The Sonus Faber line extends from the Lumina bookshelves at $1,200 per pair up to the Suprema at $750,000 a pair, so I'm pretty sure they have one or two revelaing speakers in that range.
My Sonus Faber speakers are the most revealing speakers in the world, the newest ones of the past 20 years are not as good. Paul says his Revels arent revealing, the same time period the Revels are best.
I've owned 3 sets of S.F. speakers, I would say they were average as revealing goes, which is perfect for my listening. I'd rather not hear the harshness and impurities that exists in most recordings.
So, if your doing electrical engineering, or doing detailed audio mixes (mixing engineer) then you *need* to have a 'system' where you can hear changes that you make, and a revealing system will give you that. You're not listening to the music, your listening to changes being revealed. But if you're someone who likes to listen to the music, a more balanced and sympathetic system is probably better. Speakers that have a tolerance for sub-optimal rooms, less exotic amps, sources and cables. It just *sounds* good what ever you do. "It's only got to sound good for you."
Revealing doesn't have to mean unsympathetic or unmusical. It just shows differences. I eventually find that speakers that mask these differences frustrate me. Everything gets the same colourwash. Music that should rip can then plod. But, if you like a homogeneous sound, with all instruments sounding the same, then that's great.
NO. W R O N G. YOU MUST HAVE ACCEPTED EQUIPMENT, IN ACCEPTED HOUSINGS, USING ACCEPTED CABLES AND IN AN ACCEPTABLY CONDITIONED ROOM. IF YOU FAIL TO COMPLY YOU MAY NOT LISTEN TO MUSIC OF ANY KIND *AND NO EQUALIZERS!*
Again Paul is spot on. Owning Magnepans, I believe any serious reviewer should be evaluating any audio product through a pair. They're so honest, even moving/placing room treatment will give you instant feedback.
Bought my first pair of III's in the late '70's. Been a die hard fan since. I like to think of them more like drivers and the room is the enclosure. Finding the right spot for them to energize the room. While boxes just throw sound at you.
@@glenncurry3041 The crazy thing and people really don't mention this is how polite they can be. It's really something that most of the sound stays where the soundstage is. In fact I listen to classical music with peaks of up to 80db, and you can still have a conversation with the person next to you. Very special speakers and presentation.
@@davewin1792 I like to approach this from a slightly different direction. When introducing people to my system for the first time I slowly turn the volume up to that 80dbSPL level with no talking. Eventually someone will try to talk not realizing how high the SPL is because of the low distortion level. People relate loud to distortion and when the loudness is there but not the distortion they lose that reference. That look on their face when they realize they are not talking at much less above the listening level. How impressed they become realizing they are in a high level session without knowing it!
I think there is a balance between revealing and musicality. I’ve heard some high end systems that were very revealing but sounded analytical. As Paul mentions, it all comes down to personal preference.
@glenncurry3041 then these speakers aren't detailed or revealing. They just have an unbalanced frequency response, with an elevated area around 3 to 5khz. "Musical" speakers often have a lowered response in this area. What you really want is a flat response, minimal distortion, very short spectral decay, proper time alignment, and high quality components in the signal path. That should then be truly revealing, with minimal fatigue. Good luck finding that mix in a commercial speaker...
@@RacingAnt Agreed and not speakers of my choice (Or Paul's from previous mention). But popular with some high end reviewers. That's why I would find it interesting when reviewing some other speaker and they'd comment on lack of detail, but more musical....
Seems to me it all comes down to this: If you want your listening experience to deliver the more nuanced things like imaging, super fine detail, and dynamic range, then you’re in the “revealing” market. I used to think like many that these things were not meaningful until I actually heard the difference. But that assumes you care about the difference. In contrast, if you want a lush sound with bass that envelopes you, put inexpensive speakers in corners and enjoy!! 😊 The danger of the revealing mindset is that you are always looking for “more” in your listening and the hobby becomes more stressful than enjoyable.
It does boil down to your budget. The lower it is, the more compromises you have to make, which means that you have to select which aspect of the system is best preserved. I prefer more revealing systems. As such, back in 1997, I went for Martin Logan SL3 electrostatic speakers. Those were about $3700. Several years ago, I heard some $50,000 Sonus Faber Il Cremonese speakers. The scale that these produce was at a different level so I went on a hunt for an upgrade. I selected the $24,000 Legacy Audio Aeris speakers. These were as revealing as the electrostatics. However, they also had the soundstage, scale, bass, and immersive aspect that the electrostats could not match. I originally thought about keeping the old system around so that I could hear different presentations. I found that the electrostats were outclassed in every way so just sold them. 2 years later, I upgraded to the $86,000 Legacy Audio Valor speakers. I was able to trade the Aeris in at the full value I originally paid. The Valors are at another level. The level of detail is incredible. e.g. With orchestral music, with the Valors you may hear a group of violins. With the Aeris, the violins would be more mashed together. With live music, you could hear all the individuals in the crowd. The bass is totally immersive. You also get texture on the bass, but the Aeris also did that. The speakers totally disappear so that you are only listening to music and not the equipment. The ambient array drivers on the Valors cause you to feel like you are at the recording venue. You can feel like you are in a large hall or feel like you are in a small room, independent of the size of your room. It ultimately comes down to your priorities and the amount of money you are willing to spend.
whew ! $86,000 , $50,000 , and all the rest of it , there seems to be different "levels of Real World" , Y'all making it hard to accept average costing systems , I just want to fill a humble 4.2 room with really nice sound , to much to ask for .
@@paulburke9198 It is all based on one's priorities. There are people who are perfectly happy with Apple AirPods. For home theater, I use these $86K speakers for my mains, and ($400 per speaker) Martin Logan FX speakers for my 2 surrounds. I don't bother with a center channel or sub woofers (ie. 4.0). I use a $1,200 Marantz Cinema 70S AVR with $4,000 Epson 6050UB projector and $5,000 120 inch Stewart ALR motorized projection screen. I like to leave at least one light on when I watch movies. While a lot of the emotion comes from music, a lot of focus is on the visual aspects. As such, detail and imaging isn't as important for HT. However, there are people who build out home theater rooms and have full ATMOS setups. Home improvement can get very expensive. My system is in my living room, where I spend most of my time. I did talk to a guy who built a home theater room. He told me that they don't really use it that much as they spend most of their time in their living room. One should realize that people get used to the systems they have. To me, my system feels normal. However, people who come around have told me that they have never experienced anything like it. One should simply be happy with what one has. Otherwise, one will never be satisfied. Of course, if one wants to go down the rabbit hole of audiophile equipment, the hole can get pretty deep. I remember one guy who had $4,000 speakers who came to visit. A day or two after he heard my system, he spent $22,000 on a new set of Von Sweikert speakers. Some people like to buy new cars every 2 years. I have a second hand Porsche 911 I bought back in 2014 as well as a new off-road pickup truck that I bought in 2018. My pickup truck replaced a Ford Escort I bought back in 1990. I have bought 4 cars since 1990. I work mainly from home so don't drive that much. I listen to my system (mainly watching Netflix) at least 5 hours a day. As such, if I were to consider an enjoyment cost per hour, my stereo provides much more enjoyment for the cost compare to my cars. If one has a family, one's priorities will be very different.
