Why I'm changing REFERENCE speakers, from Klipsch to PureAudioProject! 

There's an Audiophiliac/Steve Guttenberg imposter scamming my viewers, There’s no FREE gifts. DON’T respond! I don't do giveaways or ask for money (except for my Patreon).

Steve, without question you are one of the most reasonable reviewers. And by reasonable I mean not an absolutist. You’re open, like your new reference speaker. Kudos!

I love the clarity with which you describe the depth capability. It gives a great impression of how this speaker sounds without hearing it in person. Thanks conveying the sound in a way that makes sense.

Steve, I really loved this video, there’s no hiding the excitement you have as you continue your audiophile journey. I’d love to see a video in the future where you give some tips on speaker set up and placement, especially comparing any different approaches you may favour when setting up open baffle vs closed baffle type speakers. C’mon audiophile guru, teach us!!

Very insightful approach! Living with different speaker designs can only broaden your familiarity with different speaker types thus giving your reviews greater authority and weight. Its one of the reasons I'm subbed here, is that Steve has been doing this for decades and has listened to any and all speakers worthy of note.

It's great to see the PureAudioProject speakers again. I heard them 3 years ago at an audio show - 9 floors of individual rooms, and the PureAudios where the ones that stood out (well, other than the Maggies). My impressions of them were exactly as you describe - open and powerful. I do want a pair!

You have become one of my favorite audio advisors. Your excitement about audio excites me. Enjoy

It can't be easy to describe the perceived audio differences between speakers and hifi equipment. There are only so many words you can use, like crisp, fast, deep, expansive etc. But I think of all your posts, this one is the very best I've heard you do, where you manage to convey how these panel speakers sound different. Great job.

Content, experience, delivery, context, likability. Steve is the best!

I Loooooved the Cornwall 4's when I had them. These must be pretty special to take their place. Its fun to change things up as well. Congrats!

Great job Steve!! Love the sneak peeks on Patreon 👍😁😁😁. Looking forward to hearing more about your journey.

You’re ticking all the boxes you mentioned, Steve! Thanks for the great and interesting variety!

Very cool! Look forward to hearing more about them as time goes by.

As a guitar player, I understand the difference between closed back and open back amplifiers/speaker cabs. It's the same difference that you describe, and you are absolutely correct.

The blessing and curse of HIFI, so many flavors so little money. Always fascinating.

Finally listening "Outside the Box." You'll never go back to boxes without missing open baffle's special characteristics. Nothing else seems to do it quite the same. I am so jealous as my room won't work with open baffles or the Maggies. I'm stuck in the box, but I discovered small boxes are much better for my tastes with a little sub assist. Have a great time with your new setup.

Great topic... Again, thank-you for what you do Steve. IMHO... Change = fun and new knowledge.

Thanks for sharing. It is always enlightening to watch your videos.

The fact that you change your setup is awesome. No one likes to "eat" the same food everyday, no matter how good it tastes. Change is very good. Like music, I love hundreds + of songs/artists. On any given day, I may like to listen to something else. The fact that you change is what makes it special. I certainly respect that. I do not have the opportunity to change my speakers/components often, but I do find myself constantly moving, rotating, adjusting my speakers and system, depending on what I am listening to. Each CD (not vinyl anymore) is recorded differently. Anyone who says they have the perfect systems is , hmmm, not really listening to the music at the individual discrete levels within the music ( the parts that make up the whole). Thank you.

Same for me with open back guitar cabinets. Sound is less honky, more open. Natural. And can hear differences easier as you said. Excellent video sir.

15 inch drivers are one reason why I love the Tannoy Ardens, and why they are on the shortlist for my next upgrade. But I may have to find a way to hear these open baffle speakers before I make the leap. Thanks, Steve!

I like this quality about you Steve, very important for your chosen profession! Im suprised youve yet to consider having custom speakers made given all youve reviewed over the years.

I love the PAP speaker design and performance (have Trio15) , but they truly shine with the Voxativ drivers. That driver all alone as a full range is amazing (and pricey), with the 15" to reinforce low end just glorious. Nice change!

I totally agree about 15" woofers. My current setup is a 15" woofer (Marantz) in a 1x2x3 box and a separate box MTM (Triad LCR from Denmark) with a passive 3-way crossover. I actually thought I had my studio monitor headphones on this morning and reached to take them off.

So lucky to have you. You just know how and what to say and make your videos like a movie. Bravo!

Kudos to your quilt maker for capturing the color pallet and theme of your painting on the wall....also "yes" to the open baffle ref speaker...

I envy you in your constant experimentation with different components I've just restored the same system I've had for 40 + years

I'm excited for you on this new reference system!

Hi Steve. Wanted to say I really appreciate this being available in podcast form too. I'd love to have more of these videos just in audio format. Curious to see where you go with it!

