If Harbeth then stay away from SHL5 Plus. They are not a warm speaker. The other Harbeths I don’t know. Harbeth also love power to get going.
I can agree on that, overpriced, slow basnotes and need space like nobody.
Hi there, whilst not familiar with your speakers, I have read several reviews where it is felt that B&Ws need to be driven hard to shine and can have a rather clinical treble depending on model. I would suggest just experimenting with positioning of your speakers and consideration to reflections in the room as this can definitely cause problems. In respect of British Brands, when looking for warmth, there is one company that spring to mind - Harbeth. They have a fantastic reputation, cable wise, I use Townshend F1, I previously owned the Isolda speaker cable, this is very neutral and never fatiguing to listen to, snap this up if you can. I am not familiar with your source, but having owned several CD players some are more warmer than others, maybe consider something with tubes this will give you a more rolled off sound. Good Luck.
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Absolutely no. A few weeks ago I had the chance to listen to the La scala al5 in one of the best hi end shop here in Italy and I was really surprised by their performance. They are way too big for a normal room that’s why I suggested you to try the Forte 4. Anyway was only a suggestion.I was not kidding you.
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No mid-to-high-end speakers produced in the last 30 years will have reduced enough high frequencies to meet your needs. As suggested already, modifying the crossovers to reduce the output of the tweeters will allow you to dial in the response perfectly for your needs.
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You could get a vintage stereo graphic equaliser and wipe off the top end. Or an old Quad preamp with tone controls. Or a classic NAD 3020 with tone controls. B&W 804 big load though…
NO. Klipsch are extremely forward
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This sounds like an inexpensive thing to try. Are their audio grade capacitors or will any 2 uF capacitor from Amazon work?
Or any Harbeth before .1, .2, Plus and XD.
HP3ESRs and a lower volume listening habit.
I doubt it would make much if any difference to the sound used purely as an HF shunt, though best to get a non-electrolytic, but anything will give uou s good indication. I suggest trying with something fairly cheap like Jantzen Cross Cap, then if it does the job and you really feel like it pay more for fancier ones. (The essential effect will not differ.) But if the treble reduction is does what you need, and otherwise sound character unchanged, I probably wouldn’t bother.
A single capacitor as I described could simply be put across the speakers terminals (at either end of the speaker cable), so very easy indeed. I suggest trying several different values, perhaps 2.0 uF then 2.7 then 4.0. From somewhere like HiFi Collective you can buy a pair of all three values for under £20.
Morning, Sorry to read of your tinnitus @T32803 . Since you happy with used, I would look for a pair of Spendor BC1s with their original stands. (I don’t know how easy the BC1s would be to find in the US.) A friend bought a pair from me. They sounded fantastic with his Arcam Delta CD player and original Naim Nait in a small room.
Failing that, a pair of LS3/5as for the reasons given by @catswhiskers . My Chartwells were superb and one of my few audio regrets in terms of selling them.
C.
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ProAc D2R stand mount, If you can find a set of pre loved Dynaudio Heritage Special. I own a set. The HS have the Esotar tweeter which is super smooth and grainless. Have you tried moving your speakers around? Try toeing them out, it might be that simple. BTW what series 804 do you have?
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Hi @T32803, sorry to hear of your tinnitus issues, as a fellow (mild) sufferer I sympathise.
I do wonder, though, quite what you’re after in alternative speakers. The thread title mentions “warmer” sound but, for me, warmth in speakers primarily comes from a boosted midrange and and/or upper bass, rather than reduced treble. If at all possible I would listen before purchase to make sure your new speakers really do what you want and to avoid an expensive mistake.
Your current system looks to be what many on here would call a classic “mullet”: high end speakers with an amp not really up to the task of driving them. I would consider replacing the hard-to-drive B&Ws with eg. a pair of Spendor A4s and, if possible, the Nait XS with a SuperNait. That should give you a warmer sound and might also resolve the high frequency issue.
Roger
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3.5M wide x 2.75M high x 9.6M deep. All open to hold the kitchen at one end, dining in the middle, and TV / Audio at the far end.
I’ve had the Naim XS2 since 2009 and the B&W 804 for probably 10 years.
The Naim drove them just fine and everything sounded great until Feb when
the ringing in my ears happened very suddenly. I don’t think the Naim is my
problem. Tinnitus is my problem and I believe a snappy sounding speaker with
rolled off highs will do the trick. I’m not sure why you are so down on the XS-2
because it’s the warmest amp I’ve owned. I’ve owned Hafler, Adcom, Rotel, Linn,
Krell, Primare and they are less warm compared to the 70W Naim XS-2. It always
played loud enough for me at the 9-to-11 o’clock position on the dial. I would know
if it was clipping.
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Most people will agree (from the US) that the Forte is an awful sounding unrefined metal-band speaker. The La scala al5 is a completely different design that is modeled after very large horn loaded professional loudspeakers that are used at rock concerts.
I am not adverse to this since adding capacitors is a cheap experiment.
My speakers are bi-wire-able so I could add the 2 uF capacitor very easily.
The capacitor is inserted in-line right? Is there a voltage rating / tolerance value I should look for?
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Asking advice for speakers that has rolled off highs and also sounds good when played at lower volumes is an impossible question? I would probably find the answer pretty easily if I was able to listen to stand mount versions from each of the brands I opened this thread with. But since I can’t, I went fishing here to see if others have auditioned these brands. Not sure how helpful your reply is. Maybe don’t reply if you don’t have anything helpful to write ?
I just saw your reply. So, for a bi-wire speaker with separate speaker terminals for the tweeter housing and separate terminals for the low freq drivers housing, I need (2) capacitors. One is placed in-line on the negative (black) side and the other is placed in-line on the positive (red) side. Is this correct?
Naim RED terminal ------------ 2.0 uF Cap ---- RED tweeter terminal
Naim BLK terminal ------------ 2.0 uF Cap ---- BLK tweeter terminal
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