"Revealing" to me, in audio, means a highly detailed "warts and all" presentation. Perfect recordings sound perfect. Imperfect recordings sound bad, or maybe "good but with some harshness". My own preference is for the recording to be revealed right up to the point where going any further would have elements of harshness. Thus the most revealing system possible would not appeal to me, because I don't want to limit myself to only "audiophile quality" recordings.
I know this is true. As I built my own speakers . Not from kits,no but from research that helped me to understand crossover networks that gave me revealing audio speakers. The amplifier choice was a British built Spendor class a. They showed me what I never heard and never knew. 👍
If you do it again, look at doing the crossover in the digital domain before conversion to analog, something like the minidsp shd series. Then bi amp your speakers and eliminate the passive crossover network. Enjoy the best phase cohesion you've ever gotten. The best crossover is no crossover!
When paired with revealing speakers compared to non-revealing speakers, the potential audible impact of equipment is a critical point and one I wish audiophile influencers would reference when reviewing gear. Your clear communication helps, too ;-).
Thanks Paul for the answer! It makes a lot of sense.. And thanks Paul for having asked this question! It makes me understanding many questions from other people in Hifi forums who don't have revealing speakers (my speakers are very revealing). This question and answer deserve to be translated into French! (I am French...).
My primary system has always had highly revealings speakers in it over the years, such as Thiels and Vivids. But my secondary system, which has included a lesser pair of Monitor Audio speakers that are considerably less revealing, still sounds wonderful to my ears & sometimes is just the ticket- highly enjoyable! Nevertheless, a highly revealing speaker that is balanced overall, fronted by tonally-balanced components (system synergy is important), & not played in an overly 'live' room is still preferable for long-term listening if one has to choose IMO.
Maggies (and other ribbon speakers/headphones) are highly phase coherent. Music in, music out. Horns try to squeeze out sound through a flared pipe, while cones try use "pistons" to punch/radiate music without adding multiple inherent distortions. "Revealing" is accuracy. "Musical" is: "These don't sound as bad as some other speakers I've heard."
In 2006, I was stereo shopping. My choice came down to a set up Ravel speakers and a set of Vandersteen speakers. One store was in New York City (Manhattan), and the other store was in Verona, New Jersey. Both systems sounded amazing, yet different. The Ravel speakers blew me away with a wall of sound (listening to ZZ Top). I never heard anything sound so good. I was "this close" to purchasing them -- but I still had the Vandersteen speakers to hear -- and so I controlled my impulse and went to the NJ store. The Vandersteen speakers were revealing, and let me hear into the recording. I was conflicted. Which speakers should I buy? Both were so satisfying in different ways. So I went back for a second listen to the Ravel speakers. Rather than having $100,000 Mark Levinson momoblocks hooked up (from my first visit), they had some other amps and other pre-amp hooked up. Now, those Ravel speakers did nothing for me. And those Levinson monoblock were way over my budget. Whereas, the Vandersteen system was exactly in my budget, and that was what I purchased. But to this day, I still crave the sound of those Ravel speakers. With the right gear, they are amazing -- and so are the Vandersteens, but in a different way. By the way, the Ravels were either at Sound By Singer or Lyric HiFi (I can't remember which -- but it was one of them).
Haha, The "wall" of sound. Yet another definition that is hard to narrow down but leaves a long-lasting impression when it hits you. I had a similar experience with the Salon II.
The Vandersteen 2ci's, the Energy veritas, and the Maggie 1.6's which I still have, are the most revealing speakers I have owned just to name a few. To me they strike the perfect 50/50 balance. They are both analytical and musical. I'm sure there are many more. Amplifiers and all other source components have either or both of these qualities also. You can have revealing speakers and have a source component or amplifier that won't be revealing. I always say it is really about component synergy to get the 50/50 balance. According to my personal experiences I can't be fully satisfied if my system is too analytical or not musically detailed enough. With all the components that are available system synergy is definitely a infinite journey!
So what technical qualities does it take to make a speaker revealing? Logic suggests that it is the ability to accurately convert the electronic signal it receives to acoustic energy. To use an old term, High Fidelity to the signal received. Of course, lots of technical characteristics go into making that conversion - wide bandwidth, flat frequency response, freedom from distortion and and accurately reproducing the waveform received in detail.
I became crazy audiophile after spending my savings at age 16 on a pair of Stax electrostatic headphones in the early 80s. I’ve been fan of electrostatics, planar and ribbon drivers (like PS Audio Aspen series) ever since when it comes to revealing fine details.
Must say that was my idea too. Why buy a speaker, unless it is you work, to disseminate changes in the gear that it is connected to? It makes more sense that the speaker will reveal every detail in the recording not in the signal path.
This is a good contrast of the two camps. I would fall on what Paul calls "lovely and musical" vs maybe revealing. You can still tell difference between components usually Dac 1 vs Dac 2. But maybe not cables. I don't know... Never tried expensive cables. I finally splurged for end all speakers after axpona in Chicago... A few of those setups (and discussions) were amazingly good. And I feel tipped me finally to the end all.
Not so much touched on-what factors go into the making of a revealing speaker? I get that there is a noticeable difference, but what makes one speaker revealing and another one not revealing? Thanks, Paul! I LOVE listening to my Octave Records LPs (via a fully restored 40-year-old Denon DP-57L) and SACDs (via a Sony DVP-CX777ES 400-disc DVD/CD/SACD changer). These make up my own happy space. Thanks again, Paul-you’re the best!
Very interesting to hear this, Paul. Can’t remember hearing about that listening room before. 👍🏻 To me a revealing system, has to be pretty neutral - not cold and analytical, nor should it be warm sounding. But as far as I’m concerned most high-end systems seem a bit laidback, and not very revealing as such - Would a mid-fi good electrostatics, and neutral sounding amps be more revealing than a typical high-end system? Asking for a friend 🙃
Another way to increase the detail revelation of your system I just found out today, is to connect a grounding cable to your components (or better yet, the power conditioner that connects them all). A installed a Puritan Audio Ground Master City.
Ohh gaud... He said Sonus Faber... I have over $90k of Sonus Faber and I'm probably the only convert in the Pasific North West. I have a recording studio with Adams and Meyer, but I don't enjoy them. It's fine to own an F1 car, but you don't want to drive it everywhere. Same with speakers. You want a big comfy GT car to live with. Buy both. Get a F1 go cart, and a BMW 7 or MB S. Yes, Sonus Faber is not analytically perfect, but it's perfect for 6 hours a day, day after day.
My Meyer Sound Amies are fine for finding and fixing problems, but I'd never listen to them for enjoyment. My Sonus Fabers are a joy of smooth sound. They have everything in the signal and are near perfect. They just don't reproduce the ultra sharp, striking, hyper hiss people call revealing. Don't confuse harsh for bright, or fast for detail. In the true digital world, a bit of round the edges is the key to living with a system.
It’s very personal. Some “very revealing” speakers can be harsh and unpleasant to hear, in my opinion - like all those panel speakers. It depends also on the electronics. Panel speakers need a lot of power and lack of bass. My personal taste is more on the musical side. My Sonus Faber and my Mac (all the cables from Audioquest) are very good match for my taste. If I wanted very revealing speakers and I would probably try a pair of Magicos (not sure about the best match in terms of electronics) - certainly not panel speakers.
I've never liked the term "musical" when it comes to hifi. To me musicality is mostly about how something is played, not in nuances of sound quality in reproduction. Hence why so many musicians don't bother with hifi, as it's not really about musicality but rather other parts of the auditory experience. It's also not at all hard to find a revealing speaker that's still very engaging so I don't buy the juxtapositioning of revealing and musical, like how some like to put it. Obviously there's always individual preferences but we still need to be able to talk generally about things.
I actually think the whole hobby got this backwards. Gear people should be aiming for should make poorly recorded music [re. 60s-80s] sound better and be forgiving on bad recordings. Instead revealing and detail oriented gear is what people strive for and end up hating a lot of the music they grew up on because instead of listening to the music they listen to the issues in the recordings. This is one of the reasons the vintage and vinyl crowd is still big; a lot of music of the 60s to 80s sounds fine if not great on those systems.
I find it interesting that most video reviewers when they start describing a speaker as detailed, ... you will also hear them mention listening fatigue. That while some can reach high SPL and have clear clean high end, it is not listenable for any length of time. Horns are often described as detailed or diamond dome tweeters. Then there is revealing. While it would seem to be the same as detailed, it is not. At least in such reviewers usage detailed seems more high end and it's extension. While revealing is more about less blur in the mid to upper mid? And yes Maggies are the living example.
Another fine and very interesting video, thanks. Like @finscreename’s comment earlier I, in my dotage (I’m 78) had always assumed revealing referred to being able to pick out the musicians in, say, an orchestra. I found Paul’s explanation very, well, revealing. Why does anyone WANT to be able to pick out the differences between cables except, perhaps, a cable salesman (like Paul?). I can, on the other hand, appreciate being able to pick out and locate the bassoon player just as you can in a concert hall,if you want. I don’t think any of this location issue matters in pop music at all because there’s usually only a few musicians involved and what we hear is totally under the control of the sound and production engineers- it’s all artificially generated. Is this ‘reavealing’ issue a clue to the difference between enjoying the music and enjoying hi-fi technology? What is the point of ‘revealing’ speakers if ‘musical’ speakers can enable the listener to separate the instruments?
This video by Steve Guttenburg about ‘transparent’ sound systems is interesting and relevant ua-cam.com/video/6-V5Z6vHEbA/v-deo.htmlsi=1untB7xPJ_whW3vS He’s using the term ‘transparent’ to mean the same as ‘reveling’, I think, and in the same technical way that Paul is using the term. He points out that a system (not limited to speakers) can be too transparent and / or revealing. I guess you need revealing equipment in a professional sound studio but not necessarily at home. This supports the old idea that studio monitors don’t necessarily make good home speakers.
Where did I put my decoder ring? What a great topic to prove human communication is flawed at best. it is exactly why there are both a need for dictionaries and thesauruses. When I finally got a pair of quality speakers, I attached my own meaning to the word revealing. To me it was now that I could hear with detail in small sounds never before heard. As time and listening experience grew, I learned that not only what I heard in the music was more detailed but the changes in equipment also was more detectable. a lesser quality speaker hooked to great equipment would not "reveal" the true ability of the equipment. Now throw the terms dynamics and musicality on the pile and you have a party. From the ability to measure a speakers electrical dynamic range, to how that translates to what I am hearing is an understanding yet to come. Why didn't anybody tell me that in order to listen properly to a Hifi system, I needed a doctorate in electrical engineering with a masters in linguistics. Oh well it's still fun.
I remember a manager from Manchester United ( UK ) being asked about the most important player. His answer " They are all important " like hifi, remove any part, and it doesn't work. When I bought my Dali's many years ago a number of my CD's sounded harsh.
"Revealing" seems to depend on conditions. Spoken word like Paul's videos can be revealing between some playback systems. Room echo is one. The usual phone or tablet sound don't reveal room echoes (in my experience, and echoes are absent here in Paul's). Bump up to even a $40 OontZ Ultra and revealing is obvious.
I don’t know all this stuff is complicated. So what is a analytical speaker vs a revealing speaker for example? I have old Polk monitor speakers from the 80s and a pair of Bowers and Wilkins 685s2 bookshelf speakers.
Sounds like the key to a happy Hifi life is to stay away from revealing speakers. That way you won’t waste money, time, and worry chasing arcane adders that make a difference only revealing speakers can, well, reveal. Sounds Faber may be a better deal than it appears.
Revealing speakers that don’t satisfy musically and emotionally are as much a disappointment as emotionally engaging speakers that don’t deliver all the information. It’s all about balance.
listen to the music not the gear. "Apatite For Destruction" by GnR on tape out of a boom box down by the lake sinking a few cold ones with the lads. Sharing music and good times with friends and family are how memories are made.
Kids, boys! I dropped out of HiFi for a while after the 4th or 5th stylus was destroyed by tiny fingers. No matter how I tried to lock the cabinet! Could not afford a continual supply of both diapers and styli!
Cabinet reflections, refractions, driver breakup, cabinet resonances, ports, ... things that allow the original signal to dissipate into the room more than once,.... cause blurring of information and lack of resolution.
