Kawasaki Concours Forum

Mish mash => Open Forum => Topic started by: Awaz on February 04, 2015, 07:58:06 AM

Title: Give second chance (or third)?
Post by: Awaz on February 04, 2015, 07:58:06 AM
Here is the scoop...

About 7 years back I bought a set of tower speakers from a company called Definitive Technology. The speakers are called BP7006 and were $800 a piece. They have 8" built-in subwoofer ran by a built-in amp. Hence, they have to be plugged into wall socket. Three years into my purchase, the amp in one of the speaker went bad. Definitive Technology sent me a new amp no questions asked. Seven years later (4 from the time I replaced amp), the same amp started to go bad again. Definitive Technology again sent me an amp no questions asked even though I was out of warranty for two good years (total warranty 5 years). Wife and I felt like we should upgrade and went to bestbuy to audition some speakers. Our preference was Def Tech since the service was so good. We picked up a pair of their latest BP8060STs that has 10" sub built in them along with other Def Tech goodies (center, surround, etc). We paid $1000 a piece for those puppies. Well, as misfortune would have it, the subs in BOTH speakers did not work right from the get go. I spent good two weeks with their tech support to figure out what is wrong. I tried all kinds of speaker settings, tried different circuit in the house, even bought a new receiver to eliminate the fact it is my receiver. After everything I tried, Def Tech and I concluded something not right with the amps. What is weird is BOTH speakers acting the same way. So here are my options:
1. Give Def Tech another chance and replace these with a different set of BP8060STs. When we went back to audition alternate speakers again, we both liked BP8060STs the best  over any other speakers BestBuy's magnolia had in our price range. But have FOUR amp go bad on me, I am now being leary of this whole in-built thing.
2. Pick up a different set of passive speakers (Bower and Wilkins 683) and separate Bower and Willkins 8" sub. When we compared these with the BP8060STs, treble and mid range is much better. But the sub is more boomy than the in-built subs of the BP8060ST. The reason I am stuck with that sub is I already own it (Bower and Willkins ASW608). I will be saving about $400 going this route.

So question is would you give Def Tech another chance? Or say screw it - I am not messing with this crap again and go with a different brand?
Title: Re: Give second chance (or third)?
Post by: sherob on February 04, 2015, 08:25:37 AM
Klipsch...  8)
Title: Re: Give second chance (or third)?
Post by: connie_rider on February 04, 2015, 08:51:38 AM
err, ahh, ummm,,,,  I know nothing about speakers....

But my thought is;    3 strikes,,,, your out!
In other words; If it has already not worked "repeatedly",,,, go elsewhere......

Ride safe, Ted
Title: Re: Give second chance (or third)?
Post by: MAN OF BLUES on February 04, 2015, 11:12:12 AM
I've totally given up on supposed "high end priced speakers" ....
You have soo much tied up in them to get a good sound, that when sumpin goes sour, it costs a ton for compensation...
Last year I upgraded from my ancient monsters, because I slowly replaced all of the drivers one by one... they just were old...
I did some research and bought a set of these...
http://www.bicamerica.com/showpage.php?brand=3&type=15&spkrID=120 (http://www.bicamerica.com/showpage.php?brand=3&type=15&spkrID=120)

http://www.parts-express.com/bic-rtr-ev15-15-biampable-floor-speaker--303-468 (http://www.parts-express.com/bic-rtr-ev15-15-biampable-floor-speaker--303-468)

By far the best spent money I have tossed down for sound, they handle everything I toss at them, and for the price, cannot be beaten... and when I get back to work this year will buy a second set, to complete my surround, or maybe 2 sets and run bi-amped....
I found these online for a great price, and even got free shipping to a local Staples store... ( that was weird, but hey, couldn't argue since shipping a pair was as much as one speaker costed...) these are huge speakers, with huge sound..... nothing beats 15" woofers.... size does matter.....

For the money spent, I could not find anything close to these in sound.

(http://www.bicamerica.com/images/rtr/full/RtREV15.jpg)
Title: Re: Give second chance (or third)?
Post by: Two Skies on February 04, 2015, 11:53:03 AM
I've totally given up on supposed "high end priced speakers" ....
You have soo much tied up in them to get a good sound, that when sumpin goes sour, it costs a ton for compensation...
Last year I upgraded from my ancient monsters, because I slowly replaced all of the drivers one by one... they just were old...
I did some research and bought a set of these...
http://www.bicamerica.com/showpage.php?brand=3&type=15&spkrID=120 (http://www.bicamerica.com/showpage.php?brand=3&type=15&spkrID=120)

http://www.parts-express.com/bic-rtr-ev15-15-biampable-floor-speaker--303-468 (http://www.parts-express.com/bic-rtr-ev15-15-biampable-floor-speaker--303-468)

By far the best spent money I have tossed down for sound, they handle everything I toss at them, and for the price, cannot be beaten... and when I get back to work this year will buy a second set, to complete my surround, or maybe 2 sets and run bi-amped....
I found these online for a great price, and even got free shipping to a local Staples store... ( that was weird, but hey, couldn't argue since shipping a pair was as much as one speaker costed...) these are huge speakers, with huge sound..... nothing beats 15" woofers.... size does matter.....

