They sound good through my crappy Altec laptop speakers... I think the clarity of those is what makes them shine... To really get an idea of how a speaker really sounds you need to start with a high quality recording..A lot of Led Zep recordings could have been mastered a little better IMHO..But it was 1969. Whole lotta Love has built in distortion by design, especially the part where Jimmy Page uses the Theremin with his guitar.
It's rock...of course it has distortion in it!
But it has a lot of cool trippy ping pong effects and whatnot. Not a bad recording overall and, in certain parts, very impressive.
Anyway, it beats a lot of the audiophile garbage on 180g vinyl for enjoyment factor and it keeps the old German hippies happy. Keep in mind that the overwhelming majority of the attendees at the average audio show in Europe or USA are in the 50+ age group.
Whereof we cannot speak, thereof we must remain silent --Wittgenstein
Thanks for the "guided tour" Joe! That's some amazing stuff - would love to go to one of those shows one day and hear that kind of high-end gear.
- Mike
Bigger problem than cost is finding the stuff to put together a complete system. It is really difficult to get top results with cobbled together parts. You really have to have the whole factory WE setup including those magic crossovers that are essential to getting it right.
Also a lot of this gear has been beat into the ground and reconed/rediaphragmed in the past. It is all rare but primo specimens are extra rare. The best specimens probably don't get sold on and there are a lot of folks trying to flip polished up lemons. It takes experience and knowledge to know which is which.
I know a few dealers in Korea who work hard at this and they charge BIG for restored turnkey 2 channel setups. I'm only guessing but I'd say $250k and up in Korean Won. But if you can afford $250k, you can probably afford $400 k...and the dealers are not afraid to ask a premium if they have something in an exceptional state. It is well worth it for the smart buyer to buy the best from a top dealer because a long and potentially fruitless struggle awaits those who buy partial or reject systems. It can take years to find a throat for a WE horn.
By the standards of the high end show, this is CHEAP!You can easily blow a couple hundred thousand on a plastic cone tower speaker with a fine corinthian leather cabinet and ceramic tweeters.
We didn't get anywhere near perfect results in that small and lousy showroom with one day to set up, but I hear a well-done Mirrophonic 2 in Korea a couple times a year and it is one of the best speakers I know.
One interesting technical aspect of the 594A driver is that WE very tightly controlled the mass rolloff of the HF ( =/- 0.1dB) so that if a 6dB peak in included in the amp, the motor system is flat with minimal phase delay out to 13k without a tweeter. Some of the best highs I ever heard. Bells and jingly things sound scary real.
The other thing that sets this system apart is that the bass baffles are open back--no energy storage. The LF turns off and on super fast with zero hangover. This is what you need if you want to blast "Smoke on the Water" at hippie party levels!
Whereof we cannot speak, thereof we must remain silent --Wittgenstein
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Originally Posted by Geekstar
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