5.2F 4.2c and 4.2r system.

[Mick]

Well I've been meaning to put a review together and unfortunately have been knocked down by the flu. Haven't even been able to watch a movie from start to finish without nodding off. Anyway I have thrown a few CD's in and turned up the volume.
Gave Journeys 'Escape' CD a good run through and Dire straits Money For Nothing CD in 5.1 sounds really nice. Got to admit AC/DC Billy Idol, Pink Floyd the Doors it all sounds new and fresh, so much fun throwing on albums you've heard a million times and loved for years on only to feel like the first time you heard them, remember Talking heads!? anyway enough about the bands...
What sticks out for me is the bass, so tight and real. I couldn't get over the resonance that could be picked up, it's like having instruments in front not speakers and this is with a Yamaha 5890 reciever not a pre pro as I had planned to have by now so I have plenty of room for upgrading the sound going into the speakers yet.
Watched Star wars episode 3 and mr and mr's smith then went searching for some low scenes as listed from the SVS site. Well the SVS sub and the Swans work quite harmoniously with the cross over set at the THX standard 80hz. I still have the reciever set to 'small' speakers to make sure the sub gets plenty of bass but have found music CD's are at their best in 'Pure Direct' i.e bypassing the prologic etc.
The highs are different than what I'm used to, I gess I like my speakers bright as I typically increase the trebble but have set the trebble and bass to 0 with the swans and although I would not call the Swans an overly bright speaker they do not need any help with the highs.
Well my final words are I'm still mighty impressed, and yes my wife and I have a problem pausing movies or cd's just to be sure theres isn't someone at the door or inside the house.
Mick.

p.s feel free to check photos at

http://www.frappr.com/?a=myfrappr&id=546987

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[cruztopless]

Beautiful setup there Mick! I hope to have a wall mounted plasma myself soon.

A couple of non-Swan related questions if you don't mind :shock:
- Who makes your media console?
- Any suggestions or tips on routing your cables through the walls? I guess one of my biggest concerns is not using inwall rated cables (ie. S-Video or HDMI/DVI cables).

I also agree with your comments that the CDs now sound new and fresh!

Thanks![/list]

[Mick]

Cruztopless,
Thank you for the compliment, started out as an empty concrete basement. I should post an 'early' pic!
The console is from Ikea and if memory serves me was $300.00 Looks really good with the 5.2 speakers, looks better in real life.
The cables run up the wall behind the console and then through the ceiling, I lost about 6"'s of head hight to put in a drop ceiling but definitely worth it. Nothing special just speaker cable by Monster. The Swan speakers come fully loaded with speaker cable that appears to be of very good quality. I built the walls myself so ran the electrical power, sattelite cables and speaker wiring seperately so havn't used and special shielded cable.
I have an HDMI switcher by Digi Media, it has a remote control and came with 4 2ft HDMI cables, th TV actually has two HDMI inputs but a lot only have 1 input so a switcher becomes essential when connecting multiple HDMI equipment.
The TV is a 50" LG and although it does not get a rating or mention on c-net is IMHO outstanding. Reviews led me toward a panasonic but seeing the LG and the Panasonic side by side made for an easy decision.
My wife chose the paint scheme and I was horified when she turned up with chocolate brown paint but it actually suits the room and with the lights dimmed makes for some great ambiance.
Lights are remote dimmable, remote hardware $30.00 from home depot.
All up It's been 3 years in the making and needs a few more finnishing touches, the media center has it's own fuse and dedicated power supply also just to be safe.
Well I'm more than happy to get or give any advice so please call on me anytime.
p.s if you look at the corner photo with the sub that recessed area in the wall is the fuse system for my house and I'm looking for a descent piece of art to cover it up... any sugestions???
Mick.

[cveale]

Nice setup Mick. I am almost done building the new home for my 6.2s. I will post pics when I am done. I want nuts with the lighting control and picked up a Control4 system for all the automation. (I'm a dead man for doing this BTW)

The 5.2s have the same midrange as mine as well as tweeter and I was wondering if you found the vocals to be very natural as I did. I'm sure the soundstage on the 5.2s is almost identical as well. Actually the more I think about it, perhaps I should have purchased the 5.2s. :)

I too have my EQ set to 0,0 for bass and treble. This is an indication of a very neutral speaker. I hooked up my old speakers which were a pair of Mission bookshelves to hear the difference and at the same EQ setting they sounded muffled. I did a lot of comparisons before buying these. My budget was as high as $2800 and I still found that these were either flat out better, or that the extra $1400 didn't justify an extremely slight edge in sound. Enjoy!

