Hi Mike,Originally Posted by mikebake
Was just curious, what is the front speaker setup?
Hi Mike,
Was just curious, what is the front speaker setup?
800's and 600 center. Instead of putting the subs under them, they are under the rears, but only docked physically, not electrically.
I always wished this speaker had more descriptive reviews. For those considering a set, here is mine!
Monday night I got the stacks up and running and I what else can I say but wow! All my music sounds great and better than ever.
These speakers were to be an upgrade from my L100T3's which I love and my 240ti's which played some music well but never grew on me. For anyone who can use that sound as a reference I can unequivocally opinion that these speakers are better, absolutely better!! These speakers have made my recently purchased tube buffer obsolete, there is no more digital harshness, there is no more uncontrolled shrill to soften. This speaker has definition, and control.
Unlike the 240ti these speakers are not laid back, they are bold and have an excellent but very well controlled top end. Unlike the L100T3 they are not forward impolitely but they retain the liveliness of the music with better balance and no listening fatigue. The 240ti's are a quiet speaker that ask you to peer into the music with their nuance, the T3 is a party animal that presents the music to you leaving little to wonder. The performance series speaker is a blend between the two sounds but with better more capable drivers. It's not in between them, it is far above, right up the center.
The speakers are loud! With the woofer being powered by it's own amp, my NAD can drive these speakers further along the volume knob, without any perceptible distortion. I didn't think I would need to worry about buying another amp with these speakers but they are just so capable, they could use more than the 150 watts my NAD can dish out, and I think they could do it without loosing their composure. TI said it best, they are Righteously Loud! And when they are turned up they vibrate the air with the realism of a live performance I never knew possible. I have run two sets of speakers together sometimes for loudness, and they can't match the sound of one set of these speakers, nowhere close, there's no contest.
And they're not just loud, they're detailed. I hear things presented in a way never before. They don't make you dig for the sound, or bore you, but they are not sassy either, they just present the music in a way that seems natural and wholesome, and they make it look easy. Refined is not a word I would choose, these speakers are not uppity or snobbish, like true talent they just do it, and you know.
Warm, bright, soft, harsh, revealing, quiet, forget about these words that describe the leaning of a speakers coloration, these speakers are TRUE when the truth is something shockingly beautiful to behold. They are center of these descriptions. And forget about neutral, neutral is boring, these speakers make neutral feel constipated. This is not a pitch, what I am trying to say is that these speakers are the real deal people! These speakers have successfully surpassed my old standby's in almost every single regard (see below). Of course I'll never part with the T3, it's a beautiful speaker that I have put alot of effort into refinishing and re-coning ect., and it has a certain personality I'll always like.
Nothing is perfect. If I had one gripe I should fess up about the Performance Series is growly bass. I have listened to alot of LE14H's in 240ti's and 250ti's and their low end is exceptional. I am wondering if this growliness is the result of the tuning of the small box. Any others who have noticed this? Any fix?
To be clear, the bass from these boxes is shaking the house better than ever. These PS1400's are impressive in their output. To that end, I am very satisfied. The hoarseness is my one issue.
I always wished this speaker had more descriptive reviews. For those considering a set, here is mine!
Monday night I got the stacks up and running and I what else can I say but wow! All my music sounds great and better than ever.
These speakers were to be an upgrade from my L100T3's which I love and my 240ti's which played some music well but never grew on me. For anyone who can use that sound as a reference I can unequivocally opinion that these speakers are better, absolutely better!! These speakers have made my recently purchased tube buffer obsolete, there is no more digital harshness, there is no more uncontrolled shrill to soften. This speaker has definition, and control.
Unlike the 240ti these speakers are not laid back, they are bold and have an excellent but very well controlled top end. Unlike the L100T3 they are not forward impolitely but they retain the liveliness of the music with better balance and no listening fatigue. The 240ti's are a quiet speaker that ask you to peer into the music with their nuance, the T3 is a party animal that presents the music to you leaving little to wonder. The performance series speaker is a blend between the two sounds but with better more capable drivers. It's not in between them, it is far above, right up the center.
The speakers are loud! With the woofer being powered by it's own amp, my NAD can drive these speakers further along the volume knob, without any perceptible distortion. I didn't think I would need to worry about buying another amp with these speakers but they are just so capable, they could use more than the 150 watts my NAD can dish out, and I think they could do it without loosing their composure. TI said it best, they are Righteously Loud! And when they are turned up they vibrate the air with the realism of a live performance I never knew possible. I have run two sets of speakers together sometimes for loudness, and they can't match the sound of one set of these speakers, nowhere close, there's no contest.
And they're not just loud, they're detailed. I hear things presented in a way never before. They don't make you dig for the sound, or bore you, but they are not sassy either, they just present the music in a way that seems natural and wholesome, and they make it look easy. Refined is not a word I would choose, these speakers are not uppity or snobbish, like true talent they just do it, and you know.
Warm, bright, soft, harsh, revealing, quiet, forget about these words that describe the leaning of a speakers coloration, these speakers are TRUE when the truth is something shockingly beautiful to behold. They are center of these descriptions. And forget about neutral, neutral is boring, these speakers make neutral look constipated. This is not a pitch, what I am trying to say is that these speakers are the real deal people! These speakers have successfully surpassed my old standby's in almost every single regard (see below). Of course I'll never part with the T3, it's a beautiful speaker that I have put alot of effort into refinishing and re-coning ect., and it has a certain personality I'll always like.
Nothing is perfect. If I had one gripe I should fess up about the Performance Series is growly bass. I have listened to alot of LE14H's in 240ti's and 250ti's and their low end is exceptional. I am wondering if this growliness is the result of the tuning of the small box. Any others who have noticed this? Any fix?
To be clear, the bass from these boxes is shaking the house better than ever. These PS1400's are impressive in their output. To that end, I am very satisfied. The hoarseness is my one issue.
Well put! No growly bass here, however -- the PS1400's are amazing (not using them for LFE stuff at the moment). Of note, there is a set of PT800/PS1400 towers on ebay for local pickup in D.C., I believe. Having heard these, and if I did not have a complete set already, I absolutely would drive the several hours and pick them up myself.
The replacements..
Try putting an isolation platform underneath each speaker.
I have a pair of Great Gramma's under my Performance Stacks. They really tightened up the sound and stopped the floor coupling, for around $70 a piece its a good investment IMHO. It might help with the growl...
http://www.auralex.com/sound_isolati...ion_gramma.asp
Hi RedCoat23. Nice suggestion. I too noted the lowness of the driver compared to the 240's and 250's., and the port is hugging the ground. I'll see if I can find something to raise them and see if it helps.Try putting an isolation platform underneath each speaker.
I have a pair of Great Gramma's under my Performance Stacks. They really tightened up the sound and stopped the floor coupling, for around $70 a piece its a good investment IMHO. It might help with the growl...
http://www.auralex.com/sound_isolati...ion_gramma.asp
That table right in front of your stacks isn't helping you any.
True, but his primary issue seems to be the "growling" bass... I doubt the table will have any affect on that.
BTW: What is "growling" bass?
Widget
It helps me by holding my food, and my keyboard and remotes.
Well, there is a reverberation to it. A hoarsness. A subwoofer effect I wasn't expecting from this driver. I have the NAD bass turned up about 50% for the PT800's, the PS1400's are at -1db and about 80% gain.True, but his primary issue seems to be the "growling" bass... I doubt the table will have any affect on that.
BTW: What is "growling" bass?
Widget
Is this hoarseness coming from both speakers? I would drag them into a different room and another location and see if you have the same condition. This doesn't sound right to me. Some sort of pad like the one suggested above might help, but if your woofers are making strange noises and it isn't due to placement or setup, it might be that your woofer(s) is/are not be quite right.
Widget
Is this hoarseness coming from both speakers? I would drag them into a different room and another location and see if you have the same condition. This doesn't sound right to me. Some sort of pad like the one suggested above might help, but if your woofers are making strange noises and it isn't due to placement or setup, it might be that your woofer(s) is/are not be quite right.
Widget
I turned the balance back and forth and couldn't detect a difference between the two. When both come on there is a noticeable rise in bass; room gain where the vibration starts? I held my ear to the cab and couldn't detect any strange noises. I am really thinking it is their proximity to the floor. I can feel the vibration in the woofers; port chuffing maybe? I'm looking for something to raise them 2-4"
Sounds to me like you are describing a room issue. Perhaps removing the table for a brief test would be a good step, as well as some placement adjustments. The PS1400 is one of the cleanest sounding bass modules I've heard.
Here, when placed near a corner they can develop a peak around 60Hz by as much as 10-12db. Definitely in the "growling" range. I'm pretty certain that you won't hear any port chuffing from them either. A sine-wave test tone at 20Hz can rule that out. (be careful) At the levels needed to generate some port noise, you'd be pushing them pretty hard.
No such dynamics here, even with the PS1400's barely off the floor.
A: Glad to read that you like them so much, and thanks for posting your impressions. It's a good read.
B: I've had PS1400s in a number of set ups and locations and didn't experience any growling bass. Some of these locations were less than ideal. Having written that, I've not had them in every conceivable location, so if I were you, I'd suspect placement first, then something in the room (floor, wall, furniture) that comes into play, then the room itself (dimensions, room volume, shape, etc.)
Does the growling seem different in different places in the room? If you go out of the room, does the bass continue to growl? Muddier? Cleaner?
If it sounds equally growly everywhere, then you should take Widget's advice and determine if there's a physical or electrical defect. First make sure your connections are correct, all the right switches are in the right places, and that you're not inadvertently using any kind of crossover in your pre/pro or have the speaker selector set to the wrong setting or that the loudness control is engaged--all simple things, I know, but simple is what often gets us.
Out.
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