Monkey4054 Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 (edited) Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum and this hobby in general. Just looking for some advice and discussion! TL;DR Any advice for some interested in getting into Hi-Fi, that listens primarily to modern aggressive music, that is not always well recorded? What direction should I go? I am someone who has just started to develop a strong interest in the world of Hi-Fi, but has yet to take the plunge financially. However, one thing I have noticed is that the vast majority of people in this hobby/industry listen to and evaluate different gear with primarily soft, easy listening music e.g jazz, classical, acoustic etc. Now, I have nothing against these genres of music, but as someone who listens to mostly metal, hardcore, rock; reviews and opinions on these speakers are often not relevant to me. Sometimes, when I go on forums similar to this one and ask the same questions I'm always met with a few comments like, "Yeah, I listen to metal too!". To which I reply "awesome", until I find out that when they say metal, they're talking about Led Zeppelin or Kiss and not Cannibal Corpse or Lamb of God etc. So basically, what I'm asking is, does anyone have any advice on what direction I should go in order to find a great system for modern metal music? I want speakers that have hard hitting bass, that make bass drum kicks sound like sledgehammers, incredible mid range that makes guitars scream and decent treble that is fast and detailed without being sibilant or splashy/tizzy sounding. When I'm listening to metal music, I want to have my teeth kicked in, I want to feel the bass in my bones and be blown away, I certainly don't want to be completely relaxed or lulled to sleep with speakers that are too smooth, neutral or laid-back sounding. Some brands that people seem to often recommend for metal are Klipsch, B&W, JBL etc. Currently, I almost exclusively use a fairly budget headphone-based setup. With a Fostex TH-600, a Schiit Modi 2 DAC, and an Objective 2 Amplifier. But looking for a stereo speaker setup in the not too distant future. Thanks in advance for any advice or feedback! Edited January 17, 2019 by Monkey4054 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candyflip Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 1 hour ago, Monkey4054 said: Sometimes, when I go on forums similar to this one and ask the same questions I'm always met with a few comments like, "Yeah, I listen to metal too!". To which I reply "awesome", until I find out that when they say metal, they're talking about Led Zeppelin or Kiss and not Cannibal Corpse or Lamb of God etc. A *really* common problem...but you'll find plenty of like-minded Metal Muthas here mate. I'm sure they'll be along shortly. And welcome James! (I'm a TOOL/Mastodon/Faith No More/My Bloody Valentine 'noise' kinda guy, so probably not much help) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocketfrogs Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 What source material will you be using? Vinyl or digital. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey4054 Posted January 17, 2019 Author Share Posted January 17, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, candyflip said: A *really* common problem...but you'll find plenty of like-minded Metal Muthas here mate. I'm sure they'll be along shortly. And welcome James! (I'm a TOOL/Mastodon/Faith No More/My Bloody Valentine 'noise' kinda guy, so probably not much help) Hey, that's good to hear! I definitely don't just listen to metal, including noisy stuff as well like KEN Mode, Deftones, Daughters, Will Haven and the bands you mentioned too. 10 minutes ago, Rocketfrogs said: What source material will you be using? Vinyl or digital. Entirely digital. Primarily streaming Tidal HiFi or Spotify, with a few lossless files of songs that aren't on Tidal or Spotify. PC based currently. But definitely looking into the idea of 'all-in-one' network streamers with integrated amps like the new SVS Prime Wireless Sound Base, or Bluesound Powernode 2i etc. I like the idea of services like Roon too. Edited January 17, 2019 by Monkey4054 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 (edited) Get some old JBL L100. Cool as and will hammer hard for years! Edit- part time headbanger here: doom, death, industrial, bit of black, plus electro, d'n'b, house, country, prog, pop, whatever! Edited January 17, 2019 by Grizzly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelossus Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 2 hours ago, Monkey4054 said: Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum and this hobby in general. Just looking for some advice and discussion! TL;DR Any advice for some interested in getting into Hi-Fi, that listens primarily to modern aggressive music, that is not always well recorded? What direction should I go? I am someone who has just started to develop a strong interest in the world of Hi-Fi, but has yet to take the plunge financially. However, one thing I have noticed is that the vast majority of people in this hobby/industry listen to and evaluate different gear with primarily soft, easy listening music e.g jazz, classical, acoustic etc. Now, I have nothing against these genres of music, but as someone who listens to mostly metal, hardcore, rock; reviews and opinions on these speakers are often not relevant to me. Sometimes, when I go on forums similar to this one and ask the same questions I'm always met with a few comments like, "Yeah, I listen to metal too!". To which I reply "awesome", until I find out that when they say metal, they're talking about Led Zeppelin or Kiss and not Cannibal Corpse or Lamb of God etc. So basically, what I'm asking is, does anyone have any advice on what direction I should go in order to find a great system for modern metal music? I want speakers that have hard hitting bass, that make bass drum kicks sound like sledgehammers, incredible mid range that makes guitars scream and decent treble that is fast and detailed without being sibilant or splashy/tizzy sounding. When I'm listening to metal music, I want to have my teeth kicked in, I want to feel the bass in my bones and be blown away, I certainly don't want to be completely relaxed or lulled to sleep with speakers that are too smooth, neutral or laid-back sounding. Some brands that people seem to often recommend for metal are Klipsch, B&W, JBL etc. Currently, I almost exclusively use a fairly budget headphone-based setup. With a Fostex TH-600, a Schiit Modi 2 DAC, and an Objective 2 Amplifier. But looking for a stereo speaker setup in the not too distant future. Thanks in advance for any advice or feedback! Come listen to my JBL's. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chill3 Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Vintage JBL for the win. