Speakers dat don't get no love ... (1 Viewer)

[Nicholas R]

Apogees, especially the later models, are terrific but they did get a lot of respect in high end circles.

 

[ScottCHI]

wow. allisons? i thought this company was gone.
http://www.allisonacoustics.com/
anyone know the scoop (or poop) on the "new" company and their speakers? the subs sure do look familiar, don't they?
heh. i grew up with dad listening to his top-firing allison fours right below my bedroom. great speakers.

 

[Craig Chase]

Scott... take a peek at the subwoofer on the Allison site... then look at the Rosewood Hsu VTF-3 ...

And yes, Allison, Apogee... love some of these old companies... Fried is back in biz, too.

 

[Evan S]

I think the Boston Acoustics VRM series get no love. These are very good offerings, VERY good. Perhaps they get no love because they ARE slightly overpriced IMO.

I think if you want to know about high end speakers that get no love, listen to Scott Oliver. He's heard some very high end offerings.

Personally I love my ACI speakers, although being factory direct they are naturally going to be segregated by some in the audiophile community.

I'm a big fan of Sonus Faber as well, for both their sound and their looks.

There are so many speakers I haven't heard that I want to including...

Totem, KEF reference, Dynaudio, JM Reynauld and Silverline.

 

[Torgny Nilsson]

If you want to see a speaker that gets no love, look no further than EFE. Every review I have seen of them raves about them. And everyone who has heard them seems to think that they have no equal in their price range. The problem is that no one knows about them because EFE only sells by word of mouth and only makes speakers to order.
I had long drooled over many of the speakers mentioned in this thread but could not get my wife to approve my purchase of any of them. But then I stumbled over a small reference to EFE on some discussion thread. After doing a lot of research, and reading the few reviews I could find on them (mainly on audioreview.com), I took a trip down to EFE in San Diego to listen for myself.
I was simply blown away. I had never heard anything as good for the price. While they are not cheap--they sell for between $800 and $4,500 a pair--they match or top anything I had ever heard at 3-4 times the price.
While my wife did not approve my buying their top of the line T-60 speakers, she surprised me by approving the purchase of a pair of EFE's T-36 speakers and three T-22 speakers for a full media room set-up. Heck, she later even approved my buying a pair of EFE's small DIY speakers (but built by EFE) for our living room. All of them are amazing for the price (though I still salivate over the T-60s).
EFE also makes a surround sound processor specifically designed to be true to the original stereo sound. I always objected to processors because they never sounded quite right to me. But this is the only processor I have heard that makes me feel like I am actually in the studio or concert hall with the performers. And it is the first piece of sound equipment that my wife has ever actually urged me to buy.
Since buying these speakers I have been so amazed by the sound that I have tried to tell anyone who would listen about them. Heck, I probably sound like some born-again convert to a new religion. But everyone who has heard my set up, including a recording studio friend, has been very impressed.
EFE recently moved to Prescott, Arizona, so if you in the market for new speakers and in that area, I urge you to go listen to them. Afterwards, go ahead and tell me that I am deluded if you think so, but I think you'll be amazed enough to buy some. The only way I know to contact EFE is by email to [email protected]. They have a simple electronic brochure they will send you if you ask for it and their customer service is unparalleled.

 

[PaulDA]

Have to pipe in with a vote for Boston Acoustic VR-Ms. And LanceJ, good to see a Celestion fan from the mid-80s. My first real pair of speakers were the Celestion DL6s, still in heavy use at my friend's house 20 years later.
I think Snells are also often overlooked and are on my wish list should I ever upgrade (sshhh, don't tell my wife ).

 

[Nicholas R]

Snell Fans, and I am one, tend to love them though.

 

[MattD]

EFE, I agree. I made the trip to San Diego and fell in love. Only if my pocketbook could afford it..... sigh....someday.

 

[Rutgar]

As someone else mentioned, JM and Focal are one and the same. Focal are some of the best drivers made, and can found in many fine speakers (such as B&W).

One manufacturer I haven't seen mentioned is Aerial Acoustics. I have a pair of 10T's, and they are extremely clear, with no coloration. The only problem is Aerial no longer makes the 10T's, and their replacement (the 20T's) are $25,000/pr.

- Rutgar

 

[terence]

Acoustic Research doesn't get much love and IMHO they should.

I agree, and i hope one day this will change. AR will be back in action soon, and make great impression on in the audio world again. The Hi-Res Series is what i run in my HT, and they make it hard for me to even think of upgrading to something anytime soon.

I was told their are over 3,000 speaker companies, and one being born as i type this. It just shows you how big this market is, with a lot of different approches to sound reproduction. Not to mention all of them want to bend your ear their way for a litsen.

