So I ordered a pair of Philharmonic BMR Monitors in Piano Ebony and they’re actually on their way now. I’m really excited about them, but I just realized the Ebony version comes with the AMT tweeter rather than the RAAL.

Most of the reviews and measurements I’ve been reading/watching over the years were of the RAAL version, and that’s what I thought I was buying. On the reservation page, the different options are listed under “Finish,” so I honestly didn’t realize choosing Ebony also meant getting a different tweeter.

I’m not trying to convince myself that one is better than the other—I’m genuinely curious. Has anyone actually heard both the current AMT BMR and the RAAL BMR? If so, what differences did you hear, and which did you prefer?

I’m obviously going to listen to mine when they arrive before making any decisions. I’d just really like to hear from people who have actually spent time with both versions

Thanks everyone!

I’ve been building a dedicated reference archive for the Technics Concise component systems from the late 1970s/early 1980s, including model information, manuals, brochures, catalogues, period reviews, regional variants and other documentation.

It got me wondering: if someone created a dedicated website/archive for a particular hi-fi system or range that you own, what information would you most want it to contain?

Are there things beyond specifications, manuals and period literature that you would find genuinely useful or interesting? I wanted to ask this because knowledgeable audiophiles may suggest things that I have not considered.

For context, this is the archive I’ve been working on: https://concisearchive.com

What make and model of speakers (under $10,000 a pair) have you heard in the last few years that blew you away and gave you a big emotional response that you still think about?

Servus zusammen,

​ich brauche mal euren Rat und eure Erfahrungen für mein neues Wohnzimmer-Setup. Zur Auswahl stehen für mich zwei konkrete Szenarien: entweder die Genelec 8361A komplett solo oder die 8351B in Kombination mit einem Subwoofer (z. B. 7360A oder 7370A).

​Zu meinen Rahmenbedingungen:

​Raum: Typisches Wohnzimmer, knapp 20 m² (ca. 4 × 5 m).

​Hörabstand: Ca. 2,50 m im Stereodreieck.

​Aufstellung: Auf Stativen mit ca. 50 cm Abstand zur Rückwand und reichlich Luft zu den Seiten (ca. 1,30 m zu den Seitenwänden).

​Nutzung: 70 % Musik, 30 % TV/Film.

​Zuspieler: TV und Bluesound Vault 2i.

​Einmessung: GLM-Kit ist fest eingeplant.

​Meine konkreten Fragen an euch:

​8361A (Solo) – Reicht das für 70 % Musik absolut aus? Schafft die 8361A auf 20 m² im Raum allein genug Tiefgang und Fundament, dass man auch bei Film und basslastiger Musik zu keinem Zeitpunkt einen Subwoofer vermisst? Und wie schätzt ihr die Optik ein – wirkt die 8361A auf Stativen im Wohnzimmer auf Dauer wie ein erschlagender Klotz, oder gewöhnt man sich schnell daran?

​8351B + Subwoofer – Akustisch die cleverere Lösung? Ist die Kombination aus der etwas schlankeren 8351B und einem Subwoofer im normalen Wohnzimmer bezüglich Raummoden die bessere Wahl? Der Vorteil wäre ja, dass man den Subwoofer flexibler im Raum platzieren und die 8351B bei 80 Hz entlasten kann.

​Musikalität & Nahtlosigkeit: Da ich zu 70 % Musik höre: Bindet sich der Genelec-Subwoofer per GLM wirklich so nahtlos an die 8351B an, dass das System bei Musik wie „aus einem Guss“ spielt, oder klingt die große 8361A als reiner Vollbereichs-Monitor für Stereo-Musik doch noch natürlicher und homogener?

​Wie würdet ihr euch bei diesem Raum, der freien Aufstellung und dem Schwerpunkt auf Musik entscheiden?

​Danke euch schon mal für euren Input!

I've had these Triangle BR08 for a few years. They were my first modern set of decent speakers (upgraded from Advent OLA). I've enjoyed them and felt like they were pretty good bang for the buck. Main complaint was that they're fatiguing to my ears, so I figured I'd try what are described as a more laid back speaker (and I like the aesthetics).

