Electra, Rockets or Thiel? (1 Viewer)

[Hisham Harun]

Hi all,

I'm back but just for a bit.

You know, in retrospect --- after taking a step back and reflecting what I had experienced at my dealer's showroom, --- I have come to conclude that the B&K AVR307 receiver and JM Lab Electra 936 is a match made in (if I may say so) Lucas' and Spielberg's, heaven.

Chances are I will go with them.

I recall the first time I heard this system some three months ago. My heart whispered: "Oh my God, this is better than what we get at the cineplex."

The next time I went with a friend, he said: "Fantastic. It sounds better than in the cinema."

Yet another friend reiterated the exact same words.

Can three people be so wrong?

And mind you, our cineplexes are by no means run down or just okay. They are state of the art, as with Malaysia's tallest buildings in the world -- the Suria KLCC (Kuala Lumpur City Centre)'s the Twin Towers, envisioned by my beloved Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Love that man!!!

Anyway, I got to thinking, why the hell should I go round looking for a better set of speakers when it was right there in front of me.

Then I realised; HISHAM, YOU'RE ONLY HUMAN AND NOTHING WILL EVER BE ENOUGH....

I think I'll end my search here. But first I have to give the speakers a listen for audio ability.

While I can say that during Jurrasic Park, my heart did flic flacs, flip flops, cartwheels and summersault twists; the ground literally shook under me; the very air was rumbling; I was trembling; everything was shattering; I was actually cringing in fear when the dinosaur came out of the forest and SNAPPED (with a very, very audible, distinct, loud CRACK) the man's torso in half in between its menacing jaws, I can't say the same for the Audio system.

Maybe I was overwhelmed by the HT that it completely bowled me over and thus I didn't really pay attention to the Music session that came on next. Or maybe it was a teeny weeny bit bright for my liking that I wasn't impressed enough... I'm not so sure.

I think I need to go have another listen. And this time it'll only be for the Music.

The dealer has since sold the AVR 307 but still has the ref 30 and its mate, which is said to be equal in performance to the latest Ref50 and Ref200.7 (minus the new formats -- THX Ultra 2, Pro Logic II, Neo 6 and all that jazz)

So, I guess, if I have the time I'll go tomorrow and let you guys in on my session, okay.

Wish me luck. I really, really, really hope that the reason the Music didn't grab me initially was due to my being entranced, intoxicated, enamoured and totally transfixed by the HT offering.

It can happen, especially when you're completely stunned and stupified by what you're seeing and hearing right in front of you... or in this case, all around you!

 

[Hisham Harun]

Mike Knapp,

Thank you so much for the info. I dunno. Taking a leap of faith and all... is there netting underneath to break my US$10,000 fall? Sigh. Why have things got to be so difficult.

But you know what, I believe you, that the Rockets are a blast. So many before you have said so. As for the price, I think after the conversion, it's quite a bit off the Energy set up.

Still that niggling fear though... (biased as it may be; stupid as it may sound; archaic and neanderthal-thinking as it may seem) "Wouldn't the expensive brand be offering more, much more?"

Guys, gtg. So sleepy. It's actually about 10.30pm here in Malaysia but I'm pooped. Take care and God Bless. You have all been so kind and supportive.

Hope to hear from you guys again. Lots of work tomorrow, so I might just not be logging on. But do keep this thread alive and lets help as many confused souls as I get on the right path and to HT happiness and bliss.

Luv y'all!

 

[Hisham Harun]

And now I have to read Paul's message. Oh God help me! Paul do tell me what speakers were they that you got finally. How can you peak our interest without letting us in on this!
Okay, really, really gtg. Thanks again guys and take care!

 

[Alex Prosak]

Hisham,

The Thiels I brought home were the exact same ones that I listened to at the dealer, broken in and all. I attribute some of the difference in sound to the difference in components but more so the dealers sound room. The dealer has a very nice sound room that has all sorts of acoustic treatments that I don't have in my home and probably never will. Any speaker you buy will sound different in your home than in the showroom, sometimes dramatically so. This is why it is so important to be able to demo the equipment in your home. If any of your local dealers allow this I highly recommend doing it.

