AudioCircle
Audio/Video Gear and Systems => Enclosures => Topic started by: mort on 6 Mar 2010, 05:43 am
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Im just curious to hear what A/Cer's were blown away by. Include amps if you so desire and where you auditioned them. For me I have experienced so many over the years Including Wilson Audios Flagship Alexandria 25's , B&W Nautilus and Nautilus scm1's along with the 800 series over the years. I wont forget the maggies Particularily the 20.1 system. Mcintosh impresed me with their 2000 watt xrt2k combined with their largest amp's. Because of the unanimus A/C support of VMPS and Salk I have in the past three years had listinings, the song towers particularily impressed. It is still not hard to decide, I love Martin Logans particularily the most impresive speakers I have listend to would be the Prodigy's or Odysseys. Any electrostat they produce even there entry level designs sound spectacular. Mabey it's that electrostat sound, Imaging, sound staging and attack that grabs me, I am sold. I have never listend to the statement e-two's but would pay good money to hear them.
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I have my short list from the years. In no particular order,
B&W Silver Signature
Krell LAT-2
Wilson MAXX 2
Vandersteen 1, 2, 3, etc
Martin Logan Prodigy
Zu Druid MKIV
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Can't recall the exact model, but if other Ravers see this the'll know.
Ascendo, I think the C2 model? At Audio 202 in Far Hills NJ.
And now Brett says he has much better electronics in front of them. :o
Yowzers
-Mike
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:D Ascendo C8's are all the talk ???? big sales right now.... :thumb: :D
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Best I have heard are Vandersteen Model 7's.
NB
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Not sure if they are "the best", but the Magico M6's were pretty darn good...
I have heard them on multiple occasions at Goodwins and have walked away wondering how I can get my system to sound like that.
http://www.ultraaudio.com/opinion/20090301.htm
George
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Ascendo M-S
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Mine would be:
http://kaiser-akustik.com/
and
http://mbl-usa.com/View.aspx/2101/mbl-101---MK-II
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Can't recall the exact model, but if other Ravers see this the'll know.
Ascendo, I think the C2 model? At Audio 202 in Far Hills NJ.
And now Brett says he has much better electronics in front of them. :o
Yowzers
-Mike
I didn't hear the Ascendos when I was there, I was on a mission. 8) But Brett tells me my Sunny's are his speaker of choice to simply relax into music, and what he would personally own.
Maybe a sales pitch? :scratch: :o :thumb:
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Interesting... Lots of German speakers.
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Interesting... Lots of German speakers.
Like cars, they know how to design / build stuff. :drool:
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I've heard several and it's hard to pick a favorite. Large Wisdom Adrenaline speakers with Krell and Rowland amps at my crazy cousin's house (cousin through marriage, not technically related). They sounded big and impressive but the music choices were not to my liking. Also, these were my first exposure to high-end speakers in a home setting. I'm not kidding about the "crazy". This guy was married to my cousin (she is a sweetheart with two beautiful kids) and without her knowlege or consent he completely wiped out her 401K, stopped paying morgage (foreclosed last year), stopped making car payments (it was reposessed) and spent over $75K on the most kick-ass system I have ever seen in a home. Don't know where the system is or where he is (probably living in the boxes those speakers came in) but I know several other cousins who would like to get their hands on him (different story!). He might have been crazy, and will never be a contender for "dad of the year" but he put together a great sounding system.
Large Magnepan MG20.1's in a dedicated room. Never heard these with rock or contemporary music, just jazz and classical. Also, the owner was older and he played music at lower levels than I typically do. Midrange response was the best I have ever heard. Ever. Bass was better than I expected and overall sound was magic. If I ever have a house big enough (oh, and the $$$) for several systems, that house will have a dedicated Maggie room. They might not sound like live music (they sounded "bigger" than live music) but I love the way they sound.
