Author Topic: Speaker "upgrade"?  (Read 8871 times)

Offline rdee

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Speaker "upgrade"?
« on: March 19, 2022, 12:31:22 PM »
I was thing of "upgrading" speakers. Currently, i have joseph audio rm7si sig 2's. do you think joseph audio pulsar 2 graphenes or Fritz Carrera BE's would provide a significant change or are these sort of speaker swaps generally not worth it in your experience and more of a "lateral" move (slight improvements in detail resolution or bass response aside)? Auditioning is not an option. Thanks

Offline James Edward

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Re: Speaker "upgrade"?
« Reply #1 on: March 19, 2022, 02:46:22 PM »
Hi and welcome aboard. Joseph speakers are great- so an upgrade may or may not send you to audio nirvana.
I don’t know what you’re looking to change, but it seems that by published specs, the Fritz would give you a little more bass than the Joseph speakers.
On this, and and many other forums, there are grizzled veterans that will tell you that many an ‘upgrade’ did not produce their imagined results. I’m pretty sure that with the speakers you mentioned, there would not be a night/day difference from what you have currently.
When you say auditioning  is not an option, I guess you mean going to a store and listening; I’m pretty sure Fritz offers an in-home trial. The speakers are on the smaller side, so the return shipping would not be exorbitant.
Good luck with your quest.
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Offline _Scotty_

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Re: Speaker "upgrade"?
« Reply #2 on: March 19, 2022, 07:22:31 PM »
In as much as they are two very different designs they may sound quite different from one another.
If you are acclimated to the Fritz loudspeakers the change in sound the Joseph brings may not be that welcome.
 I wouldn't sell the Fritz speakers to finance the Josephs without having a shoot out between the two of them in my own home.
Scotty

Offline ejk

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Re: Speaker "upgrade"?
« Reply #3 on: March 20, 2022, 01:26:52 AM »
You shouls try contacting Fritz for an in home demo. We demoed them years ago at my house but honestly can not remember if they were on loan or someone purchased them
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Offline ejk

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Re: Speaker "upgrade"?
« Reply #4 on: March 20, 2022, 01:38:09 AM »
Here is a link on what some said about the Fritz Carbon 7. You have to read through because it was mostly about the Lenehan speakers

https://www.audionervosa.com/index.php?topic=3216.0
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Offline _Scotty_

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Re: Speaker "upgrade"?
« Reply #5 on: March 20, 2022, 04:03:02 AM »
Seeing as how I got my last post bass ackwards. Either ignore everything I said or substitute Joseph for Fritz everywhere Fritz appears and vice versa.
 And yes it seems like I may have been exposed to too much rhetoric
from politicians lately with obvious results.
Sorry about that.
Scotty

Offline James Edward

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Re: Speaker "upgrade"?
« Reply #6 on: March 20, 2022, 02:03:17 PM »
In as much as they are two very different designs they may sound quite different from one another.
If you are acclimated to the Fritz loudspeakers the change in sound the Joseph brings may not be that welcome.
 I wouldn't sell the Fritz speakers to finance the Josephs without having a shoot out between the two of them in my own home.
Scotty
I guess the crossovers are different, but I think the basic design is similar- two way in a vented box, and they both use a dome tweeter. The Fritz is ever so slightly larger by an inch in one dimension. The Fritz has the port in the back- will that affect your placement?
Again, I’d do an in-home with the Fritzes, if at all possible.
Not that it’s a critical point, but my lookup of the Joseph speakers place them at circa 2000- is that right?
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Offline rdee

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Re: Speaker "upgrade"?
« Reply #7 on: March 20, 2022, 04:10:21 PM »
Thank you. Yes, the RM7's are from around 2002. They have a 6.5" SEAS Prestige Aluminum mid-woofer and a "basic" SEAS soft dome tweeter. The Pulsar 2's have a SEAS 5.5" magnesium graphene treated cone mid-woofer and a high end SEAS tweeter - both have variations of Joseph's infinite slope crossover. I am sure the implementation of the drivers and crossovers is key. Fritz uses a 7 inch ScanSpeak Revelator paper cone cone mid bass driver and the tweeter is a 1" Transducer Labs beryllium dome tweeter and the crossover is a simple series crossover from  Acoustic Reality- both the pulsar and Carreras have a rear firing port. I do need to keep the speakers close to the front wall - no more than about a foot from the back of the cabinet to the wall and I don't know if rear firing ports make this undesirable altogether. Your comment: "there are grizzled veterans that will tell you that many an ‘upgrade’ did not produce their imagined results. I’m pretty sure that with the speakers you mentioned, there would not be a night/day difference from what you have currently" is helpful and I suspect that sonic differences would be noted between the RM7's and the other speakers but probably not the dramatic jaw dropping night/day differences that I was wondering about.