 

[Rory Buszka]

A huge one that no one ever seems to consider is Veritone Minimum Phase [shift] Speakers, better known as VMPS. Located in El Sobrante, Ca., VMPS is headed by one of the most dedicated designers in the history of the art, Brian Cheney, and they have been quietly advancing the state of the art in loudspeaker design since 1977. Mr. Cheney invented the Slot Loaded Passive Radiator system in 1979, but did not patent it for fear of spending his life in court defending the patent. According to Mr. Cheney, another implementation of slot-loaded passive radiators did not appear until the mid 80s, when Klipsch demonstrated a monitor speaker at an AES conference using a slot-loaded passive radiator. Some very early models that featured the slot-loaded passive radiator had the slot-loaded passive radiator at the top of the cabinet, but all current models have the slot at floor level, with the passive radiator itself downfiring. The slot/tunnel for the passive radiator forms the base of the enclosure. The slot provides much of the mass-loading according to my own analysis, allowing less massive passive diaphragms to be used. In addition, less displacement of the passive radiator is needed to achieve the same amount of clean bass output thanks to the slot loading, which is a major departure from Helmholtz Resonator theory as most speaker designsers are familiar with. You would expect that the passive radiator needs to have twice the displacement of the active drivers, but the slot loading, in addition to tweaking of several factors that you can tweak with passive diaphragms than you can with bass-reflex vents changes all that. Mr. Cheney is a very experienced and talented crossover designer, among other things, and his crossovers are designed to introduce as little electronic phase shift as possible. As a result, Brian's speakers have great driver integration, even though the driver arrays are somewhat unconventional in their execution. VMPS also uses purpose-built drivers of exceedingly high quality, and which are especially well-suited to their respective tasks. When polypropylene-cone drivers were first available, VMPS made extensive use of them. Then, Brian decided it was time to go all out on driver development, and the Megawoofer was born. The Megawoofer features an 80 oz. double-stacked magnet structure, making the back plate impossibly deep and making possible 16mm excursions of the bass driver. Instead of a cast speaker basket that you generally see nowadays, the Megawoofer features a super-heavy gauge stamped steel frame made in Chicago by a company that specializes in stamped steel speaker baskets. A natural rubber surround is employed, for superior damping of the cone's edge, and a 3" voice coil on an aluminum former (i think) provides the powerful motive force. The cone itself is quite possibly the most notable feature of the Megawoofer. After evaluating all other cone materials for desirable characteristics, Mr. Cheney writes in an article on his web site, he decided that a cone made of Woven Carbon Fiber profided the most desirable combination of characteristics for a low-bass driver. The total package doesn't look all that high-tech (with the exception of the shimmering woven carbon fiber cone) but the results are undeniable. More recently, VMPS has fully embraced ribbon transducer technology. A special Neodymium-powered 8" ribbon midrange transducer (the Neo midrange panel) covers a range of frequencies most people only attribute to full-range/wideband drivers, the range from 166 Hz to 15,000 Hz. This driver is now featured in all of the current line of VMPS speakers. To match the transparency of the new ribbon, VMPS moved towards a neodymium-powered spiral-etched push-pull round-shaped ribbon tweeter (the "Spiral" tweeter), whose sensitivity matches that of the midrange ribbon panel 1:1. In some newer models, a free-swinging ribbon tweeter (the FST) is employed either as an option or as standard equipment. This tweeter is similar to the Raven and Aurum Cantus ribbons you know and are familiar with.

QSO 626R
The smallest speaker in the VMPS line is the $1500/pair QSO 626R. This standmount loudspeaker features one Neo midrange panel and one spiral tweeter, as well as a 6.5" version of the Megawoofer with a single magnet and the carbon-fiber cone and phase plug. This thing provides flat output down to 32 Hz, which is exceptional for a speaker of this size, with a single 6.5" woofer.

Ribbon Monitor 1 Neo (RM1)
Next model up is the Ribbon Monitor 1 Neo, which features one Neo midrange panel, one spiral tweeter, and two 8" solid-graphite-cone woofers without phase plugs, with Megawoofers available in the place of the graphite-cone woofers as an option. This is the lowest-model VMPS speaker to feature the VMPS-exclusive slot-loaded passive radiator bass loading. A small amount of heavy putty allows the user to adjust the mass of the passive radiator by small increments, to adjust the bass damping. The passive radiator itself is 10" in diameter, and features a full basket and spider, and has a paper cone and foam surround. Bass extension is down to 32 Hz.

Ribbon Monitor 2 Neo (RM2)
Next up is the Ribbon Monitor 2 Neo. This speaker features two Neo midrange panels and two spiral tweeters. It also jumps up to a 12" WCF Megawoofer bass driver and a 12" slot-loaded passive radiator in the base. This speaker is a true full-range speaker with a -3dB bass cutoff at 22 Hz.