Alex

 

[KeithR]

If this is pretty much an HT only type setup, I really like M&K 150s...with B&K should be an excellent match (and I have a Ref 50 on order with mine)

I would also look at the Dynaudio Contour series, as I tend to prefer them over the JM Labs.

 

[Mike_Ch]

Hisham,
I say go with your gut feeling. If the Electra setup blew you away, then get it. I kind of still regret not spending a little more when I bought speakers, and am now making up by spending lots on electronics- would have cost me less in the end to get the speakers I wanted in the first place :frowning:. Ah well, live and learn.
Cheers,
Mike

 

[Kevin T]

i listened to the thiel 1.6 and 2.3 at my local dealer (of course local is in atlanta ~5 hrs away). personally, i felt the 2.3 bettered the 1.6 by far. the 1.6 just didn't do anything for me. i've also read about thiel's being bright but most have attributed it to difference in components and the fact that thiels need lots of power. the 2.3 sounded just fine to me powered off of an adcom amp without the first hint of brightness. of course, when i buy them and finally get them home...that might be a different story. based on my experience though, you can't go wrong with the thiel cs2.3.

kevin t

 

[Hisham Harun]

Kevin T, thanks for input on Thiel's 2.3.
Mike Ch, I need to listen to the Electra 936 again for music before I make my final, final decision.
KeithR, I've also heard favourable things about the M&K. Will see if we have em here. Forgive the ignorance but are they M&K by M&K?
Alex, you have brought my biggest fear to the fore... about showroom demos and how the speakers perform at home. And I sure as hell don't have the perfect acoustic settings at my home either. Gosh, what if I bought a system and it didn't sound right, god forbid!!!
Paul, you still haven't told me about the other speakers you settled on finally.
As for the rockets, I have called them up from here and am now deliberating if I wouldn't mind forking out just US$3000 and give them a trial listen. Not excruciatingly expensive this and with all the reviews, can't be a bad system.
Then again, someone has e-mailed me and told me of this incredible, incredible system for about US$10,000 that's even better than any system he's heard. Sounds too good to be true. Yet it rings true.

There is a shipment to Singapore this week and he has offered a good price for the stuff. Will recee on the Net first, of course.

Will provide more details as soon as I gather them.

Fickle, mickle me!

If this system is all he says it is on the site he provided ... I wonder what I'll do next. Go bonkers I think!

Here we go round the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush, here we go round....round, round like a circle in a spiral like a wheel within a wheel, never ending no beginning like an ever spinning reel.... here we go round the mulberry bush...

 

[Chu Gai]

your local gardening center should be able to provide mulberry bushes
you've much for faith than I do when it comes to reviews. Perhaps I missed it, but have you posted about the room these speakers will be in...dimensions...what the floor, ceiling..walls are like?

 

[Hisham Harun]

Chu Gai, get ready to laugh. My room measures about 30 feet by 20 feet I think... its just the perfect distance to watch my Sony 61" tele.
But small or not I want good sounds and I DON'T CARE IF I HAVE A TINY, TEENY SPACE TO WORK WITH!!! I WANT MY HT SYSTEM!!!

There... huhhh... feels so much better now that I've got things off my chest!
And Chu Gai, you'd better not be telling me that I don't need something so expensive or good if that's the space I'm working with. I already have a mom thank you!
Guess what? I've just discovered yet another brand -- the VMPS. Heard of this?
GTG sir, friend's waiting downstairs to go for supper. Take care!

 

[Chu Gai]

Lord no, you need what's appropriate for the space and commensurate with your budget and tastes. By all means gear your dollar towards speakers! VMPS are regarded well. I might suggest though, that you devote some financial resources to dealing with what may well be acoustical issues with your room in order to enhance your listening experience.

