Usher BE-718
Glen McLeod -- Thu, 11/26/2009 - 23:32
What is the general consensus of those who've heard this speaker: would you call this a very high resolution speaker, one good enough to be used as a reference speaker?
And is the focus of images tight enough to make it easy to get a sense of depth layering in the soundstage? Haven't seen anything about this in the reviews of the speaker, although I've seen mentioned the soundstage itself changes according to the recording. I'd been hoping to come across a review that addresses its "jump" ability, too, but the most I could see was that it has good dynamics.
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I demo'd this speaker in my system for a week. I was looking to replace my B&W Signature 805s. The Usher's resolution was on a par with the B&W Signatures. And yes, it does the soundstaging thing beautifully. Overall, I thought the Ushers were a clear upgrade in that they had a cleaner treble, more midrange body and better low-end extension. However, its most impressive attribute was its uncanny ability to draw you into the music. I think this is due to a combination of its low low levels of distortion/coloration and extremely quick reflexes. I ultimately went with the Dynaudio Confidence C1s because I thought they offered slightly better resolution and low-end extension. So, the Ushers are not the last word in resolution IMHO, but their resolution is still very good and their lack of colorations and microdynamics are reference caliber. The list of 2-way standmounts with all-around better performance is very short, especially if you want bass extension into the 30's Hz, and they will all cost you alot more.
I agree with JLeeMD; the Be-718 is exceptional, particularly for the price. It's only shortcoming is bass exension and ability to play loudly, both of which can be ameliorated by adding a subwoofer. I greatly enjoyed the time I spent with the Be-718 during the review period.
I owned the Tiny Dancers for about 10 months. Auditioning them against Vanderstein C2s I was wowed by their resolution and dynamics. Those speakers can be blamed for my return to high end audio. IMHO they were simply fantasic for the price. As I replaced my old Rotel components, which I used initially to drive the Ushers, I could easily hear the improvements (changes) each new component brought to my system. I don't know what you are comparing the Ushers to if you're auditioning for a new speaker, and of course your individual tastes will guide your decision, but for a small monitor the Ushers play much larger than their size or price will suggest. And the price of a used pair makes them worth owning even for a short time.
Robert, Whats this "controversey" with the Be-718 that even Stereophile is talking about? Does it really matter what materials are used? the 718 still made the Class A list of the magazine. Is the company planning to make changes to this model? regardless it seems like its a great sounding speaker already.
The tweeter as it turns out is not Be but actually titanium with Be coating. Usher was basically duped by their supplier and has since dropped that supplier. They are in the process of testing Be tweeters but is finding it to be a bit of a challenge as they are hearing "ringing." They have already bought a large supply of the Be coated tweeters so there shouldn't be an issue with continued availability of the Be-718s. The proof is in the pudding, as they say, as the Be-718s won all of their accolades with the Be coated tweeter. The only word of caution is this: when Usher looked into this issue they found, in addition to the tweeter being Be coated only, that there was some variation in the % Be from batch to batch...
JLeeMD is correct; the berillium tweeter is actually not pure berillium. It's not an issue to me; what matters is how it sounds.
Mr.Harley, is this Usher BE-718 better than the splendid QUAD 12L ?
I've got a pair of Wyred4Sound SX-1000 powering the QUADS through
a BEL CANTO PRe3 preamplifier, using Cardas Golden Reference (XLR)
analog interconnect cables and a humble CARY CDP-1 as digital source.
I have not heard the Quad 12L, unfortunately. The Be-718 is hard to beat at the price, in my experience.
Anyone heard more about the rumored bass modules for this speaker? I hear it's in development but will it ever go into production?
If they have it in development, I'd expect to see and hear it at the CES that starts in ten days. Watch for our on-line reports from the show on avguide.com.
Mr. Harley, you said the be-718 shortcomings can be ameliorated by adding a subwoofer, can you suggest one that can do it?
actually I had the be-718 and found that the bass kick drum and bass guitar 4th snare that has been plucked, not punchy enough, or is it just my system setup? thx
My favorite subwoofers, by far, are the JL Audio models. It might be too expensive, but you should consider the Fathom F110, the smallest sub in the Fathom line. I've used the Fathom F113 for a couple of years and have been consistently impressed by the performance. The Fathom is tight, articulate, and precise, yet can move lots of air at low frequencies. I think it would be an ideal match for the Be-718.
