Audiophiles hifi appreciation thread old and new

Thanks, familiar with them too, will take a deeper dive.

Jebus, your model is on sale at Bay Bloor right now too, but only til tonight.

Yes, they've been discontinued. Think they had too much overlap in their compact floorstanders. I don't know if you're into mahogany, but Totem cabinet finishing is top notch. The mahogany is gorgeous in person.

I paid $2200 USD after tax, so at ~$1500 USD for those with free shipping? I'd say that's a great buy. As are the Sky bookshelves they have on sale. Same drivers and crossover, just smaller cabinet.

They're very compact, too, here's a photo for reference: B&W 607s and LS50 Meta's on 24" stands.

1 Attachment

Cheers, really tempted.
All things being equal then, would the towers sound a little fuller?

Undoubtedly. They have some real weight to the bottom end when cranked. They are good at low listening volumes, but really do wake up when they're a bit louder. I tend to do most of my listening at 55-60dbs from my listening position because I'm in an apartment. If I crank turn go up to about 65, they sound really alive.

There are lots of reviews out there that I feel sum them up really well. Once you've bought quality stands, its much of muchness cost wise anyway. I'd buy the tower's over the bookshelves, but I'm obviously biased.

Oh - they really don't like poor recordings. Like at all.

Mm, that last bit gives me pause.
I have lots of mediocre recording lps and cds.

Fair enough. I don't really have many comparisons in this price bracket of speaker though tbf, so maybe its the case for all speakers at this price point? I dunno.

Have you considered some inline attenuators twixt source and amp? Then you could pump up the volume but still be listening at neighbour-friendly levels

googles 'good speakers vs poor recordings'

@JB

they really don't like poor recordings. Like at all

When I was auditioning my speakers and the shopkeep asked what I thought of them, I said they were great, but they made crappy indie-rock recordings sound like crappy indie-rock recordings (early Teenage Fanclub and Pavement, for the curious) .

He chuckled at me, but I bought them, and it turned out to be more to do with the amp he was using to demo them (a Rega Brio).

I wonder how forgiving the 5005 might be.

I’d defer to @JB, if he’s tested them with different amps.

transistor amps tend to sound fairly similar, as do digital sources.

I have literally no idea what I just read.

I have used them with an Onkyo A9150, SMSL AD18, Aiyima T9 Pro, Rogue Sphinx v3 and now the Cambridge CXA61. Poor recordings sounded shit through all of them - even the two more expensive ones.

You stick a pair of these
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stageline-21-2840-Passive-Level-Attenuator/dp/B0057G44WM/ref=asc_df_B0057G44WM/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310977318630&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14236048554340016284&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006959&hvtargid=pla-564256263085&psc=1 *
Between your source, cd player, record player or whatever (obvs it doesn't work if the source is built in) and your amp.
They attenuate the signal by, usually, 20dB so you can turn the volume up higher, to be in that "sweet spot"
*Russ Andrews do some for about 5 x the price. Snake oil's expensive stuff

Disclaimer. I've never actually tried these, though I think I have a pair kicking about somewhere so can't comment on whether they actually work as they're s'posed to

They attenuate the signal by, usually, 20dB so you can turn the volume up higher

That works if the problem is the amp being shit at low gain, but it sounds like the issue is more that the speaker drivers are shit at low excursion

Excuse my ignorance. I don't understand. I listen at that volume because I am a considerate neighbor. Or are you saying they would sound 'better' at the low volume I listen at, if I used a pair of these doodads?

No, as I understand it-and I'm probably completely wrong- the idea is that with a lower signal coming in, you can turn the volume up on your amp, so the speakers are driven more efficiently, but the net result is still as quiet as if you played an unattenuated signal at lower volume
Or something

Undoubtedly. They have some real weight to the bottom end when cranked. They are good at low listening volumes, but really do wake up when they're a bit louder. I tend to do most of my listening at 55-60dbs from my listening position because I'm in an apartment. If I crank turn go up to about 65, they sound really alive.

There are lots of reviews out there that I feel sum them up really well. Once you've bought quality stands, its much of muchness cost wise anyway. I'd buy the tower's over the bookshelves, but I'm obviously biased.

Oh - they really don't like poor recordings. Like at all.

I was going to ask people's listening volumes. I'm in a terrace, with a shared wall with a neighbour. 70db sounds really nice to me, however, I'm conscious my neighbour might not appreciate that. Am I worrying unnecessarily, alternatively, is there any reasonably priced treatments I can put on the wall to mitigate that? I tend to use headphones post 10pm.

I'm in an apartment with someone directly above me and also someone on the right of me. Thankfully nobody underneath. But this is a mid-century Californian apartment built out of wood and not much else. No brick and barely any, if any, insulation to keep noise inside. Fortunately, when I walk past my neighbors front door his music is BLASTING, whereas in my apartment I can't really hear it that much. I've had no noise complaints in a year+, so I can only assume I am being fair.

Stick to cans after 10 unless you have a reciprocal arrangement with your neighbours.

Held off on the Totems and phoned a local shop and had a long discussion with the owner. He agreed with your assessment of the Sky treatment of less than stellar recordings and proposed one from a line that he carries, Monitor out of UK. Of course.
But anyway, no rush right now as the sale is past.

Glad to hear its not just my ears. I really like what Monitor are doing nowadays. Good sound. Fair prices, IMO.

This might be the wrong place but I’m looking for a new pair of in ear headphones. Wireless but joined to each other however no one seems to make these any more. My Jaybird tarah pros died and the new ones are lower quality and battery life etc.

The only thing I can see that looks like it might be good is nuraloop. Anyone have any other recommendations?