 

[Hisham Harun]

Chu Gai,

Ergghhh.. more money???!!! Lets go out and see if my money tree is blossoming!

 

[KeithR]

M&K- www.mksound.com. They should have a distributor in the far east, as they have been around a long, long time.
I would look at the S150 package for HT. As far as VMPS goes, shipping 260lb monoliths to Kuala Lumpur aint' gonna be cheap....not to menthion they are over 5k US to begin with. the S150s across the front + SS150s for the rear (if you want 7.1) would be 5k LIST US, and you should be able to get a good discount on an entire system.

 

[KeithR]

Oh yeah, FWIW, if I went JM Labs, i would only look at the Utopia line. I have auditioned the other lines, and personally didn't feel they had bang for the buck. Thiels are a very different sound, and i agree with other posters that an audition is mandatory. For that big of a room, 2.3s probably would be mandatory, and they take a lot of current to drive, so boost up your budget for amplification.

 

[SkiingNinja]

Yeah, I was worried about the shipping costs too so I advised Hisham to buy something locally...

Sean

 

[Mike_Ch]

Keith,

Have you heard the new Electra series? Apparently the performance is so close to that of the Utopia, that they had to upgrade the Utopia series accordingly. I haven't heard them for myself though.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[John A. Casler]

I am a VMPS dealer (amoung other brands including M&K) and shipping to Malaysia by boat is the same or less than shipping from coast to coast here in the US. (about $400-$450 per pair) I have a pair of RM40s going to Singapore for around the same dime.
Just for informational purposes
John

 

[Hisham Harun]

Keith, thanks for your input on M&K. And Sean, your concern is appreciated but as John has assured me, shipping is not too costly.
But John, I would like your take on the M&K since you must have also heard it.
Hope you don't mind me getting a second opinion Keith

 

[John A. Casler]

But John, I would like your take on the M&K since you must have also heard it.

Hi Hisham,

M&K speakers are absolutley great. There is a full line and not just a "model".

In the area you are looking, you might consider the 150 or 5000 models.

That said, I would be hard pressed to compare any of the M&K models to the RM40 Ribbon Monitors. From most of my listening experience, there is virtually "no" cone speaker that can compare.

Let me assure you this is not a condescension of M&K. In fact M&K generally gets a bad rap for musical reproduction which it does not deserve. M&K are as good with music as any of the other fine speakers you are considering, when they are "set up" properly for music.

The Ribbon advantage over "any" cone speaker, is priamrliy two fold.

1) It has a substantially smaller mass which reduces the momentum the material has on any movement it makes. This makes the reproduction "much" more accurate, clean and clear.

2) It has a lower crossover point 155Hz I beleive. It then goes all the way through the midrange/HF to about 10,000Khz. That crossoverless range offers distinct advantages to musical reproduction also.

So when I suggest the RM40 it is certainly with a bias, but as good as the JMLab,M&K, Aerial, Revel, and just about any other speaker in that price range sounds, they still do not have the same propeties and abilities of sonic reproduction.

The reason I might suggest them over such fabulous speakers such as the Maggies or Martin Logans is that the Maggies and MLs have room interactions that require special placement and room treatments to sound their best and neither have the "dynamics" (in ths case I mean ability to play loud)I think you are looking for in your sized room.

So I trust that might offer a little explaination to my suggestion.

And as we all know this is so subjective that one man's treasure is another man's junk.

I could have just about any speaker in my system and I have the RM40s, thus my bias.

One other thing you mentioned was that you seem to be interested in experiencing an emotional "connection" to your music. It seems that one common thread that runs through the RM40 owners is that it is easier to realize that connection.

In fact one of the judges at last years CES when judging for the best of show award, (which the RM40 won) said that they were moved to "tears" when listening to the theme from Titanic and they didn't even like the song.

That says it all.

Hope that helps,

John