"Nousaine" wrote in message
news:fd9Cc.72269$2i5.31234@attbi_s52...
Exactly. Which is why Bose, Pioneer, Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic, Harman,
Klipsch,
Paradigm, Boston Acoustics, Polk and the like sell more products and
generate
more revenue than high-end companies.

After years of playing this game and not being very happy or certain of
any calim I have learned to trust my own ears and perception. Frequently
I run across peopel who don't talk or think but, spit out the latest
internet hype as if it were fact. I played a game on a co-worker last
year. We both have Revel M20 speakers. He was running a integrated amp.
I told him I had just bought a McCormack DNA-125 to replace my Adcom
GFA-555 mkII as I thought the Adcom made music through the Revels sound
dry and boring, lab like. Very clear and concise but, no emotion to
them.
Time went by.
We engaged in conversation one afternoon as he wanted to upgrade from
integrated to separates but, he wasn't sure he would be able to tell the
difference as he loved his integrated. (Money was the real issue. If
what I have is perfect, then I don't need to spend money that I can use
elsewhere, therefore I'm happy)
I told him he could borrow my Adcom stuff as I had bought a new amp to
try out. He jumped on the chance and asked why I switched gear. (He had
forgotten our earlier conversation). I told him I thought the top end
was a little grainy on the top end. It wasn't as noticeable on the
Revels as it was on the Monitor Audio's I had. (terribly fatiguing
speakers btw).
2 weeks later he gave me the Adcom gear back saying that they made his
Revels sound Sterile, dry and boring. No emotion or musicalness to them.
It was almost verbatim what I had implanted in him 6 months earlier.

I would bet if I had the means to level match these two amps, no one
would be able to tell the difference between them except under or after
very long term listening. I do THINK the McCormack is a little fatter
sounding. I only notice it when I switch the amps out and after a few
weeks find myself yearning for the McCormack again.

This same thing happened between the Klipsch LaScala's I had and the
M20's. It took a lot of time to desire on one over the other. The
LaScala's were fuller and fatter sounding but the Revels were a tinge
smoother.
What would today's Klipsch Reference speakers be like? I bet they'd be
awesome and wish someone would lend me a set of 7's to try out. I
listened to them briefly before buying the M20's. They did everything
right but, I was determined to get a "special" speaker something that
was made as best as possible so I wouldn't want to upgrade anytime soon.
And Klipsch is run of the mill stuff, right? Phooey!

I had a set of Polk's that if they hadn't been stolen, they still be in
my system today, especially at the price new speakers sell for. I would
love to hear their new LSi series but it's not carried around here.

As to the Revels, I haven't found anything yet, to match them or make me
want to trade up other than another set of larger Revels like the F50.

A few months back, a neighbor contacted Transparent Audio and received a
$20k (USD) set of speaker cables and interconnects. Yes, twenty thousand
dollars! He runs Revels (studio or Salon) and Mark Levinson components.
I hooked the stuff up and switched so that he wasn't aware of what was
being used.

After a few hours, he was mildly upset as he couldn't hear any
difference between his $20k wires and much, much, cheaper Cardas
cabling. I bet him $20 that if I brought over my el cheapo wiring he
wouldn't be able to hear any difference either.

I haven't heard back from him.

John