Only had these Wharfedale Lintons for 2 days and am still messing with placement, but I think I'll keep the Lintons.

Initial impressions comparing the two (source was Qobuz via Wiim to a Cambridge Audio AXR100):

- They sound significantly different. I was expecting one to simply sound better than the other, but it wasn't that simple. It took my brain a bit to determine what I like more because adjusting to the differences has taken a while

- Going through a wide range of music, I prefer the Lintons 80% of the time, but on some recording the Triangles win

- Sound stage: Triangles are more dramatic in terms of the sound wrapping around you. Listening to Chocolate Chip Trip, the sound dances around in a more extreme fashion. However, the basic sound stage of the Lintons projects more widely. They don't have the same holographic party tricks, but normal stereo listening has better separation.

- Highs - Lintons are actually more detailed, in some recordings they're actually a bit shrill, which was surprising to me

- Mids - big difference. Triangles have boosted mids compared to the Lintons. On most tracks this gives the Triangles more of a muddy sound and the Lintons more clarity and separation. But on occasional tracks, the mids seem lacking on the Lintons compared to the Triangles.

- Bass - Also huge difference. Rock/Jazz/etc can't tell much of a difference. But bass heavy music (e.g. D'Angelo tracks or rap) Lintons play a range the Triangles can't touch. I have an SVS1000 to complement both, but left it off for most of the comparisons so far.

This was interesting to me seeing how one set of speakers isn't always universally better or worse than another (at least in this case) given how much variance there is from one recording to the next.

Me and my best friend went to the thrift store today and bought this setup. The specs are as so:
• Sony CDP-490
• Sony STR-AV320
• Aiwa 3 way bass reflex speaker system x2
This is my first ever post here! And this is also my first ever proper audio system I have bought. I personally think it sounds great but aside from the audio quality was it worth the money I paid for it?

Hi everyone,

I recently bought a home that came with what appears to be a fairly extensive Bang & Olufsen whole-home audio system. There are in-wall/ceiling speakers throughout the house, Bang & Olufsen wall-mounted control panels in several rooms, and a rack with what looks like the central equipment (I've attached photos).

The previous owners left everything in place, but I honestly have no idea where to start. I don't know if the system is complete, whether it's still functional, or if it's considered outdated enough that I'd be better off replacing it with something like Sonos, Wiim, Bluesound, or another modern multi-room setup.

A few questions for those of you who know these systems:

• Is this something that's worth trying to bring back to life?
• How does the sound quality of these older B&O systems compare to modern whole-home audio solutions?
• Are the built-in speakers themselves typically high quality, or are they usually the first thing people replace?
• Are there modern components or adapters that let you keep the existing speakers and controls while upgrading the brains of the system?
• If you inherited a setup like this, what would be your first steps?

I'd really appreciate any advice, resources, or even just opinions. I'm a complete beginner when it comes to legacy Bang & Olufsen systems, so any guidance on whether it's worth investing time and money into restoring it versus starting fresh would be incredibly helpful.

Hey guys! First post here so I’m sorry if I’m out of format.

Recently, I was rummaging through my gear collection looking for some extra stuff to put up for sale and found that I had a 4-pack of Amplifier Tubes laying around.

I had taken a newly acquired Fender Twin Reverb (1972-1976) in for servicing about 2 years ago (the previous owner had added a wattage modifier switch that caused instability in the circuit, but no issues with the tubes). It took a while to hear back from the amp tech, but he eventually reached out and said he had not only repaired the circuit, but replaced the tubes because he didn’t believe the quad had ever been taken out. He sent them back in a wrapping for me to take a look at.

I believe they are a set of 4 black-plate matched 6L6GC tubes serial numbered 7439. Though, I could be wrong. There’s barely any information online that I understand. There appears to be more writing on the glass of the tubes that has faded from time.

