If You Know Where to Look, You Can Save a Lot of
Money
I’ve been reviewing audio equipment for more than ten
years, and in that time I suspect that I’ve heard as many speakers as any reviewer in
North America. Furthermore, I’m also intrinsically involved in the speaker measurements that
the SoundStage! Network does at Canada’s National Research Council. These are some of
the most accurate and telling measurements in the industry. With all that
experience, then, I’ve learned a thing or two about loudspeakers.
One of the things I’ve learned is that price often
doesn’t correlate with performance, though that comment might surprise some people
given the fact that I’ve heaped praise on some rather high-priced speakers I've
written about on SoundStage! and SoundStage! A/V. Don’t worry --
I’m not contradicting myself. There are some very good very expensive speakers
that are worth every penny they cost -- just not all of them. In fact, in my estimation,
there are not as many as some reviewers who focus exclusively on the high-priced stuff
would make you think.
The truth of the matter is that there are some outstanding
loudspeakers that cost very little money and perform to such a high standard that they
often outclass speakers many times their price. Take, for example, Axiom’s Millennia M3Ti
loudspeakers, which were first reviewed here in 2001 and ended up becoming GoodSound!’s
Product of the Year. I was the one who wrote the follow-up review here on GoodSound!
that helped the M3Ti earn that distinction. The M3Ti's performance was quite special, and
it deserved that kind of recognition.
At the time, that little speaker cost just $275 per pair
(it has since been upgraded, and renamed the M3 v2; the current price is $320 per pair),
and it wasn’t just remarkably good for the price -- it was remarkably good for many
times the price. In fact, I found that within its limits it could outperform so many other
speakers that one day I put it against a pair of speakers that cost $6000 per pair. Yes, six
thousand dollars! The little M3 didn’t have nearly the bass that the bigger, more
costly speaker did, and it couldn’t play as loud, but overall I enjoyed the sound of
the M3s more -- quite a bit more. That’s simply amazing for a speaker that’s
1/20th of the bigger speaker’s price.
Now, not every low-priced product performs like that, but
certain special ones do.
Take, for example, the GoodSound! Product of the
Year for 2006. It's actually two products -- AV123’s x-ls loudspeaker and x-sub subwoofer -- but we like to
think of them as one unit because you use them together. In his synopsis of why this
speaker system was picked, reviewer Eric Hetherington wrote, "Their clean lines and
beautiful wood finish give them the appearance of much more expensive
speakers…," and "…[he] found the x-sub to be the best subwoofer
I’ve ever heard at such a low price." This sub-sat speaker systems
retails for just a bit over $400. Again, topnotch performance for a rock-bottom price.
The key to finding these gems is knowing where to look,
which isn’t all that easy. It takes years of experience along with keen ears to weed
out the good from the bad in order to find the truly outstanding. That, though, is where
the GoodSound! writing staff comes in.
As of this month, I am taking on role of senior editor at GoodSound!,
and my mandate is for our writing staff over the next year is to seek out and write about
the very best audio values in the industry. And not just speakers but electronics as well.
Each month you’ll find reviews on audio products that tell it like it is. And when we
find a product that we feel offers superb value and deserves special recognition, it will
get our GoodSound! Great Buy! designation. From this select group we pick our
annual Product of the Year, which is simply the best of the best. I’m looking forward
to finding out what product that will be in 2007.
Where to look is simple, GoodSound!, the place that
can save you a lot of money.
…Doug Schneider
E-mail comments to the editor@goodsound.com.
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