For my personal preferences when I listen to music, as long as the eq of the music sounds good to my ears I turn it on a volume level that is right for me not too loud notntoo soft... Then go... Blasted no more etc... Etc... Just enjoy your music
A speaker thats reveiling to source and or anything in the signal path so far as being faithful to the AC MUSIC thats delivered may not be also sensitive to cable changes..Thats totally a different topic. Speakers with complex passive crossover networks they use to force drivers into looking on paper as if they like each other have a signature...YUP. an LCR pattern that doesnt act like a speaker..I JUST TOLD SECRETS. I wont have a debate about active..cause it has neg attributes. And low slope passive has its neg issues..and high slope has issues..and lastly..complex extensive passive has its issues..whats the answer? THERE IS AN ANSWER. and the guys 80 years ago knew. PAULS CORRECT about reveiling. And Im ready to make a post..to upset the industry..but paul will smile
After this explanation "revealing" system is one that isn't consistent in performance, rather sensitive to everything including fly sitting on it. Why would anyone like to buy it for music listening??? BS
"Revealing" is a term that does NOT mean the same thing to everybody. It is therefore useless when trying to describe sound unless the actual term is defined first in a way that shares what we mean. It is a term very abused by the "audio press".
I could probably afford revealing speakers but afraid they’d be wasted on me and my old ears. Too many concerts in my youth. I’ll take musical speakers all day.
Having cables make a difference sounds like bullshit to me and it always will. Unless it's such a thin wire where there is so much resistance I don't see how any audio cable would ever make a difference unless you where firing microwaves at the cable or some shit.
Cables eh? One of the greatly contested topics. I'm in-between on the cables make no difference vs cables continue to make all the difference the more money you spend on them. I think there's room to ensure a wire is engineered to do the task well,but as you say,as long as thickness and resistance is low,the geometry is right and the dielectric constant is low,then all is well and we can leave well alone at that point instead of chasing mythical benefits like cryogenic freezing and worrying about cable "burn in". A "risky" topic to comment on.😊
Have you actually experimented with different cables/lines and done listening trials? In my experience they definitely make a difference, for better and/or for worse. You'll experience the difference if one pair of cables makes your system sound more "right" or "wrong," e.g., in the case of "worse," either relentless on the one hand or a bit dull on the other; or in the case of better, more detailed/exciting without being fatiguing or imbalanced to one's ears.
why would you want to listen to something revealing it sounds awful. you want everything in your face You've got to have synergy and balance revealing too much is not it's got to sound like the according, it's meant to be otherwise you might as well put a graphic equaliser on it.😂
Don't get me wrong, I would buy the FR30s, that I have heard now and liked for the price, if it was not made in China. I prefer to spend my money anywhere but China.
Have you visited China? So much of what we hear comes from the media and is political. As such, what we believe might not match reality. The governmental structure is definitely different. e.g. In Bejing, it is so crowded and polluted that if you want to buy a car, you need to get on a lottery. It might take you years before you win and be able to get one. The people in China are very friendly. If you go on the subway in Bejing or Shanghai, you will find signs in both English and Chinese. Mind you, if you go to San Francisco, you might not be allowed to get a plastic straw to drink your soda pop from. You are stuck with paper straws, which seems to melt if you leave it too long.
@@kristofvadnai7468 Yes, they are 'made' in China with R & D at PS Audio. As far as the drivers and electronics for those speakers I'm not positive where they are made, but I believe they are also made in China. Paul has shown in the past pallets with new speakers that have recently come-in and they are testing them before being shipped to customers.
I Don’t Know Paul Back in My Day We Used The Word Veiled and Unveiled Speakers This Is Old Colloquial Nomenclature I Think We Pasted Sounds Bitchin Too Me Dude or Boss Bad and Rad I Guess We are at Revealing Paul This Is Really Silly Paul Everyone’s Ears Are Different Who knows What This Guy Is Playing let Alone The Amp and Pre/Amp He Is Using Plus The Altitude Paul You Are Up in The Rockys Paul Am Ready Too Gouge Out My 👁️ Eye 👁️ Balls And Stab Myself With a Pencil ✏️ Paul This is What Happens When You Lock Yourself In a Room And Have No Social Life or Girlfriend You End Up Eating Pork Rinds and Top Ramen Then You Write a Letter Too Paul About The Sound of Your Speakers….The Sound of Your Speakers Are Not Your Problem You Got Bigger Issues 🔊 Dude What’s Really Disturbing is The Guy Who Wrote You This Letter Has No Life !!!!
Dude, You should think about replacing your keyboard. The 'Enter' key keeps getting triggered when it shouldn't. I realised that as soon as I scrolled down and all was "revealed" 😉
I think is fair to say everything makes a difference. But the 2 most important parts have nothing to do with your equipment. Room and set-up. Then speakers, electronics etc. Finally cables, which do make a difference.
That is not completely true and to me is a repeated truism at best.. If I took you to twenty different rooms and recorded you everyone would still know its you, sure it might sound slightly different but it is still you. Same with a good system vs a crappy system, now some times the room is Very important if it is bad same as setup but in general terms All things matter and to what degree is Always variable and can only be ascertained by listening and by general knowledge of what you are doing and trying to achieve.
The Sonus Faber line extends from the Lumina bookshelves at $1,200 per pair up to the Suprema at $750,000 a pair, so I'm pretty sure they have one or two revelaing speakers in that range.
My Sonus Faber speakers are the most revealing speakers in the world, the newest ones of the past 20 years are not as good. Paul says his Revels arent revealing, the same time period the Revels are best.
I've owned 3 sets of S.F. speakers, I would say they were average as revealing goes, which is perfect for my listening. I'd rather not hear the harshness and impurities that exists in most recordings.
So, if your doing electrical engineering, or doing detailed audio mixes (mixing engineer) then you *need* to have a 'system' where you can hear changes that you make, and a revealing system will give you that. You're not listening to the music, your listening to changes being revealed.
But if you're someone who likes to listen to the music, a more balanced and sympathetic system is probably better. Speakers that have a tolerance for sub-optimal rooms, less exotic amps, sources and cables. It just *sounds* good what ever you do.
"It's only got to sound good for you."
A good speaker is revealing and also sounds good with most kinds of electronics, it just gets better by upgrading
Revealing doesn't have to mean unsympathetic or unmusical. It just shows differences.
I eventually find that speakers that mask these differences frustrate me. Everything gets the same colourwash. Music that should rip can then plod. But, if you like a homogeneous sound, with all instruments sounding the same, then that's great.
At the end of the day the purpose of any consumer system is just to enjoy music to the max.
Agreed.
For which, imo, a revealing system helps to get the beauty and meaning of some music.
NO. W R O N G.
YOU MUST HAVE ACCEPTED EQUIPMENT, IN ACCEPTED HOUSINGS, USING ACCEPTED CABLES AND IN AN ACCEPTABLY CONDITIONED ROOM.
