Snell Acoustics E V Floorstanding Speakers
Snell Acoustics E V Floorstanding Speakers
USER REVIEWS
[Dec 07, 1999]
Warren Gilbert
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Deep tight bass, good soundstaging, very neutral and uncolored
Weakness:
Can sound a little bright on some recordings Overall, an excellent choice in its price range. When compared to the aforementioned speakers, the E.5's came out on top, IMHO. Very balanced sound with little or no coloration and virtually no cabinet resonance. Outstanding bass response (down to about 32Hz). Although the treble can be a little bright on some CD recordings, this can be toned down with treble and boundary switches, or the right selection of cables (MIT for example). The company which is now a subsidiary of Boston Acoustics, has very good customer support. Highly recommended. Overall, for value and quality I'd rate them a 4.5. Similar Products Used: Vandersteen 1c's, Paradigm Studio 60's, B&W 603's, Magnepan MG-12's, PSB Stratus Silver |
[Mar 08, 1999]
Lawrence
an Audio Enthusiast
Recently upgraded my Mission 700 bookshelf speakers (excellent speakers, by the way) to the Snell E.5 Towers. They sound great!! If you like a tight controlled base and a neutral to bright mid/high end you will love these as well. |
[Dec 31, 1997]
Jim
an Audiophile
This new Snell is a definite contender for best speaker available under $2000. I auditioned these against a number of the current audiophile favorites in this price range (Paradigm Studio 100's, NHT 2.5, PSB Stratus Silver and Stratus Gold, B&W 804), and overall the Snell's blew the rest away. They are very good tonally through the midrange (just this side of some of the $5K Maggies), useful extension into the bass down to about 30 Hz, and a top end that may have just a tad bit too much sizzle. Sound quality is a little on the lean side; on piano, you get the feeling you are listening to a Steinway, vs. a deeper Bosendorfer on the darker 804's. The bass is taut, the midrange detailed, and the top end shimmery. However, you should hear the soundstaging and imaging from these puppies: you get instruments coming from outside the outer edge of the speakers, incredible depth with layering in the soundstage, and believe it or not, a fairly impressive sense of vertical imaging. In one of the reviews posted of the big Paradigms the reviewer talks about John Coltrane taking up residence in his right hand speaker. With these 'Trane is standing there about six foot five between the speakers, and you can hear him moving his sax as he sways to the rhythm. Another advantage: these tower speakers are not as big as the Paradigms or PSB Stratus Golds, room positioning is not real critical, and they sound pretty good no matter where you are in the room (standing, sitting, moving around, dancing). They are also shielded, and have a "boundary attnuation" switch to use if you position the speakers close to a large TV, so I suspect they would be pretty good for home theater applications. |
[Mar 06, 1998]
Gary
an Audio Enthusiast
This speaker is a great entry level high end floor stander. It sounds wonderfully transparent and open, and appears to be very revealing. Critically listening I found that the midrange is almost flawless, treble is tad bright, which may be compensated by the right amp and cable, and the bass is a bit shy, which I felt only at certian types of music though. |
[May 06, 1998]
andy
an Audiophile
I agree w/ Jim's review. Additional benefits are a treble level switch, and a switchable rear-firing tweeter. Note that the new critically acclaimed (and very expensive) Revel (by Kevin Voecks, formerly of Snell) also uses a rear-firing tweeter. These options may offend purists, but I find that they are a great advantage under real-world conditions. The speakers are also very well-constructed, warranted for 5 years, and use metal grilles, which don't sag or attract dirt, lint and fingers like cloth or foam grilles. They perform superbly. Four stars for absolute performance, 5 stars for value. |
[Dec 14, 1998]
Jay Hui
an Audio Enthusiast
I auditioned these speakers along with the Vandersteen 2Ce signatures, andeventually decided on the Snells due to a couple of reasons. I did like |
[Mar 09, 1999]
John W. Phillips
an Audiophile