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerav Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 1 or 2 subwoofers and some form of dsp, I use the simple antimode dsp to give that tight low end kick without the wall vibrating doof doof while the speakers are free for the mids and highs. Judas Priest Painkiller never sounded better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockandorRoll Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 I listen to a lot of High on Fire, At the Gates, Witchery, Old Man's Child etc. Thrashy, fast, rhythm I think it will be a struggle depending on the other music you listen to. I really liked my B&W's and Monitor Audios stuff for slower folk stuff, but it was all too polite for metal. Focal was the exception from the big brands, I remember enjoying my el cheapo 707's a lot for metal, but sounded average for anything else. Some people will recommend VAF, but I think they are too revealing to make metal enjoyable. Surprisingly, I used Meat Loaf's BooH as a test disc where i could. Terribly recorded with weak bass and strainy top end. Once i found a system that played it well, i was happy. Vintage is the answer as suggested above, some old KEF's or JBL's. The best speakers ive heard with metal are my current Verity's. The second best was a $10 garage sale set of Kenwoods from the 70's. The Lenehan Audio ML1's were also fantastic... i should find another set of those Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian McP Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 sell your car and anything else and head to Kenrick Sound in Japan, vintage JBL heaven 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian McP Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 you want clean treble and trouser flapping bass? Plasma tweeters! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tubularbells Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Im a die hard metal head who's been around the block a number of times. My advice is to go big as much as can be afforded in terms of speaker size to enable that mid bass slam to be felt as well as heard. Fo me its vinyl all the way with tube pre to round the edges a tad and solid state to provide the grunt. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerav Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 I’ve been inspired to put my metal playlist on. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candyflip Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 2 hours ago, RockandorRoll said: Surprisingly, I used Meat Loaf's BooH as a test disc where i could. Terribly recorded with weak bass and strainy top end. Once i found a system that played it well, i was happy. That’s really interesting! i assume you used a stock Aus Vinyl OG or something similar (they all have the same problem), or was it a CD? Have you heard the Friday Music repress on wax? Finally, great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08Boss302 Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Welcome im using KEF and run analog and digital. Sound wise, I have no issues with everything from the 80s I have collected since my youth right thru to today’s stuff. Everything keeps up just fine. genres from black to glam. No prejudice here!! The more you get into this hobby you realise if it’s crap in its crap out, meaning don’t expect a good system to make a poor recording sound good, it’s actually the opposite, it will bring out every flaw!! The opposite applies to a good recording tho, it will have you banging and thrashing like it’s 1985 again. have fun and check out the metal currently spinning thread too... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 My 805’s do a nice job with a Rel T9i for metal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocketfrogs Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Forget the rest. Just go straight to the source... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclemack Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Best I’ve heard with Metal was Lenard Symphony prototypes playing Rammstein. A religious experience. My Duntechs are superb but this was a couple levels above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cope Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 *waves from the thrash end of the street* My main suggestion would be headroom - lots and lots of headroom. If you want articulate and snappy, that's where you need to head IMO. Build yourself a cottage of wattage. Classic rock guys are going to lean more towards the more middy sounding stuff, and I get that that's where the guitar is, but sadly a lot of that kit doesn't have the energy for blast beat stuff. Klipsch 8" jobbies and big power amps like Emotivas or Rotels should get the job done without costing anything like JBLs. As always, though, take some music you know really well, and demo things. You may strike upon an odd combo that works for you more than others would expect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cope Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 49 minutes ago, Rocketfrogs said: Forget the rest. Just go straight to the source... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monk Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 (edited) Yeah, my Lenehan Audio ML1s that I had seemed to go pretty well with most of the music I listen to. Good bass for a standmount (pity I never got the chance to see what they'd sound like with a subwoofer in the mix), and pretty fast. Although, maybe a bit too revealing for a 'badly recorded' album. But give them a listen if you get a chance. Otherwise my current Wyndham Audio BR1s don't do too badly either. They are a bit warmer, or is it relaxed... than the ML1s for sure, and with perhaps a bit much mid-bass at times. But generally I don't have a problem cranking them. But I'm starting to wonder what a subwoofer would sound like in the mix with them as well. So. More bass then? *EDIT Daughters sounds good on the BR1s... Edited January 17, 2019 by Monk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyr Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 "Metal" and "hifi" in the same sentence is surely an oxymoron! Andy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davewantsmoore Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 11 hours ago, Monkey4054 said: Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum and this hobby in general. Just looking for some advice and discussion! TL;DR Any advice for some interested in getting into Hi-Fi, that listens primarily to modern aggressive music, that is not always well recorded? What direction should I go? Make sure you don't get speakers which will be over-driven (if, perhaps you like to listen loud, or to music with lots of bass). Some sort of EQ or tone controls will be very helpful .... allowing you dial up/down, the bass/treble ..... to tame those recordings which have been made a too agressive tilt. 11 hours ago, Monkey4054 said: So basically, what I'm asking is, does anyone have any advice on what direction I should go in order to find a great system for modern metal music? The rules aren't different from any other genre ..... except it might mean you will have lots of SPL, bass, or want to adjust recordings 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockandorRoll Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 That’s really interesting! i assume you used a stock Aus Vinyl OG or something similar (they all have the same problem), or was it a CD? Have you heard the Friday Music repress on wax? Finally, great. [emoji1739]When auditioning speakers it's hard to do vinyl so I went with the HD tracks version or the SACDConsidering the master tapes were burnt, there's not a lot they can do to fix it.Il check out the Friday Press version though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candyflip Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 4 minutes ago, RockandorRoll said: When auditioning speakers it's hard to do vinyl so I went with the HD tracks version or the SACD Considering the master tapes were burnt, there's not a lot they can do to fix it. Il check out the Friday Press version though You'll be pleasantly surprised - it's fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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