AudioCircle
Audio/Video Gear and Systems => Critic's Circle (Equipment Reviews) => Speaker Reviews => Topic started by: lonewolfny42 on 13 Jul 2008, 04:01 pm
-
Starting today my Mini's will be on an audition tour with members of the NY Audio Rave....so they can have an opportunity to try them in their systems....and comment on how they performed. :thumb:
I request that those involved please post to this thread....good or bad....its OK with me.....post what you hear... 8)
Also....please list what equipment you used for the audition.
Thanks.....happy listening.... :beer:
Chris
-
You are a trusting and wonderful man, Chris aka......"Loan" Wolf ! :beer:
-
Now we're talking.
I have being saying that anyone who has heard the SP Tech speakers knows its worth the wait,
and anybody that hasn't doesn't.
Now I know why you were so antsy to get the mini's ....
To get them out and get them heard.
Those that love SP Tech should not be such an exclusive group.
Way to share the wealth Chris,
my hat is off to you!
Rod
-
Thank you Ted and Rod.... :thumb:
The ability to try equipment in ones system always works the best...no second guessing....
As for all the "loans"...happy to report...with all the excellent guys on AC...never a problem.... a very responsible group here.... :beer:
The Mini's are now with BobM....... :thumb:
-
Cris dropped off the mini's this Sunday and we gave them a listen for a few hours. I spent more time yesterdahy checking them out. I let them run all day so they have some extra hours of break-in on them (I think they needed a little more, because they did change and open up a wee bit more by the end of the day).
Here's a link to another review with my system components: http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=50799.0 (http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=50799.0)
Bottom line; I'm driving them with a near Rev A McCormack DNA .5 amp (100W into 8 ohms).
Some preface first, before I tell you what I think so far. Chris also dropped off the 2.0's a few weeks back and I've been playing them (these are big cabinets and can never be called bookshelf, even though they need a stand). These do not have the upgraded tweeter and crossover, so therefore do not reflect the current model. In general I thought the 2.0's were fine sounding speakers at higher volumes. They DEMAND power and I don't think my McCormack drove them sufficiently. I had a few other audiophiles over and we pretty much concurred on the sound of these.
They have very good presence and excellent detail, with the feeling of live music. They are a speaker that a rock and roll musician should love (aka Chris). They play loud, need lots of power and sound dynamic when cranking. There's a switch on the tweeter that lets you adjust up or down a bit. I had this rolled down, since in my room they were a bit forward and light sounding. When I turned the REL sub on they sounded more balanced top to bottom - more weight on the bottom end made them sound just right.
At low volumes they weren't so good to my ears. The tweeter separated from the woofer and there was no "point source" of sound; a lack of continuity. The bass also appeared to be anemic (the sub helped tremendously at low volumes). I think the horn loaded tweeter dominates the mid/bass at low volumes. The distance between the two may be a factor, due to the horn camber on the baffle. They are far apart and didn't "gel" until the power was cranked up. Perhaps they needed to be placed farther back close to the front wall. Or perhaps they just need more power to drive the mid/bass more efficiently to keep up with the tweeter.
Next, my initial impression on the mini's ..
Bob
-
Bottom line, I like these speakers a lot, so far. The smaller cabinet makes these more of a bookshelf. The smaller horn loading camber on the tweeter keeps it closer to the mid/bass driver, making them sound cohesive at all volume levels. They "gel" (are you gellin?). They are still a little light sounding at low volumes and I would highly recommend a sub with these. They give you an indication of real bass, but a driver of that size in a small cabinet can't do everything.
Again, the mid/bass fills in better at higher volumes. And yes, they want power-power-power. The tweeter is definitely more refined than the 2.0's, with better texture and presence. Imaging was very good side to side and top to bottom. There is little roll off when you stand up (I guess the horn loading helps this) so the height of the speaker stands is probably not as critical as it would be with other small speakers.
They sound very expansive, but lack the final bit of transparency and air in the top end that I get from my speakers (perhaps they still need more break in, perhaps the teflon caps in my speakers are the difference). They play loud without strain and seem to like it there.
I plan on trying them out in my home theater system and checking out Chris's Butler amp on them (250W into 8 ohms) if I get a chance.
Enjoy,
Bob
-
Nice Review Bob.
Mike
-
They are still a little light sounding at low volumes...
Again, the mid/bass fills in better at higher volumes. And yes, they want power-power-power.
They play loud without strain and seem to like it there.
I noticed a phenomenon with inefficient speakers about 30 years ago. If you don’t turn it up, the bass presence is weak. It doesn’t exude until you open it up. That’s why if one listens at softer volumes, they’re better off with more efficient speakers.
Perhaps this is why... http://www.diracdelta.co.uk/science/source/t/h/threshold%20of%20hearing/source.html (http://www.diracdelta.co.uk/science/source/t/h/threshold%20of%20hearing/source.html) :scratch:
-
Thanks for the impressions Bob. Out of curiosity, what are the speakers in your home system?