For the money spent, I could not find anything close to these in sound.

(http://www.bicamerica.com/images/rtr/full/RtREV15.jpg)

Except 18" woofers...
 ;D

Of course, 18" is massive overkill for most home theater setups, but they are great for small concert venues!
http://www.jblpro.com/ProductAttachments/JBL.SRX728S%5B1%5D.pdf (http://www.jblpro.com/ProductAttachments/JBL.SRX728S%5B1%5D.pdf)

I still have a pair of these that I used in my live setups (back when I was doing live music), along with some other JBL speakers (I have an MP415 MPro (http://www.jblpro.com/pub/mi/MP415.pdf) stage monitor sitting right next to my foot right now, and another one behind me, that I use when recording here at home, it has a 15" main plus the horn).  JBL Pro - kickass sound quality, 'nuff said!  Someday I might put together a few more live shows...
Title: Re: Give second chance (or third)?
Post by: VirginiaJim on February 04, 2015, 11:59:24 AM
I've got some slightly older KLH speakers I picked up in the 70's that still work..
Title: Re: Give second chance (or third)?
Post by: just gone on February 04, 2015, 01:00:08 PM
Awaz, your speakers are fine. They just need some of these (http://cableisolators.com/esd/) to get rid of the mechanical (sonic) and electrical (static) resonances. After installation of these old door kno sonically pure speaker cable isolators, you will enjoy a wider, (yet less muddied) and full timbre sound stage. Gone will be the gross harmonics of veiled bass and you'll enjoy new previously hidden nuances from the middle mid range through the lower highs. Music you've heard before will now reveal itself fully to you with new detail as though you were listening to it for the first time. Had you purchased more expensive speakers then of course you'd need these (http://www.weizhi-precision.com/en/products_d.php?nid=11&id=12) which use...wait for it now....."advance complex material technology" ..yeah that's right ACMT can be yours for only $1600.00, of course you'd need two sets for any real set up. You are using speaker cable, right?...not just any old speaker wire I hope..this (http://www.cabledyne.com/silver-premier-speaker-cables.html) should help at only $400. per meter. (sales per metre available upon request for a 10% surcharge.) Not essential of course but if you want the best power to come out of your in wall cheapest romax your builder could find, then you'll need this (http://www.cabledyne.com/silver-premier-mains-cord.html) to get the best performance out of your speaker sub amps. Replacing your mains cord (2) will make the bass less middied (I misspelled muddied here but it seems to work like that so I left it)  and give it more punch and presence without the distortion caused by subsonic artifacts.

Of course if you're buying all of that, then I've got this HF nitrogen compressor for sale. Stick it in any enclosure filled with 100% nitrogen and this puppy will compress it for your tires. Normally it goes for $99.99 but for the right audiophiles I can get them for only 7 times that and I'll throw in some ACMT and compressor oil that has been exposed to anti friction enhancing UV filtered solar eclipse moon glow.  (oh, I forgot to mention that these compressors go to eleven (http://imgc.allpostersimages.com/images/P-473-488-90/63/6341/41P7100Z/posters/one-louder-these-go-to-11-music-poster.jpg).)
Title: Re: Give second chance (or third)?
Post by: stevewfl on February 04, 2015, 01:03:28 PM
Bower and Wilkins <---FTW  ;)
Title: Re: Give second chance (or third)?
Post by: Awaz on February 04, 2015, 01:45:16 PM
So sounds like go B&W route
Title: Re: Give second chance (or third)?
Post by: Rhino on February 04, 2015, 03:03:13 PM
I have some Acoustic Research speakers from the 70's that still sound good. About 15 years ago I picked up some Polk Audio towers with built in subwoofers and the amps on both of those went out. One even started a fire in the middle of the night. I was traveling on business and my wife with a nose like a blood hound woke up to the smell and unplugged it before any damage (other than the speaker). After hearing this story I'm skeptical of built in subwoofers. I now use those same Polk Audio towers with the subwoofers disconnected and a separate subwoofer.
Title: Re: Give second chance (or third)?
Post by: Awaz on February 04, 2015, 09:01:30 PM
I went with the Bower and Wilkins. There is also the SWMBO factor in all these - I got my motorcycle, she got expensive speakers. Good trade off I say.
Title: Re: Give second chance (or third)?
Post by: connie_rider on February 05, 2015, 07:54:10 AM
I went with the Bower and Wilkins. There is also the SWMBO factor in all these - I got my motorcycle, she got expensive speakers. Good trade off I say.

Ahh, now we got to the root of the question.
Momma wanted nice speakers!

Sounds like a win/win to me.

If Momma is happy, so is Daddy!

Ride safe, Ted