Best sound quality ever..........

Best sound quality ever..........

Author
Discussion

Crackie

Original Poster:

6,386 posts

241 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
What's the best sounding Hi-Fi system you've ever heard ? Clearly 'best' is a subjective opinion but I'm interested to know if any patterns show up in any answers.

Do sealed speakers appear more than reflex designs ?
Are active systems preferred to passive ?
Are valve amps preferred to solid state. Class A, AB, switching amps class D/T ?
Horn speakers, electrostatics, ribbons, transmission lines ?
Anyone think that vinyl is best ?

Over to you.....

Edited by Crackie on Saturday 13th January 09:28

gizlaroc

17,251 posts

223 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
Meridian DSP for me.

I like the way they adjust depending on volume, so listening at night when everyone is in bed they still sound full and warm, and crank them up to reference level and they never sound strained.

They have a liquid smothness to them that means you can listen at full volume for hours and hours and they never sound harsh or shrill, yet the detail level is nothing I have ever heard outside of some of the best electrostatics on the end of £15k Levinson mono amps.

The fact you can then adjust the crossover points and the slopes to match the room perfectly is just the icing on the cake.
Oh, and the fact they are a 24/96 DAC, pre amp, DSP processor, power amps and speaker in one cabinet, also makes them attractive.

I went through years of various systems, from valve, to high end digital, with Dunlavy monitors and panels, vinyl and highest end CD transports and dacs and in the end it was a pair of Meridian DSP5000 that I bought used for £1500 to shove in teh bedroom that suddenly stopped me buying kit.*

They just work.
Sure I have heard systems that do certain things better, but as a whole, the Meridian DSP system just works everytime.



Design is not to everyones taste, wife always said it is like having R2-D2 and his mate round for the night, but I quite like the look.







  • Until I wanted to upgrade to the bigger DSPs of course. wink
But having said that, my 24 bit 5000s were still one of my favourites.

Asterix

24,438 posts

227 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
A Mate has a rather spesh set up.

I can't remember which amp he has but it's a huge valve jobby that he puts through these as the main speakers.


TonyRPH

12,962 posts

167 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
I have a tendency to prefer sealed enclosures for speakers.

And I do still prefer CD to lossless ripped music.

As for vinyl.. I was a fan for many years but CD just beats it for practicality IMHO.

I guess you'll also get varying opinions according to the cost of the equipment.


Crackie

Original Poster:

6,386 posts

241 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
Thanks for the replies so far.....


RedLeicester

6,869 posts

244 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
Depends on the room.

probedb

824 posts

218 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
RedLeicester said:
Depends on the room.
This!

It doesn't depend on cost. Anyone that says hi-fi that cost more must be better is just plain stupid. Audiophiles like bragging rights.

mattcambs

58 posts

135 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
probedb said:
This!

It doesn't depend on cost. Anyone that says hi-fi that cost more must be better is just plain stupid. Audiophiles like bragging rights.
This. I heard some Crystal Arabesque speakers recently (~£75k) and was very underwhelmed. The room was a bit small perhaps and it was only a brief listen, but I was expecting more.

nonuts

15,855 posts

228 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
The most enjoyable / best sounding was one of the smallest rooms at the Bristol HiFi show years ago, was Revel m20 speakers and Mark Levinson cd / amp. They were playing a Dean Peer CD and it was by far the best demo at the show.

This was a small room, but they had put some acoustic treatments on some of the walls. I agree with other comments about 'room', my HiFi totally changed when going from a roughly 3x4m room to one that's more like 5x7.5m

StuH

2,557 posts

272 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
Great thead idea thumbup

Difficult to give a 'best' but the system component that changed my frame of reference for what was possible was when I got to borrow/audition a DCS Verdi/Elgar/Purcell stack back in the early noughties - it just blew me away and made me realise what was achievable - I've been chasing my tail with the magical/frustrating passion ever since!

Also a big fan of Meridian actives as mentioned already - I think the concept of the whole replay chain'tuned' to work together and the work they're doing on things like the digital time domain are the way forward.

TonyRPH

12,962 posts

167 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
But none of the above responses answer the OPs questions?

All very well naming various bits of esoteric equipment, but:

Crackie said:
<snip>
Do sealed speakers appear more than reflex designs ?
Are active systems preferred to passive ?
Are valve amps preferred to solid state. Class A, AB, switching amps class D/T ?
Horn speakers, electrostatics, ribbons, transmission lines ?
Anyone think that vinyl is best ?
<snip>
???

NorthDave

2,355 posts

231 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
I dont know the whole spec but I listened to a set of ATC active monitors in the mid 90s which blew my mind. One of the reasons I now work in the industry!