-
They "were" made by a company that is no longer around - Just Speakers - using Scanspeak drivers. However, I am a modder and nothing in my system is stock anymore. Everything has been tweaked, improved, and some rebuilt. Here's a system picture.
(http://cgim.audiogon.com/i/vs/s/f/1199294822.jpg)
-
Bob M that design reminds me of a pair of Northcreek Rythm speakers I built.
8546 midwoofers & 9500...later became revelator. Another guy
in town built them with the 8545 & North-28. Big ass North
Inductors & his signature bypass caps. Nice desgin. Big sound.
Warm Sound. Good soudnstage.
I have the SP tech AV2 a MTM with large Peerless 8" midwoofer &
that Vifa Tweeter which was in the TP2.0. Again Big warm sound.
Better sensitivity about 91-92dB. The increased Sensitivty allows
them to be played well at moderate levels & at high levels...stupid levels.
-
Here's something to consider. The fletcher-munson (and later updated by other researchers) curves indicate that as SPL drops, the ear is more insensitive to bass. That means that a speaker voiced to have a flat frequency response will sound weaker in the bass region at lower levels. At higher levels, starting roughly around 85db or so, the hearing of the ear becomes more linear. Doesn't this then mean that speakers that have flat frequency response will unavoidably sound like they have weaker bass at low levels? Meanwhile, a speaker that is intended to be played at low levels may need to be designed with a big bass bump at the bottom. What are you then to do about a speaker designed as a true reference? I suppose you have no choice but to voice them flat and hope the end user knows what he is doing. Good engineers mix at higher levels because of this. If you mix at a low level, you end up putting a ton more bass in the mix, which won't hold up when they blast your mix in a club. You'll blow everyone's speakers out.
-
The mini's have had a bit more break-in now and the top end has opened up. They are nice and airy, with good detail and soundstaging. I'm really liking that tweeter.
I tried them in the home theater but ... they need more power than my AV receiver can deliver (same story). They didn't balance well with the AR speakers in the rest of that system.
They'll be going to crazy Mike's next. Thanks again for the loan Chris. I really enjoyed them while they were here.
Bob
-
Interesting, I guess I should expect more break-in of my Minis even though they probably have about 50 hours on them now. I recently hooked them up to my Signature 30.2 and haven't put the CIA D200's back in place since, the Sig 30 is driving them very well in my smallish room and once again I find I'm hooked to the tripath magic of that amp. I'll try the D200's again in a bit but for now I think I've found a system I could very easily live with.
-
Yeah!!! Crazy Mikes.. Who is that? Hey!
Mike :o
-
You are known as "Crazy Mike" in our household too!!!
(With affection, of course)
:thumb:
-Mike
-
Oboes, acoustic guitar, electic guitar, standing bass, alto sax, trombone, drums.. perhaps someone playing a kitchen sink?
First. My sub went off and the family went out! I turned the SP Techs up to what Id consider a moderate level.. No wife with the peg leg to brandish me with the tattoo of turn it down please. hehe.
The SpTech Minis are perhaps one of the most linear speakers I have ever heard. And nothing is covered and everything is exposed. Exposed, you say and I say the minis play some of the most real, live sounding instruments I have ever heard with my ears. While my ears are getting a treat playing some Grateful Dawg, Jerry Garcia and David Grisman, my eyes are going buggy from the realistic pluck of the mandolin/guitar. The leading edge of the Mandolin leading to the depth of the rest of the note, something which is a nuance but has gone amiss with my Merlins. HEaven in some solid, tank like well built, over built creations from someone who could only be a mad scientist of sorts. His name is common enough, but his effort/ knowledge, near heroic.
Ok Im waxing. Yes the Merlins are to die for musical. And they are equally extended, but somewhere along the line they add a subtle color and lose the linearity and that magic that makes a voice or instrument alive. The Merlins are close though. But it is all in the subtelty that makes a world of difference.
Now I dont have any pipe organ music and they are minis, but not so mini... but they flesh out probably 95 percent of the instruments with depth, breath, air, solid exposure. Good stuff!
The minis have been loved while they are here and will be missed. Dont worry I put a giant condom over the minis before I romanced them! Wow! That is SICK.
Id like to thank Lonewolf for the opportunity to listen to them, a real treat.
Also Im probably reviewing on more of an emotional level than scientific, so take it for what its worth.
Peace!
Mike
-
TURN IT DOWN!!
I have children sleeping here!
He used to be such a nice boy
-
Its been about a week now since I have Chris' SPTech Minis...it actually came at an opportune time, as my main speakers(VMPS RM1s) were in down-time, awaiting replacement/repair of bass drivers. I had been using a VMPS long discontinued monitor, Q404's, in the interim.
