Decware - TurningPoint Audio HR-1 Omni Hybrid Speakers

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Blueone302

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Some of you may have read my post in the new member section on How Not to Put Together a System.  I'm not usually one to shamelessly plug for a particular brand.  But, after settling in with the new speakers for the last couple of months, I thought others who are searching might appreciate this review.

In the first few hours of auditioning the HR-1’s I knew I would want to put together a review. The above referenced post details how I got to this point.  As of this writing, I have roughly two hundred hours on them.  I’ll likely do a follow up at around the five hundred hour point.  Oh, this won't be the normal review.  I don't have the fancy audiophile vocabulary.

As one might surmise from the original post referenced above, I’m picky. IMHO, I have good ears.  For some unknown/ungodly reason, in another life I was asked to sing in a barber shop quartet. I still don’t know why I said yes.  But I did.  I learned that in order to sing those close harmonies, one needs good ears and a keen awareness of pitch.  I suspect this is a piece of why I look for so much detail in both instrumentation and vocals.

So I’ll begin by saying the HR.-1’s are great at detail… micro detail.   I love all kinds of music.  After bringing them home, I went through my version of “the list” of songs necessary to verify the audio quality of a pair of speakers or system.  Then, because I love 70’s rock and especially the Eagles, I put on Hotel California

If you’re familiar with the song, the band went to great lengths to get it right.  In fact, they recorded it in three different venues before they were satisfied.  Anyway…  as I was listening, I heard something “different”.  So, I replayed it again and then again. The slightly elevated drums and hi hat cymbals to the right have always stood out. Now, they were so striking that I caught myself looking to the right and slightly up. Glen Frey and Joe Walsh’s guitar interplay have always stood out.  If you listen closely, you'll discern their different styles and know who's playing when.  With the HR's I found myself nodding in appreciation.  But there was more.  Now I was hearing the piano chords syncing with the rhythm guitar; something I had never caught or thought about in thirty-five years of listening.  But it was there.  Not striking, kind of subtle, but there.

Another favorite for me is Shelby Lynne’s Just a Little Lovin; from an album that pretty much covers the biggest hits of Dusty Springfield. (It's titled Inspired by Dusty Springfield and recorded on the Lost Highway label.)  Don’t say “huh?”; just find it.  From the get go, the rim shots come from the right and cause you to believe the kit is in the room.  The bass line is just funky enough to stand out.  The vocal performance is lifelike and dreamy.  (I never use the word dreamy.) Listen close for the feedback at 1:25. You won’t hear it on a lot of speakers.  If you hunt it up, be sure and listen to Breakfast in Bed and I don’t Want to Hear it Anymore.   Incidentally, on every other pair of speakers I’ve used to listen to Breakfast in Bed, the bass line was bloated.  Not so on the HR’s.  And did you catch the air in those vocals? I’m guessing this song might be why so many guys have invested in bedroom systems, and why wives and girlfriends let them.  (Just saying) For me, this is a reference recording.  The Hybrid/SACD is even better.

From there I went to Crooked Still’s Little Sadie and Van Morrison’s Moondance.  On Little Sadie, the vocal runs can be hard to decipher on many speakers.  Before the HR’s I had to get out the headphones and listen through the Oppo direct.  Still not sure, I had to Google the lyrics.  Not so on the HR’s.  Likewise, one of the guys I had over during the speaker auditions sat up during Morrison’s Moondance and said “I never liked that song before.”   I said “why not?”  He sheepishly grinned and said, “I never understood the words before.”  This is the micro detail I’m talking about.  You hear things on the HR’s you never heard before; and you hear it distinctly.

I mentioned the search for bass during the “speaker shootout”.  Now I have bass I never had with either the Klipsch Cornwall’s or the Spatial’s. In fact, with only 200 or so hours, I sometimes find myself wondering where it’s coming from.  Several people thought I must have my home theater sub in the mix.  I don't!  If there’s not enough bottom end with these speakers, you can be sure it’s the recording.   As an example, after a few weeks, I put on…. an organ piece (classical) from an album called Golden Classics, The Best Organ.  I was listening to Tocatta, by Dmitry Rusanov.  It has been my experience that it is hard to find an organ piece that will showcase your speakers.  Or, conversely, it is hard to find speakers capable of reproducing the sound of a pipe organ in one’s home.  I like this song because it will simply tell you if your speakers are capable of reproducing sound anywhere close to what you might hear live. The piece is well recorded; and the HR’s are able to produce the music in such a way that when I hear it, I find myself enveloped in a holographic bubble of sound.  It sounds like I’m there.  After the initial keyboard runs, the fun starts at 00:42 as the bass line begins to work up and down the scale. At 01:30 I begin to feel it.  Then the runs take over again before the lower register kicks in with authority.  The HR’s reproduce it accurately and with lifelike clarity. At 02:38 it gets serious.  Without a subwoofer, the HR’s can be felt on Tocatta; but not in an obnoxious way.  If you’ve never heard a pipe organ live, the HR’s will allow you to experience something darn close.  I've heard the Klipschorns play organ music (albeit in the wrong kind of showroom) and the HR's do it better.  Yes I said that.