IF YOU FAIL TO COMPLY YOU MAY NOT LISTEN TO MUSIC OF ANY KIND
*AND NO EQUALIZERS!*
Again Paul is spot on. Owning Magnepans, I believe any serious reviewer should be evaluating any audio product through a pair. They're so honest, even moving/placing room treatment will give you instant feedback.
Totally agree… Another Maggie Owner.
Bought my first pair of III's in the late '70's. Been a die hard fan since. I like to think of them more like drivers and the room is the enclosure. Finding the right spot for them to energize the room. While boxes just throw sound at you.
absolutely I own Maggies too (1.7i) and they are amazing to spot differences. I thought cable differences are in our heads though.
@@glenncurry3041 The crazy thing and people really don't mention this is how polite they can be. It's really something that most of the sound stays where the soundstage is. In fact I listen to classical music with peaks of up to 80db, and you can still have a conversation with the person next to you. Very special speakers and presentation.
@@davewin1792 I like to approach this from a slightly different direction. When introducing people to my system for the first time I slowly turn the volume up to that 80dbSPL level with no talking. Eventually someone will try to talk not realizing how high the SPL is because of the low distortion level. People relate loud to distortion and when the loudness is there but not the distortion they lose that reference. That look on their face when they realize they are not talking at much less above the listening level. How impressed they become realizing they are in a high level session without knowing it!
I think there is a balance between revealing and musicality. I’ve heard some high end systems that were very revealing but sounded analytical. As Paul mentions, it all comes down to personal preference.
Yes I mention this above. Some speakers/ reviewers talk about detail but it is usually followed by comments about listening fatigue.
@glenncurry3041 then these speakers aren't detailed or revealing. They just have an unbalanced frequency response, with an elevated area around 3 to 5khz. "Musical" speakers often have a lowered response in this area. What you really want is a flat response, minimal distortion, very short spectral decay, proper time alignment, and high quality components in the signal path. That should then be truly revealing, with minimal fatigue. Good luck finding that mix in a commercial speaker...
@@RacingAnt Agreed and not speakers of my choice (Or Paul's from previous mention). But popular with some high end reviewers. That's why I would find it interesting when reviewing some other speaker and they'd comment on lack of detail, but more musical....
Seems to me it all comes down to this: If you want your listening experience to deliver the more nuanced things like imaging, super fine detail, and dynamic range, then you’re in the “revealing” market. I used to think like many that these things were not meaningful until I actually heard the difference. But that assumes you care about the difference. In contrast, if you want a lush sound with bass that envelopes you, put inexpensive speakers in corners and enjoy!! 😊 The danger of the revealing mindset is that you are always looking for “more” in your listening and the hobby becomes more stressful than enjoyable.
It does boil down to your budget. The lower it is, the more compromises you have to make, which means that you have to select which aspect of the system is best preserved. I prefer more revealing systems. As such, back in 1997, I went for Martin Logan SL3 electrostatic speakers. Those were about $3700. Several years ago, I heard some $50,000 Sonus Faber Il Cremonese speakers. The scale that these produce was at a different level so I went on a hunt for an upgrade. I selected the $24,000 Legacy Audio Aeris speakers. These were as revealing as the electrostatics. However, they also had the soundstage, scale, bass, and immersive aspect that the electrostats could not match. I originally thought about keeping the old system around so that I could hear different presentations. I found that the electrostats were outclassed in every way so just sold them. 2 years later, I upgraded to the $86,000 Legacy Audio Valor speakers. I was able to trade the Aeris in at the full value I originally paid. The Valors are at another level. The level of detail is incredible. e.g. With orchestral music, with the Valors you may hear a group of violins. With the Aeris, the violins would be more mashed together. With live music, you could hear all the individuals in the crowd. The bass is totally immersive. You also get texture on the bass, but the Aeris also did that. The speakers totally disappear so that you are only listening to music and not the equipment. The ambient array drivers on the Valors cause you to feel like you are at the recording venue. You can feel like you are in a large hall or feel like you are in a small room, independent of the size of your room. It ultimately comes down to your priorities and the amount of money you are willing to spend.
@@matthewbarrow3727 Great description of what the extra dollars deliver.
whew ! $86,000 , $50,000 , and all the rest of it , there seems to be
different "levels of Real World" , Y'all making it hard to accept
average costing systems , I just want to fill a humble 4.2 room
with really nice sound , to much to ask for .
@@paulburke9198 It is all based on one's priorities. There are people who are perfectly happy with Apple AirPods. For home theater, I use these $86K speakers for my mains, and ($400 per speaker) Martin Logan FX speakers for my 2 surrounds. I don't bother with a center channel or sub woofers (ie. 4.0). I use a $1,200 Marantz Cinema 70S AVR with $4,000 Epson 6050UB projector and $5,000 120 inch Stewart ALR motorized projection screen. I like to leave at least one light on when I watch movies. While a lot of the emotion comes from music, a lot of focus is on the visual aspects. As such, detail and imaging isn't as important for HT. However, there are people who build out home theater rooms and have full ATMOS setups. Home improvement can get very expensive. My system is in my living room, where I spend most of my time. I did talk to a guy who built a home theater room. He told me that they don't really use it that much as they spend most of their time in their living room. One should realize that people get used to the systems they have. To me, my system feels normal. However, people who come around have told me that they have never experienced anything like it. One should simply be happy with what one has. Otherwise, one will never be satisfied. Of course, if one wants to go down the rabbit hole of audiophile equipment, the hole can get pretty deep. I remember one guy who had $4,000 speakers who came to visit. A day or two after he heard my system, he spent $22,000 on a new set of Von Sweikert speakers. Some people like to buy new cars every 2 years. I have a second hand Porsche 911 I bought back in 2014 as well as a new off-road pickup truck that I bought in 2018. My pickup truck replaced a Ford Escort I bought back in 1990. I have bought 4 cars since 1990. I work mainly from home so don't drive that much. I listen to my system (mainly watching Netflix) at least 5 hours a day. As such, if I were to consider an enjoyment cost per hour, my stereo provides much more enjoyment for the cost compare to my cars. If one has a family, one's priorities will be very different.
"Revealing" to me, in audio, means a highly detailed "warts and all" presentation. Perfect recordings sound perfect. Imperfect recordings sound bad, or maybe "good but with some harshness".
My own preference is for the recording to be revealed right up to the point where going any further would have elements of harshness. Thus the most revealing system possible would not appeal to me, because I don't want to limit myself to only "audiophile quality" recordings.
