Comprehensive and informative conversation. Some think ELAC B6 Speakers are great such as Paul McGowan I could not disagree more having listened to them on a restored Vintage NAD 3020 as well as an MC462, perhaps I am not getting the best amplifier combination for it.

One only has to visualize what is actually going on when an instrument is playing, in this case a simple 6 string guitar to realize that a lowly driver is asked to reproduce all the complexity that is going on at once. The pure tones along with all the harmonics of each string captured by a moving diaphragm of a mike and fed through a whole chain of electronics down to the lowly driver/drivers which are supposed to reproduce them all at once faithfully. It is rather amazing that such a complex waveform fed through the whole chain of audio playback comes pretty darn close to tricking our ears into a semi-believable facsimile of recorded music. :D

Watch this video and think about it. https://youtu.be/ttgLyWFINJI

Here is a good visualization of how the sound propagates in wavelengths using a string. This is really a string resonance phenomenon but it can be used to visualize what happens to sound in a room depending on dimensions/frequency. Notice how the string "amplitude" spikes in the left side of the string vs the right in this video. This is what happens when the sound interacts with the room modes and gets "excited" as well. https://youtu.be/oZ38Y0K8e-Y

Didn't mean to hijack this thread and probably should have started a new one on this topic but here is one more and I'm done. Well at least it has a midrange driver in the video:D String Modes. Good visualization of the resonant modes. The important part is the amplitude changes or why we hear the lumpy clumpy bass or other anomalies in sound when speakers are interacting with the room. It works in a similar way. https://youtu.be/cnH2ltfW48U

+1

Curious, I own a pair of Sonus Faber Speakers. I don't own any PS Audio gear. I guess my system is just not high end.

I just love the fact that Paul is willing to say something. He does a lot of education on his podcasts and youtube channel, but he does engage in excessive hyperbole so often that it taints what he says. Net on net though, he does a lot to educate audiophiles and aspiring audiophiles. He just needs to tone it back, but at least he's out there.

And, I love Copper Magazine, for which I think he should get a lot of credit. It clearly costs something to produce and I suspect adds zero to the bottom line.

I think it interesting that the new Aida and the Wilson Audio Alexia V2 tied for Stereophile 2018 product of the year. I read the review of the Aida very carefully. Although superb measurements don't necessarily point to an exceptional loudspeaker, the new Aida measured probably better than any speaker JA has ever measured. (However he did conveniently forget his accelerometer which he uses to measure cabinet resonance. I believe he does this when when he knows the result will be poor because he was able to detect modes with his stethoscope.) These truly otherwise excellent measurements were backed up by the unanimous positive listening impressions of the entire Stereophile staff. Therefore, it's my belief (I certainly could be incorrect) that SF has a new house sound. I'm a little surprised that PM didn't recognize this when he made those comments or perhaps he was referring to the "old" SF house sound, which is the sound the SF forum seems to tremendously enjoy.

The new Alexia (V2) builds on the very impressive strengths of the earlier model but the Wilson house sound remains intact. Apparently, the sound of the new generation of SF speakers is very different from that of their older siblings.

____________________
Charles
Amps: McIntosh 1.25KW’s (3)
Preamp and DAC: McIntosh D1100
Sources: McIntosh MCD1100 SACD player, MVP881 BR player, MVP851 DVD player, MR87 tuner, Marantz 510LV Laser Disc player, ASUS laptop USB (JRiver Media Center 23)
Speakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Alexx
Sub-woofer: Wilson Audio Specialties Thor’s Hammer (1) and Wilson Watch Controller
Cables main system: Audioquest Wel Signature speaker cables and IC’s; Dragon power cords (8)
Sub-woofer system: Audioquest Redwood speaker cable; Wolf IC and Hurricane power cords (2)
Power conditioners: Audioquest Niagara 7000 (1) and Niagara 5000 (2); (4) 20-amp lines

Awesome system Charles[emoji1360]. I think you are Hi-End[emoji41]. I consider myself Mid-Fi.

No, you are high end, he's ultra high end. :yes: