I have a 30 year old Pioneer SX-636 receiver, 25 watts per channel, 8 ohms from 20 Hz to 20kHz (according to specs). Since I don't blast it, I am fairly happy with the sound, but do need to get new speakers. Can anyone tell me whether the Alegria Ling or Ascend CBM 170SE would be a better bookshelf-size match for this receiver? Or other suggestions (besides get a new receiver)? I could get larger speakers, but do want to stay under $500 and thought I'd do better with smaller ones. Thanks.
Some issues you should address before going with the Ling would be; first, what speakers have you owned so far? What you have shown a preference for would indicate whether the Ling might be a satisfying speaker for you now. The Ling has a "BBC" type frequency curve that is not likely to appeal to someone who thinks JBL's are accurate. What sort of music do you listen to? The Ling is not going to do well if your music leans to the raucous side. If you listen to jazz, classical, blues, pop standards, etc. the Ling should deliver an unusually coherent presentation when compared against most conventional two way designs in or near this price range. Do you sit and listen to music while doing nothing else? If you read the paper while listening, go ahead and buy something else. You'll be missing what the Ling does well but you'll probably be more statisfied with your choice for casual listening. If you are not prepared to be pulled into the music, the Ling will be wasting its time.
Do you hear live music on a regular basis? If so, there are many things the Ling does which would make it a tremendously interesting choice. If you choose your seat at the concert based on the sound of certain sections in the hall and what music is being played, then you might have the criteria in your head to find what is special about the Ling.
Do you have some flexibility in placement? The Ling will take a bit of work to get everything the speaker does out of the box. If you are going to just plop the speakers on a shelf or stand, you might want to pass on the Ling.
The Ling is a somewhat unconventional speaker which will ask more active participation from the listener than many other speakers. If you listen at home in the same manner you listen at a concert and you are willing to get the placement correct, the Ling would be my choice as a recommendation.
AndersG
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Posted on
Thanks. What I have right now isn't impressibe to an audiofile. They are old Bose 301's that were reconed and had upgraded tweeters inserted 10 years ago. I have been reasonably happy with the sound, but time to move on. I tend to listen to a lot of jazz and international music (e.g., Cuban, Brazilian, etc.), but also old rock (old Genesis, The Mahavishnu Orchestra), some classical. Not usually raucous stuff. I sometimes just listen to music, but often read or do stuff. I do have flexibility--large room with high ceilings, but I live in an apartment so it is never really loud. I do appreciate live music.
It could be overkill given that I am not an audiofile, just appreciate good sound, and have an old (good for its time) analog receiver. Are there cheaper decent alternatives that are better matched to the receiver and my tastes? I'm not against upgrading the receiver once it dies (say in another 30 years :-)
Decent covers a lot of territory, unless you are John Ashcroft. There are less expensive speakers that are not obnoxious but the Ling is a good choice if you can stretch for the price. I haven't heard the Ascends so I cannot comment on their quality.
I'd order both and ship back the one you like less, which would cost you a paltry $20-30 but then you'd never second-guess yourself. That's the beauty of Internet-direct speakers.
Please write a detailed review comparing them...maybe a cyber-foodfight will break out too! ; )
AndersG
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Good idea. But I'll skip the review. I doubt anyone would want to hear about how performance tires do on my 86 Saab 900 (non-turbo) :-)
Which is only relevant if you really believe that a 1986 Saab and a 2006 automobile are two totally different animals (leaving aside the far greater amount of physical deterioration that cars have over solid state electronics).
But to each his own. I would still find it relevant as long as we are talking about a COMPARATIVE review rather than a single-subject review.
For instance, I can comparatively review two different co ndoms as used with a 50 year old woman and still glean lots of pertinent insights even if you are trying to choose which con dom to use with your, say 25 year old girlfriend.
AndersG
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Ok, you test out the co ndoms with the 50 year old woman and I'll test the speakers with the 30 year old receiver :-)