Defining Warm, Neutral and Bright Sounding Speakers. How do they sound. HiFi Audio Review.

[@slowpawstevet3676]

i own B&W 602 S2, they are considered bright sounding ( also 606/ 7 range apparently) and bassy and i agree to a degree but can be controlled with different amps - Rega Brio sound great with modern records but harsh and bright on many if the older ones, these can be "tamed" with softer amps such as NAD 3020 .

[@aydoooo]

Demos with extreme examples would have been helpful.

[@MichaelYates]

Thanks, yes wish I had done so now.

[@richardwestmoreland4796]

Yes I agree that extreme examples of each type would make it easier to define which speaker is which type. When the differences aren't as pronounced it makes it hard to articulate which is which so to speak. I have had trouble with matching speakers to an amp or AVR because I had no idea what the predominant type of sound that was being reproduced. I wish that there was some kind of a way to have a base measurement to work from for each type of speaker. Maybe there is and I'm not aware of it as I am certainly not an expert in audio technology.

[@thisisnev]

Thanks, Michael - that's a good tip about being able to switch between differently-toned speakers (or amps, for that matter). I feel sorry for the folks who chase the 'perfect' sound - different presentations can bring out hidden qualities in a recording, and it's refreshing to hear familiar music in a new way. P.S. All of what you've said applies x10 to headphones!

[@D1N02]

You have to take care about placement when using different sets of speakers. When you place them right next to each other the are in each others breathing space. Bass heavy speakers will become overly so. I moved mine on top of the others (tweeters in the middle) That cleared it up but now I have towering setup :p. Maybe my more neutral speakers profited from it though (having a box next to them) so I may have to put something there.

[@MichaelYates]

Thanks for the excellent comment Nev, as you say Amps / Receivers have there own tonal quality's and a second one is nice to bring in to the mix as well

[@ianpearson8976]

i just bought some jbl control ones which i found sounded abit cold and thin in my system.yes this terminology is very confusiing indeed!

[@MichaelYates]

And can get a bit frustrating I think when taking some ones else advice and does not sound the way you thought it would , always best to hear the speakers in your own home if possible.

[@ianpearson8976]

@@MichaelYates yes exactly. You can read thousands of reviews but u only know if you like it when you plug it in. I'm looking for an upgrade to my wharfedale delta 30s that are 33 yrs old but in budget speakers not found anything better yet.

[@MichaelYates]

@@ianpearson8976 Hi Ian, I have bought 3 pairs of Delta 30's but alas all 3 pairs have failed to get delivered to me, how crazy that may sound but its true. One day I am sure one pair will arrive for me to test.

[@lewis72]

I have a set of the Mordaunt Short MS25 Ti s and have owned a pair of the Celestion DL4s (although they may have been DL6s, can't remember now. Possibly both as I've had a number of pairs of small MSs).

[@MichaelYates]

Thanks for the comment, only have a quick listen to both pairs just to make sure they were both working. But first impressions were good on both pairs which is a good start, both very cheap to buy on eBay these days as well

[@lewis72]

@@MichaelYates Yes, if you know your way round late '80s and '90s hi-fi you can get yourself a fantastic sounding set up for very little money. Mordaunt-Short and Celestion are two speaker brands that I trust for that period, as well as KEF & TDL. I was never so sure about Goodmans or Wharfdale though although you seem to have given a set of Wharfedales a good review.

[@nanao1267]

Please can you recommend a good bright clear speakers that i can buy in the states.I have the Martin Logan motion 40 and it is too warm for my likening.Thanks in advance for the help.

[@MichaelYates]

Hi Nana. I see these speakers are floor standers and mid budget, at the moment all the speakers etc are at the low budget price and performance range. Mainly bookshelves so I am sorry I can not recommend any for you. Though an option maybe worth trying is getting a graphic equalizer rather than bass and treble, have a lot more control. I found while it wont turn a warm sounding speaker in to a bright one, it can help in say cutting the bass drowning the other frequencies, bringing mids and highs up. Sorry I could not be more help.

[@nanao1267]

@@MichaelYates Thank for the reply.I wanted to add equalizer but the modern receivers like the Denon 4500h which i have doesn’t have any option to add equalizer.

