Shane Sangster (hometheaterdoc) has graciously allowed me to audition the big daddy Usher Dancers in my home. They have been here for about 3 weeks. I am still learning more about them, and still searching for the right match of electronics for them, but I thought I would start a discussion, so that people coming to the G2G can have an idea what to expect, maybe read up on them. Then afterward we can post our critiques here too.
The Ushers are extremely revealing, but still very musical. But electronics make a world of difference. I guess that is a blessing or a curse depending on what gear is available, and the quality/content of the signal. A resolution nut like me can appreciate the detailed tone, but it is easy to hear too much, or a tube or transistor's interpretation instead of the actual music. But then suddenly the clear lifelike sound catches you and you get a little squirt of endorphins saying, "wow, that is just incredible..."
The argument over enough/too much resolution constantly comes to mind with the Ushers. They are not bright, as in deliberately tweeked for 2dB higher SPL than flat around 2000-4000Hz to give a sense of more detail, more presence. Playing an amp like that on the Ushers will drive you out of the room. But playing an amp that is slightly recessed in mids will also be clearly audible. Local amp designer Sol Samet and I did an opamp swapping party in a new chip amp design of his. It was effortless to hear differences in 2 dozen chips using a wide range of music.
Recordings are never perfect - there are warts even in the best of the best, and you hear them with the Ushers. The warts make me grow up and listen more maturely. I appreciate being able to hear the good parts in extreme detail, while learning to tolerate the warts without getting emotional about them and viewing them as "a problem." I say to myself, "It is on the recording so accept it just like you accept the good parts." The overall presentation of the speaker is flat and neutral, and extremely resolving, IMO. It easily shows the character of the amps connected to it, so no distinct sound of the speaker has emerged yet. I think that's a good thing, but puts more responsibility on the audiophiles shoulders to find the suitable partner. But even listening to some Art Tatum on mp3 yesterday, it was easy to relax and go deeply into it despite the poor recording. The speaker is not bright as in tilted up for more resolution. The resolution seems infinite, but is always natural, just like your ear is really 6 inches from the instrument like the mic was. When you find recordings by master producers who work at this level of quality to match the Ushers, you are well rewarded.
This speaker will give you amp lust all over again like you were a newbie.
It also served as another example of my theory that when your system's resolution suddenly rises with an upgrade, you will also become even more aware of distortion caused by the room acoustics. The newfound clarity is even more easily heard to be smeared by combfiltering and primary reflections. The difference between a less resolving speaker and the sound of its reflections off sheetrock is much less than with the same trick tried with highly detailed sound source. Sound of sheetrock can't be improved along with the gain in system resolution, so we gotta absorb it, or diffuse it to prevent the ugly sounding reflections arriving intact to contrast the clean direct sound.
I have listened to them so far with Carl's McIntosh MC402, with transformer coupled outputs, my Manley Snapper tube amps, again transformer coupled. I can hear the transformers adding warmth to the whole spectrum, and slowing and growing the bass slightly. Snappers forward attitude and tube power limitations are revealed clearly. The Mac's power and presence makes everything sound huge and effotless, if slightly rosy and relaxed from the well-tuned transformers. That sound is growing on me, but only lacks in the micro detail of a bass violin or organ. I keep meaning to try the 2ohm taps to see if bass speeds up slightly on these 8ohm speaks. Small chip amps are direct coupled, so the bass snaps into focus, but their lack of power makes them sound tiny compared to the mighty and musical Mac. Preamps aren't spared the electron microscope scrutiny either. So I am learning that if you want this kind of intensely beautiful resolution, you have to increase the resolution of rest of the system along with the speakers, which makes sense, I guess, but is so unfair! That could be a pricey proposition considering what the speakers are capable of. I have no doubt that the rewards of a system complimentary to the Usher's prodigious capabilities would be enjoyable in the extreme.
The Yugoslavian Korato KTA-100 class A amp is stopping in this week during its long US tour, courtesy of the brand's US importer Bryan Pape (bpape) at
BSPaudio. Korato's gonna have a try on the Ushers and my Legacys too, and some other locals' systems. It is direct coupled output for clear and firm bass control, and class A for midrange tonal beauty. NY Ravers report the treble to be extended like a true high end amp should be, but a little less intense than some other hifi amps, which could be a blessing with the Usher's unforgivingly accurate tweeter.
It is tempting to blame the Ushers for sonic anomolies that are caused by other parts of the system, but swapping those parts shows the transparent nature of the speakers. Even yesterday I thought the speakers sounded harsh in upper midrange while blasting some Arnold Bax, big brassy over the top English pagentry. I was breaking in Carls new EH tubes in his C220 and found that the EE Minimax with RCAs cured the harsh. Now we have some RCA tubes for the Mac on the way.
So, I'm still learning and figuring. They are heavy and would prefer to remain right where they are. But someone might snatch them after the G2G. I think anyone would enjoy hearing them if you get the chance. They are reviewed favorably (as always
) in the current issue of The Absolute Sound. AVGuide doesn't show it yet, but Usher's website might be hosting it.
Rich
