Laurence Payne wrote:
On Sat, 22 Dec 2007 16:25:08 +0000, Rob
wrote:

I've just plonked some Castle Harlech* speakers in my front room - they
shouldn't work, but on a lot of music they sound splendid.

What DON'T they sound splendid on? Can you analyse why?

Any pop/rock that sounds edgy/sibilant at the mid/top end - the Castles
seem to exaggerate it. Classical sounds superb, on the other hand, even
relatively shrill strings. It's difficult for me to tell whether they're
simply showing up bad recordings or source, or they're 'tuned' that way.
Also, when loud, the sound is simply uncomfortable and exaggerates this
effect. I wouldn't say distorted, more 'shouty'. They've taken the place
of some Dynaudio Contour 1.1s, which never had these traits - so I'd
conclude the Castles have a tendency towards edgy treble. The bass,
while a little uneven at times ('inaccurate'), is plentiful and enjoyable.

Keith would never thank me for this (!), but the overall tone reminds me
of some of his horn speakers.

Difficult to tell whether they're here to stay. I've found some music
sounds astounding, good as I've heard - well recorded pop (Pink Floyd,
say) and classical, but if I find myself not listening to music because
of their foibles, they may have to move along ...

Having said this, I'll have a look into Serge's ssuggestions on rooms.

Rob