The Minis were initially set up with Chris' 21" stands in the position of my normal speakers, 4' from the front wall and about 5' apart. Yes, my room is fairly small and I sit about 7-8 feet away. The playback chain is CA Azur 540 cdplayer>Usher 307 pre>CJ Sonographe 250> Minis, with Grover Sc and Luminous Audio Technology Synchestra cabling.
On initial setup, big 'bright' sound. . Nice texture in the mid bass but kinda hot to my ears in the mid/uppers. Amp is CJ Sonographe 250, a pretty warm amp with laid back/smooth mid range. So getting such a 'bright/hot' sound balance from the Minis' with this amp was a surprise. It can dish out a big sound, however I can detect some 'crowding' in massive orchestral sections of some music at volume above 90+ dB.
Over the next few days I experimented with different placement, pushing them back closer to the wall and finally settled with them 26" out, and raised them 29" high. This placement had a better balance in the mid/tweeter-bass spectrum. After a couple days I found the sound was still not wooing me for extended listening periods...the mid/hi's was still too prominent for my taste.
Out went the pre and amp, and in went a Jolida 102b...and bang, a much much better presentation, better midrange, more body to the bass, smoother details...middle/upper piano notes sound more "real". I have always found this Jolida to be more detailed than the Sonographe in the mid/hi's. I find the Mini's to be better suited for listening at levels above 80db than at my usual late night levels of 62-70dB. In my small space, less toe in beats more toe in...and I am able to get a nice wide 190-200 degrees soundstage.
I had also swapped out the Grover ICs for Silver Fi ICs with the amp switch.
Over the next few days I hope to experiment with some cabling changes, swapping out the speaker cables which are silver solid core for some copper Groneberg Quattro .
More to follow...
Edit(8/12): Strange...yesterday I powered up the system, and surprisingly the sound was much warmer and smoother. I didn't change a thing :scratch:
Well I did rebuild my Felix using Occam's latest cord/parts...but that was in since Saturday night...or maybe, the Minis suddenly crossed the threshold of virginity and is now ready to put forth the fruits of her womb. Suffice it to say, I am hearing things of the microtonal range and beyond...
Now this sound I really like. aa
I call my Baby pussycat...meow
-
So....the Minis are....purring now Martin ? :lol:
-
Martin,
I wonder what it was making them sound so bright and irritating to you. Mine were close to the wall where you eventually put them.. And mine were a bit higher than usual speakers, though I compensated by sitting on pillows. hehe. They never sounded bright or overly lively in my space. I guess it comes down to the signal chain/ placement. Im way too lazy to do all that swapping though. :)
Mike
-
Just a guess, but mine seemed to relax at just over the 200hr mark. Or maybe its my imagination.
-
I've found that listening directly on-axis brightens them up quite a bit. Mine are now toed-in maybe a half-inch (maybe 10 degrees or so?). I also found closer to the rear wall is better - mine are 16.5" from the rear wall (center of rear baffle), which better balanced the bass with mids/treble. Finally, I've found that listening with my ears centered between the woofer and tweeter provides the most natural balance. If you have hearing very sensitive to high frequencies, ear-height centered on the woofer cone might be better. Bright recordings will still be bright, but well recorded material just sounds natural. It's too bad many recordings are as bad as they are!
-Mike
-
Guys,
Just remember... you're listening to speakers that were originally designed to be highly accurate (extremely low distortion - not just a flat frequency response) recording studio monitors. They will reveal every little thing that's connected to them - well, coming through what's connected to them and what the "thing" does to the signal anyway.
As a "for instance"... Old "dyed in the wool" engineer Bob never believed much in the effect of speaker cables. Before he designed and built our stuff I guess he never had a pair of speakers that really revealed the differences.
Well... then one day Bob puts some different wire to the tweeter in a pair of speakers and that wire is only about 2 feet long - mind you. How much difference could 2 feet make even if it was pure silver (which it was)? Just as a favor to a friend you know? Bob then listens expecting nothing. Bob quickly gets a serious education to the contrary of his "beliefs" and had to check his shorts directly thereafter. :lol:
Just ask Karsten (my "other half" in Denmark) if you don't believe me. That guy has tweaked his Revelations to the degree that borders on insanity. Actually, it would drive me insane (the rest of the way :roll:) if I had to stand by and watch him. I can only imagine how many times he'd be demanding I come and listen to "what he's done now" if we were in the same local. But, I guess that's his obsession and he serves it with all of his strength. The point is, he would have nothing to obsess over if every little change he made wasn't audible. I do know that he's not hearing things that aren't there either. He proved that to me at CES 2005. He heard stuff and proved it to me that I never would have thought would make a difference.