Ribbon Monitor 30 Neo
Unveiled at the 2004 CES, this is the smaller brother to the RM40, which I will describe later. The RM30 features two spiral tweeters as standard equipment, and three NEO ribbon midrange panels. This Ribbon Monitor features the most narrow baffle of all the Ribbon Monitors, for much improved imaging, but sacrifices are made in the bass region to achieve the narrow baffle. Two 6.5" solid-graphite-cone midbasses with phase plugs are employed at the base of the cabinet, and a 10" WCF Megawoofer (as featured in the RM40) fires from the side, near the rear of the enclosure. This is the model that most HTF members might be interested in, as its narrow baffle follows more closely the form factor that we are all used to from our home theater speakers. It costs about $4000, I seem to remember. Slot-loaded passive radiators are more difficult to implement in this narrower speaker. Since the width of the speaker itself is only as wide as can accomodate the 6.5" midbass drivers in the front, the base is also this width. Mr. Cheney overcomes this by implementing tandem 6.5" slot-loaded passive radiators to absorb the increased acoustic load of the 10" Megawoofer AND the 6.5" woofers operating in the same airspace (a design decision I'm not so sure I agree with but it apparently works). Bass extension is rated down to 28 Hz. This is a very popular VMPS model. It placed eighth in TechTV's Best of CES competition, but there was a good deal of politics involved here that prevented VMPS from winning 3 times in a row.

Ribbon Monitor 40
This speaker won Tech TV's Best of CES 2002 when it was introduced in 2002. It is a massive, towering speaker. It is basically a tandem RM2, with the second one inverted and set on top. The driver array is symmetrical WMMTTMMW, with solid-graphite-cone 10" woofers including phase plugs. A 10" WCF Megawoofer replaces the lower Graphite woofer as an option. There are four Neo midrange panels and two Spiral tweeters. One 10" slot-loaded passive radiator extends the bass down to a solid 24 Hz. This speaker has a MSRP of $4600, but it has been preferred when evaluated next to speakers costing $12,000. for home theaters needing extra dynamic capability for large seating (25 or 30 people) this is the speaker for you because it keeps its composure and deliver great, accurate sound while at the same time putting out insane volume levels. This one is also a very popular VMPS speaker, and most of the regulars on the AudioCircle VMPS forum have this speaker. If you want better sound with a similar price/performance ratio, you have two more choices - the VMPS Ribbon Monitor Extreme and the VMPS Super Tower III.

 

[MikeNg]

I only hear of Genelec in pro gear circles. They're crazy expensive too. Tops in that arena though.

I've only seen one other post mention RBH. They get my vote, and in a short while will get my check!

 

[Rory Buszka]