Bambergaudio Series 5's (I think that's what they call the new model). The ones I heard at Steve's house driven by his MASSIVE (I'm not joking about this) Class A, DIY versions of Pass amps (they have giant CNN machined aluminum plates and each amp weighs over 100 lbs) were truly amazing and memorable. I remember where I was sitting when he hit "play" on the CDP. Phil B knows how to make speakers that sound great from top to bottom. The bass on these speakers is what really stood out but the mids and highs were as holographic as I have ever heard. I have similar speakers and thought they sounded pretty darn good, but Steve's system sounded much better. We listened to jazz, blues, rock and they never sounded less than stellar, even at very high levels. For the money, I have not heard anything that compares to the speakers I heard that day. I still can't figure out why these guys don't get more exposure because they make excellent speakers. :scratch:
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Ascendo M-S
interesting All of the Ascendo line seem to share a version (exept for the wave guide, same spects) as the ribbon tweets in my sunfire cinema ribbon dou's a tweeter developed by Sunfire based on the amazing loudspeaker ribbon by Bob Carver. $35-$75 on partsonline. That loudspeaker retails for $45000!!
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1) Magnepan 3.6
2) Nomad Audio Ronin
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Vandersteen 5A's. I wish I could hear the 7's.
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Genesis Model 1.1 in Taipei in a music store (!) amazed me, with big Usher ss amps.
Maggie's on VTL tube amps were a moving experience too.
Dynaudio Evidence Temptation with Cary amps and front end was nice in a local store.
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Maggie 3.6's at CES/The Show a few years ago.
I cannot remember the gear before it, but man it made nice sound 8)
I owned modded MMG's at the time...and it was there I realized the difference(s) were pretty substantial between the real ribbon tweeter 3.6 (and 20.1) and the lower end of their series with quasi-ribbons.
What gorgeous, heavenly sound it was :guitar:
John
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Tonian Classic 12.1 S at Acoustic Image in Studio City, Ca. It was at a gathering of the LA/OC Audiophile Society (I am not a member). I went to meet Tony Minasian (the designer) and retrieve my CD I had left there when I demo'd the TL-D1s (which I bought) and was blown away, seduced, lulled and captivated when I heard the Classics. Needless to say, I stayed there for the better part of a couple of hours. Those PHY drivers are the finest I've ever heard.
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:D some of these speakers are north 50 grand....the Maggie 3.6's are 5 grand and i do like them as they are in my basement with 1.1KW's feeding them.a good source makes them sing sweet without a doubt.highs and mids to kill for,not bad for a 20 year old design.you do need a sub or two if your rockin'. :thumb: :D
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Quad ESL-2905 with BAT electronics and Merrill turntable with Dynavector arm and cartridge.
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Like cars, they know how to design / build stuff. :drool:
Hopefully with better reliability.
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Salk HT-4 speakers. The final version will be displayed for the first time at the coming AKFest the first weekend in May.
Frank Van Alstine
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Magico M5, without a doubt the best I've heard.
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JM Labs Grand Utopia w/all Audio Research
gear at the Audio Research Factory. Second
would be the Watt/Puppy 7's at the same place.
Properly set up in a well treated room they are
both just spooky good.
Hibuck...
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Sonicweld Pulserod (at CES two years ago, and every day since)
Martin Logan Statements with VTL at CES a while back (were at Caesars Palace).
MBL, two and three years ago at CES (not this last year).
Magico at CES 2009 (not this last year).
Big Wilson's with Lamm at CES 2010.
However, all were "systems". A great pair of speakers does not a system make.
Peace,
Lee
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Vandersteen 5a and Salk HT-3 have impressed me the most, especially the 5a's. But there are so many loudspeakers I'd love to hear, so many systems out there, it's mindbogling the variations that can be put together that it's nearly impossible to pinpoint the finest loudspeaker w/o taking into account the rest of the chain. But so much fun trying,, :D
Cheers,
Robin
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(in no particular order)
- Apogee "The Apogee" (tri-amped with Boulder I believe)
- MBL 101e (though I believe this was paired with 4 of the enormous MBL monoblocks)
- VMPS RM/X (biamped with four Spectron monoblocks)
I've always loved the transparency of planar/ribbon systems, but the above examples were the only ones that kept that with true-to-life dynamics. To each their own. :)
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HT4 today. Definitely the nicest speaker I have ever spent a day with. There are plenty of great speakers out there I am sure, but for me these things are scary good.
