Phase Technology speakers - Page 3

I demoed mon.silvers when I was hunting for speakers.There were a lot of things I liked about them but for me the phase techs had a more balanced sound.(someone used that earlier to refer to PT and I think it fits-everything is in proportion in the PT,which makes for a very lifelike sound,to me anyway).But still,someone else could easily prefer monitor-I liked them a lot too.All I could really say is theyre both worth listening and both would make my short list of ones to audition

Thanks lonwolf-

Which PTs did you demo?

Bob

I demoed the KEF Q7s and Q1s a few days ago. I was curious to hear the difference between a full-range floor stander (Q7) and the bookshelf (Q1) in a similar price range to the Phase Tech Velocities. The Q7s did have more "presence" and better separation between mid and high frequencies. Although they sounded quite good, I wasn't as totally blown away as I thought I'd be for roughly $1000 a pair (Q7s). I thought they sounded kind of "thin" if that means anything. Maybe I'm not used to "detailed". Not having heard the Phase Tech V-12s, I'm also curious if any one else has heard both.

Well,this was about a year ago,and I think it was the premiers,a discontinued line.They went for $1900 a pair I think.I had never heard of PT and had gone to listen to mirage omni,which weren't my cup of tea.I don't know how the velocity line compares and I'm kinda curious if they still have a more expensive line.But my point is they seemed a very good speaker for the money and I'm sure the whole company is a good value.I was a real newbie then(not that I'm much of an expert now)but as I demoed more and more brands the PT's grew in stature in my mind.I was upgrading from paradigm monitor series and though I heard a lot of speakers better than those the Pt's were the only ones that made my current system sound bad-compared to the PT the highs on the Paradigm sounded metallic to my ears.Vienna acoustic had highs as sweet but I would have had to spend twice as much for a VA model with as good an overall sound as PT.(The Beethoven-a great speaker IMO.but close to $4000 a pair)Polk Lsi series also comes to mind as comparable,but I didn't think they were as transparent as the PT's.It wasn't until I heard a properly setup pair of maggies (1.6)that I found a speaker I liked more at about the same price point as the PT.But those are ribbons,with their own set of disadvantages and virtues.(I heard maggies at other shops that sounded terrible.) They are much more room and electronics dependant than box speakers I think,so might cause a bigger investment in upgrading the rest of your system-they definately need a lot of clean current to sound good,plus a lot of room.But you might want to check them out if you can as a comparison to the Phase Tech.But as far as box speakers go I think I liked the PT as much or more than the more well known brands I heard.

Thanks Magliocchino

I wonder if Patrick (or others) can comment on the dispersion of the Velocity series. My room is small and I'll only be able to get about 7.5 between the fronts and the listening position. One thing that the KEF 2005s did well was provide good off-axis response (KEF specifies the frequency response 15-degrees off-axis for its speakers) even though I wasn't quite satisfied with the sound of the speakers. The KEF Q series is supposed to provide a much richer sound which is why I want to give them a listen.

I called PhaseTech to check if there is a dealer closer than what's listed on their website and the women I spoke with just pointed me to the website with a basic "oh, well" attitude. As someone who has spent years in sales and marketing, as well as running my own businesses, I was quite put off. Their closest dealer is about 3 hours away and doesn't have the Velocitys and their next closest dealer is 4 hours away and in the opposite direction of where I usually do my shopping.

Bob


Just saw your comment in the aff-axis respone thread, Patrick

Bob,

Regarding off-Axis response, that is one of Phase Techs. attributes. For a common "box speaker" they have one of the best off-axis responses of anything in thier price range. Do mostly to thier "Absolute Phase Crossover". My listening postion is only about 9' away, with the speakers only 6.5' apart. Needless to say, I think the Velocitys sound REALLY sweet!

Regarding the Dealers, you should read ALL of my recent posts. I've been in contact with the Director of Sales at PT, and he said I could give people his email and phone number to work out demos for people. My guess is that he could get some Velocitys at that dealer that is 3 hours away without much problem.