Hey, thanks for reminding me what a great album Motel Shot is! I'm gonna put it on the platter now!

Congrats Steve!

Love the new speakers!

I am not surprised. I was at the audio show in New York and these were the only speakers that left a lasting impression on me. The sound is very different compared to most other speakers.

Through my audio journey, I find myself listening at modest volumes around 55-75 db. I used to listen to music loud because it sounded more dynamic and bass response was better at the consequence of fatigue. My speakers were bookshelves and floor standers with woofer drivers that were in the 4-6.5” range. At lower volumes I ran into problems with less dynamics and lower bass response. The solution was larger drivers. The consequence is room real estate but for me it’s worth giving up the space. Now I run only Magnepan’s and Zhu Audio’s with a single 15” sub. Now I can listen at lower volumes while enjoying clarity and bass.

Glad to see you change it up!

Wow. That's high praise. The Pure Audio Project speakers do sound good.

I was very intrigued with Ojas Devons speakers that was featured in Ben's System of the Day... fun to explore different perspectives in sound 😀

Well done explaination Mr. Klipsch!

You've gained back a lot of respect!

I discovered PureAudioProject a few years ago while looking into open baffle designs. The company represents a nice balance between DIY and off-the-shelf speakers since they offer many options and choices depending on music taste, aesthetics, and budget. Perhaps one day I will have the opportunity to put together a pair of my own. Cheers!

nice to hear someone speak of the choice of the preferred illusion when listening to music. so often the tendency is to consider it a finite exercise, a good, better, best, deal.

I’ve been meaning to post a review or notes of the Duets. They are so unique and fun. I love listening to Bobby McFerrin’s Beyond Words on them. So many recordings that give you a fun presentation with open baffles. I’m surprised that you didn’t go up to the dual 15” version with your room size.

My first home-built speakers in 1972 used Richard-Allen twin cone drivers. I quickly moved to box speakers: AR, home-built, Snells then Paradigm for improved sound. In 1995 I used a Pioneer twin cone driver and small dome tweeter crossed over at 6KHz for HT surround and kitchen ceiling speakers. The dome tweeter really helped. So I'm dubious about whizzer cones, in general, a dome tweeter will perform much better. The reason open baffle speakers require large drivers and large panel area is the partial cancellation of the front wave by the back wave. I agree that not enough attention is paid to the backwave in box speaker design, that is why Kef Meta technology is SO clever, it traps the midrange and high frequency backwave before exiting through the cones!

Being an audiophile is a 24 hours 365 days 52 weeks JOB & PASSION. Congratulations 🍾🎊🎈🎉 Steve for your new reference and the new references that will come after. 😂🎉

I’ll be keeping my Cornwalls. I auditioned some PureAudio speakers four times. At first I was bowled over but around the third time I listened to them I felt they were novel to me. The impact lessened and I wasn’t as impressed with the playback of some types of music. I ended up keeping my Cornwall IV’s and am still completely satisfied with them. I’m glad you are happy with your new speakers, Steve! They just weren’t for me….

I'm changing my reviewing reference actually 😊, you and some other "notveryexpensive" RU-vidr are awsome in each your own approach. 🖖

Insightful as always Steve. I like the Tekton Open Baffle Sigma so much I asked the producer to build me one with larger upgraded drivers. The answer was no so I am in the market myself. 13 foot listening distance in my new house. Eight inch drivers run out of breath fine as they may be. My wife forbids any speaker taller than she is.

I have to say...I admire your willingness to experiment with different equipment and source material in your audio journey. Once I heard my first pair of Maggie's(a set of tympanies, back in the day,) I felt like I had found my end game speakers. After all these years, I managed to find a pair of MGllas that I could afford 2 years ago. Ever since, I have been happier than I ever thought possible. Still,..there are days that I wonder about other speakers. You, being willing to try different things after you had decided on the Klipsch. You have my sincere respect.

👀 Steve....I wondered for a while what speaker could unseat your beloved Cornwall IVs. I even discussed this with a friend recently. The tonality and transparency got you....plus the urge to change 😊

Doesn't hurt that the PureAudio's also look really cool.

Agree with EVERYTHING you said on this one. I just got the Linkwitz LXmini and both SWMBO and I were immediately taken by how different they sound in comparison to my MTM ribbon boxes. Within a few notes she almost shouted out ''They're so smooth!'' She also said they're not irritating when played very loud. I'm using Uncle Nelson's special electronic crossover he designed for the mini at Siegfried's request. Since I love building amplifiers the Linkwitz stuff is truly up my alley. Unfortunately, don't yet have room for the LX521's. But, one day.

You seem to be gradually heading towards a more lively dynamic sound. First the Cornwall's and now Purity Open Baffles. Definitely a direction here.

