Good news! "Online Speaker Company Face-Off" coming up soon. (1 Viewer)

[SteveSott]

I like the idea of a blind test. Then include appearance, construction basics, power vs distortion. I'm excited. I have a pair that is listed and look forward to the comparison. I believe speaker types should be rated together. You don't have to have a winner as far as I'm concerned again I think that "best" is subjective. All things being equal, room size and accoustics, speaker placement, type of reveiver, music vs movie, what are the parameters of the test? Can't wait.

 

[BrianAe]

I agree that comparing by type is best. I think the tradeoffs of bookshelves vs towers can be seperated from comparing brands. Also note that you should include shipping costs in the final article. For instance, the Aperions are 180 per speaker shipped while the rockets shipping cost is substancial.

Finially, I hope you test HT performance along with music. I've compared some of the speakers your planning on testing and in a couple cases, speakers that I thought sounded great with two channel music failed to produce a seemless sound stage when the center channel was added.

 

[Sheldon-m]

I think that is the best comp I have ever heard of. Look think about this. I think finding the best bang for the buck is a great idea. have them all ranked down to # 1
man that is going to be sweet. The only thing people don't
want to see it company like fluance take down a name like swan or axiom. I have the fluance av-5, but i wish this reveiw would have been do earlier. I probably would have used the reveiw as reference. i would have spent alittle more but this is my first system so I'm cool with it. i'm going to wait on the reveiw for my next sytem in my great room. When is the reveiw expected to be completed??

 

[Luis Gabriel Gerena]

We just finilized the product lineup and already initiated the process by contacting the manufacturers. We will have a better idea of when the article will be ready in a few days perhaps a week. Most manufacturers have been very possitive about it so I think it should take less time than expected. I will keep informing of our progress.
Regards

 

[prashanth_sharma]

Shouoldn't the HSU ventriloquist pkg also be a part of this shootout ?

-prashanth

 

[BryanZ]

Would you add either the nOrh 4.0 (wood or ceramic) or 5.1 (wood or synthetic marble)? Both are in that range and there may be someone in the area who has those or is willing to let you borrow them for the shootout.

 

[DaveGTP]

This is an awesome idea (Fluance owner here). I think my Fluance setup is very good for the $$, but I admit that I listened to a Paradigm bookshelf setup at an AV shop for $299 a speaker (a little more than all 5 of my Fluance cost shipped to my door). The Paradigms did sound a lot better than my fluances Maybe someday

I'd love to see a professional review/analysis. Make sure there are numbers and graphs to back up the opinions to appease us scientific types. Comparison with some more well-known bang/buck standby speakers (like the ever-hyped JBL NSPIIs, etc) would be a good idea.

 

[cabreau]

I'd also like to see speakers like Boston Acoustics and Paradigm put against the Swans, Axioms, Rockets, etc. I'm interested to know how they compare. I was just looking at that $2700 Swan setup online and it looks pretty impressive.

 

[JoeyTadeja]

Did you include HTD speakers? Surely, you gotta have these guys in the shootout.
Home Theater Direct

For your reference speaker, you can use the AudioReview.com
winner of their "Choice Award" the B&W DM600/DM601 S3 or the top pick Polk Audio LSi9 (who use the Vifa tweeter). Better yet go with B&W's top of the line like the Nautilus 805.
B&W DM 601 S3
Polk Audio LSi9
B&W Nautilus 805

nOrh uses Scan-Speak for their drivers and it is known among audiophiles that ScanSpeak makes the best drivers used in the most expensive speakers. You should definitely include these guys in the face-off.

nOrh 4.0
nOrh 5.1

Also, perhaps you can include a DIY speaker in the melee like the Ariel and the ME2:
The Ariel and The ME2

 

[Luis Gabriel Gerena]

Good news! Gene DellaSalla from audioholics will be reviewing also and will take test and measurements of each speaker with high end test gear.
And yes HTD is in the faceoff also. We would like to add many more but lets be realistic, with so many speaker the sensory overload will be too much. I think we gathered the most often named online brands.
regards

 

[Rick O]

Great ideas. When we get to evaluating the $1000/pair speakers, please consider the Ohm Micro Towers. Although I realize that a lack of monetary support is available (i.e. none), the tests would be more trustworthy if the speakers were anonymously bought; this would eliminate any special parts or tweaking by the manufacturers strictly for this test. Also consider double-blind testing to eliminate any biases. Keep us informed. Live long and prosper.

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

The prices of the Swans 4.1 towers in black cherry have been dropped back to $499 so they should be considered in the sub $500 range.

 

[Mike^C]

Great news hearing Audioholics is involved Luis. IMO, they're one of the best review sites and don't take prisoners. Its refreshing to see a site blast a product when it deserves it, instead of praising everything they get.

 

[Erik M]

This is going to be a great review! I think you did a good job of picking the most common direct speakers and your smart to put a limit on it. I agree with many others that reviewing the towers separate from the bookshelf makes the most sense. I think comparing one common retail line (such as Paradigm) against the winners would be a nice touch. Just make sure the retail speaker stays below 2x the cost of the direct speaker so it stays of similar quality.
Also I think it would be nice if one of the drivers could be removed from each speaker so construction quality could be considered. A photo of the driver used and a photo of the inside of the cabinet shows me who took the short cuts.
Looking forward to it! - Erik

 

[BryanZ]

Just one small correction. The drivers and tweeters in the nOrh 4.0 and 5.1 are Vifa, not ScanSpeak (though those are in their 7.0s and 9.0s).

 

[ChrisArmour]

Any updates on this review?

 

[Mitch_J]

TTT

 

[CurtisSC]

My understanding is that the comparison has been cancelled.

There were complications with the finances and getting the participants involved.

 

[ChrisArmour]

Well, that sucks.

 

[Dan Hine]

Or...

That figures...