Hey Spence!

Congratulations on getting the TRefs. I'm sure you'll be very happy with them.

Sounds like you were able to do a great comparison at the store. It's good to have a dealer who can work with you like that.

Enjoy!

Charlie

Thanks Charlie. Yes, I am so happy that even my ears are smiling! Not gonna get much else done today.
Spence

Enjoy those beauties, Spence!

I’ll bet you keep discovering things you never heard before on songs. You’e In for lots of goosebumps!

Happy listening!

Rick

spence wrote:
At first I was hopeful that the two speakers would be close enough for my old ears that I could save a few grand by getting the 1.Rs. The speakers are VERY similar, but it turned out that the longer we listened, the better the References sounded: better bass, more transparency, better lower mid-range. Upper mid-range and highs were very similar including performance on piano, cymbals, and percussion.

Since these are the last speakers I will probably buy. Because the price difference works out to be about $70/yr for my likely remaining life expectancy and because the dealer was helpful enough to facilitate the decision, I pulled the trigger on the big boys.

After a week of anxious waiting, they arrived this morning in perfect condition, delivered and set up by this same helpful dealer, and I could not be happier. They sound even better than in the show room.

Bottom line: if you can hear the difference and can afford the price differential, get the Titan References and get them from a dealer that was as helpful as mine was.

Hey, Spence

First, thank you for a great review of the T Ref vs. the 1.R!!! And welcome here on the forum. Keep posting! You have a lot to offer. I tried a response a bit ago, think it got lost at this end.

Your review is the fIrst I've seen, anywhere, of the two speakers side by side in the same set up and room. I'm not surprised the mid/upper and upper frequencies sound the same as they both share the same upgraded HFVR tweeter. Your description of the better lower mid range and bass makes sense given the larger drivers and bass amps. Not sure what the transparency difference might be, but my impression of the Ref vs. the original T1 was, in addition to clarity and bass upticks, the larger sound field, the almost 3D effect of the sound coming further into the room. Can't quite explain that either.

Keep us posted on what you're hearing as your brand new speakers break in and your goosebumps happen! And thanks again for telling us.

Rick

rjohn79395 wrote: Enjoy those beauties, Spence!

I’ll bet you keep discovering things you never heard before on songs. You’e In for lots of goosebumps!

Happy listening!

Rick

Hey Rick,
You're right about the flesh of the goose. As for hearing new things, how about this:

I have a CD that accompanied a subwoofer I purchased (still use it in the theater) that has selections of music featuring very low bass and low frequency test tones down to 10 Hz. This CD is produced by the Boston Audio Society as a bonus for joining. One of the music selections is Verdi's Requiem: Dies Irae; Mors stupebit., Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, Benjamin Zander conducting, recorded 3/1/1981 using 4 Nakamichi mikes and recorded on video tape using a PCM-1 in order to get the full dynamic range. There is some accompanying commentary about how difficult it is to capture the full dynamic range of this music and how they did it. If you set the volume to 76 db SPL for a specific singer, you maximize the dynamic range and then play the entire track from the beginning. There are specific cautions about some systems not being able to handle this (BAS disavows responsibility for any damage...so do I). The piece has off-stage trumpets that echo the on-stage trumpets. The "hearing new things" thing was hearing the stage door open and close when the off-stage trumpets returned to rejoin the orchestra while the orchestra was playing and the singers were singing! The selection is stunning and the TRefs handled it without a sweat.

This is a great demo CD for showing off bass. It includes a recording of an excerpt from the 2nd movement (Poco Adagio) from Saint-Saens Organ Symphony. The organ plays down to a strong and clean 16 Hz that I could not "hear" but I could feel as the room and the air in the room shook. Again, not a problem for the TRefs.
Spence

Thanks, Spence!

I have a few organ music CD’s and SACD’s also that only the T Ref’s can really deliver the low bass kick with. Had to place some vibration damping pads in a few pieces of furniture also after getting the Ref’s to damp some induced low frequency resonances. Worth it! Love what those speakers can do.

Rick