I know this is true. As I built my own speakers . Not from kits,no but from research that helped me to understand crossover networks that gave me revealing audio speakers. The amplifier choice was a British built Spendor class a. They showed me what I never heard and never knew. 👍
If you do it again, look at doing the crossover in the digital domain before conversion to analog, something like the minidsp shd series. Then bi amp your speakers and eliminate the passive crossover network. Enjoy the best phase cohesion you've ever gotten. The best crossover is no crossover!
When paired with revealing speakers compared to non-revealing speakers, the potential audible impact of equipment is a critical point and one I wish audiophile influencers would reference when reviewing gear. Your clear communication helps, too ;-).
Paul Sir, your persuasive skills are amazing...🙏
Thanks Paul for the answer! It makes a lot of sense.. And thanks Paul for having asked this question! It makes me understanding many questions from other people in Hifi forums who don't have revealing speakers (my speakers are very revealing). This question and answer deserve to be translated into French! (I am French...).
My primary system has always had highly revealings speakers in it over the years, such as Thiels and Vivids. But my secondary system, which has included a lesser pair of Monitor Audio speakers that are considerably less revealing, still sounds wonderful to my ears & sometimes is just the ticket- highly enjoyable! Nevertheless, a highly revealing speaker that is balanced overall, fronted by tonally-balanced components (system synergy is important), & not played in an overly 'live' room is still preferable for long-term listening if one has to choose IMO.
Maggies (and other ribbon speakers/headphones) are highly phase coherent. Music in, music out. Horns try to squeeze out sound through a flared pipe, while cones try use "pistons" to punch/radiate music without adding multiple inherent distortions. "Revealing" is accuracy. "Musical" is: "These don't sound as bad as some other speakers I've heard."
Congratulation for your thoughts that you share with us.
In 2006, I was stereo shopping. My choice came down to a set up Ravel speakers and a set of Vandersteen speakers.
One store was in New York City (Manhattan), and the other store was in Verona, New Jersey.
Both systems sounded amazing, yet different. The Ravel speakers blew me away with a wall of sound (listening to ZZ Top). I never heard anything sound so good. I was "this close" to purchasing them -- but I still had the Vandersteen speakers to hear -- and so I controlled my impulse and went to the NJ store.
The Vandersteen speakers were revealing, and let me hear into the recording.
I was conflicted. Which speakers should I buy? Both were so satisfying in different ways.
So I went back for a second listen to the Ravel speakers. Rather than having $100,000 Mark Levinson momoblocks hooked up (from my first visit), they had some other amps and other pre-amp hooked up. Now, those Ravel speakers did nothing for me. And those Levinson monoblock were way over my budget. Whereas, the Vandersteen system was exactly in my budget, and that was what I purchased.
But to this day, I still crave the sound of those Ravel speakers. With the right gear, they are amazing -- and so are the Vandersteens, but in a different way.
By the way, the Ravels were either at Sound By Singer or Lyric HiFi (I can't remember which -- but it was one of them).
Haha, The "wall" of sound. Yet another definition that is hard to narrow down but leaves a long-lasting impression when it hits you. I had a similar experience with the Salon II.
I don't know, but I have Sonus faber Olympica along with PS Audio equipment and evertimre I add a new component I always hear the improvement.
The Vandersteen 2ci's, the Energy veritas, and the Maggie 1.6's which I still have, are the most revealing speakers I have owned just to name a few. To me they strike the perfect 50/50 balance. They are both analytical and musical. I'm sure there are many more. Amplifiers and all other source components have either or both of these qualities also. You can have revealing speakers and have a source component or amplifier that won't be revealing. I always say it is really about component synergy to get the 50/50 balance. According to my personal experiences I can't be fully satisfied if my system is too analytical or not musically detailed enough. With all the components that are available system synergy is definitely a infinite journey!
Either my speakers are not revealing or my ears are not revealing. But either way, to me that is more of a blessing than a curse. 😄
So what technical qualities does it take to make a speaker revealing? Logic suggests that it is the ability to accurately convert the electronic signal it receives to acoustic energy. To use an old term, High Fidelity to the signal received. Of course, lots of technical characteristics go into making that conversion - wide bandwidth, flat frequency response, freedom from distortion and and accurately reproducing the waveform received in detail.
I became crazy audiophile after spending my savings at age 16 on a pair of Stax electrostatic headphones in the early 80s. I’ve been fan of electrostatics, planar and ribbon drivers (like PS Audio Aspen series) ever since when it comes to revealing fine details.
Very nice explanation I started with Maggies
I thought revealing speakers was being able to hear every instrument like it was sitting there in the room with you. 🤔🤔
No, that is soundstage and imaging.
Must say that was my idea too. Why buy a speaker, unless it is you work, to disseminate changes in the gear that it is connected to? It makes more sense that the speaker will reveal every detail in the recording not in the signal path.
Klipsch rp600 bookshelf speaker are revealing. Some people call them too bright, but i like them with most music and equalization.
This is a good contrast of the two camps. I would fall on what Paul calls "lovely and musical" vs maybe revealing. You can still tell difference between components usually Dac 1 vs Dac 2. But maybe not cables. I don't know... Never tried expensive cables. I finally splurged for end all speakers after axpona in Chicago... A few of those setups (and discussions) were amazingly good. And I feel tipped me finally to the end all.
I was there. What did you end up buying?
Not so much touched on-what factors go into the making of a revealing speaker? I get that there is a noticeable difference, but what makes one speaker revealing and another one not revealing? Thanks, Paul! I LOVE listening to my Octave Records LPs (via a fully restored 40-year-old Denon DP-57L) and SACDs (via a Sony DVP-CX777ES 400-disc DVD/CD/SACD changer). These make up my own happy space. Thanks again, Paul-you’re the best!
Black Magic, Voodoo
Very interesting to hear this, Paul. Can’t remember hearing about that listening room before. 👍🏻 To me a revealing system, has to be pretty neutral - not cold and analytical, nor should it be warm sounding. But as far as I’m concerned most high-end systems seem a bit laidback, and not very revealing as such - Would a mid-fi good electrostatics, and neutral sounding amps be more revealing than a typical high-end system? Asking for a friend 🙃
Another way to increase the detail revelation of your system I just found out today, is to connect a grounding cable to your components (or better yet, the power conditioner that connects them all). A installed a Puritan Audio Ground Master City.
Ohh gaud... He said Sonus Faber... I have over $90k of Sonus Faber and I'm probably the only convert in the Pasific North West.
I have a recording studio with Adams and Meyer, but I don't enjoy them.
It's fine to own an F1 car, but you don't want to drive it everywhere. Same with speakers. You want a big comfy GT car to live with.
Buy both. Get a F1 go cart, and a BMW 7 or MB S. Yes, Sonus Faber is not analytically perfect, but it's perfect for 6 hours a day, day after day.