I've just finished breaking in the Snell towers; I have had these for three days, and have been using Stereophile's test CD all day and all night to break these puppies in. They begin to losen up after 35 hours or so. Before I begin my review, I will state that I have a setup that must serve both music and movies--Which consists of a Parasound PS/P1500 THX pre-amplifier, an Parasound 806 amp, a Pioneer 604 laserdisc player, a Toshiba 2108 DVD player, a Sony 740HF VCR, a Rosewood finshed, sand - filled Vantage Point rack with satin silver finished posts, and a Sony V- series monitior. Interconnects were by Silver Sonics; Speaker cable is by Kimber Cable, 4TC in two eight foot runs. The Snells were not bi-wired at the time this review was submitted. A week ago I had audtioned a pair of NHT's VT 1.2's in my setup. Unpacking the Snells, I was struck right away by there attention to detail. Handsanded, book matched veneers are used on all sides of the speakers, except a portion of the front and back; gold plated bi-wireable binding posts are used. as well as gold plated switches that depresses treble, turns off the rear- firing tweeter ,etc. This was a big jump upward from the NHT's gloss-black finish and its plastic binding posts. The Snells are in a room approxmatly 14x16 feet, with a 9 foot high ceiling, and were only about a foot off of the wall, slightly toed in to my chairs, around seven feet away. As I fired up some Jazz, I knew something nice was a foot. The Snells have a lithe, clean, ugimmicky sound that drew me into the music. The balance of the Snells were laid back on the side of netural, but not dark at all. Bass was well defined, if not as tight as the very best--at least in my paticular room. I left the boundry switch set to the "off" postion-which dosen't depress the bass, and its tightness would be very room dependent. But the bass was there, in spades. The midbass was well defined, warm but far from over board. In the theater context, the leaness here was indeed much less pronounced--in fact, it might be considered a virtue. The Snells had a clarity, a coherent sound that reminded me of the NHT's, if not quite as "fast" as the VT 1.2's. The NHT's are an 'In your face' type of sound; those with inexpensive recivers will not be happy with thier revealing, forward balance. The Snells, however are a true highend speaker in thier own right. Thier sins are ones of admission; they are not the ultimate; they do not elimainate the need for cutting edge designs--but as a high-end speaker that has to serve both music and movie duties, the Snell towers would be tops on a small list. Just make sure your amp has the ability to drive 4ohms loads. Highly recommended. A steal, even at $1,500 a pair. |
[Jun 03, 1999]
andy cattin
an Audio Enthusiast
Owned a pair of Snell Type Q's (monitor bookshelf, discontinued) before the E.5's, so I am familiar with the "Snell" sound. I did try the Sound Dynamics P-100's based on reviews I saw, but to me the sound was bloated, and no air in the higher frequencies. I feel Snells do justice to the treble by having the rear-firing tweeter, which "fills" and gives air to the higher tones. |
[Jun 17, 1999]
david
an Audio Enthusiast
I've had these speakers for nearly six months and I can't praise them enough! I auditioned them against Paradigm refernce studio 80's and was blown away. The sound is so clean, airy... It's almost like removing a veil from what I've been hearing. The soundstage is HUGE compared to the more expensive Paradigms. Part of that is due to the rearward facing tweeter. If you have a forward sounding system (my damn carver amp..) the sound may be a little tiring, but that's simple to correct. Bass response is slightly lacking compared the the 80's but it beats even the $1K more expense Infinity Overture 3's and looks cooler, too.I damaged the tweeter (nearly cried,too) - Snell customer service to the rescue! |
[Nov 16, 1999]
Mitchell
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
GREAT FOR BOTH HT AND MUSIC
Weakness:
NONE I have just upgraded from the Snell K.5 bookshelf speakers. I was considering the Paradigm Studio 60's, but then listened to the E.5's. I already had the other Snell speakers [CR5 center and the SR5 surrounds]. I use the Velodyne HGS-12 as my Sub. Similar Products Used: NONE |