[jtwrace]

I've PM'd two people on this forum about them.  I would like to hear others input that have heard them and definitely if you own them. 

What do you think?  Give me pros / cons. 

And if you happen to be an owner close to NC, I'd like to hear them.  Any model is fine.

TIA

[TomS]

I've PM'd two people on this forum about them.  I would like to hear others input that have heard them and definitely if you own them. 

What do you think?  Give me pros / cons. 

TIA

I love mine, with no desire to do anything different.

Pro
- Effortless and dynamic
- Great image/sound stage without head in vise position needed
- Works well in most "normal" rooms
- Efficient, very easy to drive
- Less fatiguing
- Reasonable cost for very high performance performance (in other words, value)

Con
- Needs at least 1 sub, better yet 3-4 placed around the room
- They are fairly big, but need stout stands like a monitor would
- Not audio jewelry fit and finish, low WAF if it's an issue (not for me)
- Not readily available for auditions

[turkey]

I've PM'd two people on this forum about them.  I would like to hear others input that have heard them and definitely if you own them. 

What do you think?  Give me pros / cons. 

TIA

I have a pair of Nathans, if you want to hear about them.

[turkey]

Actually, I'd say that TomS summed things up pretty well, with the exception of the Nathans not being as physically large.

[jtwrace]

I have a pair of Nathans, if you want to hear about them.

Yes please. 

[turkey]

Yes please.

They're the best speakers I've heard. I think they are even better than the Orions, which were previously the best I had heard.

They have the dynamics and effortlessness of the best horn systems without any horn sound.

I find it very hard to describe their sound because it just depends on the recording. For instance, I have a number of Telarc recordings of The Cleveland Orchestra in Severance Hall. I can sit and listen to these and it sounds like I'm at a concert, except I didn't have to drive all the way up there. (It's not perfect, but it's astonishingly close.)

I have some recordings that sound pretty bad, and I just don't care to listen to them anymore, but most recordings are very enjoyable with these speakers.

I also listen to rock, blues, and jazz, as well as using these speakers for movies. What I hear seems to be very close to what I have heard onstage and in the recording studio.

It's like using a very good pair of headphones, but with bass you can feel and a sense of openness and a soundstage you don't get with headphones and normal stereo recordings.

When I think of all those adjectives that people use to try to describe the sound of a stereo system, I think of them in terms of recordings now. I think that a recording is dynamic, transparent, detailed, has impact, etc. The speakers just get out of the way and let what's recorded come through.

There are some drawbacks. My wife doesn't really like the way they look. The speakers I had before this looked more like furniture and she prefers that look. However, once I got her to listen to them she "got it," and now she is very fond of them indeed - or at least very fond of listening to them.

They really do require that you use subwoofers, and 3 is the recommended number. So it's a more complex system than just a pair of floorstanders or whatever. (The subs don't need to be that expensive. I paid under $400 total for mine.)

I suppose that these speakers have sort of ruined the hobby for me. I no longer have any real desire to check out other speaker systems. I don't want to look into new equipment at all. I just listen to music.

I think I might move up to a pair of Abbeys at some point, but I'm in no hurry to do so.

[jtwrace]

They have the dynamics and effortlessness of the best horn systems without any horn sound.

This is HUGE for me. 

I just listen to music.

That's awesome!

Thanks for your feedback.  I've never heard the Orions.  The best sounding speaker to me so far has been the Kaiser Acoustics but at $40k they're out of my league.  They truly did everything right for me. 

[TomS]

This is HUGE for me. 
That's awesome!

Thanks for your feedback.  I've never heard the Orions.  The best sounding speaker to me so far has been the Kaiser Acoustics but at $40k they're out of my league.  They truly did everything right for me.

I'd have to agree the Kaiser's I heard at RMAF were tops for me too.  I have no idea what the rest of that system cost, but $40k as a starting point is way out of my league too.  The Abbeys at less than 1/10th the cost with subs come darn close to that experience and I don't have nearly the associated gear.

[jtwrace]

I'd have to agree the Kaiser's I heard at RMAF were tops for me too.  I have no idea what the rest of that system cost, but $40k as a starting point is way out of my league too.  The Abbeys at less than 1/10th the cost with subs come darn close to that experience and I don't have nearly the associated gear.

The gear they were using was about another $25k. 

How close?  What percentage of the way there do you think? 

I think I have a really good front end so I should be OK in that dept.

[TomS]

The gear they were using was about another $25k. 

How close?  What percentage of the way there do you think? 

I think I have a really good front end so I should be OK in that dept.

Well, I think that was about 3 years ago and the room at the Hyatt was the size of an elementary school gym 

In percentages, maybe high 90's, whatever that means.  The total believability/palpability of human voices, overall harmonic richness, and lack of any kind if upper mid stridency or glare at all were the things that stood out to me.  Quick as lightning on plucked strings and percussion too.  My speakers are right there, and I'd venture a guess they have much more headroom.  I have a sealed GR Servo/Dymaxion and 2 dual GR OB Servo's so bass is, shall we say, more than adequate.

Really, Turkey whispered the only big downer.  The Abbeys have sort of ruined the hobby for me.  I'm spending time now doing things like fabricating stands for them, not looking to swap out gear. 

I do listen to a LOT more music end to end now.

[jtwrace]

The total believability/palpability of human voices, overall harmonic richness, and lack of any kind if upper mid stridency or glare at all were the things that stood out to me.  Quick as lightning on plucked strings and percussion too. 

YES!  They had the electrostatic sound that I love but without the glare.  On top of all of this they had oomph. 

[jhm731]

FYI - Stands are discussed here:

http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?1730-Speaker-stands-for-Geddes-speakers

[TomS]

FYI - Stands are discussed here:

http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?1730-Speaker-stands-for-Geddes-speakers

I'm gluing veneer as we speak...

[jtwrace]

FYI - Stands are discussed here:

http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?1730-Speaker-stands-for-Geddes-speakers

Thanks.  I found that earlier today. 

[jtwrace]

I'm gluing veneer as we speak...

Pics?

[jtwrace]

This quote is from http://gedlee.com/abbey.htm

The recommended listening position is off-axis, which means the on-axis hole is simply not a problem.

What would be the ideal off-axis position?

[poseidonsvoice]

Most loudspeakers have been designed to be facing out with little to no toe in. The GedLee loudspeakers are not like that. They are designed to be placed with very strong toe in, approximately 45 degrees with respect to the side wall, hence minimizing side reflections as well. The ideal seating position for the listener is then at least 2 feet behind where the speakers asymptotes cross. AudioKinesis follows a similar philosophy and setup. Take a look at my systems page for a better idea of what I mean.

Anand.

[jtwrace]

Most loudspeakers have been designed to be facing out with little to no toe in. The GedLee loudspeakers are not like that. They are designed to be placed with very strong toe in, approximately 45 degrees with respect to the side wall, hence minimizing side reflections as well. The ideal seating position for the listener is then at least 2 feet behind where the speakers asymptotes cross. AudioKinesis follows a similar philosophy and setup. Take a look at my systems page for a better idea of what I mean.

Anand.

Yes, I read that and saw that already.  That's what Dr. Geddes is speaking about?  Did you see the quote that I posted?  It seems that he means that the listener would sit off axis.  No?

[poseidonsvoice]

The listener is off axis with respect to the center of the loudspeaker (or the 0 degree axis of the speaker).

Anand.

[jtwrace]

The listener is off axis with respect to the center of the loudspeaker (or the 0 degree axis of the speaker).

Anand.

Got it!