https://emotiva.com/products/airmotiv-xt2-pair-floorstanding-tower-loudspeakers

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5804700&forum_id=2.#49473997)

https://us.kef.com/products/ls50-wireless-2

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5804700&forum_id=2.#49473998)

But stuff like their Fives measure really well. And their Trueplay scheme is cr.

I don't like to admit it but I think Sonos is a decent choice for normies.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5804700&forum_id=2.#49475153)

the amp inside of them could not possible account for the cost.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5804700&forum_id=2.#49474639)

High frequency drivers & low frequency drivers have overlapping frequencies. With tradition speaker driver layouts, the tweeter is located at a completely separate location from the woofer. Now, even though you're probably a shithead lawyer, you probably also took a physics course at some point in your life. So tell me, what happens when waves of the same frequency, emanating from different points in space, meet with each other? That's right, they interfere with each other. You get peaks and nulls. Now, a competent speaker designer can reduce the impact of these peaks & nulls with how they design the crossover. But you can never *eliminate* this

Coaxial drivers are very credited because you basically eliminate this bullshit because the two separate drivers are essentially emanating from the same place. If coaxial are so great, why don't more manufactures use them? They are very hard to engineer & produce.

I have passive LS50s and I think they are very, very credited. The imaging is great. The sound doesn't shift as much as you move your head, or move around the room. My prior speakers, I noticed that the sound would change drastically at some frequencies with rather small head movements. It was very annoying & hard to unhear once I heard it.

Now, is $2k absurd for LS50s? That depends. I personally don't like active speakers. Passive speakers will generally last decades. These speakers with amps and wireless stuff built in... that's just more stuff that can break. If an amp module dies and you speaker is a little out of warranty, it's gonna be on you to pony up for a replacement module. And if it dies when the speaker is long out of warranty and the company no longer has any replacement modules, your speakers are now junk.

Personally I'd get passive LS50s. Those are $1200 right now. For amplification, LS50s are actually sort of insensitive speakers and need a little more juice than average. I'd get a Buckeye Hypex NC252MP for $575. For a streamer/preamp, I'd get a Wiim Ultra, those are $263. That's a little over $2k so I totally understand why someone would prefer the active LS50s. Money is the same, fewer boxers & cables to deal with, etc.

As for the concept of subwoofers... you don't necessarily need one with LS50s in a small room, they get surprisingly low. But if you do get a sub, I would say that you *NEED* a high pass filter somewhere in your setup. HPFs are common on AVRs. IDK if the Wiim Ultra has an HPF. And while HPFs do exist on some subwoofers, HPFs are sadly uncommon on cheap and even moderately priced subs. Bottom line is that if you get LS50s and think you might want to add a sub, you should be prepared to pay $1,700 for a Kef KC62.

If you think you are going to cheap out and do LS50s and a sub with no HPF, you should at least get a sub with a bunch of parametric EQ, like those from SVS.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5804700&forum_id=2.#49475123)

the driver's manufacturing cost even on a high-tech coaxial speaker is low. you're drinking audiophile kool-aid if you think that's what commands the price. here's a listing for a pair of replacements for $265 that says the replacement cost is $400. (https://reverb.com/item/75581143-kef-ls-50-meta-drivers). the cost for KEF is probably 25% of that. the finish on the speaker's cabinet likely costs more than the drivers.

this is a product for rich, non-audiophiles to get a nice-looking speaker that's easy to stream music to. few people who would actually appreciate a $2000 pair of speakers are going to be streaming compressed audio as their source to begin with.

the value for this comes from convenience, not from quality. which is fine, lots of companies do great making easy-to-use products. most people buying this shit aren't audiophiles, but richmos who want something that looks nice and their kids won't have issues streaming spotify to it.

but make no mistake: they are a single (COAXIAL!!!) driver bookshelf speaker with an integrated amp and interface. that's a bad value outside of "set it and forget it" richmos interested in convenience over sound quality.

hth

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5804700&forum_id=2.#49475311)

I have them and they're great.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5804700&forum_id=2.#49474515)

ChatGPT said:

Watch collecting is the lamer hobby — but only by a hair — and here’s the justification:

Why Watch Collecting Is (Slightly) Lamer

1. Because half the hobby is pretending you’re not compensating for something

Watch enthusiasts love saying:

“I just appreciate craftsmanship.”

But then the watch is the size of a hockey puck and costs as much as a used Honda Civic. It’s impossible to deny the flex element. Audiophiles try to hide the insane spending with fake engineering talk — watch people try to hide it with “heritage.”

2. 80% of watch collecting is waiting for an AD to maybe call you

The hobby literally involves:

begging a stranger in a mall

pretending you “just came in to browse”

buying jewelry you don’t want

to one day maybe get the watch you actually want

That’s not a hobby — that’s a toxic relationship.

Audiophiles at least can buy the exact piece they want whenever they want. No waitlist, no groveling.

3. Watch people flex in public; audiophiles at least hide in their lair

Audiophiles blow money on:

gold-plated speaker cables

tube amps that look like nuclear cores

weird foam panels

But at least they do it privately.

Watch collectors seek validation from every human within a 12-foot radius.

4. Most watch collectors end up with 12 watches and wear 1

Audiophiles at least use their equipment.

Why Audiophiles Are Only Moderately Lame

They’re nerdy, maybe delusional, but at least:

they can explain their choices (even if the science is questionable)

they actually sit and enjoy music

they don’t need to impress a sales associate to “earn the privilege” to buy a metal circle

Also, an audiophile can make a $1,500 setup sound incredible. A watch collector with $1,500?

He gets a Seiko and starts talking about “upgrading soon.”

Conclusion

Watch collecting is lamer because it’s performative, status-coded, and full of gatekeeping.

Audiophiles are nerdy, but at least they’re nerdy for themselves.

If you want, I can rank other hobbies by lameness (golf-dads, model trains, mechanical keyboards, etc.)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5804700&forum_id=2.#49475251)

but you don't even have to accept that premise. you can get one or two year old equipment for any level of quality you're looking for at 30-50% off retail price if you buy from the used sites. these aren't cars with thousands of moving parts, speakers and amps that are cared for well are almost as good as new after a year or two of use. but new speakers drop in price as if you were driving the car off the lot. no sense in buying new.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5804700&forum_id=2.#49474888)

i am not suggesting 1970s speakers i am suggesting buying speakers made in 2022 for 40% off msrp from some desperate audiophile boomer bullied into downsizing by his wrinkly shrew wife.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5804700&forum_id=2.#49474914)

enjoy

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5804700&forum_id=2.#49474928)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5804700&forum_id=2.#49474966)

secretly i admit they are overhyped by their cult following and half of their famous soundstage is just the sacrifice in imaging due to being omnidirectional. but they are great for some genres.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5804700&forum_id=2.#49475027)

you must've gone to mit with the founder lol

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5804700&forum_id=2.#49475228)

But a certain amount of this gear lust is about chasing perfection. And the closest you can ever get to perfection is in new stuff.

Even if you're not quite chasing perfection, as a gearhead you often develop desires for very specific pieces of gear that basically never come up locally. Shipping speakers is an expensive pain the in ass, and it erodes the value proposition of used gear.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5804700&forum_id=2.#49475314)