Offline James Edward

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Re: Speaker "upgrade"?
« Reply #8 on: March 21, 2022, 03:06:29 PM »
Since this is a smaller forum, you won’t get 100 people recommending their ultimate fave gotta have speaker, and that’s a good thing…
If you have a foot to the front wall to work with, and want to try something with a night and day difference, order a pair of SVS Prime Pinnacle speakers. They are designed for close front wall placement, sound pretty great, and probably wouldn’t take up any more floor space than a stand mounted speaker. I auditioned them last year, since my current speakers need a lot of breathing room behind them, and I was looking to reclaim some space. Best part- SVS pays shipping both ways, so no biggie if you don’t like them- completely free audition. I use a 30wpc amp, and they were quite efficient and played very well with it.
In contrast, around the same time I tried the Wharfedale Lintons- rated the same efficiency, yet they were sending my amp meters further forward for a given SPL level. Props for Crutchfield, where I ordered them from- they charge a flat fee for a speaker return. If you see something you like from them, don’t be afraid to audition.

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Offline Jack

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Re: Speaker "upgrade"?
« Reply #9 on: March 21, 2022, 04:47:11 PM »
Since distance from the rear wall is a concern for you a speaker you might want to take a look at is the Reynaud Bliss Jubilee which lists for only $2500.  It is a front slotted transmission line design so the distance from the rear wall is not as critical.  I have owned a pair for going on two years and love them.  It is also a good deal more efficient than your RM-7's.  I also own a pair of Fritz Carrera Be's and while they are a great speaker they do in fact need more space from the rear wall than you can give them.  Unless you are willing to put something like Herbie's studded gliders on your speaker stands so you can move them in and out from the wall when listening wouldn't be my recommendation.

https://jm-reynaud.com/bliss-jubile.html?___store=en&___from_store=default

https://wallofsound.ca/audioreviews/speakers/review-jean-marie-reynaud-bliss-jubile-speakers/

You can also go to the Reynaud page of Amherst Audio, the US Distributor, and read the owner Bob Neill's assessment of the Bliss Jubilee's and the entire Reynaud line.  Bob was a reviewer for decades before becoming a dealer.
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Offline tmazz

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Re: Speaker "upgrade"?
« Reply #10 on: March 21, 2022, 09:32:32 PM »
If space behind the speakers is an issue for check out the Von Schweikert VR-33 which are designed to be placed close to the wall. And they are even a bit Cheaper than the Fed in the original post.

https://www.vonschweikert.com/copy-of-vr-22
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Offline rollo

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Re: Speaker "upgrade"?
« Reply #11 on: March 22, 2022, 08:39:37 AM »
  We sell Fritz speakers. Very familiar with them. IMHO they out perform Joseph speakers. If you afford more check out the Qln line prestige model. We have them for demo in Queens. Waiting for our demo pair from Fritz.

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Offline toobluvr

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Re: Speaker "upgrade"?
« Reply #12 on: March 22, 2022, 09:19:59 AM »
Since distance from the rear wall is a concern for you a speaker you might want to take a look at is the Reynaud Bliss Jubilee which lists for only $2500.  It is a front slotted transmission line design so the distance from the rear wall is not as critical.  I have owned a pair for going on two years and love them.  It is also a good deal more efficient than your RM-7's.  I also own a pair of Fritz Carrera Be's and while they are a great speaker they do in fact need more space from the rear wall than you can give them.  Unless you are willing to put something like Herbie's studded gliders on your speaker stands so you can move them in and out from the wall when listening wouldn't be my recommendation.

https://jm-reynaud.com/bliss-jubile.html?___store=en&___from_store=default

https://wallofsound.ca/audioreviews/speakers/review-jean-marie-reynaud-bliss-jubile-speakers/

You can also go to the Reynaud page of Amherst Audio, the US Distributor, and read the owner Bob Neill's assessment of the Bliss Jubilee's and the entire Reynaud line.  Bob was a reviewer for decades before becoming a dealer.

After many years of ownership, I still listen to my JMR Twins Mk3 (mentioned in the review) on a daily basis, and love them.  Based on this experience, I'd love to get my hands on a pair of Bliss Silver or Bliss Jubilee.    :thumb:
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Offline ejk

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Re: Speaker "upgrade"?
« Reply #13 on: March 22, 2022, 02:41:07 PM »
https://www.salksound.com/model.php?model=SongTower%20II

There is also the SongTower by Salk Sound. They can be placed close to a wall and you can have the port put in the front. Custom built any way you want.
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Offline rollo

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Re: Speaker "upgrade"?
« Reply #14 on: March 24, 2022, 08:43:34 AM »
  Sorry I missed the positioning situation. I would recommend Volti Razz then. Not a Dealer.

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