You have seen the light. lol. I cannot wait to follow you living with these speakers! I love your channel. I also love horns and my love for boxed skrs has diminished over time. I currently run single driver Lii FS15 in open baffle and as a side Ditton 66. I think I can tweak the Lii to perfection within a certain spectrum and then my goal is to not muddy that spectrum but maybe add some lower frequencies without losing the clarity I currently have. This in my experience you cannot do with a boxed or a multi-driver speaker. Cheers, a.

you rock Steve!!! thanks

Great idea. I always felt the Klipsch were an odd choice as a reference as they have such a distinctive sound signature and personality. Keep trying, keep moving and you’ll never grow old! Ha!

Excellent choice.

Welcome to the OB world! I have a pair of OB speakers, and I'm not sure I could ever go back to a box speaker.

I heard a pair of open baffle speakers at the Florida Audio Expo pre pandemic and I was blown away by the sound stage, openess and transparency. The negatives however are difficult to overcome for many listeners. First they are power hungry ...not too difficult to overcome in today’s world given the number of large power amps. Secondly is placement, like planar speaker they must be placed significantly away from a back wall which can meet with spousal resistance and room size problems. Lastly a subwoofer is typically a must .. again not a huge issue given the number of great sub’s that are available. As a listener you have to weight the pros and cons and decide .

After living with Spatial Audio Labs X4's for two years I could never go back to boxes. Open, transparent, and fast. The textures and tonal colors are clear and palpable. But the incredible imaging and soundstaging is like nothing else.

Open baffle speakers are great. I had Infinity Kappas before, now I have some Spatial Audio m-1 Triode Masters and I love their open sound. You will have fun, I have no doubt.

Yeah, there are a lot of advantages to open baffle. I've been building open baffle since the mid 1990's and could never go back to conventional box. It is possible to get plenty of bass with open baffle, definitely more and deeper than your Klipsch Cornwall but you might have to build them. Unfortunately there just are not that many commercially available open baffle speakers. The DIY world has the big advantage at least for now, maybe someday there will be more options.

15s can be crazy warm. Fantastic

So good. As Ron at NRD says, OB is a different animal. Love your videos.

Agreed about the large woofers. Our active 118db sensitive OB horn speakers has 3x 15 inch paper cone drivers per side. Nothing else sounds good anymore.

Those sound GREAT!

I just saw that you reviewed their trio’s 3 years ago. Happy you finally got a pair that fits your room. The trio’s were too big anyway!

I still use my 80's Infinity RSII's. As you know the mid and tweeters are open baffle. They still sound great. Open baffle does allow the speaker to get out of the way. Very open.

What would we do without Steve Guttenberg reviews an honest ,sincere, upfront accurate information. A person's opinion I can trust. I know of what he's talking about in an open baffle speaker system. Steve describes it better than I could ever do.But I'm a lover of a system that has a horn.Its my preference. Again Steve Guttenberg thank you for a great review. The nose knows but it's the ear that hears.....

What a hell of a system this viewer has👍👍👍

Nice love it

Klipsch should have awarded the Cornwalls to you for the number of pairs you sold.

I have been in and out of hifi shops my whole life and heard klipsch, magnipans, B&Ws, scads of bookshelf speakers and in the end I'm back at the beginning with Ar3s search is over for me. Although if I had a bigger room magnipans would be great. In my current place Villchurs masterpiece suits my fancy.

Although I've never owned a pair of open baffle speakers, I have on several occasions had the opportunity to hear them and thoroughly enjoyed their virtues, immensely. However, when listening to Maggies, OB or electrostats, as truly wonderful as they all sounded, ultimately, I always felt like I was somehow missing out on something within the music. Like, I wasn't getting the full impact, deep bass and low-end presence that was within the recording. I believe that deep, full range bass, slam and dynamics are a critical part of the musical spectrum in order to create the complete, top-to-bottom, frequency range within the recording. Some can do without this, but not I (not if I don't have to). When I listen to my music, I want to hear everything within the recording, including the lowest bass notes (around 20Hz) and also the full dynamic range and visceral impact of the recording. I want it all!!! In my experience, OB, electrostats, and also ribbon speakers like Maggies ( I have owned Maggies and Martin Logan) have one thing in common, they all fall short. This is why I eventually ended up gravitating right back to extremely high quality, true full range, dynamic speakers, which gave me more of what I was looking for, overall. But, I do completely understand why others absolutely love other types of speakers. They sound fabulous, too.

