| Author |
Sony Speakers vs my Old Stereo ones |
dahrich
Premium Member
Rank: Sonyphile
Joined: Mar 28, 2003
Posts: 749
From: California
 |  Posted: 2004-07-28 15:11
Hello:
I just went out and on the basis of several posts on this forum bought a pair of Sony floor speakers SS K70Ed and the center speaker SSCN K10ED. To be honest I'm somewhat dissapointed. They sound good and my wife likes the higher frequencies she hears but I guess I expected more. I have been using a pair of vintage AR 9's for my left and right and a vintage Pioneer CS 88A for my center.
I do hear differences but maybe expected a vast improvement like going from a Chevy to a BMW.
So this makes be wonder and raises a few questions:
If I want to listen just to music are the new Sonys the kind of speakers a person needs? I don't get the lows from the Sonys like I get from the AR's with their 12" woofers.
So, if I want to listen just to music should the subwoofer be turned on?
I know this is subjective and I hear the differences but wonder from an audiophile viewpoint which is considered better.
I must add that I bought the Sonys at CC and they are a great buy at the $120 price. I have listened to some B&W's costing much, much more and didn't think the B&W's were any better.
I'm about to give my wife a "blind" test of the Sonys vs my ARs so I wonder what she will say.
Regards,
Richard
|
|
Maxxwire
Moderator
Premium Member
Rank: Sony Adept
Joined: Aug 29, 2002
Posts: 25772
From: Portland, Oregon - USA
 | Posted: 2004-07-28 15:41
Richard- Aren't the AR-9's dual 12" 4 way speakers which cost about $1,800/pair 30 years ago? This is a lot of speaker for any modern product to live up to in terms of bass response.
To me it sounds like you already had your BMW and it will take a significant investment to find a better ride especially in the bass region.
Personaly I only use my Subwoofer when watching Movies. I use my 12" JBL's for Music and they have frequency response down to 27 hz which gets the job done quite nicely.
I have upgraded every piece of equipment in my Audio system and some pieces several times, but my 1971 model JBL L-100 Centuries have stood the test if time and continue to be the only equipment that I haven't found anything better to replace them with in my Stereo playback system.
_Maxx
-----------------
A Satisfied Sony Fan Since 1974!
The OCCC Furu-Charged Sony DB 930
|
rufas2000
Rank: Sony Addict
Joined: Apr 27, 2003
Posts: 263
From: dade city, fl
 | Posted: 2004-07-28 15:44
Some thoughts:
1) Many people say (and I agree) that speakers need time to "break-in". 100 hours seems to be a time frame most use. See if the sound improves in a week or so (I know it won't be 100 hours - will it? - but you should be able to tell if the sound is approaching what you want).
2) I'm assuming that your mainly disappointed with the lows. I own the SSK 90EDs and they'll produce more bass than the SSK70s simply because they have dual 6.5 inch woofers and they are bi-wirable. I believe the lows have improved in the 9 months I've owned them. If finances permit you may want to make an exchange, but...
3) A good speaker with a 12 inch woofer will bass wise outdo a good speaker with a 6.5 inch woofer (or even dual woofers) IMHO. It might be that you'll need a sub to get the bass you want if you want modern main speakers. Another thread here lamented the loss of the large speakers. I personally prefer these to the JBL 12 inchers I had a few years back (although I'm relying on memory here).
4) The Infinity Beta 50s have superior bass response and are available at CC but the cost may be prohibitive ($900 - $1000). I preferred the SSK70s to these when I did a "sound test" (more life in the sound, better vocals) but your results may vary.
5) I'm not an audiophile. I don't know if these are "movie speakers" or "music speakers". I do know the one thing audiophiles agree on: let YOUR ears be the judge.
If it were me I'd give the speakers a chance (a week or so) and if they're not what you want, take 'em back. I wish I took that advice a couple of times in the past.
