My first step was to test the usable in-room bass response of the Snell Acoustics LCR7 XLs. Grabbing my Rives Test CD2, I played a few test tones. It was clear that past 80Hz, the LCR7 XLs didn't have much to offer. In my room, I measured with the Radio Shack SPL corrected tones a 10dB drop between 100 and 80Hz and another 10dB between 80 and 63Hz. Part of the 80Hz is likely due partially to a suckout around that frequency in my room but it shouldn't account for all of it. Including a sub with the Snell Acoustics LCR7 XLs is an absolute must.

I've often claimed that any speaker can do movies (though obviously some better than others) but its music where the quality speakers shine. As a quick aside, with my new AV Rant sponsored PS3, this is becoming less and less true. The high definition surround formats are really showing off with a surround sound system can do. I watched Serenity on Blu-ray along with Rocky Balboa and a number of others. The dynamics of the speakers really played well with the greater dynamic range and fidelity of the DTS HD and Dolby TrueHD tracks. While I'm not sure that I could in good conscience suggest that someone purchase such high dollar speakers just for movies, but you will, in the right room, be able to hear a clear difference between the Snells and many lower dollar speakers.

It was very hard to do an objective analysis of the Snell LCR7 XLs and the Salk SongTower QWTs. The Salks have a lot more bass so I had to try to ignore that in the A/B comparison or add a sub to the Snells. Neither was a very good solution so I just ran them both full range, picked music without much low end content, and focused on the midrange and high end. In the Salk's favor, I thought they occasionally provided a bit better imaging and perhaps comparable soundstage. On every other metric (except bass response) I felt the Snells won hands down. High end clarity and extension, midrange warmth and depth, basically everything was anywhere from a bit to a lot better with the Snells. At over 3x's the price, it better be.

CD: Yello - the eye
I often use this CD for setup purposes. Honestly, it isn't all that great to listen to for enjoyment. It is electronic and contains a lot of high and low information. The high end, in particular, can get a little grating over time. First though, let's talk about the bass. One of the drawbacks of the LCR7 XLs is that they fall off pretty fast after 80Hz. This forces you to use a sub. I expected the bass to roll off much more dramatically than it did. I've heard speakers that have spec'ed bass response much lower than the Snells that didn't have usable bass as low as the LCR7 XLs. In-room the bass response was impressive considering the measurements. While you're still going to need a sub for the low end to reach the lowest octaves with authority, the midrange and high end is fully fleshed out and rich.

The high end, especially with this challenging material, was surprisingly enjoyable. Where other speakers compress and get shrill, the LCR7 XLs maintained their composure and actually allowed me to somewhat enjoy this album even at higher volumes. Of course, this was dependent on sitting off axis. As I moved the speaker around, it was obvious that a direct orientation was not to my liking. Even at lower volumes, I found the high end too fatiguing. Once I moved off axis, it was like the Snells were a different speaker. While others might suggest that this is a flaw in the speaker, I personally don't see it that way. People have different preferences especially for the high and low end. Universally, I think, people tend to appreciate a flat midrange. With the drop off of the speaker in the bass requiring a sub and the ability to "tune" the high end by turning the speaker toward you, you have a very versatile and customizable experience.

CD: Speaker Shootout Test Disk
A few months ago we did a $1500-$2000 floorstanding speaker shootout. The participants brought a selection of their favorite tracks and I kept a copy. It includes everything from Seal to Lyle Lovett. A lot of it is bass heavy tracks for testing floorstanding speakers but of course it's got tracks for midrange and high end. Male and female vocals, a variety of instruments… it's just some of the best of the music we've ever used to test speakers. The Snell Acoustics LCR7 XL performed better than any speaker I've ever experienced in my listening environment. The bass was limited in extension, of course, but what was there was linear and accurate. The midrange was clear and full. Actually, if I had to describe the LCR7 XLs in a word, it'd be rich (ironically considering the price). The depth of the soundstage was remarkable, the dynamic range never felt compressed or stunted.

SACD: Various
I pretty much went through my entire collection of SACDs with this review. Of course, the fidelity was excellent with the LCR7 XLs but straight fidelity isn't everything. Two things that I was concerned about with the LCR7 XLs were imaging and soundstage. I'm used to speakers with one great feature having it at the expense of the others. With such an airy and smooth high end, I thought that I might have some deficiencies elsewhere. My fears were mostly unfounded. The width of the soundstage with the LCR7 XLs was nearly as large as any speaker I've had in my room. Side to side pans extended well past the physical location of the speaker and nearly to the wall and beyond. The center image was solid if a bit soft at times. The wide sweet spot seemed to work slightly against the imaging of the LCR7 XLs in this regard. Not irredeemably so, however, but not as crisp as I've experienced. The more I toed in the speakers, the better this central image seemed to get but, of course, at the expense of increasing the energy of the high end. There is definitely going to be a balance here as you experiment for yourself.

Conclusion

It is clear that I love the sound of the Snell Acoustics LCR7 XL. They are certainly the best sounding speakers that I've ever had in my room. That being said, they are extremely expensive. While you can make an argument that the cost is justified by the upgraded drivers, the lack of bass response (admittedly by design) and a grill that damages the veneer with normal use, I have a hard time rating these at a very high value. Performance-wise, they are tops with a fantastically clear high end and nearly limitless power handling. These are speakers you can drive practically until your amp gives out since they seem to have no real upper limit. I'd love to have an opportunity to compare these to standard LCR7s which cost roughly a third of the XLs. At $6000, they may be extremely well performing, but there are surely a lot of other speakers in the price range that can perform similarly without the limitations. If you have the money, I can't stress enough that you should give these a listen. Heck, even if you don't, you should just so you know how good speakers can sound. Just be sure to give yourself a lot of time because once these start playing, you're not going to want to get up.

Snell Acoustics LRC7 XL

$6000/pair

Snell Acoustics
300 Jubilee Drive
PO Box 3717
Peabody, MA 01961-3717

Tel: (978) 538-6262

www.snellacoustics.com

About Snell Acoustics
For 31 years Snell Acoustics has designed and manufactured high-end loudspeakers, and has earned a reputation as one of the world’s foremost manufactures of custom-built, handcrafted speakers. Based in Peabody, Massachusetts, the company is renowned for its aesthetically pleasing hand-made cabinets, award-winning sound, and pioneering efforts with THX.™ Snell Acoustics is a wholly owned subsidiary of D&M Holdings Inc.