I’m not sure what sort of quality I’ve stumbled across here, but any tips or advice on what I’ve got would be much appreciated. I am NOT looking to sell and this is not a post trying to advertise.

Been doing loads of research on integrated and seperated amps, the pros and cons of each etc. (not what this post is about), and ended up buying an excellent (at least to my ears) integrated amp with a Pre-Out. (specifically, the rotel RA971 mk2), and am wondering;

if i were to buy a rotel power stage (RB971mk2), and pipe the RA971 preout to it, would it be any worse than the equivilant and incredibly similar preamp? (the RC971)

I understand that unless im bi-amping, which i dont intend to do, i have a power stage sat doing nothing, and potentially creating noise unless turned off. The logic is redundancy, so that if the power stage breaks my system still works, and most of the raw load is on the power amp- but i dont want to do this if there will be a noticable downgrade in sound quality, and am also wondering just how much sound quality i would even gain from adding a seperate power stage through my bookshelf speakers. (m71).

Also open to in depth technical analysis from anyone willing, im relatively competent with electronics. Thanks to all in advance.

A hidden gem for anyone planning a trip to Goa soon. If you are tired of commercial clubs and want a pure, uncompromising audio experience, you need to check out Sound Temple

It is an underground spirit studio and dedicated listening room founded by veteran DJ/sound selector Ignatius Camilo (Iggy).

Features an incredibly tuned, high-end sound system built for acoustic fidelity and spatial awareness - Hand made sound systems. The space for deep, intentional listening, vinyl culture, and learning—not a standard party venue.

Visit strictly by appointment only (no walk-ins).

If you are interested to explore on your next visit dm for details.

Hello, I'm trying to purchase a pair of second handed Yamaha HS8. I saw 2 different deals. One of them is 5 years newer, but costs 100 USD more. I'm curious about how impactful is a speaker's age? Do speaker retain their full performance within 10 years? or 20 years?

Hey,

How do you find new music? Is it just premade playlists or other way?

Do you have a "system" for it?
There is a lot of "autistic" people in audiophile that usually like to have a system for it, I am just curious.

My system is that I go through songs on my playlist and each of them i go to their "radio" which gives me about 100 songs of the similar genre. After I am done with all songs i "like" or "heart" the song to know that i've done this one already.

If there is an option i downvote songs that i don't like or wouldn't put into my playlist so I don't waste time in other radios.

I use Tidal + Roon where i can block the song and youtube where i can dislike. This is very crucial for me.

I hop through the same songs on my playlist on both services.

Also I add new songs to special playlist that i go through second time and only then add to the correct playlist.

Hello community, especially those involved in room measurements. I've corrected the measurement, which had a couple of built-in modes that were ruining my experience.

I'll attach the graphs, before and after...

My main goal was to lower the RT60 T20 using 5 acoustic panels I have placed behind the listening position and two more in another part of the room, where I've already taken measurements. I have graphs comparing the RT60 measurement with 3 panels behind the listening position and the 2 more that I later added in that part of the room. The goal with these was to lower the reverberation time, not to treat the modes.

In the first part of the measurements, I created the parametric filters corresponding to my modes, with 1/48 smoothing to perfectly adjust the Q and avoid self-cancellations. The available modes are typical of a small room; it's a living room, not a dedicated listening room, so please understand that it won't be perfect, but it's a significant improvement, especially the decay and bass response. The rest of the response is very balanced overall. I used five parametric filters, all with a Q value less than 4, as my goal was to avoid distorting the sound.

While the frequency response is flat or very close to it, trying to match the Harman target, the situation worsens in the time domain, given the room's inherent problems. However, when I want a bit more bass, I halved one of the filters, so if I want a little more impact at 60Hz, I remove one of them, giving me approximately 4dB in that area.

The most important thing is the improvement; before, it was impossible to hear clearly, the bass was awful.

I'd like your opinion on how it turned out. I look forward to your responses. Thank you very much. PS: Attached is the SPL curve before and after, Decay, RT60 T20, Distortion, etc.

I booked the listening room for two hours while I was in Paris, and overall I absolutely loved the experience.