So... have fun guys! :green: Once you start down the path of changing cables, electronics and such, you're liable to end up like him. The good thing is that with our stuff you can at least tell when something is really better or worse - not just "different" like so much other gear gives you. Oh... and don't blame us if some beloved piece of equipment lets you down. We only build the speakers. :dunno:
Take care,
-Bob
-
Martin,
I wonder what it was making them sound so bright and irritating to you. Mine were close to the wall where you eventually put them.. And mine were a bit higher than usual speakers, though I compensated by sitting on pillows. hehe. They never sounded bright or overly lively in my space. I guess it comes down to the signal chain/ placement. Im way too lazy to do all that swapping though. :)
Mike
Initially I had them 4 feet into the room on 21" stands ,which placed the tweeter just below the level of my ears...that of course would accentuate the highs. Later, I settled on a makeshift stand 29" high, which brought my ears in line with the woofer...that coupled with moving them back to 2 feet from the front wall resulted in a much better blend to my taste.
And as Bob/SPTech wrote Just remember... you're listening to speakers that were originally designed to be highly accurate (extremely low distortion - not just a flat frequency response) recording studio monitors.
When I first heard it, I immediately thought of studio monitors (dry/neutral). :lol:
So I would say SPTech scored on that achievement. :thumb:
But I think the speakers has crossed the 'break-in" threshold...the sound has shifted(from Monday) for the better (IMO). I am experimenting with cabling now, so will report back impressions as they take shape.
-
Well to wrap up the Mini's visit...it left the premises last night.
Really don't have much to add, I enjoyed their short stay and the opportunity to hear for myself how the Mini's sound. Its a sound that takes a little getting used to, myself being a 'full' range floorstander speaker guy, but once they were set up properly, I forgot about the speakers and found myself playing music.
They have a very neutral character and I found my sound-preference pairing it with a EL84 tube-based amp. Very detailed top end and a solid mid bass and up range, in the lower bass range(30-55Hz) you get a sense of presence, but compared with what I am used to I would have to say its on the lean side. Most of my listening was done late evening/night at levels from 65-80dB, and at my close (7ft.) listening position, it was a very immediate and involving musical experience.
If the Mini was a woman I would describe her as athletic-lean...my personal preference would be a woman with a little more meat to muscle ratio.
Contrary to what has been said about them, I found that the little Jolida102b was well able, within its power limits, to get some good clean vibes from the Minis in my small room(11x14).
I had planned to run Stereophile test disc to see what the in-room response looked like but time and memory got the better of me.
Big thank you to Chris/Lonewolfny for his generosity in availing his brand new gear to the AC members. Give that man the highest medal of honor. :lol:
-
Thank you Martin.... :beer:
Glad I picked up the Minis last night....
because today was "Tow Truck Time"....(starter) :? :shake:
-
....
If the Mini was a woman I would describe her as athletic-lean...my personal preference would be a woman with a little more meat to muscle ratio.
....
Hey!
I see.... now I know what type of women you like :jester:
Take care,
Buddy :thumb:
-
....
If the Mini was a woman I would describe her as athletic-lean...my personal preference would be a woman with a little more meat to muscle ratio.
....
Hey!
I see.... now I know what type of women you like :jester:
Take care,
Buddy :thumb:
A bearded greek woman who plays for the NY Giants...???
Just a wild guess there. :o
Mike
-
Yeah Mike...underarm hair welcome too. :lol:
Buddy, I like a juicy woman...who wants to bang against a bagga bones. :lol: :lol:
Shit Chris...that's a bummer. Well at least a starter is not a boatload of money.
-
Many, many thanks Cris for giving us ravers a chance to hear the minis in our systems. Even though my time with them coincided with the US Open which held my attention morning to late evening/early morning I managed to hear a few CD's through them. I kept them busy listening to TV thru them also.
First thing I noticed was the robust bass, considering they are "mini" monitors. Deep, tight and articulate. Nice. Mids/highs were very clean, detailed and fast(reminded me of electrostatics) with nice presence. Vocals are outstanding.
BTW the minis need lots of power yet still like to be played loud...no problem for me. :thumb:
If I were to nitpick I would have to say that I found them ever so slightly on the lean side. That is of course a characteristic of the very best studio monitors - neutral, linear/flat freq. response. But "listening" to the whole picture I was very impressed with the SP's. I like them a lot.
Once again thanks Cris.
Frank
-
Thank you Frank..... :thumb:
-
Well, I dropped off the Minis last night to Mike (Topround) after my week with them, and I guess it's my turn for a review.
First, my equipment - Audio Note M2 Phono Preamp, Monarchy SE 100 Delux monoblock amps, Teres 135 turntable w/RS labs A1 tonearm/Denon DL103D, Bolder modded Squeezebox 2 using analog outs, VH Pulsar ICs, Straley Reality speaker cables. My regular speakers are VMPS 626Rs on 22" stands in my small, 12 x 18 living room, and everything is plugged into a PS Audio Quintet.