My Meyer Sound Amies are fine for finding and fixing problems, but I'd never listen to them for enjoyment.
My Sonus Fabers are a joy of smooth sound. They have everything in the signal and are near perfect. They just don't reproduce the ultra sharp, striking, hyper hiss people call revealing. Don't confuse harsh for bright, or fast for detail. In the true digital world, a bit of round the edges is the key to living with a system.
Buy Paul’s top of the line system and his recordings, you have a high resolving system. Money matters.
It’s very personal. Some “very revealing” speakers can be harsh and unpleasant to hear, in my opinion - like all those panel speakers. It depends also on the electronics. Panel speakers need a lot of power and lack of bass. My personal taste is more on the musical side. My Sonus Faber and my Mac (all the cables from Audioquest) are very good match for my taste. If I wanted very revealing speakers and I would probably try a pair of Magicos (not sure about the best match in terms of electronics) - certainly not panel speakers.
I've never liked the term "musical" when it comes to hifi. To me musicality is mostly about how something is played, not in nuances of sound quality in reproduction. Hence why so many musicians don't bother with hifi, as it's not really about musicality but rather other parts of the auditory experience.
It's also not at all hard to find a revealing speaker that's still very engaging so I don't buy the juxtapositioning of revealing and musical, like how some like to put it. Obviously there's always individual preferences but we still need to be able to talk generally about things.
I actually think the whole hobby got this backwards. Gear people should be aiming for should make poorly recorded music [re. 60s-80s] sound better and be forgiving on bad recordings. Instead revealing and detail oriented gear is what people strive for and end up hating a lot of the music they grew up on because instead of listening to the music they listen to the issues in the recordings. This is one of the reasons the vintage and vinyl crowd is still big; a lot of music of the 60s to 80s sounds fine if not great on those systems.
I find it interesting that most video reviewers when they start describing a speaker as detailed, ... you will also hear them mention listening fatigue. That while some can reach high SPL and have clear clean high end, it is not listenable for any length of time. Horns are often described as detailed or diamond dome tweeters.
Then there is revealing. While it would seem to be the same as detailed, it is not. At least in such reviewers usage detailed seems more high end and it's extension. While revealing is more about less blur in the mid to upper mid? And yes Maggies are the living example.
Another fine and very interesting video, thanks. Like @finscreename’s comment earlier I, in my dotage (I’m 78) had always assumed revealing referred to being able to pick out the musicians in, say, an orchestra. I found Paul’s explanation very, well, revealing. Why does anyone WANT to be able to pick out the differences between cables except, perhaps, a cable salesman (like Paul?). I can, on the other hand, appreciate being able to pick out and locate the bassoon player just as you can in a concert hall,if you want. I don’t think any of this location issue matters in pop music at all because there’s usually only a few musicians involved and what we hear is totally under the control of the sound and production engineers- it’s all artificially generated.
Is this ‘reavealing’ issue a clue to the difference between enjoying the music and enjoying hi-fi technology? What is the point of ‘revealing’ speakers if ‘musical’ speakers can enable the listener to separate the instruments?
Setup depends on your speakers and the way theyre driver by the equipment too.
This video by Steve Guttenburg about ‘transparent’ sound systems is interesting and relevant
ua-cam.com/video/6-V5Z6vHEbA/v-deo.htmlsi=1untB7xPJ_whW3vS
He’s using the term ‘transparent’ to mean the same as ‘reveling’, I think, and in the same technical way that Paul is using the term. He points out that a system (not limited to speakers) can be too transparent and / or revealing. I guess you need revealing equipment in a professional sound studio but not necessarily at home. This supports the old idea that studio monitors don’t necessarily make good home speakers.
Where did I put my decoder ring? What a great topic to prove human communication is flawed at best. it is exactly why there are both a need for dictionaries and thesauruses.
When I finally got a pair of quality speakers, I attached my own meaning to the word revealing. To me it was now that I could hear with detail in small sounds never before heard. As time and listening experience grew, I learned that not only what I heard in the music was more detailed but the changes in equipment also was more detectable. a lesser quality speaker hooked to great equipment would not "reveal" the true ability of the equipment.
Now throw the terms dynamics and musicality on the pile and you have a party. From the ability to measure a speakers electrical dynamic range, to how that translates to what I am hearing is an understanding yet to come.
Why didn't anybody tell me that in order to listen properly to a Hifi system, I needed a doctorate in electrical engineering with a masters in linguistics.
Oh well it's still fun.
Not to listen to it, just to talk about it.
Sometimes you just want a comfortable GT car and other times a true sports car , hifi is the same.
I remember a manager from Manchester United ( UK ) being asked about the most important player.
His answer " They are all important " like hifi, remove any part, and it doesn't work.
When I bought my Dali's many years ago a number of my CD's sounded harsh.
Maybe they were the older CDs. In the early years of digital recording the A/D converters weren't that great and did produce some harsh sounds.
@Fastvoice You could be right. One of the cd's was an old Meat Loaf.
"Revealing" seems to depend on conditions. Spoken word like Paul's videos can be revealing between some playback systems. Room echo is one. The usual phone or tablet sound don't reveal room echoes (in my experience, and echoes are absent here in Paul's). Bump up to even a $40 OontZ Ultra and revealing is obvious.
I don’t know all this stuff is complicated. So what is a analytical speaker vs a revealing speaker for example? I have old Polk monitor speakers from the 80s and a pair of Bowers and Wilkins 685s2 bookshelf speakers.
Would you consider Monitor Audio Platinum 200s revealing?
Sounds like the key to a happy Hifi life is to stay away from revealing speakers. That way you won’t waste money, time, and worry chasing arcane adders that make a difference only revealing speakers can, well, reveal. Sounds Faber may be a better deal than it appears.
If revealing means sensitive to system modifications, ok, but revealing could also relate to musical information (e.g. expression, finesse..)
Would you say revealing speakers and analytical speakers are meaning the same thing?
Revealing speakers that don’t satisfy musically and emotionally are as much a disappointment as emotionally engaging speakers that don’t deliver all the information. It’s all about balance.
Would speakers with wild impedance swings be more revealing than a fairly steady impedance curve speaker?
Synergy!😎
He doesn't say though specifically how or why a speaker is more revealing versus less so??
but WHY are some speakers revealing and others arent? is it the drivers, the enclosure, the xovers or what, or all?
listen to the music not the gear.
"Apatite For Destruction" by GnR on tape out of a boom box down by the lake sinking a few cold ones with the lads.
Sharing music and good times with friends and family are how memories are made.
It means your spouse knows right away how much spent on it.