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MBL reference
Proac D38
Pipedreams, set up right, ..you have no idea..forget the shows :lol:
There are so many great speakers but these guys do it with panache and love.
Karl
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GamuT S-9's, my current reference.
The YG Acoustics Anats, pretty darn close
MartinLogan CLX w/Gotham Sub
Verity Audio Lohengrin II's
Avalon Sentinels
And the Wilson X-2's that I heard at Dave Wilsons house. Everywhere else, no big deal, but Mr. Wilson himself has a fantastic setup in his house.
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And the Wilson X-2's that I heard at Dave Wilsons house. Everywhere else, no big deal, but Mr. Wilson himself has a fantastic setup in his house.
Ah, forgot to list that system. Yeah, there is some amazing sound in that dedicated room at Dave and Sheryl Lee's house...
Lee
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I have intentially avoided listening to speakers that I can't afford, and because of that, my Salk HT2-TLs are the best speakers I've ever heard :thumb:
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Carfrae Little Big Horn :drool:
Driven by custom made Audio Note gear.
Very Niiiice!!!! :D
(http://)
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Kharma Ceramique, Vandersteen 5, and Rockport speakers I heard at Stereophile show in NYC years ago.
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Von Schweikert VR-11
I liked the Evolution Acoustics MM3 at RMAF a couple years ago.
The TAD room at CES this year was pretty darn good.
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Ahhhh....speakers...I like speakers...because without them, I couldn't hear the music... :wink: :lol:
They come in all sizes and shapes - I've heard many....and so many brands...makes your head spin. :o
Back in 2008, at RMAF , I heard a really good pair that I really enjoyed. Not the biggest, nor the smallest...but just right. :D
The Kaiser Kawero loudspeakers....
(http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue39/images/P1013115.jpg)
A few review comments...they have a better way with words...
The LessLoss Audio Devices room featured a pair of Mastersound Marconi 845
mono tube amps driving a pair of German-made Kaiser Kawero loudspeakers
(approximately $50,000/pair). Interconnect cabling was by Echole. Each of the
Mastersound amps uses two 845 tubes for a total output of 50 Watts.
It was design of the Kaiser Kawero speakers that impressed me the most. From the
front, the Kawero looks like your every-day 95-Kilogram two-way speaker utilizing a
ribbon tweeter. It is substantially more than that, however. On the rear of the
speaker are a second cone midrange and the cone bass driver; the reflex port is in
the bottom of the speaker. The RAAL ribbon tweeter can be positioned
independently of the rest of the cabinet so that midrange imaging can be optimized
without compromising high frequency dispersion. The midrange unit on the front of
the speaker is usable down to 70 Hz! This is remarkably low for any midrange driver.
According to Rainer Weber, Technical Director at Kaiser GmbH, the speaker was
designed to keep the entire vocal range free of crossover problems. The Kaiser
does not use a metal plate to mount its single pair of WBT binding posts on the rear
of the speaker. It sets the binding posts in a wooden plate, a different type of wood
than that used in the cabinet. Kaiser believes that this reduces resonance problems
that could affect the incoming signal. A smaller wooden ring is inset into the top of
the speaker where the ribbon tweeter plugs into it, for the same reason. The overall
design is best described by the word “fanatical.” As Rainer pointed out when he
showed me the Kaiser’s shipping crates, “Our shipping crates are better built than
most manufacturers’ speaker cabinets.”
You know something is right when you play Mahler's Symphony No.2 through 50W Mastersound Finals 845 SET monoblocks and not very large Kaiser Kawero 92dB-sensitive speakers and experience an image of tremendous size and weight that effortlessly captures the essence of the symphonic experience.
I totally agree.....a really great sounding system.... :dance:
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Yeah, Chris I couldn't make up my mind to even post a favorite, but the Kaiser speakers in that system had to be among the very best for sure. Definitely one for all seasons.
