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"House Sound"....
- Thread starter SWL3600
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Well, "house sound" refers to a sound quality shared by the gear in a particular manufacturer's line over time, so it's in a different category. As for the others, the easiest way to define is by example (and the examples are all from the 70s, when these "sounds" actually sort of existed):
West Coast Sound = JBL
East Coast Sound = Acoustic Research
British Sound = Rogers, Harbeth, old KEF
West Coast Sound = JBL
East Coast Sound = Acoustic Research
British Sound = Rogers, Harbeth, old KEF
KentTeffeteller
Gimpus Stereophilus!
West Coast Sound= JBL, Altec Lansing.
East Coast Sound= Acoustic Research, EPI, Epicure, Boston Acoustics, Polk Audio
British Sound= Rogers, Harbeth, old KEF, Tannoy, Quad, old Wharfedale, old Celestion
Note to RichPA, added some examples to amplify your post.
East Coast Sound= Acoustic Research, EPI, Epicure, Boston Acoustics, Polk Audio
British Sound= Rogers, Harbeth, old KEF, Tannoy, Quad, old Wharfedale, old Celestion
Note to RichPA, added some examples to amplify your post.
bowtie427ss
Lunatic Member
Y'all missed the "outhouse" sound category. 
Pio1980
AK Member
Y'all missed the "outhouse" sound category.
It'll be interesting to see where this goes.
My nominee, the Fisher XP-55C.
No doubt the Panasonic "Thrusters" will get multiple nom's.
gbroot
Super Member
Advent and KLH need to be added to the East Coast Sound
michaelhigh
mind's eye music
Heritage Klipsch have a "colored" sound to those who like "uncolored" sound.
Heritage Klipsch definitely do it for me (good or bad).
Heritage Klipsch definitely do it for me (good or bad).
meewoo
Active Member
Call me ignorance, but I don't think Polk Audio could be in East Coast Sound. At least their SDA could not be ECS.
KentTeffeteller
Gimpus Stereophilus!
Polk Audio was from Baltimore, Maryland. Their SDA was a major departure from their traditional voicing. KLH and Advent are definitely East Coast Sound.
I put Klipsch Heritage and EV cornerhorns in West Coast sound though they are Eastern US made.
I put Klipsch Heritage and EV cornerhorns in West Coast sound though they are Eastern US made.
Uncle Paul
Super Member
My understanding:
West Coast: up front and in your face. Lively.
East Coast: Laid back and non-fatiguing. Sedate by comparison.
Brit: Like a speaker at the drive through in a fast food joint. Just kidding - I have no idea what the British sound is.
1tumbleweed
Kozmik Kowboy
Speakers, being transducers (they change electrical energy into mechanical energy) are more subject to having a "sound" than amplifiers (although some amps do, too).
A frequency response graph of an amplifier is more or less a straight line; for speakers, there are constant ups and downs - which is why just saying "speaker X has a frequency response of 30-15,000, +or- X db" doesn't tell you a thing about how it sounds.
A JBL and an Advent could (theoretically) have the same specifications, and yet obviously they don't sound the same. Each manufacturer strives to "voice" their speakers to conform to what they consider their "house sound".
Make sense?
A frequency response graph of an amplifier is more or less a straight line; for speakers, there are constant ups and downs - which is why just saying "speaker X has a frequency response of 30-15,000, +or- X db" doesn't tell you a thing about how it sounds.
A JBL and an Advent could (theoretically) have the same specifications, and yet obviously they don't sound the same. Each manufacturer strives to "voice" their speakers to conform to what they consider their "house sound".
Make sense?
frommerstop
Super Member
I'd say the biggest difference between East & West coast sound would revolve around the bass. East coast sound is typified by speakers that used acoustic suspension, so they tend to have a tighter, but leaner sound in the bass, and West coast designers used infinite baffles & vented systems more, usually giving them a slightly "looser" sound, with a bit more overhang.
I'm not inclined to say one school is better than the other, they each have really excellent examples, and mediocre ones as well.
As for the British sound, I've never really described speakers using that term, but I would say it has more to do with a slightly softer HF, and maybe a modest upper bass bump.
It always seemed to me that these terms are not really usefull unless you're talking about the more extreme examples, Like Cerwin Vegas, or ESS vs ARs & Advents. When you are comparing Bozak to Wharfedale, the British vs East coast comparison seems silly, as they have such similar over all sounds.
I'm not inclined to say one school is better than the other, they each have really excellent examples, and mediocre ones as well.
As for the British sound, I've never really described speakers using that term, but I would say it has more to do with a slightly softer HF, and maybe a modest upper bass bump.
It always seemed to me that these terms are not really usefull unless you're talking about the more extreme examples, Like Cerwin Vegas, or ESS vs ARs & Advents. When you are comparing Bozak to Wharfedale, the British vs East coast comparison seems silly, as they have such similar over all sounds.
Polarbear
Super Member
How does one know it's coloured? In comparison to what, another brand which my be coloured as well?
HTHMAN
Super Member
Ain't that the truth? Even if we had a speaker that was absolutely flat over the entire audio spectrum, we would have those that complained that it lacked punchy bass or crisp highs.
kevzep
Its all about the Music
Yes, now I have seen you posting this before, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me.....What and how are you measuring this?
A technically flat system will sound bright and have nowhere near enough bass, so for me flat means an equal loudness contour with respect to human hearing which involves attenuation roughly between 2.5khz to nearly 5khz, but then after that our hearing loses efficiency once you are above about 8-10khz, so this stays flat....
Interested to hear how it is you decided this was the most effective way to tune your system....
As for house sound....I had never heard of house sound before I came to this forum.....
West Coast, East Coast, British.......its all been quite interesting......
I have JBLs and L'acoustics, which means West Coast and European.....not sure what it all means, but I do like what I have...
