Indiq Signature Mishras 2.0 vs Sonus Faber Lumina IIs

[magma]

If
Someone were to closely
Measure my stands

They will find
I don't make them fully symetrical

I do take into account
Weight of the drivers and the fact that most speakers are front heavy

I did study engineering
So I would like to think
I was not really there just because
"Papa ne bola engineer Banna hai !!

 

[vkalia]

If
Someone were to closely
Measure my stands

They will find
I don't make them fully symetrical

I do take into account
Weight of the drivers and the fact that most speakers are front heavy

I did study engineering
So I would like to think
I was not really there just because
"Papa ne bola engineer Banna hai !!

And fantastic stands they are too (even when reversed ). They have even withstood my Lab’s tail whacking into them - something that has the power to empty table tops and knock over side tables.

Kudos for making a great product at a reasonable price.

 

[DB1989]

Here are my impressions, based on my standard list that i use to audition audio gear:

- For vocals (male and female): there is very little difference between the two. Difference in levels is likely the biggest culprit in explaining any perceived differences in sound. Here, my general philosophy kicks in: if you are straining to hear a difference, or if you cannot swear the difference exists, dont worry about it and just enjoy the music. I'll call it a tie

- For instruments (violins, piano, cello): the SFs do a better job of reproducing the leading edge of the note - when the bow hits the strings. The Indiqs do a better job of reproducing the body and reverb (the trailing edge). The sound is just "fuller", for want of a better word.

- Mid/upper bass (second octave and upwards) was more present on the Indiqs. Here, I suspect it is a matter of the listener's preferences. For someone wanting a more detailed sound, the Luminas do a better job. For someone wanting the concert hall feel (where the bass decay tends to hang around a little and mix with the subsequent notes, and the highs tend to get absorbed a little by the concert hall and people), the Indiqs feel closer to the music.

- Where the Indiqs win is in dynamics and ability to just go louder. While the driver isnt that much larger - 6.5" vs 6" - the enclosure is significantly bigger and overall, the sound is more muscular. I was (finally) able to crank up Iron Maiden's "Run to the hills" to a level that did it justice - something I was not able to do with the smaller Luminas. Similarly, the thunderous finale of Shostakovich's 11th came closer to the goosebumps of the live performance on these speakers.

- Soundstaging/imaging: not checked. Am indifferent to them.

Loved the exposition of your impressions regarding the two speakers.

There’s always something new to discover and/or implement. With respect to your setup, it seems to be soundstage and imaging. If within the realm of the speakers capabilities, a large soundstage spanning the width and depth (both forward and backward) and the ability to pinpoint sounds within that soundstage can add a whole new dimension to the experience.

In fact, I stumbled upon it by accident. The speaker in question was particularly adept at it and not as sensitive to room placement as certain other speakers that i had in the past. Before the said experience, impressions of a speaker’s imaging and soundstaging abilities seemed greek to me. I would often skim past/zone out in case somebody took the pains to give their two cents.

Lesson learnt, i tried it out with my other speakers as well and realised that with a bit of care with placement and positioning, one can coax a decent performance on these aspects from most speakers unless they are entirely hopeless.

Once done right, one needn’t labour to figure out the soundstaging and imaging prowess of a speaker - it’ll present itself with all its gutso and be self evident.

Considering the long drawn explanation, perhaps it is also self evident that i greatly enjoy these particular aspects of a speaker, as I imagine many others do.

As such, can you oblige us with that last bit of information if its not too much of an imposition?

 

[vkalia]

Loved the exposition of your impressions regarding the two speakers.

There’s always something new to discover and/or implement. With respect to your setup, it seems to be soundstage and imaging. If within the realm of the speakers capabilities, a large soundstage spanning the width and depth (both forward and backward) and the ability to pinpoint sounds within that soundstage can add a whole new dimension to the experience.

In fact, I stumbled upon it by accident. The speaker in question was particularly adept at it and not as sensitive to room placement as certain other speakers that i had in the past. Before the said experience, impressions of a speaker’s imaging and soundstaging abilities seemed greek to me. I would often skim past/zone out in case somebody took the pains to give their two cents.

Lesson learnt, i tried it out with my other speakers as well and realised that with a bit of care with placement and positioning, one can coax a decent performance on these aspects from most speakers unless they are entirely hopeless.

Once done right, one needn’t labour to figure out the soundstaging and imaging prowess of a speaker - it’ll present itself with all its gutso and be self evident.

Considering the long drawn explanation, perhaps it is also self evident that i greatly enjoy these particular aspects of a speaker, as I imagine many others do.

As such, can you oblige us with that last bit of information if its not too much of an imposition?

So for the type of music i listen to, precise imaging or soundstaging isnt really that huge a concern. As long as the soundstage gets the strings are on the left and woods on the right, that’s close enough to the real thing - and massed instruments are never really going to be provide precise imaging either. I‘ve obsessed over getting the perfect balance between imaging and soundstage and found that resulted in me listening to the stuff like Stereophile Audio Setup CDs instead of music that i like.

However, I will pull out some jazz and vocal albums and give it a go once i am back home in a week and a half. Do note that right now, for my listening area, the speakers are about 10-15% closer than idea to provide the best/widest soundstage, so that is going to affect the findings.

 

[DB1989]

So for the type of music i listen to, precise imaging or soundstaging isnt really that huge a concern. As long as the soundstage gets the strings are on the left and woods on the right, that’s close enough to the real thing - and massed instruments are never really going to be provide precise imaging either. I‘ve obsessed over getting the perfect balance between imaging and soundstage and found that resulted in me listening to the stuff like Stereophile Audio Setup CDs instead of music that i like.

However, I will pull out some jazz and vocal albums and give it a go once i am back home in a week and a half. Do note that right now, for my listening area, the speakers are about 10-15% closer than idea to provide the best/widest soundstage, so that is going to affect the findings.

You'd be amazed at the hidden (or not so much hidden once you get it right) imaging gems that regular songs have. Even the random tracks i hear on YouTube, which many would balk at as plebian pop stuff, never ceases to thrill! Perhaps I'm easily impressed or my standards too low