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Yeah, Chris I couldn't make up my mind to even post a favorite, but the Kaiser speakers in that system had to be among the very best for sure. Definitely one for all seasons.
And if you remember Tom....they were in a very big room...and sound was not a problem...sounded very good... 8)
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Quad 2905s (I haven't heard any of the large electrostats: Soundlabs, etc., would really like to).
Peak Consult Empress
There are others I've liked a lot: Von Schweikert VR7s & 6s in a multi-channel setup; Maggie 3.6s; JM Labs Utopias; and more, but the first two are the standouts.
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Wow, what a tough question. So many speakers I haven't heard..... Of the ones I have, probably Magnepan 20.(?) and Thiel 3.(?) at the House of Stereo back in the early to mid 90's in Jacksonville, Florida. The Thiels were almost perfect in the room they were playing (amazing bass for their size), but the Maggies playing Pat Metheny "Secret Story" damn near made me cry. I never wanted a loudspeaker so badly in all my life, and I owned Acoustat 1+1's at the time, which were pretty darn good. To this day it's my dream loudspeaker.
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Ahhhhhh.......Mastersound 845 monos. Definitely on my lust list! :banana piano:
Actually, just about any 845 amp is -- with the right speaker. :thumb:
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Revel Ultima Salon 2
Wilson Audio Maxx Series 3
Steinway Lyngdorf Model D
Three very different speakers.
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Other than my own and what we carry (hahahaha I'm unashamedly biased of course!) here are a few that have impressed me.
Of the Big 'ol giants....
ALE based horn array of Victor Sierra ( formerly of Sierra-Brooks)
Perfect 8
Pipedreams (curiously I like these more than their new offering the Sceana)
Of the Medium Sized.....
Gershman Black Swan
Magico V3
Israel Blume's prototype Coincident at CES 08 (I hope these went into production)
Quad 2905
Bang for the buck
Emerald Physics original baby, I haven't heard the new models
Monitor Audio Platinum monitors
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Klipsch RF-83's
(http://www.oslohificenter.no/merker/klipsch/img/b/RF-83_b.jpg)
This is one of the finest speakers I have ever listened to. They peel music apart like an orange, do it mercilessly.
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War audio reference one...
Only ten or so pairs were ever made. They don't make the bass driver any more, so I'm rather glad I bought a pair.
I went looking for a review, but could only find the reference two mentioned anywhere. Its big sister.
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I probably don't get out enough, but I'm learning to love my speakers (not recognized as world beaters, but not slouches either) all over again after recently having them "EnABLed". But I've spent years on the associated equipment and room to get everything the way I like, so hopefully I should like them.
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The Salk HT4. Words can’t really do justice to the experience the HT4’s offer.
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Energy 22 Connoisseur References (with built in pedestals) circa 1988.
Infinity Kappa 9 (at the same saloon)
both of them driven by Sumo Andromeda II mosfet amplifier and Sumo Athena I preamplifier with a large, Denon CDP.
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Pipedreams.
Magico M5
Sound Lab
Snell A1
MBL
charles
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Sequerra Metronome 2 + 2W with T-1 ribbon tweeters
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Nelson Reed 804's
I'd still put these up against just about anything made today at any pricepoint
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Shahinian Diapason's
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wilson maxx and sonus faber strads both contributed to my largest jaw drops...different from each other but both pretty damn convincing .....Maggies have also impressed the heck out of me.......in my very small room, my von schweikert unifield 3s do a pretty great job too though.....
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-infinity reference standard irs-3's
(http://www.infinity-forum.de/Images/IRS_4.jpg)
-jadis eurythmies
(http://www.gruponeva.es/userfiles/EURYTHME%5B1%5D.jpg)
doug s.
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Probably the big Sound Labs and the Vandy 5A's.
An audition that stands out in memory would be Acoustat 1+1's driven by Spectral amplifiers fed by an all Linn analog front end playing some easy on the ear choral music. Strikingly beautiful.
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Can't give all the credit to the speakers, but the Avalon / Spectral / MIT cables 2C3D system from about 15 years ago was the finest sound I've ever heard.
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The GedLee Nathan.