I can honestly say that I am yet to play a good recording on the HR-1’s that didn’t stand out. If you like bass, it’s there.  (I’m told by fellow owners it will get even better.  That is hard to believe.  But I do believe.) Right now, I’m listening to Alison Krauss’s Let Me Touch You for a While.  The Dobro is sliding; the bass is being strummed.  If that string bass was any louder, it would be wrong.  I’ve heard it sound bloated and wrong. Loud and wrong.  Anemic and wrong.  This is right; just right.

If you like strings or anything acoustic, these speakers will bring it to life.  For instance, if you like jazz, try Bill Evans, Some Other Time: The Lost Session from The Black Forest.  This contains my favorite rendition of You’re Gonna Hear from Me.  Best of several worlds. The bass line is fun, taunt, punchy and the rat-a-tat-tat of it is hard to keep up with.  I used to wonder why some musicians bobbed their heads in time to music.  This song reveals why.  The piano is crisp, clear.... lifelike. 

I guess I could go on and on.  Just suffice it to say that with my HR’s perhaps halfway home in terms of run in, they sound fantastic.  The bass I was looking for which is a must for me is present.*  I’m hearing none of the glare or brightness from the high end some mention in terms of adding a resistor.  The sound stage is deep….. and can be wide; very wide.  This is the beauty and versatility of these speakers.  I wrote this in two sittings.  Right now I’m listening to Bill Evan’s jazz trio again and I feel like I’m in a club setting.  I recently went on a cruise and went into a jazz bar to listen to a trio for a bit.  The seats were plush, the ensemble perhaps 12-15 feet away.  That’s what I’m hearing and feeling now.   The drum kit to my left and a little behind the upright bass, the piano about 10 feet to the right.  The sound is tight and focused.  But if you want, you can spread it out a bit further by moving the speakers slightly out on each side.  Want to get more bass?  Move them back toward the front wall.  Want a little more of the 3-D imaging?, aim them just outside your head on either side.  At this stage, the possibilities seem endless.  This is one of the reasons I love these speakers.  I’ve experienced speakers that can play louder, some that can shake the floor with bloated bass, some that can make you happy for a few hours or a few sessions.  But these speakers make me smile every time I sit and listen.  Granted, the Decware amp and my Don Sach’s Pre-Amp doesn’t hurt the sound.  The synergy is awe inspiring.  Did I mention that I love these speakers? 

I haven’t owned any thirty-plus thousand dollar speakers.  Never will. But, I have heard some in what one would imagine is a closed and controlled environment. A couple of weeks back I had to go to Levine’s Children’s Hospital in Charlotte.  I circled around and made a visit into one of the newer high-end stores.  I took along my trusty Dick Hyman CD.  (If I name names and state brands, I’m going to make enemies; so I won't.) To date, no salesman I've encountered has been familiar with the Dick Hyman CD.  I like to catch their impressions and the look on their faces when they hear it.  Most love the sound.  (Give it a whirl and you'll see why.)

There’s a song called What is there to Say? with this great laid-back sax solo.  Again, on my system and through the HR’s it’s like you’re front row center.  You can close your eyes and imagine the smokey haze, the sax players fingers playing over the keys, the quick breath taken in between the improvised solo runs.  But that day it sounded like it had been sterilized and lost it’s personality.  The salesman listened a few minutes and said “Bet you never heard it like this before.”   I retrieved my cd and said “nope, sure haven’t.  Yes, it sounded good.  But it wasn't the same.  Maybe I'm just jaded or ailly stupid.  I just believe the HR-1's breathe life into my music.

