TommyC Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 Hi all. I was talking to a coworker about Klipsch speakers today and he told me that he had recently passed on buying a really nice pair of LaScalas because someone told him that "They wouldn't sound as good with the classical and contemporary jazz that he listens to." They told him he should look for a pair of Belles instead. While I agree that I would prefer Belles to LaScalas, that was the first time I had heard someone basically trying to match specific speakers to their music preferences. Matching your speakers to specific sources is obviously important, but do you guys give that part of your decision a lot of consideration when buying speakers or are you more interested in the overall performace of the speakers? Just curious... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Blacksmith Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 I just go for the best I can afford to buy. Currently that is Cornwalls and they do a fantastic job on my mix of rock, blues, jazz, techno (is that right Nick?) and some classical. There are some feelings on this board that certain speakers are better for certain genera so it is not unheard of to music/speaker match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scriven Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 Any Heritage speaker will play jazz wonderfully! I think your coworker is just looking for an excuse to get the Belles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 Matching speakers to your tastes in music is immensly important. In fact, the source material should be the first consideration when building up a system. For example, the music I listen to thrives in the lower octaves, which makes speakers like the lascala, belle, heresy inadequate for my pleasure. Thus I'm a chorus/cornwall type of guy. The guys that listen to classical and jazz can get away without solid reproduction below 40 or even 50Hz...and in their case the lascala might even sound better than the cornwall. The music I listen to is also very modern (trying to get into the old stuff though) which means it is only available on CD...so for instance I would have no reason to go out and purchase a turntable. I find it interesting that he claimed a difference between the lascala and belle...they are practically identical speakers and sound/spec out extremely similar if not identical. The belle was slightly compromised for aesthetic reasons, which ironically makes the lascala the technically better speaker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gullahisland Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 Hogwash! (to a certain extent) Live music...REAL MUSIC...is very dynamic, regardless of genre. Simply put, the speakers that best recreate the live event are "the best", irrespective of personal taste. K-horn, LaScala and Belle do this more effectively than any other speaker I've heard at their respective price points. Buy whichever one "fits". (Financially and aesthetically speaking.) To my ears, any other Heritage Klipsch are a compromise (albeit a very GOOD compromise) due to their lack of a horn-loaded woofer. There are those, however, who like their music a little more "colored" and, to them, the bass reflex woofer on the Cornwall is preferrable. There's no question, however, that the lower frequency response is at the sacrifice of ultimate articulation and speed. This is where only the mighty Klipschorn achieves ultimate response in the lowest octave(s) while maintaining the speed and clarity of a horn-loaded woofer. Wasn't PWK clever about choosing the best mix of compromises for each respective speaker? Therein lies much of the genius. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyC Posted July 20, 2005 Author Share Posted July 20, 2005 ---------------- On 7/20/2005 3:07:49 PM DrWho wrote: I find it interesting that he claimed a difference between the lascala and belle...they are practically identical speakers and sound/spec out extremely similar if not identical. The belle was slightly compromised for aesthetic reasons, which ironically makes the lascala the technically better speaker. ---------------- I pointed that out to him and he said that the person who told him this claimed to have had both LaScalas and Belles in the recent past and that the Belles were "Noticeable better sounding than the LaScalas." I have always liked the way Belles sound with the music I listen too, but I don't think I would chose them over LaScalas Just based on how they sound. I just think they are Visually Stunning speakers! My recommendation to my coworker was to find a new "expert" or listen to some of each then make his decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 It is an interesting question, though I think the distinction between the two big ole Klipsch horns is minor compared to the differences between styles of loudspeakers. What is also important is what the listener wants. I can see flutists listening to single driver designs for example, while drummers might want a double stack of Cornwalls. I found the Vince Christians especially good for orchestral works. In the half dozen loudspeakers I reviewed for EnjoyTheMusic.com, I did indeed find myself listening to different types of music on different loudspeakers and amplifiers. HOWEVER, each of these components was less than ideal. This factor may greatly influence the choice of music. After extended listening periods, I do try to mention which music gravitates to the top of the stack while a new component. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyC Posted July 20, 2005 Author Share Posted July 20, 2005 Here is an interesting turn of events... Said coworker just emailed me this: "Screw it I am just going to hold out for klipschorns! Everything else just seems to be a compromise." Now why didn't I think of that? I guess I have probably been guilty of shuffling the albums that are more suited to my gear to the top of the stack. I haven't had a CDP attached for over a year because most of the modern stuff I have on CD sounds a bit weak in the low end on my Heresys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 ---------------- On 7/20/2005 3:43:58 PM gullahisland wrote: Simply put, the speakers that best recreate the live event are "the best", irrespective of personal taste. To my ears, any other Heritage Klipsch are a compromise (albeit a very GOOD compromise) due to their lack of a horn-loaded woofer. There are those, however, who like their music a little more "colored" and, to them, the bass reflex woofer on the Cornwall is preferrable. There's no question, however, that the lower frequency response is at the sacrifice of ultimate articulation and speed. ---------------- Just a quick few comments...not ALL music is intended to be a reproduction of a live event. In fact, most of the studio work done is to create sounds not otherwise possible to be created live. A perfect example is that bass sound that Queen made in "Another one Bites the Dust." A hornloaded woofer doesn't necessarily outperform a direct radiating woofer, nor is either system without its own colorations. But for the record the khorn certainly has quite a few colorations, but let's not get into that now, lol. To go down another route, I personally hate the sound of the lascala; not because it's a poor performing speaker, nor because it brings out flaws in recordings, but because the tonality of the speaker simply does not groove with the music I want to listen to. So if the music sounds better on a cornwall, then the cornwall is the better speaker and it really doesn't matter what the specs say. Afterall, the purpose behind specs is to attach numbers to aspects of the sounds we hear (so it's all about what we hear). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gullahisland Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 ---------------- So if the music sounds better on a cornwall, then the cornwall is the better speaker and it really doesn't matter what the specs say. Afterall, the purpose behind specs is to attach numbers to aspects of the sounds we hear (so it's all about what we hear). ---------------- ...ummm... ...yeah... ...I'm gonna' have to go ahead and disagree with you there... (anybody seen Office Space? that's my best Lumburg impression.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BUDA Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 it will be intresting to see what your coworker's impressiom will be after obtaining his khorn,what compremise will be made baised on his aquired experience with khorn. then all will have a valid opinion as to what sounds better to an indivisual, i love the toungin cheek way all the personalities express favorite preferences. personally my cornwall stand a few inches below the khorn and is easily reposition should the need arise, does this make it better.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZAKO Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 I,m gonna paint some big red lips on the front of my K horns & listen to Rolling Stones tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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