The only things that would beat them are the GedLee Abbeys or GedLee Summa Cum Laudes.
The previous champ was the Linkwitz Orion. They're much more expensive though, and they don't sound as good.
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What I have now is the best speaker I have ever heard. They don't have a name per se but the most prominent player in the package is the Acoustic Horn AH300 wideband midrange horn. It's perfectly time-aligned and utterly coherent from 400 Hz. to 14,000 Hz. Great dynamic ability and exceptional detail, both macro and micro. Unforgettable, loud or soft.
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Meadowlark Blue Heron II driven by Jolida Musical Envoy monoblocks and preamp and a Shanling CDT-100 source.
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/0105/meadowlarkblueheron.htm
http://www.tnt-audio.com/ampli/musicenvoy_e.html
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/Magazine/equipment/0902/shanling.htm
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Sound Lab A3
Maggie 20.1
Magico Mini's
Haven't heard the Vandy 7's yet but I understand they're something special.
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A few that come top of mind as among the finest I have heard....Duke's Jazz modules were terrific at LSAF a couple years back....I liked what I heard with Danny Richie's Super V, even thought I only heard the rough out prototypes....Keith Herron of Herron audio has a pair of speakers he hasn't marketed yet, but he's had them at several shows where I've been to his room, and they've always seemed to sound exceptional to me...Raidho Ayra 3.0's stole my heart at RMAF 08 and again at CES, something special about those....and as a couple folks mentioned before I sure liked what I heard from Ascendo, I heard the C8's over the holidays at a friend of mine's house and just thought they sounded fantastic, I need to find a way to hear models further up their line someday soon...
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Salk HT-4s and Wilson Maxx 4s.
HT-4s made me wish, but the Wilsons made me dream. Especially since they are currently at my local used audio gear shop, for a paltry $20k.
I admit my reactions are probably colored by the price tag. Wish I could have heard them in the same room.
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I can't say I've heard many systems where I felt enamoured with the sound. Maybe I have unreasonable tastes, but I usually walk away thinking that it was just ok, but this or that wasn't quite right. The best I have heard to date was Dr. Geddes' system in his HT. No small part was the fantastic room, as the same speakers upstairs in an untreated room left me scratching my head.
I can't say I've ever heard a 6.5" woofer based speaker (including my own) that I've ever really truely liked other than for soft listening.
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Let's see...
Oswald Mills 3-ways with the horn midrange
Feastrex OBs at the '09 RMAF
Merlin Towers
Ridge St. Audio's granite monitors
Some HUGE Von Schweikert speakers
THE big MBLs
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I can't say I've ever heard a 6.5" woofer based speaker (including my own) that I've ever really truely liked other than for soft listening.
that's why active outboard subwoofer set-ups rule! :green: combined w/quality monitors, they can outperform many far costlier full-range speakers, imo. i have had two monitors, one w/6.5" wooefers (meret re's), the other w/4'5" (?!?) woofers (proac tablette 8 reference 8 signatures); crossed over to subs at 80hz. these sounded great, went loud w/o compression, and threw a huge soundstage in a 26x38x8.5 room...
ymmv,
doug s.
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I can't say I've ever heard a 6.5" woofer based speaker (including my own) that I've ever really truely liked other than for soft listening.
Here is a 6 1/2" based speaker that doesn't have a problem with volume or low bass. It also rate as one of the top speakers that I have heard. With all due respect to Arthurs, behold the mighty LS-9. :bowdown:
(http://cgim.audiogon.com/i/vs/s/f/1196040068.jpg)
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Wilson Maxx 4s.
They have a new Maxx this soon? :scratch:
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Well this happened years and years ago and I have never had the experience since....
The 1st stereophile show in So. Cal. I walk into a room and sit down in front of Apogee speakers. The amps and preamp were Meitner and the source was the VPI HW19 with the Emminent Technology arm and I did not notice the cartridge.
A man named Jason Bloom introduced the system and then put on a record. The record has some singers and there was a guitar playing. There was absolutely no artifact of the guitar's sound that did not sound completely real. I sat with my jaw open and wanted to stand up and shout; "that's not possible!". I literally could not believe that the guitar was a recording.