I’ll close with this.  I had to take a day off last week for the Heating and Air folks to come and service and inspect our gas furnace.  It was one of those window appointments I hate.  You know…. “We’ll be there between 9 and 12.”  So, I went to work in my office at home.  I got tired of that and took my laptop to my listening chair and fired up the system.  The guy finally came about 11AM.  I showed him to the basement, chatted a moment and went back to my work where I had left the system playing.

I was listening to that same Dick Hyman CD From the Age of Swing playing in the background.  The guy was back and forth... back and forth. 

Finally, he came down the hall and stepped into the living room and asked me what was playing.  It was a song called Topsy.  He walked over, looked at the rig and then just sat down. He listened for a minute and then asked me where I found an old rig like that (Amp and Preamp) and what kind of speakers.  I explained a bit about Decware where the speakers came from and the modern retro look.   He listened a bit more.  In fact, he listened for three whole songs.  (Just over fourteen minutes.)  I finally paused the music.  He looked up and said, I didn’t know music could sound that good.  With a silly smile on my face, I simply said “It sure can”.

All I'll say is this.  If you're on the fence for a pair of speakers, and if you're willing to take a great high percentage chance (in your favor), give the HR-1's a try. 

* Note about my bass sound with the HR's.  When I say I have bass now.  I'm talking bass that is appropriate or bass that fits the occasion. Only once have they sounded bloated and I've since chalked that up to the song.  They simply play what is called for.  I feel sure with my cookie cutter room, the omni hybrid design certainly doesn't hurt the sound. But seriously, if you're looking for clean articulate bass that can be subtle one moment, full of punch and grip the next, these have it.  If you're looking for speakers that can reproduce every genre of music accurately with great detail, the HR's can.

Happy Listening to All!   






audioguy213

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Re: Decware - TurningPoint Audio HR-1 Omni Hybrid Speakers
« Reply #1 on: 2 Nov 2016, 03:28 am »
awesome to read your positive experience.
I almost bought a used pair fo those on Audiogon last week.

They look very nice,
congrats.

Wind Chaser

Re: Decware - TurningPoint Audio HR-1 Omni Hybrid Speakers
« Reply #2 on: 2 Nov 2016, 03:53 am »
Those look nice. Is the bottom part a sub? What does the FR look like? 

opnly bafld

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Re: Decware - TurningPoint Audio HR-1 Omni Hybrid Speakers
« Reply #3 on: 2 Nov 2016, 11:27 am »
Is the bottom part a sub?

There is an 8" passive radiator at the bottom above the plinth.

poseidonsvoice

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Re: Decware - TurningPoint Audio HR-1 Omni Hybrid Speakers
« Reply #4 on: 2 Nov 2016, 11:52 am »
Blueone,

Nice review...don't forget to list your components either here or on your systems page. Sounds like you have a Decware amp and Don Sach's SP-14. Maybe an Oppo BDP?

We need to have a meet. I am probably about 1 hr north of you and jtwrace  :thumb:

Best,
Anand.

mresseguie

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Re: Decware - TurningPoint Audio HR-1 Omni Hybrid Speakers
« Reply #5 on: 2 Nov 2016, 04:22 pm »
You won't make an enemy of me by declaring which Dick Hyman CD. I'm unfamiliar with most of his CDs that are listed in Tidal. However, I do own the Heather Masse & Dick Hymes CD, but that showcases Heather mostly.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to find a pair of HR-1s to listen to somewhere and somewhen. My wife and I are still hoping to explore the east coast next year starting in Georgia or the Carolinas...

Congratulations on finding your slice of music heaven.  :)

Michael

mcgsxr

Re: Decware - TurningPoint Audio HR-1 Omni Hybrid Speakers
« Reply #6 on: 2 Nov 2016, 05:03 pm »
I have a the cd version of "From the Age of Swing" by Dick Hyman.  I like some cuts very much.

Though I may never get to hear these Decware speakers, I appreciate the fact that a happy owner took the time to express their being thrilled with them. 

As any of us who post these reviews knows, this takes a lot of time and energy to plan, execute and document.

I love hearing what others think about gear, and it is great to see this contribution.

Thanks to the OP!   :thumb:

jsm71

Re: Decware - TurningPoint Audio HR-1 Omni Hybrid Speakers
« Reply #7 on: 2 Nov 2016, 08:10 pm »
Very nice review.  I have a friend that used to have the Decware ERR Omni speakers and I've heard the HR-1s live at a prior Decware annual get-together.  I also own a Decware ZMA amp, which is more power than you need with the HR-1s.  I know they are pretty efficient.  Bottom line, I am pretty sure I know the sound you are getting, and its fine.

