[JDarby - Stereomojo.com]

Stereomojo has published a shootout of 11 stand mount speakers under $1,000.


Read the results here:

http://www.stereomojo.com/Small%20Speaker%20Shootout%202007/SmallSpeakerShootout2007Part1.htm

[FJK]

Great stuff.
Thanks for doing these large shoot-outs that no other magazine or website seems to want or able to do.

[darrenyeats]

Yes, bravo for doing these tests blind.
Darren

[jose]

Bravo! This is how audio reviewing should be done.

What I'd like to see:

1. A similar shootout between the Ninja x-ls and the stock unit. It is puzzling why you didn't include the stock unit in this shootout.

2. Measurements. You performed measurements, but the results were not published. Why? Opportunities like this should be valuable to learn about correlations between measured performance and subjective perceptions.

I would also like to see a similar comparison involving digital source components. The sub-$1,000 market is crowded, and in many cases, it is not clear that whether the differences are significant.

Many thanks!

Jose

[MaxCast]

2. Measurements. You performed measurements, but the results were not published. Why? Opportunities like this should be valuable to learn about correlations between measured performance and subjective perceptions.

At the end of the shootout he mentions that he didn't have time to post them because of RMAF but would do so later.

[jose]

You are right. Thank you.

I have to say it again: this is how audio reviewing should be done. Many thanks.

Jose

2. Measurements. You performed measurements, but the results were not published. Why? Opportunities like this should be valuable to learn about correlations between measured performance and subjective perceptions.

At the end of the shootout he mentions that he didn't have time to post them because of RMAF but would do so later.

[opaqueice]

Stereomojo has published a shootout of 11 stand mount speakers under $1,000.

Bravo - that's exactly how audio reviews should be done!  Thanks very much for an extremely interesting and informative article.  If you had a print version, I'd subscribe.

It's interesting how badly the single driver speaker did.  If you read the comments it really got crushed.  I'm not surprised, as I think most of the hype surrounding single-driver designs is just that.  On another topic, it would be interesting to see how a stock AV123 X-LS compares to the winning modified version. 

If I can offer one small suggestion, in some of your other tests (comparing amps, for example) it wasn't very clear that the reviewers could reliably distinguish between some of the different options.  They'd make rather different comments on the same amp in successive rounds.  So it might be useful to run a pre-test to make sure the differences are really large enough to be reliably distinguished...  because if they're not the winner of your contest doesn't mean much, but on the other hand it's very useful to know as a buyer if two components sound the same.  In this case that wasn't an issue, but it might be something to think about for future tests.

[JLM]

In defense of the Unity Audio single driver entry it was the least expensive yet most efficient speaker there.  (The stands may have cost more than these speakers.)  Many of the other speakers might have been out of their element if a 2 wpc SET had been used. 

Note that the FE127E is a remarkable $38 driver, but that's all it is.  This is one of the least expensive examples of a single driver speaker available.  Single driver speaker vendors are very small time operators and would have a more difficult time having a pair of broken-in speakers available.

OTOH the Skiing Ninja won by scores of 5 - 0, 4 - 1, 5 - 0, and 5 - 0.  Very impressive.

Again, good job of reviewing.

[Danny Richie]

If I can offer one small suggestion, in some of your other tests (comparing amps, for example) it wasn't very clear that the reviewers could reliably distinguish between some of the different options.  They'd make rather different comments on the same amp in successive rounds.  So it might be useful to run a pre-test to make sure the differences are really large enough to be reliably distinguished...

I was part of the panel in the amp comparison. There is a reason for the flip flops. We switched seats from round to round.

For instance, while sitting in the center seat I preferred the Dodd over the Cary. It had an advantage in sound stage and imaging qualities that really did it for me. Chris was right behind me to my right. He didn't have a position that would allow him to appreciate these qualities.

When those two amps came up again he and I switched seats and our favorite of the two switched also. I wasn't able to appreciate (as I couldn't tell from my seat) the same things that first drew me to a preference for the Dodd. This time it was the Cary that I preferred.

[KCI-JohnP]

In defense of the Unity Audio single driver entry it was the least expensive yet most efficient speaker there.

I was on the panel and the Unity may have been the least expensive speaker there but, the differences weren't even close. Towards the end of the shoot out it was getting pretty hard to judge which speaker sounded better. I have to admit, I was surprised at the performance of some of these speakers. Some of them sounded like big floor standers!

The shoot out was fun and a learning experience for me. The way that Danny and James had it setup was great and very professional.
John

[Jon L]

The AV123 X-series are remarkable achievements in speaker design IMO.  They sound very good, period.  If you consider the price, it's insane. 

I would note, however, that the x-ls Ninja in the review is the not-yet-shipping x-ls "EX/Encore" version with a new tweeter plus the "Ninja" mods, not the current "x-ls" speakers on AV123 website.

Because all these newer models are coming soon, AV123 has the current X speaker stock on sale at truly incredible prices.  My fave is the x-sls, which is the floorstanding version of X-ls, which sounds fantastic the way it is.  AV123 currently has it for sale at $239 a PAIR ! 



http://www.av123.com/products_category_brand.php?section=speakers&brand=55

[opaqueice]

When those two amps came up again he and I switched seats and our favorite of the two switched also. I wasn't able to appreciate (as I couldn't tell from my seat) the same things that first drew me to a preference for the Dodd. This time it was the Cary that I preferred.

Thanks for the info.

Still, at least for me it would be informative to know how big those differences are.  In other words a blind ABX comparison between two amps - everyone staying in the same seat - could be interesting, just to make sure the panel can reliably identify which is which.  If it's easy, great - that's informative.  If it's hard, I might want to buy the cheaper one even if it loses. 

Doing that can also help sometimes to pin down what are the most important differences, so it might even be useful for the rest of the test.