Kevlar,
Para maging effective yung thread na ito, mas mabuti siguro kung ilista ng poster yung ibang speakers na napakinggan nya na, hindi lang yung top 5. Kasi, readers will end up wondering kung anong speakers kinumpara yung mga rated. Let's say sa list mo, hindi ko alam kung mas gusto mo ang B&W sa Monitor Audio, Acoustic Energy, Infinity, Wharfedale, etc. kasi hindi naman alam ng reader kung narinig mo na itong mga ibang speakers.
Suggestion lang po 
Good suggestion, EB. I did also audition a Wharfedale floorstander (8.3) but forgot to list it in my
top 5 where it clearly is worth auditioning (very close to B&W's in sound at much lower price).
I actually also auditioned B&W Nautilus 801 and all the 800 series package, the Revel Salon,
Dynaudio audience 52 and 82, JBL's, Infinity. I usually audition different models from the same brands
so I can select which best fits my application and budget. I've also auditioned the cheaper
ones like those speakers from the big electronics giants: Pioneer, Panasonic, Sony, Kenwood,
JVC, Aiwa. As for the popular Monitor audio and Acoustic energy, I haven't auditioned those
brands here in Cebu.
I still audition the 600k+/pair Revel Salon and the B&W Nautilus 801 from time to time.
I schedule the audition during non-peak hours and when my favorite friendly salesmen are around.
(The two speakers are from different shops.) I do this in order to 'calibrate' my ears.
In audio kasi, the more you listen to only one kind of speakers, the more you tend to think
its the best speaker out there. Your ears adjust pretty well to your sound system
so much so that the longer you listen to your system, the better it gets because you become
accustomed to its shortcomings like a little harshness/brightness in the treble, a little less open sound,
a little muddy/nasal midrange, or a little boom or lack of bass, etc.
Dapat i-calibrate mo yung ears mo, sort of 'traceable' to some very good or excellent system...
Para bagang ISO 9000 - traceble to international standards (though there are no 'international'
standards to speak of in audio)...
Also, it would help to really try to 'season' your ears by listening to live performances.
It doesn't have to be a concert... A live band in a restobar will do; a live band performing
for your Christmas party, birthday party, or bachelor's party (just kidding!
) will do.
You can always go to malls and listen to a live band performing if they have one scheduled
for that day. Now who says there's no such thing as 'free lunch'?
Any 'event' or 'happening' for that matter where you get a close encounter of what
'live music' sounds like will do. Try to listen carefully to the voices of the singers and the sound
of the live musical instruments. Listen critically but don't forget to enjoy the party or the
show!
It also helps if like me (a typical Cebuano), you play the guitar and also get to listen
to your brother-in-law playing his piano everyday in his home. I actually play my guitar
from time to time (especially during 'brownouts') and listen to my brother-in-law
play his piano and rehearse his singing just so I 'calibrate' my ears to the sound
of live 'unamplified' music.
It also helps that my youngest brother has an amateur band and they rehearse in my parent's
home (rooftop) where he is lead vocalist and drummer. After he got married though,
his band 'evaporated' so I don't get to hear the sound of a live drum kit as often as I like.
Good thing my neighbor also does their band practice once to twice a month at their place
but then again, they haven't been doing it lately, so the need to attend live performances elsewhere.
Sometimes when I set up my system, I ask my wife to stand in front
of my main speakers and play the guitar in front of me just so I can listen
and compare the live acoustic guitar sound with that of my acoustic recordings...
Sometimes, I ask her to sing... and she says, 'Naunsa ka?!!! Nabuang na ba ka?!!!'
(translation: 'Ano?!!! Naloloko ka na ba?!!!).
Oops! I think I'm way out of topic already...
Back to the topic...
Top 5 speakers worth auditioning (for audio)
is not the sameas the 'Best 5 speaker brands'. No. It's not that. It is recalling
all speakers you've ever auditioned and choosing from them, your top 5
based on your own budget constraints. Nobody should dispute/challenge
anybody's list here because it is his list, clear?
This thread should be retitled: 'Top 5 speakers (audio-only) in your personal (audition-to-buy) list'
Mr. moderator, can we change the thread's title to this one so it will be less prone
to misinterepretation? Thanks. Kevlar