I have heard my share of systems but that experience has never been replicated. I was a dealer for Sound Lab and we also had the biggest VMPS in our shop at the time but nothing else has ever come close.
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They have a new Maxx this soon? :scratch:
They are still the Maxx 3's
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They have a new Maxx this soon? :scratch:
Apparently not. I could have swore the little card sitting on top of the speakers said Maxx 4, but on their website (which I just checked) they are listed as Maxx 2.
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<snip>
However, all were "systems". A great pair of speakers does not a system make.
Peace,
Lee
This is the crux of the matter.
To that end the best I ever experienced was in 1996 at a tiny audio salon in Portland, OR. The system consisted of Hales Design Group Concept Five speakers driven by all YBA Signature electronics and IIRC cabling was MIT. These coffin sized speakers simply disappeared leaving a jazz quartet before me that was stunning in it's realistic presentation. The drum kit was fantastically lifelike and as the drummer played the various toms they literally seemed to wrap around and behind the right speaker. The stand-up bass was coming from behind the left speaker and the sax and piano were in the front of the soundstage and seemed so close I felt I could lean forward in my chair and touch them. Instrument height and depth was perfect.
I have never had this experience anywhere else before or since.
FWIW & YMMV,
Jake
Edited for spelling and grammer. :duh:
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I used to be all about hyper detail, transparency, and slam. Now, I'm more into easy musicality first, and all that other stuff second. With that in mind, here's my 2.
Sonus Faber Stradivari Homage:
(http://www.upscaleaudio.com/updates/stradivari_pair.jpg)
And the Hansen Audio King:
(http://www.hansenaudio.com/pviews/KINGpv0%28Wine_Glass%29.jpg)
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None.
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Here is a 6 1/2" based speaker that doesn't have a problem with volume or low bass. It also rate as one of the top speakers that I have heard. With all due respect to Arthurs, behold the mighty LS-9. :bowdown:
(http://cgim.audiogon.com/i/vs/s/f/1196040068.jpg)
Cracks me up seeing the way the room used to look before the upgrade....I hadn't looked at a picture of it in awhile...wow.
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Cracks me up seeing the way the room used to look before the upgrade....I hadn't looked at a picture of it in awhile...wow.
Art,
What a dump your old room was - I can totally see why you needed to update it - NOT!!!! :lol:
George
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Art,
What a dump your old room was - I can totally see why you needed to update it - NOT!!!! :lol:
George
Most of would kill for a space as good as what Art used to have. I have to work with windows all around, tile floor, piano, tv, art work, oddly layed out and irregular room, wife, and a somewhat housebroken terrier.
Scott
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Wow, some very cool speakers in this thread! Those Sonus look like works of art. I've never heard them but if they were mine, I'd listen with the lights on!
Cheers,
J
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Shahinian Diapason's
Forgot about those. BRILLIANT !!!! Classics.
charles
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Apogee Full Range. :o
Still in production? Then it would be the Sound Lab U-1's.
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Ahhhh....speakers...I like speakers...because without them, I couldn't hear the music...
No Chris, without them you would have nothing to hold you up :lol:
My personal favorite to date was the Usher D2 with it's original TAD driver, modified x-overs and high power tubes. 100 watts of triode power driving them below :drool: This is not to say they are the best I have heard but a speaker I miss the most.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=27833)
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My personal favorite to date was the Usher D2 with it's original TAD driver, modified x-overs and high power tubes. 100 watts of triode power driving them. This is not to say they are the best I have heard but a speaker I miss the most.
I'm guessing this says something about the importance of dynamic capability in a system.
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I'm guessing this says something about the importance of dynamic capability in a system.
This speakers could be driven with an alarm clock radio but to get the 15" drivers moving, big dynamic control played it's part. The amps on the top shelf of the rack are 1.5 watt 45 amps. They produced beautiful music with these speakers. An 8 watt 300B would lift the ceiling tiles. That kind of power was not needed. Most listening was done with a 50 watt tube amp.
they were simply fun speakers.