My modest Sony system: STR DA4ES Receiver SS K90ED Front floor speakers SS K10ED Surround speakers SS CNK10ED Center Speaker Velodyne CHT8 Subwoofer CDP CX 400 CD Changer Monster Clean Power and wiring Assorted other stuff
[ This message was edited by: rufas2000 on 2004-07-28 15:46 ]
|
Maxxwire
Moderator
Premium Member
Rank: Sony Adept
Joined: Aug 29, 2002
Posts: 25772
From: Portland, Oregon - USA
| Posted: 2004-07-28 16:06
Most speakers made these days are for Home Theater and were not made for full spectrum stand alone Music listening.
Could you possibly wire the AR-9's for Music listening and let the Sony's take on the Home Theater tasks?
_Maxx
-----------------
A Satisfied Sony Fan Since 1974!
The OCCC Furu-Charged Sony DB 930
|
Maxxwire
Moderator
Premium Member
Rank: Sony Adept
Joined: Aug 29, 2002
Posts: 25772
From: Portland, Oregon - USA
| Posted: 2004-07-28 16:08
Rufas- What model of 12" JBL speakers did you own?
_Maxx
-----------------
A Satisfied Sony Fan Since 1974!
The OCCC Furu-Charged Sony DB 930
|
rufas2000
Rank: Sony Addict
Joined: Apr 27, 2003
Posts: 263
From: dade city, fl
| Posted: 2004-07-28 17:22
Maxx: I want to say the 412s but I'm not sure. I bought them from Rent-A-Center in 94 or 95 for $300 (total price, I rented for one week then paid it off).
They were 3 way with a 12 inch woofer and a 4 inch midrange I believe. They suffered water damage from a leaky water heater but they survived. The sound might have suffered slightly.
In 2001 I bought a pair of Sony SSM315s and sold the Jbls for $75. Three months later most of the drivers were blown along with the fuses. RIP
Hopefully all that info proved interesting and/or useful. They're definatly not your JBLs.
My modest Sony system: STR DA4ES Receiver SS K90ED Front floor speakers SS K10ED Surround speakers SS CNK10ED Center Speaker Velodyne CHT8 Subwoofer CDP CX 400 CD Changer Monster Clean Power and wiring Assorted other stuff
[ This message was edited by: rufas2000 on 2004-07-28 17:25 ]
|
dahrich
Premium Member
Rank: Sonyphile
Joined: Mar 28, 2003
Posts: 749
From: California
| Posted: 2004-07-28 21:02
Hello:
Thanks all for your comments.
We haven't done the "blind" test but I'll let you know the results.
rufas2000: I'll listen to them for a awhile and let you know if I think they improve. With cc return policy I could hold them for 30 days.
Maxx your comment about using the Sonys for movies is something I thought about so you just reinforced the thought. I could easily keep both sets of speakers. Since I don't see a tremendous amount of difference between the speakers I hated the thought of getting rid of the AR's. I have a so-so pair of KLH's in my family room so i was thinking of getting rid of them and putting the AR's there.
If I keep both set of speakers I need to switch them efficently with some kind switch box. Could you recommend one.
Regards,
Richard
|
Maxxwire
Moderator
Premium Member
Rank: Sony Adept
Joined: Aug 29, 2002
Posts: 25772
From: Portland, Oregon - USA
| Posted: 2004-07-29 00:03
Niles makes a great speaker switch-
http://www.audioadvisor.com/store/productdetail.asp?sku=NIFG00531
Although they may have a to way model that I haven't been able to find yet.
_Maxx
-----------------
A Satisfied Sony Fan Since 1974!
The OCCC Furu-Charged Sony DB 930
|
Maxxwire
Moderator
Premium Member
Rank: Sony Adept
Joined: Aug 29, 2002
Posts: 25772
From: Portland, Oregon - USA
| Posted: 2004-07-29 01:26
Rufas- JBL made a 12" 3-way speaker in 1990 called the 4312-c. If the speakers you owned had white colored woofers they could have been this model.
_Maxx
-----------------
A Satisfied Sony Fan Since 1974!
The OCCC Furu-Charged Sony DB 930
|
rufas2000
Rank: Sony Addict
Joined: Apr 27, 2003
Posts: 263
From: dade city, fl
| Posted: 2004-07-29 01:43
Maxx: No white woofers, black on darker black. With black grills. They may of had a white ID plate on the right side.
-----------------
Revamped A/V system:
STR DA4ES Receiver
SS K90ED Front floor speakers
SS K10ED Surround speakers
SCD CE 595 Super Audio CD Player
Zenith 23 inch widescreen flat panel LCD TV
Panasonic Progressive Scan DVD player
|
Maxxwire
Moderator
Premium Member
Rank: Sony Adept
Joined: Aug 29, 2002
Posts: 25772
From: Portland, Oregon - USA
| Posted: 2004-07-29 01:56
Rufas- Oh well, you mentioned the numbers 412 and I thought 4312 might have been the right one, but I guess not.
_Maxx
-----------------
A Satisfied Sony Fan Since 1974!
The OCCC Furu-Charged Sony DB 930
|
dahrich
Premium Member
Rank: Sonyphile
Joined: Mar 28, 2003
Posts: 749
From: California
| Posted: 2004-07-29 02:22
Hello:
Thank you Maxx for the Switch info.
Well we did the "blind" test.
Results: my wife got 2 out of 3 right.
And I have to say my old AR 9's more than held their own. At times they sounded better than the Sonys. It seemed to depend on what CD was playing. At times the AR's seemed to have better high frequency sound than did the Sonys but at others the Sony had the better bass response.
Oh woe is me  Now I have the dilemma of trying to decide which I think is better and then how to use them
Regards,
Richard
|
Maxxwire
Moderator
Premium Member
Rank: Sony Adept
Joined: Aug 29, 2002
Posts: 25772
From: Portland, Oregon - USA
| Posted: 2004-07-29 03:20
Richard- The path to building a great Audio system is at its best a series of trade-offs. There is just no one configuration that will serve all purposes with equal fidelity and sonic purity.
In this situation though if you were to invest in a speaker selector switch you could have your trade-offs at your fingertips and you could easily change your mind at a moments notice without having to make a permanent decision as to which set of speakers you want to use.
Using a speaker selector switch would also be the best way to compare the two sets of speakers.
_Maxx
-----------------
A Satisfied Sony Fan Since 1974!
The OCCC Furu-Charged Sony DB 930
|
rufas2000
Rank: Sony Addict
Joined: Apr 27, 2003
Posts: 263
From: dade city, fl
| Posted: 2004-07-29 13:09
Maxx: I wish I could remember the model number but it wasn't as important to me back then. It would be nice to know more about my first pair of "real" speakers.
-----------------
Revamped A/V system:
STR DA4ES Receiver
SS K90ED Front floor speakers
SS K10ED Surround speakers
SCD CE 595 Super Audio CD Player
Zenith 23 inch widescreen flat panel LCD TV
Panasonic Progressive Scan DVD player
|
rufas2000
Rank: Sony Addict
Joined: Apr 27, 2003
Posts: 263
From: dade city, fl
| Posted: 2004-07-29 13:21
Richard: Interesting test results. I think you have two excellent pairs of speakers and a pleasant decision on your hands as how to accomadate them.
I would hold on to the ARs unless space is a major concern; to paraphrase the Greg Kihn Band "They just don't make em like that any more" (lyric from "The Breakup Song", replace make with write).
I hope you get the chance to try the test in a few weeks and see if the results change.
-----------------
Revamped A/V system:
STR DA4ES Receiver
SS K90ED Front floor speakers
SS K10ED Surround speakers
SCD CE 595 Super Audio CD Player
Zenith 23 inch widescreen flat panel LCD TV
Panasonic Progressive Scan DVD player
|