You've got a PM!

Best Regards,
Patrick

Patrick-

I had read your post about contacting PT's Director of Sales but I am just venting that their dealer network is so thin (6 dealers in all of the most populous and third-largest state in the US). I may contact him but the closest dealer was supposed to call me back - he was interrupted by another call while explaining to me that the Teatros are the sonic equivalent (use the same drivers, crossover, etc) of the Velocitys in a lesser enclosure. He's yet to call me back and he is still quite out of the way unless I was headed to Yosemite (I chuckled when I saw his location because I only know the place from driving past it on the highway and seeing the "Raisin Capitol of the World" signs).

I normally head up to the SF Bay area to shop for electronics but their dealer is another 2 hours north of SF.

I appreciate your help though.

Bob

Update: The dealer just called me back - he sounds more like a custom installer - and is planning on ordering in the Velocitys once he clears the Teatros from his showroom. He's going to keep me posted.

Hi Bob,

Yes, it seams they are working on improving thier Dealer situation. Though it seems "ALOT" of thier dealers are custom installers, that have no showroom.

Regarding the Teatro's being the "sonic equivalent" to the Velocity line. I owned the Teatro 11.5's, 6.5, and surrounds, And I'd say that is "pretty" accurate, though the tweeters in the Velocitys have a Much different faceplate, which really effects the the tonal quality, IMHO, for the better! The Detail Is MUCH smoother! Also, at high listening levels, the Teatro 11.5s would compress a little with thier 5 1/2" drivers. The V-12's do not have this problem when being pushed with thier two 7" drivers.

As for the dealers, I live 60 miles North of SF. I purchased mine from The World of Sound. There website is HERE. You'll find thier contact info on thier web page. They are actually in Mill Valley, which is only 20-30 minutes North of SF. They don't stock the Velocitys currently, BUT if you contact the Director of Sales, I BET he can set something up for you!

In Santa Rosa there is a place called Soundscape, about 1 1/2 hours away from SF. They are good but don't stock the Velocitys either, and they are kind of flaky in my experience, but usually very knowledgable.

P.S. Here is a detailed description on Velocity line, and all the updates compared to the Teatros. Click HERE

Hope this helps,
Patrick

Patrick-

I was referring to Soundscape when I said 2 hours north. Does World of Sound stock the Velocitys? I see they are also KEF and Monitor Audio dealers - I'd love to be able to compare all threee speakers in the same space.

Thanks-
Bob

Bob,

Per my previous post:

"They don't stock the Velocitys currently, BUT if you contact the Director of Sales, I BET he can set something up for you!"

Also, check out that PDF I posted for more info on the Velocity line!

I'd be interested in your comparisons of the 3 different brands as well!

Best Regards,
Patrick

Don't worry about the "not much problem" as I am that dealer.

I will be getting some Velocity series speakers in within a month. I just need to clear out the Teatro's from the showroom.

Mr. Poindexter-

I had just checked out the Sonic Temple a couple of days ago. So you are the guy responsible for our power crunch two years ago.

Nice to put a system with a voice, BTW>

Bob

Bob,

Assuming Mark at Phase Tech. can get the Velocitys to World of Sound (which I'm sure he can), if your going all that way, make sure you bring your favorite CDs, DVDs etc.

Also, maybe you can call ahead of time and see if they could put similar electronics (to yours) in the listening room. Or better yet, see if they will let you bring your Receiver/Pre-Pro/Amp and CD player with you to connect to the speakers. That way you can get a more accurate assesment of the speakers as they would sound with your system. Ideally, of course you'd hear them in your own room as well!

Patrick

Patrick-

If I decide to go all the way up there, you can bet I will be loaded up with my favorite software.

Are you in the Russian River area? It sure is beautiful in there.

Bob

Bob,

Actually, I'm not quite that far north and more on the coast. In the Bodega Bay area.

Good Luck with your Speaker quest!

