we started with A? I remember the guy switching through the speakers had to double check which was which (even he didn't know what A and B were). One thing I forgot to mention is that B seemed to be a lot more smoother...I wonder what it might sound like with a larger front baffle or flush mounted in a wall somewhere.

I think it'd also be interesting to go back and record where everyone was sitting in the room too...we all know how annoying room modes are and I wonder if that doesn't explain part of the differences in perception as some seem almost completely contradictory.

Despite all the quirks with the situation I still think it was a lot of fun and even got some of the guys riled up. I bet Klipsch is happy that the majority preferred A...I sincerely hope it proves to be a profitable move (that way they will be available when I have money)