One thing I like with the Decware Omni speakers is that they don't allow the images to become larger than life, a sin I've heard with other Omni-directional speakers.   I also have another friend with the Don Sachs preamp.  Nice overall setup.  Enjoy.

Blueone302

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Re: Decware - TurningPoint Audio HR-1 Omni Hybrid Speakers
« Reply #8 on: 4 Nov 2016, 03:54 am »
Sorry.... haven't had time to check back in.

Wind chaser:  Is that a request for a full frontal pic?   :oops:

Michael:  If you want to come our way, you'd be welcome.  We'd just have to plan the logistics.  I'll be doing several conferences June - September of 17'.

MCGSXR:  Speaking of the time incurred/required for a review.   I encourage people to journal all the time regarding life issues.  So I thought, why not journal on the system and music?  So, I took my own medicine.  Change in a good audio system is usually subtle and nuanced.  Keeping an audio journal helps. 

Wind Chaser

Re: Decware - TurningPoint Audio HR-1 Omni Hybrid Speakers
« Reply #9 on: 4 Nov 2016, 04:33 am »
Sorry.... haven't had time to check back in.

Wind chaser:  Is that a request for a full frontal pic?   :oops:

FR = frequency response, not just the spec, but the curve on the graph. Can't find anything on their website.

Blueone302

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Re: Decware - TurningPoint Audio HR-1 Omni Hybrid Speakers
« Reply #10 on: 4 Nov 2016, 02:59 pm »
WC....  All I have is the frequency response at 32Hz-22KHz.  Got that from Zygi, the designer.  (I think)  I would imagine if you called Steve at Decware he would supply it to you.  Or, Check out the General discussion forum on the Decware site and ask members.

If you're interested in the initial graphing Steve did during the design stage, you can find that here:

http://www.decware.com/radial.htm


I don't particularly care about the technical side.  Iterms of the HR's, one of the first things i did was put on a test cd for the bass tones.  The HR's were able to play down to 32Hz and a tad lower.  I could discern vibration or a tad of rumble at 28Hz. 

I can say that I've been involved not just with listening, but playing, singing and even dj/dance/club systems back in the day.  If you hear enough, or have ear enough to hear, when listening to different genre's of music you can begin to discern the various decibel levels associated with each.  I think you can develop an ear for the "right" lifelike sound.  This is one of the things that did and continues to stand out on the HR's.  Music sounds accurate.  (With good/accurate recordings)  A bloated trumpet solo or trombone solo that is supposed to sound that way does.  A string bass that's being lightly strummed, vs thumped for emphasis sounds that way.  A heavy bass line that you can feel and yet remains non-obnoxious (My word) like say Michael Jackson's Remember the Time from the Dangerous album stands out.  I say this because I have engineer friends that have told me based on a the graphs a couple of great sounding setups I've used and heard should sound like crap.  They didn't.  All of that so say, IMHO, yes check out the graphs, but in the end trust your ears.

Sorry for running on.  You didn't ask for all that.

audioguy213

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Re: Decware - TurningPoint Audio HR-1 Omni Hybrid Speakers
« Reply #11 on: 4 Nov 2016, 07:03 pm »
I think your comments are helpful because they are indicative of the philosophical differences of decware.

Decware products, he is not really about charts, graphs of flat response,
I feel he is more about "the sound" he likes, and a tinkerer,

More like an artist than an engineer who approaches things from a spreadsheet.

And his fans, are like Blueone302. So you would find people saying "this has great, room filling bass that covers all my XYZ music, save for that last octave of pipe organs in XYZ" - but you would be hard pressed to find comments like -3db down here, and -6db down there, and 30 degrees off axis, etc.


As you know, there is a whole spectrum of designers and manufacturers - and others can be further to the "look at this chart" school.
(Not to say that your question was invalid Wind Chaser, I like to know -3db myself).

Now Zygi I think is the actual builder and I bet he is a fountain of technical details on the HR-1.

delnia19

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Re: Decware - TurningPoint Audio HR-1 Omni Hybrid Speakers
« Reply #12 on: 19 May 2021, 03:19 pm »
I have been curious about Decware for awhile...but don`t think I have efficient enough speakers to run their gear. This might just have prompted me to start looking for efficient speakers...perhaps a DIY project!