For whatever reason, in MY room with MY equipment, these speakers just weren't my cup of tea. First, the good - they image like champs. I could separate them by 8 feet and still get good center fill, with the speakers disappearing completely. They also did depth wonderfully well. They could play loud with out breaking up, and did bass surprisingly well for their size.
However, I tried the Minis on my 22" stands, on 28" stands, out into the room, close to the back wall, toed in, no toe-in, and I just couldn't get rid of a slight nasal sound or "honkiness" to them. They also sounded a little lean and closed in on top compared to the ribbons and 6.5" Mega woofer in my VMPS speakers. The Minis sounded much better when played loud, but did not sound as good to me when played at my usual listening levels - bass and treble not as well "connected", and bass not as subjectively deep.
These are just my opinions in my system and my room, at my preferred volume level. Anyway, I'm glad I had the chance to try these out. Thanks to Chris for making these speakers available.
Mike Fox
-
Here's something to consider. The fletcher-munson (and later updated by other researchers) curves indicate that as SPL drops, the ear is more insensitive to bass. That means that a speaker voiced to have a flat frequency response will sound weaker in the bass region at lower levels. At higher levels, starting roughly around 85db or so, the hearing of the ear becomes more linear. Doesn't this then mean that speakers that have flat frequency response will unavoidably sound like they have weaker bass at low levels? Meanwhile, a speaker that is intended to be played at low levels may need to be designed with a big bass bump at the bottom. What are you then to do about a speaker designed as a true reference? I suppose you have no choice but to voice them flat and hope the end user knows what he is doing.
Thanks for sharing this very important observation:
Flat frequency response of a speaker is perceived differently at different SPL.
Paul at Tube Research Labs made me a pair of monitors for Reference. They sound full range (for most music) at ref SPLs but at everyday low listening level - they sound as if they do not have enough bass. I still prefer 2 way monitors for what they do.
The question is how to bring more bass at lower volumes while still maintaining flat frequency response? Add a pair of subwoofers with DSP?
PS: I did hear Chris's minis at the Rave - I think that SP Tech speakers should be heard with high powered amps ~200 wpc.
-
The question is how to bring more bass at lower volumes while still maintaining flat frequency response? Add a pair of subwoofers with DSP?
I think that was the original impetus for the "Loudness" button.
Bob
-
Brief explanation of the ubiquitous Fletcher-Munson Curves which now apparently should be called Equal Loudness Curves:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fletcher%E2%80%93Munson_curves (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fletcher%E2%80%93Munson_curves)
Basically, the human ear's receptiveness to sound varies with frequency. The "presence" band from about 1 khz to 4 khz is much more sensitive than the rest of the spectrum and bass frequencies are much less. Note that at reference "100" db, 20 hz is about 35 db less sensitive than the presence band but at reference "0" db, that range is about 80 db less sensitive. :o
Implications? Speaker tuning is only truly optimized at one volume level in a room. Early TacT owners often had several settings for different volume levels, the TacT 2.2XP now has a feature that allows customized Equal Loudness compensation that theoretically makes a system sound equally balanced at all levels.
Having played around with different room EQs for several years this stuff is real and significantly affects our perceptions of our systems. Having a setup that sounds truly full and balanced at low volumes will almost certainly sound bass heavy as the wick gets turned up. The corollary is that a good crankin' setup will probably sound lightweight when played quietly.
It's not just the speaker, rather the speaker/room acoustic interface. Any speaker will find it's best frequency balance at a different level depending on the room it resides in.
-
Thank you Mike (Fox) for your comments..... :thumb:
-
I know I am late to the party, but I might as well crash it anyway. :lol:
While I am not listening to Wolfy's mini's, I bought my own, I can share some thoughts.
I would say these are a music lovers speaker. They make listening enjoyable with their flat frequency response, lively dynamics, and fantastic imaging. Bass is not bloated, but lean and visceral. These are anti-boxes. They just are not there and completely d i s a p p e a r . Don't let the small/big size fool you. They will put the musical event in front of you. If you want more, get a bigger room, the mini's will strut their stuff even better.
These speakers, mated with some good subs, take you to a very high level of sound. Are they the best speakers in the world, well no, but one could buy these and enjoy them all through one's audio journey. It would be a nice way to put a stop to the merry-go-round. I could see these being sought after jewels in years to come just like the Roger's LS35a's of old.
I have yet to try these mixing albums very near field, as was my intended purpose for the purchase. Don't know how they will blend sitting 3 feet away from them. Been so busy lately that I have not time to do that. It's just been, work, work, work.
Anyway, great job Bob. Very nice speakers.
Rocket_mini_Ronny
-
K O W A - B U N G A A !!! :o
The Mini's are now in my near field rig, and they are:
Absolutely Beautiful !
They make music, breathtaking music. Aaaahhhhhh.
I love the way vocals lock in the image. Let alone everything else. And the tonal balance is just so right.
Tons of detail without the fatigue. Are these electrotats? Very lively and engaging.
