I don't consider vinyl to be a real problem with SP tech speakers, if it is set up right. I doubt that this is the real problem Dave is facing. The speakers are usually the link in the chain with most coloration to the signal and it is natural to trim the front end to compensate for some issues. When inserting a new set of speakers, especially as neutral and revealing as the SP are, it can easily be a quite dramatic change to the entire tonal balance of the system. Dave is a bit stressed up to the show so I guess it is easier and safer for him to use what he knows. I'm quite sure that he will get along with the Timepieces eventually.
Personally I'm not using vinyl, but I know it can sound good. However vinyl will never be able to show the true dynamic potential in the these speakers, it is quite dramatic....
Karsten
I agree with most of what you said, Karsten, and I've no doubt Dave is under a great deal of stress at the moment. However...
...lacking in detail and resolution?!? No sir, no way. I've never, ever heard those words used to describe Bob's speakers, even from those who didn't find SP Techs to be their cup o' tea. To a man (and a few women), each and every person with whom I've listened or to whom I've spoken after listening to SP Technology speakers has mentioned the high degree of detail and resolution.
Perhaps the most well-known instance is when record label owner/recording guru
Jim Merod cried - well, I guess "tears welled in his eyes" would be more accurate - while listening to his own recordings via a pair of Revelations driven by one of Dave's amps at last year's THE Show. And no, the tears weren't the result of shattered eardrums.
Click here for the story (go to the next-to-last photo) and here's a picture of the system Jim heard (sans Timepieces, of course) -
Musical truthfulness; The SP Technology Revelation MR-1The text Greg Weaver chose to accompany the photo is noteworthy, as is the silver Belles 350A amplifier resting just above what appears to be an Adept Response power conditioner. The pièce de résistance, though, is what Jim said after the show -
“I’ve never heard a speaker that reproduces all the music -- all the ambient information I strive to capture in my recordings -- until I heard SP TECH’s ‘Revelation MR-1’”Doesn't quite mesh with Dave's assessment, does it? I realize Jim listened to Revelations and Dave's referencing Timepieces, but they aren't
that different. Add a second woofer, attach a T-line and presto, you have yourself a Revelation.
I'm with you on vinyl, and if my current room was large enough, I'd have a very nice vinyl source. I've been privileged to hear some pretty amazing vinyl-based systems, and though I doubt Dave has the equivalent of some I've heard, his is probably a decent set-up.
So he won't hear the full dynamic capability of the speakers; alright, I can understand that, and I'm OK with it. Dynamics will probably still be superior to a great many speakers. I can also wrap my arms around the fact that Bob's speakers may represent so great a change from the established norm that "the entire tonal balance of the system" is altered. I'd say almost every first-time SP Tech owner deals with that to a degree. I know I did. BUT...
...lacking in detail and resolution?!?I don't get it, my friend, I truly don't. I'm in shock someone actually said that.
IMO, one of these three is a virtual certainty -
- One or both of Bob's speakers were damaged in transit,
- Dave has the speakers wired out of phase (done that a time or two myself
), or - Dave's speakers have a frequency response that is the antithesis of SP Tech speakers (which are essentially flat).
If the latter, I suspect Dave has become very accustomed to listening to a speaker that emphasizes the midrange, maybe a lot. If that's the case, I can
almost understand it, but I'm still not quite there.
If I had to guess, I'd say something is broken, but it no longer matters.
I apologize, Karsten. I know you're already familiar with most or all of what I've said, and you've had your fair share of similar experiences. I think I just needed to get it off my chest.
Take care, wish you could make it to Denver this year.