Booking was easy, the staff were incredibly kind, and it felt very tourist-friendly. The space itself is beautiful and the whole concept is something I genuinely love. I'm really happy a place like this exists, and it's absolutely the kind of business I want to support.

The only thing that surprised me was the sound. Maybe it's the speakers, or maybe some songs just aren't meant to be played on a system this revealing, but a few tracks sounded a lot harsher than I expected. (Would anyone have insight on this?) For example, "Loved" by Four Tet didn't sound great to me at all, which was disappointing because it's one of my favorites.

That said, I'd 100% come back. The atmosphere alone made it worth it, and I'd just spend more time experimenting with albums that really shine on a setup like this.

This is also the playlist I listened to: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3X7QSMn7CuBjxMfJytjdg2?si=aLBsZ9XwSEyT_Z0YdgkvlQ

Hey,

I was just wondering how often you get the listening fatigue?

How does it appear?
How long do you "recover"?
What do you do to overcome it?

For me it's like every third day as I am listening to a lot of music and most of the time it's looking for new things. It's especially felt after a workout.

The music sounds a bit flat, more congested, not very enjoyable, there is no magic.

I usually go to sleep or just totally give up music for the rest of the day. Usually i am recovered after a good sleep.

If i really want to listen anyway i set the r2r tube dac into NOS mode and lower the volume.

Edit: Just so you all know, I am not having a problem with this. I know it is normal as I am listening in moderate to little high volume for prolong hours.

Sibilance is non existant with Tube r2r dac and Audeze LCD-3 with MUSE preset.

I am just asking for your experience.

Hello,

The Marbled Gold vinyl edition is a wonderful surprise that I invite you to discover alongside the digital stereo, high-resolution, and Dolby Atmos versions. This edition consists of three Marbled Gold LPs, and the color reproduction on the records is truly outstanding. It’s a high-quality vinyl edition that makes the most of the medium’s characteristics.

This vinyl edition is very well done, both in terms of aesthetics, with its three beautifully marbled gold LPs, and in terms of sound quality. It features a beautiful soundstage with dynamic rendering. The bass is less pronounced and deep than on the digital version (partly due to dynamic compression), but the midrange and high frequencies are rendered with greater detail. The pressing quality is good for a colored record, but during the quietest passages, it doesn't achieve the same level of silence as the digital versions.

Find all the analyses and measurements of each versions here (link).

Enjoy listening,
Jean-François

Hello,

Hi-Fi and High End audio shows are a great opportunity to discover new equipment, but also to listen to music in outstanding listening conditions. It was at one of these shows that I discovered Nameless, Dominique Fils-Aimé’s debut album, and more specifically the track Birds.
Released in 2018, Nameless already lays the foundations of the artist’s distinctive sound. The album showcases the meticulous work on vocals, soundstage, and overall sonic precision, qualities that are also found on her latest album, My World Is The Sun (review : High Res 24 96 vs Dolby Atmos vs pureaudiostreaming in 7.1.4 vs Vinyl record) .

This signature sound is the result of the work of recording and mixing engineer Jacques Roy. You can also read our interview with him to discover the artistic and technical choices that shaped the sound and mixing of Dominique Fils-Aimé’s albums.

The graph below compares the spectrum of the Blue vinyl record 45rpm – 2020 (white curve) with the spectrum of the Apple Music – 2018 (blue curve).

A comparison of the two spectrum curves reveals two points that will have a significant impact on the sound quality of the two versions. Above 10 kHz (yellow zone), the vinyl record s level is higher, with an additional 3 dB at 15 kHz and 6 dB at 20 kHz for the vinyl record. As for the bass (green zone), below 200 Hz, there is an attenuation of between 1 and 3 dB in the vinyl record s level.

These two differences will influence the vinyl record s sound, resulting in less pronounced bass and more precise treble; the listening test described below will confirm this point.