I can mix with these knowing the speakers are not lying to me, and have a good time at the same time.
Though I am only sitting 32" away from each speaker, and have them 32" apart, they blend very nicely, better than I was expecting.
Only problem I find now is that I am not getting my work done, and just listening to music. Am I in trouble or what? :oops:
System is I-tunes on Mac laptop, out of the headphone plug, into some el-cheapo mini to rca connecters, into a Little Dot T-100 digital amp, then cat 5 cable to the Mini's. I am not even using the Metric Halo ULN-2 as a dac. :duh:
Negatives:
They like power. Like was said before, 200 watts would be a nice pair. The 75 watt McAlister was a beautiful match with the mini's to a fairly loud level in the main rig, probably 95 db peaks in the chair - guess, but I could see having another 3-4 db of headroom there if you listen really loud.
This may seem like a negative at first, but really is not. The metal woofs are so fast, and lack any bloat, that one may think there may be a lack of bass. This was more evident with the already lean sounding Little Dot amp, than with the robust McAlister. This takes a bit of getting used to, but in the end I think most will highly appreciate the fast detailed bass. Frequency response is claimed to go down into the 40's -3 dbs so the bass is there, just different than paper woofs. Add a sub below 40 hz if you crave the really low stuff.
All in all, these are my new friends, and very good friends they are. :wink:
Rocket_Ronny
-
Only problem I find now is that I am not getting my work done, and just listening to music. Am I in trouble or what? :oops:
LOL, that depends. If this is your sole source of income, then yes, you're in trouble. OTOH, what a way to enjoy being poor! If you think they sound good now, just wait until they have about 500 hours on them. :drool:
-
Kon:
What happens in 500 hours?
Rocket_Ronny
-
Congrats Rocket :lol: :D,
Enjoy your new speakers!!! Any pics? What finish are they?
My minis should be here in the next week or so.
Best wishes,
Todd
-
Kon:
What happens in 500 hours?
Rocket_Ronny
The midrange becomes more relaxed.
-
Hi Stir:
No picts. I think they are Walnut, not sure, dark anyway.
Thanks Kon.
Rocket_Ronny
-
A little Mini review (no pun intended)
Lonewolf was gracious enough to let me have the SP tech mini's for quite some time, my house was a staging ground for others to try the speakers, other audiophiles that live around me.
It seems that audiophiles are a rare unique group but there are more of us than you might think, to some degree or another.
My first experience with the SP Tech speakers was a loan from Chris(LoneWolf) with his SP Tech Timepiece 2.0's. These speakers ,made a big impression on me and my kids :thumb:, they threw a big soundstage and had great bass, they made my kids dance, but they needed power so I was bi amping. Bi amping was cool but later I decided one good amp was better than two.
This latest version of the SP Tech line is the smallest speaker they make but does share their sonic signature, and with its heritage comes its desire for lots of power.
I first tried the Mini's on my son's system, with his SET music el34 integrated at 30 or 35 watts I knew it would not be enough power, and I was right.
Later I put the Mini's in my system with my QuickSilver amp at 140 watts, this helped a lot, everything fleshed out much better and much better control of the bass.
Here are the Pro's :
This speaker can throw a very big soundstage,while proper setup is required for all speakers this speaker is very forgiving, just get it close and you can hear its potential.
Terrific bass. This little speaker can really make bass.
Cons: I kept hearing a separation of drivers, and the upper mids and highs tended to be a little on the lean side.
I also heard a little roughness to the tweeter that bothered me.
This all changed!
I heard the Mini's at MFsoa's house at the Oct. rave powered by the DAC company Cherry amp.
This was a totally different speaker than the one I heard at my house
It was completely fleshed out at all frequencies, it was full and authoritative and delicious, it had great tone all over the freqs. I loved what I heard it was extremely musical!
The 600 watts of the Cherry amp really made a huge improvement. I always believed that there exists a very important relationship of amp to speakers, A speaker may present a load to an amp that that amp may like or not like, samething with speaker cables, everytime I changed amps I had to change speaker cables.
Last year at RMAF I was lucky enough to go to Steve Changs house in Colorado, he was auditioning the SP Techs Revelations, with a 600 watt Spectron Musician amp, these speakers just had new drivers and crossovers installed the nite before, and they were magic! I heard a smaller version of that magic at the Oct rave from the Mini's.
At first I had a negative view of the Minis's but I no longer do!
They just didn't work in my house and with my gear. My opinion was formed, but it was wrong.
BTW those speakers that I heard in Colorado are for sale here on AC!
If you have the money and the room and the gear, those speakers will blow you away.
I know the economy sucks right know, but someone is gonna get a great deal.
So in the end the Mini's surprised me. They are quite a bargain for what you get.
-
Sometimes, I feel unfortunate in that in many respects, I haven't gone through the trials and tribulations of audio gear that I read about often here at AC.
In stead I just hung around a lot in trying to decide how to assemble my system. Somewhere along the line, the combo of the Spectron amp and some speakers from an outfit called SP Tech kept coming up.
So I went for it and got the Spectron and the SP Tech mini's. So I don't have a lot to compare them to. I just know that what I'm hearing keeps putting smiles on this old fart's face. And I guess that will just have to do. :thumb:
Thanks to all who knowingly and unknowingly contributed.
Gene
-
Gene,
My heart goes out to you.
It is a sad thing that you have never felt the frustration involved in this hobby :lol:
Consider yourself lucky!
I used to be an avid bowler. Those nites when you where throwing strikes and spares, the worls was good, but those nites when your game was off you just hated bowling and wanted to quit to do something else.
I have felt that frustration with this hobby, but when things go right it is magical and it makes you happy.
Sounds like you hit the magic combo on the first try, consider yourself lucky it is usually not that way.
Some just go threw lots of gear because they like the gear,others to get that magic sound.
Stick with what you like, unless something comes along..... :lol:
And if you are smiling then you are there :green:
mike
-
Thanks, Mike.
Of course I'm never going to know just how magical what I've got is, until I change something and either say, Wow! or ohhh God, I just ruined my setup.
Isn't that how this hobby goes? :thumb:
As far as bowling, I'll probably never know what could have been. I could never get past a 16 lb ball being too heavy for me but anything lighter didn't fit my fingers. If I had actually bought my own ball, fitted to me, who knows. I really enjoyed the sport but that was many a year ago.
My crowning achievement was back in college when a bunch of us starving students with no money would get together and take advantage of cheap rates, like 3 o'clock in the morning. I bowled quite a bit and one magical night I topped the mighty 200 mark, 204 IIRC.
That goes right up there with any aces I served on the tennis court. :thumb:
Gene
-
Mike/topround.....
Thanks for posting your comments... :beer:
Yes...I agree, at the Oct. Rave, the Minis sounded very good....and with both the DAC Cherry and in Mike's system (mfsoa) with his VAC tube amp (PA100/100). How good....we played the whole "Dark Side Of The Moon" cd ....from start to finish. :wink:
Gene/Goosepond....
At RMAF '08, I got to hear the Minis and Spectron combo in the Tweekgeek's room....your set....nothing to worry about...it was an excellent combo. Sit back and enjoy the tunes... :rock:
Chris
-
Sometimes, I feel unfortunate in that in many respects, I haven't gone through the trials and tribulations of audio gear that I read about often here at AC.
In stead I just hung around a lot in trying to decide how to assemble my system. Somewhere along the line, the combo of the Spectron amp and some speakers from an outfit called SP Tech kept coming up.
So I went for it and got the Spectron and the SP Tech mini's. So I don't have a lot to compare them to. I just know that what I'm hearing keeps putting smiles on this old fart's face. And I guess that will just have to do. :thumb:
Thanks to all who knowingly and unknowingly contributed.
Gene
Hey Gene, I know how you feel. Other than car stereo shops, Sears is the closest thing to home audio gear we have here in Vermont. :roll: If it wasn't for driving 4-5 hours to the NY RAVES, I would still have zero exposer to other high end gear. The 1 thing I like the most about the NY RAVES (other than the people, food, booze, wild women :lol:) is the fact that there's always a lot of mix/matching of gear so everyone gets an idea what may and what may not work. I'm in total agreement with Topround. Up til the Oct RAVE, the 2 times I heard the Mini's had failed to catch my ear. Fortunately that all changed for me as it did for others. It's hard to know what will and will not work in a system. You can only try it out and see.
Cheers,
Robin
-
Hi Chris,
You're probably the only one who can directly compare the minis and the true Timepieces. Have you had the minis at home long enough to comment on such a comparison?
Gene
-
Hi Robin,
Hmmm, "people, foord, booze, wild women". Maybe I'll schedule a flight from Louisiana to NYC next rave. I'm sure one of those guys wouldn't mind putting me up for a weekend. :green:
JK.
Gene
-
Hi Chris,
You're probably the only one who can directly compare the minis and the true Timepieces. Have you had the minis at home long enough to comment on such a comparison?
Gene
Only a short time with the Minis Gene.... when they first arrived....then they were out and about....NY,NJ....for their little tour. I did notice...a smoother crossover than my TP2's (their old). The bass is stronger with the larger speakers....stronger than many speakers that are out there today. Both do shine with...a powerful amp. :wink:
When the Minis finally return...in a month or so....I can test them out better....plenty of stuff here.
Speaking of Rave's.....our Holiday/X'mas Rave is always a big hit....thats one you should make... :beer:
-
Hi Chris,
You're probably the only one who can directly compare the minis and the true Timepieces. Have you had the minis at home long enough to comment on such a comparison?
