After repairing my gifted amplifier (Link), the next step was to get some good music boxes. My preferences are mostly metal and rock music, but also soundtracks. The first step in buying something expensive should always be some “independent” research.
Some steps before buying / trying
- Check what most people are buying and recommending, and what it costs.
- Which feature do you really need? What do you only want?
- Cross-reference the needs and wants with the price of the products. Can you get what you need for the price you are willing to pay?
- There is almost never a linear progression between quality and cost. At some point, the miniscule better quality is not worth the cost. But there is often a sweet-spot, a point where you get the most “bang for your buck”.
Candidates
Music preferences can play a role in the choice. Depending on your viewpoint between “should replicate the sound exactly” or “should sound how I like it”, some products others like are just not for you, and vice versa. Know what you need.
After researching (hifi-forum is a really good source for audio-equipment opinions if you speak german), cross-referencing, etc. there were three products I was willing to try.
- Nubert nuBox 513
- Canton Ergo 670 DC
- Klipsch R-820F
In the end I choose none of them 🙂
All had great build quality. Sound is of course subjective; the nuBox 513 sounded a bit flat (lifeless?) at my amp in my room — it is often written Nubert boxes have a neutral sound reproduction. Seems I don’t like such sound.
The Canton Ergo 670 and Klipsch R-820F were both great. R-820F seemed to have more bass and highs, while the Ergo 670 were more “clear” with better mod-sections. Bottom line: Some music were better on the Klipsch, while others were better on the Canton…
Luckily my brother did also listen to them, and would have liked to get the Canton if I would chose the Klipsch. I was on the fence with the Klipsch, because I bought the wrong recommended pair…
Therefore my brother got the Canton Ergo, the Nubert nuBox and Klipsch got returned while my final pair was sent on its way.
The arrival and repair
The final pair was a Klipsch Reference Premiere 280 F. In hindsight I am really glad to returned the R820 and got the RP280; they sound even better 🙂
Unfortunately one of them was broken on arrival. The tweeter (which produces the high tones) was dead. But after a short email exchange with the seller, I was able to repair it. After opening the chassis and re-attaching a single cable everything was great.
Summary
Do your research, especially for higher-prices items.
Try and compare.
Buy the correct things.
Don’t be afraid to repair the things (if the warranty is still intact afterwards).
Thanks for reading