If the F110 is beyond your budget, check out the REL line of subs.
What is your opinion of the HSU Research VTF-2 MK2 subwoofer with the Usher Be-718 monitor speakers?
I already have this sub and wonder if the REL is really worth changing to.
thank you Mr. Harley :)
I was thinking about moving to mini dancer 2, but now I'll take a look at the Fathoms.
thank you Mr. Harley.
I was thinking about moving up to mini dancer 2, but now I'll take a look at the Fathoms.
If you really need and your listening room allows so much lower frequencies, you'd better check out the Canadian TOTEM MANI-2 Signatures.Their specs say that they drop until 29 Hz. It's lower than my DALI HELICON 400 floorstanders ( allegedly 31,5 Hz) !
Even so, if you hear music only through a stereo preamp, how are you gonna put a subwoofer in it ?
thank you BRSound,
my system is powered by usher r1.5, so I think I stuck with usher's speaker by now :(
Bobvin:
As I noted in earlier posts, I have the 718s, the pre- BE version, so I've had experience with that version for 3 years. I haven't heard the BEs, but, until I changed my outlets (I had FIM 880s until yesterday, when I installed the Oyaide R1 outlets), I noticed a lack of image focus and a few other things. Yes, they have a large soundstage, but I'm more interested in the musicians not sounding as though they're sitting atop each other and separated in space, something my Hale Revelation 3s do well. Certainly the Ushers are lower in distortion, and more coherent than the larger Hales. I wasn't sure how much more resolution the semi-beryllium tweeters add to the sound than the non-BE version, though.
Now that the Magnepan 1.7s have come out, for close to the same amount (and a dealer nearby has them), I can compare THOSE to my non-BE 718s. I am thinking, based on my experience with the Oyaide outlets, that some of the lack of low-level resolution and congestion during climaxes may have been more a function of the FIMs. At least, that's what disappeared when I replaced the FIMs with the Oyaides. I suppose I'll just have to move the 100 pound Hales out and put back in the 718s and see what happens. But either way, thanks. I'm going to wait and see what the 1.7s are like. I wish there was an Usher dealer nearby, but I don't care to audition anything in a dealer's room. The last time I did that was back in 2003, when I traveled to New York to demo the ASL Hurricanes after HP unveiled them to the audio world. They sounded truly lifeless with the Coincident speakers, and I mean they sounded BAD. If it hadn't been for HP's noting their dynamic gradations, I wouldn't have bothered. I bought them -- elsewhere -- and set them up and right out of the box, they were dazzling, more than any component I'd heard before then. So much for dealer reviews. And this is Lyric!!!! I would've thought they'd be sure to have it set up right. They had 3 days notice that I was coming. So, unless I find a nearby dealer, I'll just have to hope that Usher releases the kit they indicated they would release to '718 owners. But that was 2 year ago, and I rather doubt it. A shame, too: I'd like to have heard what the upgrade does, although I have a very good idea. A top quality tweeter does more for the entire presentation than almost anything else.
Note that Usher introduced a new diamond tweeter for the 718s at CES. I believe the current tweeter and the diamond tweeter will both be available in the future (the diamond tweeter will cost more, but I don't know how much because I don't think Usher has set the price). I also know that Usher was talking at CES about an easy upgrade path to the diamond tweeter (it sounded like it wouldn't be very costly).
CEO and Editorial Director, Nextscreen LLC
Recently, it was suggested to me that the 718 would work well with the NAD M3 as well as the Anthem 225 integrated amplifier, both moderate priced. Has anyone heard either of these combinations? Are there any other moderate priced amps that anyone has heard that work acceptably with the 718.
Finally, will the 718 work acceptably 18-20 inches from a back wall?
I have not heard the M3 with the 718s. However, the general sonic signature of the M components strikes me as fitting very well with the 718s. And the M3 has quite a bit of power as does the Anthem (from which the 718s benefit in the minds of everyone on staff who has used them).
Answering your question about placement requires a lot more knowledge of your room.
CEO and Editorial Director, Nextscreen LLC
I also think that the NAD M3 and Anthem 225 are good choices for the Be-718, although I have not heard that specific combination. The 718 benefits from a substantial amplifier driving it, and both these amplifiers should be just fine.