Gene
I think Chris has heard the mini's more often at the RAVES than he has in his own home. :lol:
-
Hi Chris,
You're probably the only one who can directly compare the minis and the true Timepieces. Have you had the minis at home long enough to comment on such a comparison?
Gene
I think Chris has heard the mini's more often at the RAVES than he has in his own home. :lol:
Your right Robin..... :lol:
But I look at it this way.....all those that have auditioned the Minis....their not SP Tech owners....so no bias....and I mention to each....tell it like you hear it...good or bad its fine with me. :wink:
-
Hi Chris,
You're probably the only one who can directly compare the minis and the true Timepieces. Have you had the minis at home long enough to comment on such a comparison?
Gene
I think Chris has heard the mini's more often at the RAVES than he has in his own home. :lol:
Your right Robin..... :lol:
But I look at it this way.....all those that have auditioned the Minis....their not SP Tech owners....so no bias....and I mention to each....tell it like you hear it...good or bad its fine with me. :wink:
You the man Chris. :thumb:
-
Hi Chris,
You're probably the only one who can directly compare the minis and the true Timepieces. Have you had the minis at home long enough to comment on such a comparison?
Gene
I think Chris has heard the mini's more often at the RAVES than he has in his own home. :lol:
Your right Robin..... :lol:
But I look at it this way.....all those that have auditioned the Minis....their not SP Tech owners....so no bias....and I mention to each....tell it like you hear it...good or bad its fine with me. :wink:
Chris,
And another benefit. Once you get them home for good, they will be all broken in! :thumb:
Gene
-
Thanks Robin... :thumb:
And.....Gene....your right...they'll be ready to rock and roll... :rock:
-
Chris,
And another benefit. Once you get them home for good, they will be all broken in! :thumb:
Gene
Do NOT underestimate break-in for the Minis. The word finesse comes to mind, or......my amps are finally broken in......after 9 years. :green:
-
Gene,
The holiday rave is the one to come to.
You have an open invite to stay at my house, I have a spare bedroom for you and your wife?
Phil hosts the holiday rave and he is close to me
the holiday rave is like going to a small RMAF, lotsa gear and great food, and tons of wine and beer.
and the invite is real.
Mike
-
Hi Mike,
Thanks for the invite. But I was kidding, really. And I'm afraid you're about 10 years too late to include my wife. :green:
When I first discovered AC, for some reason I started reading the NY raves threads and that's when I first ran across accounts of, I believe, the SP Tech Timepiece speakers. One thing led to another and here I am with my system.
AC is definitely a good place to "hang out", even if its just on the Internet.
Gene
-
Well the invite stands if you want to change your mind
it's one big happy family
-
Hi Mike,
Thanks for the invite. But I was kidding, really. And I'm afraid you're about 10 years too late to include my wife. :green:
When I first discovered AC, for some reason I started reading the NY raves threads and that's when I first ran across accounts of, I believe, the SP Tech Timepiece speakers. One thing led to another and here I am with my system.
AC is definitely a good place to "hang out", even if its just on the Internet.
Gene
I agree that AC is a nice place to hang out and pick the minds of those who have heard first hand gear that you might be interested in but it's the little audio gatherings around the USA that AC has fostered that really makes things happen. There's no replacement for actually hearing audio gear in numerous setups. If it weren't for the RAVEs, and Chris/Lonewolf, I never would have had the opportunity to listen to the Mini's and be blown away from the Timepieces. :thumb:
Cheers,
Robin
-
Who'd like to lend a pair of of small SP Techs for a GTG here in Michigan? If I could get a pair scheduled, I'd have a GTG because we haven't had one in like, forever, it seems!
-
Well ...after a close to six month tour, my SP Tech Mini's have returned home in fine shape. I'd like to thank all the Ravers involved for posting their comments, and for taking great care with the speakers...their looking good and sounding great !! :D
Thanks again.... :thumb:
Chris
-
Mike...
The SpTech Minis are perhaps one of the most linear speakers I have ever heard. And nothing is covered and everything is exposed. Exposed, you say and I say the minis play some of the most real, live sounding instruments I have ever heard with my ears. While my ears are getting a treat playing some Grateful Dawg, Jerry Garcia and David Grisman, my eyes are going buggy from the realistic pluck of the mandolin/guitar. The leading edge of the Mandolin leading to the depth of the rest of the note, something which is a nuance but has gone amiss with my Merlins. HEaven in some solid, tank like well built, over built creations from someone who could only be a mad scientist of sorts. His name is common enough, but his effort/ knowledge, near heroic.
All players in the Sp Tech line up that I have heard, which includes everything but the Mini to date, do string instruments more realistic than any other speaker I've heard. A good quick chop by David Grisman on his mando will make you jump right out of your shoes :thumb:
-
sp tech is the real deal.u right when i play Rodrigo Gabriela ,i feel i'm in that guitar.:)
lapsan