[@peterpipe9015]

Hi micheal do you do repairs for the general public too ? I have a philips d8614 boombox from 1982 which i love . It often loses sound on one speaker . The sound comes back on when the aux rca connector is pressed down . I use it connected to my phone and dac and it sounds good .

[@MichaelYates]

Hi Peter. I used to do a few for mates a while ago, but even then had a few nightmares. But with no time these days I stopped. As for the fault, one good thing that channel that cuts out still works and sounds like a loose connection. Either the center connector of the RCA socket has been enlarged over the years and needs to be closed up a bit. Or if the connecter is soldered to a small board inside than a dry solder joint. Or loose wiring on connector if using wiring to a main board. If the back comes off easy then maybe worth a look.

[@peterpipe9015]

@@MichaelYates cheers michael

[@hamzatatta952]

Hi unfortunately the guy sent a tannoy m15 instead of the celeston 3 lol so I sent it back I was highly recommended to get some Hungarian book shelf by the same guy and n found some who restores them n a a particular one , luckily I found one which I am bidding for Regards hamzee

[@MichaelYates]

Thanks for letting me know and good luck on the bidding

[@hamzatatta952]

@@MichaelYates so far know one has bid for them

[@D1N02]

I am wondering what those speakers in the middle are Michael.

[@MichaelYates]

Those are Mordaunt Short MS25Ti speakers, not really had a good listen yet

[@D1N02]

@@MichaelYates I thought I recognized the tweeter. Looks very much like the one in my Audiolabs live.staticflickr.com/65535/50814098446_3797841970_h.jpg The internet says it is a Heco.

[@MichaelYates]

It does look very similar, I will take them apart when I do the review and have a good look

[@D1N02]

@@MichaelYates Looking forward to it. I just picked up a set of DL8's and in comparison the high frequencies in the Audiolabs are much more detailed than those in the Celestion.

[@MichaelYates]

Thanks for the feedback on the DL8's, always good to know how about different speakers in the range sound and compare. The MS25ti also had a little more detail than the DL4's. Been side tracked for the last few days so will get the reviews up asap

[@TDGCmote]

I'm still getting into High-end Hi-Fi setups, and haven't gone much past headphone setups, so I've always been around a world of warm-ish sounds. I've just bought a VERY neutral DAC for my on-the-go setup, however, and hopefully I can start to understand these different sounds as I expand my horizons.

[@TDGCmote]

usually, this portable setup is a set of Vmoda m-100 masters (or Fidelio X2HR) and a E1DA 9038D portable DAC/Amp. Before, my DAC was a PA2V2, and I quite enjoyed that. hopefully this is just as interesting and enjoyable to use.

[@MichaelYates]

Thanks for your comments and system set up info. I think warmish sound is the most popular, with a lot of manufactures leaning towards that sound. Though sound is very much down to the users own taste and perception I think. But the fun is going through the process as long as it does not break the bank along the way, with plenty of ups and downs.

[@TDGCmote]

@@MichaelYates totally agree, best to ya!

[@hamzatatta952]

i am after a nice warm on any thoughts

[@MichaelYates]

The Celestion 3 comes to mind as a really nice little bookshelve and the Mission LX-1 which is quite a pleasent warm sounding speaker to

[@hamzatatta952]

@@MichaelYates thanks for your , I am using a quad 303 out of the two which would day warmer and detailed?

[@MichaelYates]

The celestion 3 would be the better detailed. But I know little about the Quad 303 and just looking the Amp up I see that this is a quite well regarded vintage amplifier. The speakers on my channel are really budget speakers and the Celestion 3's can be bought for around £30 to £40. They are nice warm sounding pair of speakers for that money and are fantastic on a budget priced amplifier. But I think that maybe you would be better off spending more money and to get the most from your amplifier and I would suggest a message to Kevin at Ditton Works with a price range and I am sure he will send you in the right direction, he comes very well regarded. kzbin.info/door/aZXNv-Z3Q4QSqk82uiZk2Q

[@hamzatatta952]

@@MichaelYates are the 1 , 2 lx warmer

[@hamzatatta952]

@@MichaelYates the quad 303 is a nice warm amp and it ha been serviced , idid contack him and although he said the celeston 3 where not that warm but gd speakers he quad 303 will make them warm, i did all so rad the the 3 sounded a lot better than speakers which were more expensive