Patrick

Bob,

Thanks. Yeah, I am the guy sucking all the juice up here. I find it really nice to have a good reference handy when you want to hear how nice a pair of realistically priced speakers performs. I have the IRS for my personal system. When I had to pick out a set of speakers that would fit into a price range I could sell, Phase Tech was the winner.

My local "custom installer/dealer" which seems to be the norm just got back to me again(he's quite good). and I am seriously leaning on buying some sight unheard(which is a nono for me even).

Does anyone know if the finish affects the price at all?

Hi Shane,

When I asked my dealer, he said no. Both finishes cost the same.

Best Regards,
Patrick

Patrick,
I sent you a PM regarding a few other questions I had in regards to them.

Just sent a reply PM off Shane!

Does anybody know what's the recommended minimum clearance the back of the V-12's should have from a wall? Thanks.

I'd like to know also. *bump*

They are front ported, so you could get away with a position a little closer than if they were rear ported. I have mine about 21" away. When I had the rear ported Phase Tech. Teatro's, Tech. support said they should be at least 18" from the back wall. That said, you could use that as some sort of bench mark. But, my guess is you could pretty easily get away with 12" or so, because of the front porting.

Most manufacturers often state 24" as a standard to shoot for. But, it really is room dependant. So, with the V-12's I'd say 18" would be safe, with a high likely hood that you could go down to 12". Send them an email from thier site to be sure. They are very responsive!

Good Luck,
Patrick

Talk about frustration - my local Pioneer Elite dealer used to carry the Phase Tech line. I was in there today to look at the Elite 55TXi and 47Ai - he didn't have the 55TXi but the player looked nice.

They are getting one in and I'm going to demo the Elites with his MA S2s and some Polk LSis.

The interesting thing is that they said I really should take a listen to the Phase Techs - his only negative comment was the cabinet appearance (this was with the Teatros and PC lines).

He said he may still have a PC system at the other store which could be interesting.

Bob

"his only negative comment was the cabinet appearance (this was with the Teatros and PC lines)."

I don't understand this. The PC Series has some very, very good cabinet construction with beautiful veneers. An added touch is a rounding of all the corners, which give a nice touch. I would say they are top notch as far as cabinet apearance and quality goes. Real furniture grade stuff.

The PC series definately has High grade veneer finishes.
The Teatro and Velocity have Vinyl, that is probably what the dealer was talking about! They are still nice for Vinyl though. What does the dealer expect for such a great speaker that is as balanced as it gets anywhere near this price range!

Best Regards,
Patrick

How would the Velocity 12 Grand Home Theatre System work in a room 23' by 14' with 8' ceilings?

It would easily work in that size room. Though in the price range of thier 12" sub, I would recommend a SVS, HSU, or Stryke Mini-Thunder for a sub instead! The PT would be great for music, and probably adequate for HT, but if you crave that extra BASS, like I do I would recommend one of these 3!

Best, Regards,
Patrick

I came across this thread while researching what people were saying about speakers that sound good off axis.

My HT will actually be a large game room (32' x 24') with the theater at one end, and other stuff in the room like a pool table etc.

I have pretty much been planning on using M&K's (S-150's).

Any of you PT fans compared with these MK's, or heard them and have a comparison?

Thanks in advance if so! Bob.

Bob,

If you're looking for good off-axis speakers, the MK's are definately not it! They are designed mostly for movie applications, and for that they really excel. So if you are planning on using them for music too, and would like a wider "sweet spot" you might want to look elsewhere. My brother has some MKs and they are truly great for HT, but I really don't like them for music. Some people do, I'm just not one of them. I like a HUGE soundstage for music, and IMHO the MKs don't have it. As stated many times on this forum (by me ) the Phase Tech. Velocitys have it all, HUGE 3-dimensional soundstage, great imaging, and excellent detail (without being bright).

Of course that is just my opinion, you really should test drive yourself and see which you like better!

Best Regards,
Patrick