I made a pair of open baffle b4 they were a thing. I used excellent quality drivers and built the crossovers and I still love them

Understandable. I heard a similar one at the Newport Beach Audio Show. The full range driver is made in Oregon, and somewhat expensive. One of their speakers was open baffle, including the separate woofer, their other speaker was their special driver and woofer in a rather large enclosure. I only heard the open baffle speaker, but really liked it. It was in my top two of the entire show. The other was the 100K system by Linn Audio. What you mentioned about tone is what caught my attention. I strongly favor correctness of tone and that is one thing that impressed me in their music room. I believe they were a field coil design.

7:26 You are exactly right! My FR semi open cone speakers can have incredible depth. But with some recordings this simply doesn't happen and my speakers don't sound any different to any other speakers. But with some recordings my speakers sound completely different to conventional speakers, way more spacial! So the insane depth is not caused by the speakers, they just reveal it when it's in the recording. Whereas conventional speakers only do it a bit.

Steve is working his way back to Quads 😊

Welcome to the OB club Steve!

I’ve been using a PAP Trio 10 (Mundorf AMT) for about 1 year now … just love them.

"Motel Shot" is a cool record. I have the original vinyl. I've recently made a number of upgrades (hell, it's essentially a new system). I'll need to dust that off. Thanks for the reminder.

The speakers "disappear" more, mostly cos of 2 main factors that most other speakers don't have. Point source sound and dipole sound. Texture and tone coming from a single point is always going to have an advantage over separated tone and texture sounds (like with conventional 2-ways). Any good piano passage will demonstrate the difference. You can make point source dipole speakers sound like the music is coming from anywhere but the speakers (if you are patient enough tweaking them forever).

I also have been playing with full range drivers a lot lately,like the speakers that you are debuting.

Tonality has always been my number one gripe with Klipsch speakers. I do love their dynamics and ease at higher spl’s. I’m currently living with a friends pair of Cornscala’s. They do sound very good.

Steve...now that you have moved to an open baffle speaker, you really should get yourself a pair of GR Research's open baffle servo-controlled subwoofers to augment your system in the lowest octaves. I think you will be in heaven with the combination.

great video. It would be cool to see you go to Texas and review GR-Researches system and treated room, off-grid power… and share your thoughts. Also, nobody has reviewed his X-Statik diy kit yet, I think that could interest many

Many/most of the speakers Ive owned were/are OB from; Accoustat 2 + 2s, Magnepan 3.5Rs (MEH), Emerald Physics KCIIs and for over a year now their 3.4s, 12"driver with 1" polyester tweeter, which is/can be amazing, depending on source (Audiolab 6000CDT), amp (LSA Voyager GaN 350), cables (Ali-Express Odin II gold), Audio Alchemy DDP-1 + PS 5 dac/pre, 20amp dedicate line CorePower 1800 PLC

Your life your decision, I love my klipschs

I agree on woofer size. I have Cerwin Vega R30. My... Reference. The 38 has 15 in woofer. I'm satisfied.

thank you for this review. i wish i coukd afford an outdoor-hardened pair of these guys, Open Baffle To Go!

Completely agree with the comments about bass and bass speaker size. A large driver does bass with such ease and so little effort.

I agree that large woofers have an ease of delivery that smaller woofers can't match. They don't have to move much. Small woofers have to have compliant surrounds to move air,which results in distortion. Open baffle speakers are cool! I have played with designing open baffles/ rear firing woofers that eliminate the box.

Ok Steve, now you HAVE to review the Teckton open baffle OB Sigma design speakers. Looking forward to that review.

A review of your wife would definitely be surprising :D and also very very perilous hahaha

I have a new reference speaker - a mass loaded transmission line. It has just a total of 14.1 grams of total Mms between the woofer and the tweeter, and it has essentially flat response in my room down to ~32Hz. The imaging is very 3 dimensional, and quite "unboxy". It is easy to place, and is designed to be close to the wall.

Big woofer can move more air, which most of you know. I have a big 70s Marantz 6-G and it's effortless. The accuracy, efficiency and speed is another story due to it's age, but it plays loud

The tweeter horn was developed long ago to solve the problem of amps of the day being low powered. The upside is horns, like megaphones, concentrate sound waves and like megaphones, they alter to sound so it is unnatural.

Welcome to OB’s Steve. I’ve owned 2 different pairs. Once OB, never a box again!

Even if I had unlimited money, I wonder if I would bother to change from my Heresy IV? I'm satisfied. I think that the change, as Steve says, draws us in and makes it sound better...for now. 😉🎸🎶🌈

Awesome that a well-known reviewer is embracing open baffles. I’m a convert who’s in the camp of NEVER going back to box speakers. Also, people seem to think that because of the large woofers OBs use, they aren’t good in small rooms. That is the exact opposite of reality. The unique side wave cancellation of dipoles means they don’t overload rooms like box speakers can do.

I remember a time when JBL 4310's were the standard reference speakers used in recording studio's and why my first pair of speakers were JBL L100 century, even tho everyone loved the Bose 901's.