RedLeicester

6,869 posts

244 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
TonyRPH said:
But none of the above responses answer the OPs questions?
Cough, ahem:

RedLeicester said:
Depends on the room.
Crackie said:
<snip>
Do sealed speakers appear more than reflex designs ?
Are active systems preferred to passive ?
Are valve amps preferred to solid state. Class A, AB, switching amps class D/T ?
Horn speakers, electrostatics, ribbons, transmission lines ?
Anyone think that vinyl is best ?
<snip>
All willy waving, technology quoting and just lacks for brand name dropping to complete the set. There is no golden single solution.

Crackie

Original Poster:

6,386 posts

241 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
RedLeicester said:
TonyRPH said:
But none of the above responses answer the OPs questions?
Cough, ahem:

RedLeicester said:
Depends on the room.
Crackie said:
<snip>
Do sealed speakers appear more than reflex designs ?
Are active systems preferred to passive ?
Are valve amps preferred to solid state. Class A, AB, switching amps class D/T ?
Horn speakers, electrostatics, ribbons, transmission lines ?
Anyone think that vinyl is best ?
<snip>
All willy waving, technology quoting and just lacks for brand name dropping to complete the set. There is no golden single solution.
I was hoping that the room's contribution would be discussed; the room's influence is huge. The speakers, their position in relation to room boundaries & the location of the listener are also critical.

I agree there is no single solution or answer to such a subjective question and also agree that there can be a lot of Freudian willy waving in Hi-Fi but other people might not be quite so cynical as your post above and hopefully the thread will not be about 'mine is bigger/better than yours' and brand name dropping. I'm hoping it might help to identify some common factors which influence 'The Best' perceived sound quality.

Were listening rooms acoustically treated ?
Was a dedicated listening room being used ?
Was mains treatment or mains regeneration being used ?
These factors have nothing to do with ego and name dropping

The room is by far the biggest factor imho, Gizlaroc alluded to using the room correction on his Meridians, several other posters have mentioned the room too. Clearly the room contribution is a major factor understood by many if not all.

Edited by Crackie on Friday 3rd October 07:49

TonyRPH

12,962 posts

167 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
Of course it depends on the room - but myself for example - I have listened to many different systems in my same listening room (and other rooms) and experience has taught me what types of speaker system I prefer, if I like valves or not and so on (no matter what room they're in).

I have a hunch that this is what the OP was alluding to, but as usual I might be wrong.

To me, infinite baffle (sealed enclosure) speakers seem to have the best bass, no matter what room they're in.

But of course this is rather subjective anyway.


frumpytrickle

245 posts

116 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
Pardon the silly question, but would it be the case that sound is best - perceive that as you will - from the instrument, say voice, accoustic guitar, wind instruments and drums, or is it improved through amplification?

I do understand that you can't always have a live band in your lounge!

gizlaroc

17,251 posts

223 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
TonyRPH said:
But none of the above responses answer the OPs questions?

All very well naming various bits of esoteric equipment, but:

Crackie said:
<snip>
Do sealed speakers appear more than reflex designs ?
Are active systems preferred to passive ?
Are valve amps preferred to solid state. Class A, AB, switching amps class D/T ?
Horn speakers, electrostatics, ribbons, transmission lines ?
Anyone think that vinyl is best ?
<snip>
???
I thought my answer did.

I was saying that proper DSP processing, ie decent apodising filters, time alignment, and adaptice crossovers far outweigh whether the speaker is a horn, ribbon, class A. Class D, valve etc.

With a DSP system you can get it to sound how you want.

That is what makes the Meridian DSP system so good.

To me the M system is the most analogue, valve like sounding system of the last 20 years and yet is digital from start to finish.

TonyRPH

12,962 posts

167 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
gizlaroc said:
<snip>
I thought my answer did.
<snip>
It did - I was generalising rather than singling out specific replies.

Sorry OP not trying to hijack your thread!

anonymous-user

53 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
I heard a very nice Arcam system at the Bristol S&V show back in Feb; it was the usual acoustic / guitar stuff that finds its way to all demo booths at the shows, but it was good enough that it gave a sound stage that was like being in the audience. To hear music as it sounded during its recording, and not replicated and tweaked in any fashion, that's what I appreciate in speakers. I guess to a degree, all speakers will colour the sound a little, but those that can portray the source material with a minimal of additional colour, are wonderful.

I'd dearly love to be able to start the heroin addiction that is known as vinyl. That's a New Year resolution for 2015 - It's just a wonderful way to listen to music IMO. In this day and age where we're all running about, and everything's streamed to our phones, it's nice to take a step back, sit down, and just be absorbed by your favourite piece of music every now and then smile.

OldSkoolRS

6,717 posts

178 months

Wednesday 1st October 2014
quotequote all
I was particularly impressed with a system that takes into account the room, using a propriety system called 'room perfect'. The speakers were taller than me (not hard, but I think they're over 6 feet tall). It really sounded like the musicians and singers were live in the room with us, very clear and rich sounding, but neither shrill nor boomy on the bass...just right.

Unfortunately I neither have the space or the budget to buy this system:

http://www.steinwaylyngdorf.com/products/model-d-s...

I believe the set up is something like £180,000 (maybe more).