Continuing on...
Like I said before, there are two full-range VMPS models that are out of all of our price range unless you are a super audiophile who regards his audio system purchase as important as his purchase of a luxury car.
Ribbon Monitor Extreme "Elixir", (RM/X)
The Ribbon Monitor Extreme was born from a concept design - a quick sketch and a "build THIS" challenge from a former speaker designer. The concept design was called the Elixir, and the name stuck. The Ribbon Monitor Extreme breaks from the rest of the ribbon monitor line with its very unconventional design. Its cabinet design is designed to provide the narrowest baffle possible for six Neo Midrange Panels in a line source arrangement. At the base of the enclosure are two WCF Megawoofers, a 10" and a 12". The 12" Megawoofer fires out of the side of the enclosure, which is said to confound a lot of room modes. There is a 12" slot-loaded passive radiator in the base of the enclosure. (Don't worry - I've determined that the slot loading, in addition to making up for less than optimum PR displacement, widens the band of the damping of the drivers' motion, allowing the passive radiator to damp drivers with resonant frequencies very close together.) The bass response of these monsters is good down to 20 Hz, and the treble response is in the 30k range before it rolls off, and it is flat from bass to treble. There is exceptionally low harmonic distortion in the bass as well. The tweeter is a standard-equipment free-swinging ribbon which is mounted in a tweeter pod which is at the very top of the six-Neo-panel midrange array. The tweeter pod's angle relative to the rest of the drivers is adjustable. It is meant to fire sort of downward on the listener. Don't worry, psychoacoustics tells us that our ears are good at determining the position of sound sources in the horizontal plane but not in the vertical plane. This performance comes at a high price - $12,000 for a pair. Still, when you hear them and consider just what you get for that money, this is very reasonable for a last-speaker purchase or even a next-to-last speaker purchase, but you can practically say goodbye to the upgrade bug forever, at least until you feast your eyes on the Super Tower III/R.
Super Tower III/R Neo
This is the most speaker VMPS makes and darn close to the most speaker your dollar can buy. It features an imposing bottom-to-top arrangement of nine Neo midrange panels (replacing the 75" ferrite-magnet full-length open-baffle ribbon midrange that was there in the previous, non-Neo ST3/R model). The bass section is mammoth. It features four 10" woven carbon fiber Megawoofer bass drivers loaded to a down-firing 12" slot-loaded passive radiator with a cone made of woven carbon fiber. Bass response is good to 20 Hz, at 120dB output levels. (That means you'll go deaf before your speakers give out.) Treble is provided by a six-inch Raven free-swinging ribbon tweeter. An active crossover is supplied, including a separate power supply with 160,000uF of capacitance. You still need to supply four channels of amplification. This speaker costs $22,000 for the pair and the active crossover. Also for your money, Brian Cheney himself makes a personal visit to your house to set up your new speakers.
Subwoofers
VMPS also produces an impressive range of subwoofers for your listening pleasure. They are designed with low moving mass in mind and have exceptional musicality and transient response. Many consider them to be the closest competitor to the popular SVS subwoofers. In fact, some may prefer the VMPS approach (large boxes, lots of driver area with low moving mass drivers) to that of SVS, which uses high-excursion woofer drivers. All feature slot-loaded passive radiator bass loading except for the Dedicated Subwoofer. At present, VMPS only offers three subwoofers but all the other models ever offered through the years are still available in kit form. You will have to build the cabinet for those yourself.
Dedicated Subwoofer
For those of you who did not think that the bass extension of the QSO 626R speakers was enough, the Dedicated Subwoofer is designed especially to integrate with the 626Rs. This subwoofer features a slot reflex port and a 12" dual voice coil bass driver, which can be replaced with a dual voice coil Megawoofer as an option.
Larger Subwooder
This subwoofer used to be the biggest VMPS offered but it has now been bettered by the 215 subwoofer for home theater use. The Larger Subwoofer features a 12" and a 15" active driver that share the same airspace and are fed the same signal, plus 15" slot-loaded passive radiator bass loading. With the WCF Megawoofer in place of the standard poly-cone 12" driver, the Larger sub has extension to 17 Hz with very fast transient response.
215 Subwoofer
This is the most recent subwoofer offering from VMPS, which takes two of the Larger Subwoofer's 15" poly-cone active drivers and adds slot-loaded passive radiator bass loading. This sub was exhibited at the 2004 CES along with the Ribbon Monitor 30 for a home theater display. This subwoofer looks like it will compare very favorably with similar offerings from SVS, though not much data is available without contacting Mr. Cheney at [email protected] and asking for it.
Older Models
Some other notable models of the VMPS range are the Focused Field loudspeakers FF-1 and FF-3. Up until their introduction, VMPS was thought of as a bang-for-the-buck brand but once these speakers were introduced, they were labeled as an assult on the state of the art. The Focused Field approach was a WMTSTMW configuration (where S stands for the Philips ribbon supertweeter). It used woven-carbon fiber midbass drivers in its first iteration, later being replaced by the Dynaribbon midbass planar drivers and then the Special Ribbon Edition versions, which featured three spiral ribbon tweeters and a shorter version of the ferrite-powered ribbon used in the Super Tower III. the line was then discontinued in favor of further development of the Ribbon Monitor series. The Super Tower II speaker featured a Focused Field array for the midbass and treble driver complement but then used a 10" and 15" woofer operating in the same air space loaded to a 15" slot-loaded passive radiator to provide the bass.
I think that the audio world needs to take another look at VMPS. Those who saw huge boxes filled with drivers before now need to look and see that these boxes filled with drivers represented (and still do) true state-of-the-art contributions that immensely advanced the technology of the reproduction of sound, while never losing their bang-for-the buck superiority in doing so.
VMPS web site (official)
VMPS European web site (better, newer, owned by euro distributor)
VMPS AudioCircle Forum, where most of the action is until VMPS gets their new website

 

[Cagri]

ELTAX

Relatively cheap, decent speakers from Denmark IIRC.

 

[Thomas_Berg]

Vienna Acoustics
Sonus Faber

 

[Dan D Burke]

Maybe I missed it but how about Phase Technology? I have a pair of PC 8.5's.

 

[Chris Quinn]

ACI. One of the pioneers if not the original consumer direct.

 

[Joe Blech]

I was WAAAAAAAY impressed with the Sonus Faber Cremona's that I heard at the local Showcase.

 

[mackie]

Definitive tech are awesome if you value HT over music. At a reasonable price, you can set up a 1st rate home theater.

 

[Steve Adams]

I would have to say legacy speaker are on my list of Wanna haves.....