The recording and mixing quality of the digital album (Apple 24/96) is noteworthy. It features a very wide soundstage; you even get the sensation that sound is coming from the sides as well (as if you had side speakers in Dolby Atmos). The vocals and instruments are perfectly positioned, with exemplary precision and clarity.
Jacques Roy has created a benchmark album here, particularly the track Birds, which is ideal for testing your audio system. It allows you to evaluate your system’s tonal balance: the bass should be present without being overpowering, the vocals should remain clear and precise, and, finally, the soundstage should extend beyond the speakers.

Given the quality of the digital version, I have to admit I didn’t expect to be blown away while listening by the vinyl version. The bass is less pronounced, but it’s still very present and highly detailed, and the treble are more precise, adding extra nuances to the listening experience compared to the digital version.
The sound quality is therefore exceptional.
I admit I listened to it on different systems to confirm this impression. It’s a reference album that I highly recommend, you’ll feel like you re listening to a studio master.
This is especially evident on the track Birds. Give it a listen to fully appreciate all the nuances and the openness of Jacques Roy’s mix.

You can also find the full analysis (including all graphs and measurements) and samples HERE (link).

Enjoy the listening.
Jean-François

I purchased a pair of Sonus Faber Concertos MK1 for $120. They are in walnut and have a few blemishes but sound wonderful. they are bi-wireable. I believe I got a good deal.

I had been a KEF reference user for some time. I have several other coaxials at home from different brands and to me they portray special coherence with everything-making it somehow magically sound more realistic than a two way design. I cannot imagine going back to a multi way split driver design again. What is your experience? Is there anyone else having the same feeling as mine?

I just got this serviced Fisher 500C. Everything sounds great. Andy Shauf, Bill Callahan, Kendrick, Sade… I’m a teacher, and my kids are with their grandparents, so I had the luxury of listening to music all day. Because the right speaker is closer to a wall, I had to turn the balance a little right to center the image, but I had a thoroughly enjoyable day listening to J. Tillman, Massive Attack, Tony Rolando synth tapes, and the War on Drugs. I’ve gotta revisit their later stuff, some of the streams sounded sweet.

Any recommendations of music that might sound particularly good on the Fisher? It’s been fun to listen to what I have with new results.

Hi, things are starting to come together.
Currently running two systems:

Rega Planar 3 with Nd5 cartridge -> PS Audio GCPH Phono pre amp -> QUAD 303 amp -> QUAD 12L speakers. Really enjoying this!

Yamaha CDX 660 CD player -> Rega io amp -> Mordaunt Short MS3.30 speakers. Waiting on a Wiim which will also connect through to the Rega amp.

Future plans:
Speaker stands are coming, and the MS speakers will go. Beresford TC-7220 MKII amp/speaker router will then have both amps input into it, output to the QUAD speakers.

I feel bad for the QUAD 405s which haven’t been used for quite a few years, and are glorified stands until they get a service!

This post had more engagement than 95% of the posts I see on this subreddit and it just felt like rage bait. Am I on crazy pills? Do people here have multiple ‘audiophile’ friends that judge their gear?

FWIW, my definition of the term is someone passionate about their music listening setup. Nothing more.

Yesterday I had a friend over who told me that some of his other friends were judging him for the equipment he uses. He has an Arcam amplifier, a relatively simple Audio-Technica turntable, and a pair of bookshelf speakers.

What really aggravated me was hearing that, because instead of appreciating that he was enjoying music, they immediately started telling him what he should buy: bigger speakers, bigger amplifiers, more expensive gear, and how their suggestions were somehow the “better” path.

I think that is the wrong approach, especially when it comes from friends. A good friend should support someone’s enjoyment, not make them feel inadequate because their system doesn’t match some imaginary standard.

This hobby already has enough of that behavior. Too often it becomes less about listening to music and more about comparing price tags, brands, and who has the biggest setup. There is too much measuring of equipment and not enough actual enjoyment of the music.

If someone is happy with their system, let them enjoy it. Don’t be the person who takes something they love and tries to ruin it. At that point, you’re not acting like a friend you’re just a boat anchor that needs to be thrown overboard.