Maggie‘s are very revealing and can be incredibly musical based on recordings ability to convey that unfortunately that’s not always the case.
The thing I dislike most about my Maggies is how they allow bad recordings to sound bad. But when a good pressing hits!
Kids, boys! I dropped out of HiFi for a while after the 4th or 5th stylus was destroyed by tiny fingers. No matter how I tried to lock the cabinet! Could not afford a continual supply of both diapers and styli!
High’s has the big responsibility to make a reviled sound system.
Cabinet reflections, refractions, driver breakup, cabinet resonances, ports, ... things that allow the original signal to dissipate into the room more than once,.... cause blurring of information and lack of resolution.
Revealing or not... For me just enjoy the music you want to listen... No more hassle etc... Etc...
For my personal preferences when I listen to music, as long as the eq of the music sounds good to my ears I turn it on a volume level that is right for me not too loud notntoo soft... Then go... Blasted no more etc... Etc... Just enjoy your music
A speaker thats reveiling to source and or anything in the signal path so far as being faithful to the AC MUSIC thats delivered may not be also sensitive to cable changes..Thats totally a different topic. Speakers with complex passive crossover networks they use to force drivers into looking on paper as if they like each other have a signature...YUP. an LCR pattern that doesnt act like a speaker..I JUST TOLD SECRETS. I wont have a debate about active..cause it has neg attributes. And low slope passive has its neg issues..and high slope has issues..and lastly..complex extensive passive has its issues..whats the answer? THERE IS AN ANSWER. and the guys 80 years ago knew. PAULS CORRECT about reveiling. And Im ready to make a post..to upset the industry..but paul will smile
After this explanation "revealing" system is one that isn't consistent in performance, rather sensitive to everything including fly sitting on it.
Why would anyone like to buy it for music listening???
BS
"Revealing" is a term that does NOT mean the same thing to everybody. It is therefore useless when trying to describe sound unless the actual term is defined first in a way that shares what we mean. It is a term very abused by the "audio press".
Yes, but you didn't answer the question....what are the revealing factors? Speed? Wide freq response? Who knows? Poul, you! You should tell us!😊
I'd rather have a system that's musical and sounds great. A revealing system sounds like it could be too harsh. I'll take musical any time.
I could probably afford revealing speakers but afraid they’d be wasted on me and my old ears. Too many concerts in my youth. I’ll take musical speakers all day.
Having cables make a difference sounds like bullshit to me and it always will. Unless it's such a thin wire where there is so much resistance I don't see how any audio cable would ever make a difference unless you where firing microwaves at the cable or some shit.
Cables eh? One of the greatly contested topics. I'm in-between on the cables make no difference vs cables continue to make all the difference the more money you spend on them. I think there's room to ensure a wire is engineered to do the task well,but as you say,as long as thickness and resistance is low,the geometry is right and the dielectric constant is low,then all is well and we can leave well alone at that point instead of chasing mythical benefits like cryogenic freezing and worrying about cable "burn in". A "risky" topic to comment on.😊
You cable naysayers are funny 😂
Have you actually experimented with different cables/lines and done listening trials? In my experience they definitely make a difference, for better and/or for worse. You'll experience the difference if one pair of cables makes your system sound more "right" or "wrong," e.g., in the case of "worse," either relentless on the one hand or a bit dull on the other; or in the case of better, more detailed/exciting without being fatiguing or imbalanced to one's ears.
@@Audiofreak71 Indeed they have no material to play with and continue shout fire
@@razzman2987 Bingo!
Your Son chooses to purchase his own Sonus Faber speakers over having yours for free? Sound like Sour Grapes!
why would you want to listen to something revealing it sounds awful. you want everything in your face You've got to have synergy and balance revealing too much is not it's got to sound like the according, it's meant to be otherwise you might as well put a graphic equaliser on it.😂
Don't get me wrong, I would buy the FR30s, that I have heard now and liked for the price, if it was not made in China. I prefer to spend my money anywhere but China.
How is it made in china? I think theyre assembled at Psaudio. Maybe the drivers arent.
You probably just typed your comment on a device made in China or South Korea with chips from Taiwan. 😉
Have you visited China? So much of what we hear comes from the media and is political. As such, what we believe might not match reality. The governmental structure is definitely different. e.g. In Bejing, it is so crowded and polluted that if you want to buy a car, you need to get on a lottery. It might take you years before you win and be able to get one. The people in China are very friendly. If you go on the subway in Bejing or Shanghai, you will find signs in both English and Chinese. Mind you, if you go to San Francisco, you might not be allowed to get a plastic straw to drink your soda pop from. You are stuck with paper straws, which seems to melt if you leave it too long.
@@kristofvadnai7468
Yes, they are 'made' in China with R & D at PS Audio. As far as the drivers and electronics for those speakers I'm not positive where they are made, but I believe they are also made in China. Paul has shown in the past pallets with new speakers that have recently come-in and they are testing them before being shipped to customers.
I Don’t Know Paul
Back in My Day
We Used
The Word Veiled and
Unveiled Speakers
This Is Old Colloquial
Nomenclature
I Think We Pasted Sounds Bitchin Too Me Dude or
Boss Bad and Rad I Guess
We are at Revealing Paul
This Is Really Silly
Paul Everyone’s Ears Are
Different
Who knows What This Guy Is Playing let Alone
The Amp and Pre/Amp
He Is Using Plus The Altitude Paul
You Are Up in The Rockys
Paul
Am Ready Too Gouge Out My 👁️ Eye 👁️ Balls And Stab Myself With a
Pencil ✏️ Paul
This is What Happens When You Lock Yourself In a Room And Have No
Social Life or Girlfriend
You End Up Eating Pork Rinds and Top Ramen Then You Write a Letter Too Paul
About The Sound of Your
Speakers….The Sound of Your Speakers Are Not
Your Problem
You Got Bigger Issues
🔊 Dude What’s Really Disturbing is The Guy Who Wrote You This Letter Has No Life !!!!
Dude, You should think about replacing your keyboard. The 'Enter' key keeps getting triggered when it shouldn't. I realised that as soon as I scrolled down and all was "revealed" 😉
I think is fair to say everything makes a difference. But the 2 most important parts have nothing to do with your equipment. Room and set-up. Then speakers, electronics etc. Finally cables, which do make a difference.
That is not completely true and to me is a repeated truism at best.. If I took you to twenty different rooms and recorded you everyone would still know its you, sure it might sound slightly different but it is still you. Same with a good system vs a crappy system, now some times the room is Very important if it is bad same as setup but in general terms All things matter and to what degree is Always variable and can only be ascertained by listening and by general knowledge of what you are doing and trying to achieve.