Jon,

Put a cattle prod to em on the 5.2R and 5.2C. You have my money when they are released. :)

[Mick]

cveale,
I bet you'd do it again anyway wouldn't you (the lights). When friends come over and the lights start to dim (apparently by them selves) it really is a highlight of what's to come. Being in the basement I have full control over how much light is in the room and less sound restrictions. The kids think the dimming lights is the best.
I'm dead a hundred times over (you didn't see the wine rack)!
It's a good thing the Swans look as nice as they do, it made the sell possible.
I originally ordered the 6.2 then changed to the 5.2 for exactly the reason you mentioned, I have it on good authority they sound identical just not as loud,
After listening to the 4.2's center and rears I am dead set sure the 5.2C and 5.2R's will live up to expectations and match the 6.2f no problem at all.
My Wife threw my old speakers out last week while I was at work (KLH) she just couldn't bare the thought I'd hang them up somewhere.
I had been lining up a set of Swans for about three years, a trip to Australia for 2004 stalled me long enough to wait for the .2's.

Look forward to seeing your finished set up (are we ever really finished???)
Another interesting point is the speakers seem to be getting better every time I come home, is this me beginning to relax and 'listen' rather than analyze or is it break in happening? Did you find this with your Swans?
Mick.

[cruztopless]

Thanks for the info Mick!

I'm currently listening to a CD from World Market called Venice Lounge. Nice ... 8)

[cveale]

cveale,
I bet you'd do it again anyway wouldn't you (the lights). When friends come over and the lights start to dim (apparently by them selves) it really is a highlight of what's to come. Being in the basement I have full control over how much light is in the room and less sound restrictions. The kids think the dimming lights is the best.
I'm dead a hundred times over (you didn't see the wine rack)!
It's a good thing the Swans look as nice as they do, it made the sell possible.
I originally ordered the 6.2 then changed to the 5.2 for exactly the reason you mentioned, I have it on good authority they sound identical just not as loud,
After listening to the 4.2's center and rears I am dead set sure the 5.2C and 5.2R's will live up to expectations and match the 6.2f no problem at all.
My Wife threw my old speakers out last week while I was at work (KLH) she just couldn't bare the thought I'd hang them up somewhere.
I had been lining up a set of Swans for about three years, a trip to Australia for 2004 stalled me long enough to wait for the .2's.

Look forward to seeing your finished set up (are we ever really finished???)
Another interesting point is the speakers seem to be getting better every time I come home, is this me beginning to relax and 'listen' rather than analyze or is it break in happening? Did you find this with your Swans?
Mick.

One thing has become painfully clear to me with these speakers. There is a BIG difference between recordings. I simply can't listen to some that just dont have the same realism that the better recordings have. Try most of the Dave Mattews stuff. They really shine on the Swans. When listening to a good recording my purchase is immediately justified.

I was listening to some JMLabs Cobalt speakers in a stereo shop a week or so ago and was immediately impressed with the resolution that they had and the speed of the transients. I purchased them on the spot to demo them and compare them to the Swans thinking the whole time that I would end up having to send the Swans back. I was surpised to find that the Swans still were superior in many ways to this more expensive speaker. The soundstage was bigger, and the vocals were more natural. The off axis frequency response is insane on these. I was almost 60 degrees off axis and they still had a ton of high frequecy energy. The upper bass range was also stronger. The low stuff was about the same. What made me like the JMLabs in the stereo store is the exact reason I didn't like them when compared to the Swans, the ultra sensitive high frequencies that made the sound POP also made the vocals sound gritty and with an unnatural edge. The Axioms were this way too. The Swans simply sounded more "Human".

Don't ever doubt the quality of these speakers. Even when I was convinced that they were inferior to one, when put to the test they proved me wrong. Enjoy your purchase now and keep finding those magic recordings that make them sing.

[Chane M&C]

Jon,

Put a cattle prod to em on the 5.2R and 5.2C. You have my money when they are released. :)

Oh man, I am SUCH a nusiance to Swans right now. You have NO idea.

If they find my body out back one of these days, you'll know why. :wink: