15-12-2020, 07:16 AM
It's so long since I had the BC1s that I've forgotten what they sounded like. My room is acoustically fairly absorbant, with carpets and upholstered furniture. It was only just about big enough for ESL63s.
Many years ago I compared LS3/5As with ESL63s (at London Sound which by then was in Ruislip and had a big enough space). My feeling was that LS3/5As told you everything that was wrong with the source material, which is exactly what monitors are meant to do. The '63s also did that but I felt they didn't make it so abundantly "in your face". Since I play quite a few 78s the way the '63s don't exaggerate the defects is very welcome. My normal listenng is mainly classical, plus jazz and that horrible term "world" music.
It's nice to have capable bass but it's not the most important thing. I sometimes use a recording of "Job" by Vaughan Williams to hear what's going on in the bass. There's a shattering passage with full organ and orchestra. The '63s took it cleanly as you'd expect but the bass felt a little light. Entirely acceptable. The Bose speakers I'm using at the moment again take it pretty cleanly but are probably putting some false emphasis on the bass. Really not bad. With care and at low-ish volume I tried the Maxims; the result is a confused mess.
I know that my ears aren't as acute as they were years ago. I'm 64 and am now barely aware of 15625Hz line whistle. 10125Hz is still loud and clear. I haven't done tests but it's obvious that my right ear's HF response is significantly down on my left. My brain compensates for this but if I put a finger in my left ear the effect is immediately clear. I've done this at live concerts which remain my ultimate reference point. I know that in orchestral concerts my ear/brain will distort some fortissimo climaxes. Gently attenuating the sound with fingers removes the distortion.
So perhaps all I really need now is something decent rather than going for really top quality.
I recently had an email discussion with Ted Kendall. He and I have been friends for many years since meeting at the aforementioned London Sound c1978. He went on to the BBC and has done remastering professionally for many years. In the far gone days when we listened together we tended to agree on what sounded right. I respect his opinions, not only because of this, but also because I have a number of his remastered recordings which sound right to me**. He also suggested ATC and Genelec so I think that's the route I need to take.
**Last year I was playing a CD of Paul Robeson, remastered by somebody or other on a reputable label. I thought it sounded dull and lifeless. I dug out a 78 of one of the tracks and roughly sync'ed it with the CD. Night and day. The 78 had hiss and crackle but the nusic was all there.
Many years ago I compared LS3/5As with ESL63s (at London Sound which by then was in Ruislip and had a big enough space). My feeling was that LS3/5As told you everything that was wrong with the source material, which is exactly what monitors are meant to do. The '63s also did that but I felt they didn't make it so abundantly "in your face". Since I play quite a few 78s the way the '63s don't exaggerate the defects is very welcome. My normal listenng is mainly classical, plus jazz and that horrible term "world" music.
It's nice to have capable bass but it's not the most important thing. I sometimes use a recording of "Job" by Vaughan Williams to hear what's going on in the bass. There's a shattering passage with full organ and orchestra. The '63s took it cleanly as you'd expect but the bass felt a little light. Entirely acceptable. The Bose speakers I'm using at the moment again take it pretty cleanly but are probably putting some false emphasis on the bass. Really not bad. With care and at low-ish volume I tried the Maxims; the result is a confused mess.
I know that my ears aren't as acute as they were years ago. I'm 64 and am now barely aware of 15625Hz line whistle. 10125Hz is still loud and clear. I haven't done tests but it's obvious that my right ear's HF response is significantly down on my left. My brain compensates for this but if I put a finger in my left ear the effect is immediately clear. I've done this at live concerts which remain my ultimate reference point. I know that in orchestral concerts my ear/brain will distort some fortissimo climaxes. Gently attenuating the sound with fingers removes the distortion.
So perhaps all I really need now is something decent rather than going for really top quality.
I recently had an email discussion with Ted Kendall. He and I have been friends for many years since meeting at the aforementioned London Sound c1978. He went on to the BBC and has done remastering professionally for many years. In the far gone days when we listened together we tended to agree on what sounded right. I respect his opinions, not only because of this, but also because I have a number of his remastered recordings which sound right to me**. He also suggested ATC and Genelec so I think that's the route I need to take.
**Last year I was playing a CD of Paul Robeson, remastered by somebody or other on a reputable label. I thought it sounded dull and lifeless. I dug out a 78 of one of the tracks and roughly sync'ed it with the CD. Night and day. The 78 had hiss and crackle but the nusic was all there.
www.borinsky.co.uk Jeffrey Borinsky www.becg.tv