Not too many people could accomidate 6 foot tall, 650 lb (each) speakers.
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My friends VMPS RM-V60 / VLA Four Piece Reference System... WOW!
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?action=systems;area=browse;system=798
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Tonian Classic 12.1 S at Acoustic Image in Studio City, Ca. It was at a gathering of the LA/OC Audiophile Society (I am not a member). I went to meet Tony Minasian (the designer) and retrieve my CD I had left there when I demo'd the TL-D1s (which I bought) and was blown away, seduced, lulled and captivated when I heard the Classics. Needless to say, I stayed there for the better part of a couple of hours. Those PHY drivers are the finest I've ever heard.
How would you compare the Classic 12.1 to your TL-D1s?
I have a pair of TL-D1s and am ordering the Classic 12.1. If my room were not cavernous the TL-D1 would be the last speaker I would need - but it is.
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Well of course the last set of speakers I just built are the best I've ever heard.
No question about it.
Bob
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Von Schweikert VR-11s
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I have owned or auditioned in my home Dahlquist, Thiel, Vandersteen, Sound Labs, Martin-Logan, and now Maggie 1.6s.
The finest sound I've heard? The first time I heard my (now) wife's voice over the phone. I was gobsmacked. :o
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Well of course the last set of speakers I just built are the best I've ever heard.
No question about it.
Bob
What speakers did you build Bob?
-Nick
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Not in any particular order the best I have heard are:
Salk HT4, Gedlee Summa, Verity Audio Sarastro II, Rockport Aquila, Supravox 215-2000 EXC field coil, Pi Speakers 4 Pi
I could live happily with any of these designs. I owned the Supravox field coil and now currently have the 4 Pi speakers.
-Nick
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What speakers did you build Bob?
-Nick
Hey Nick,
My comment was slightly tongue in cheek. Meaning that (of course) since I spent the time and effort of building something, that mentally it's always going to sound better than if I hadn't. :lol:
But to answer your question, I've built numerous pair of Open Baffle speakers with 15" Hawthorne Audio drivers in them. If you're interested, I can show links to build threads.
Bob
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I would say a pair of Martin Logan Summit Xs powered by a pair of Pass Labs XA160.5s. This is what I have in my dedicated 2CH reg.
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First, any decent speaker must produce a solid 3D image. So strike dipoles or arrays immediately. And you may want to strike "2.1" designs (that use two mid/woofers with one doing bass/mid-bass only).
Second, any good speaker (for music) must produce 30 - 20k. So strike nearly any standmounts. Active designs are the exception. I heard the old Paradigm Active 20 years ago and was gobsmacked.
Third, any great speaker must be capable of producing life like dynamics without colorations. So strike low to medium efficiency speakers that can't handle literally thousands of watts of power or nearly all horn designs that exhibit excessive air compression in the throat or flexing of the horn itself.
Fourth, the finest speakers would be active with EQ customized to the room.
Now what does that leave (that I can afford)?
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First, any decent speaker must produce a solid 3D image. So strike dipoles or arrays immediately. And you may want to strike "2.1" designs (that use two mid/woofers with one doing bass/mid-bass only).
the only problem w/this is that arrays produce some of the best solid 3-d imaging extant, so why would i strike them? (i cannot speak for dipoles.) at the top of my list are the old infinity irs-lll's - solid imaging (and everything else, for that matter) to die for...
Second, any good speaker (for music) must produce 30 - 20k. So strike nearly any standmounts. Active designs are the exception. I heard the old Paradigm Active 20 years ago and was gobsmacked.
i disagree - first, 20hz-20khz is the requirement for me. second, a standmount crossed to a pair of quality subs will get you there.
Third, any great speaker must be capable of producing life like dynamics without colorations. So strike low to medium efficiency speakers that can't handle literally thousands of watts of power or nearly all horn designs that exhibit excessive air compression in the throat or flexing of the horn itself.
no problem - i will stick w/low efficiency designs that can handle power, and horns that are accurate...
Fourth, the finest speakers would be active with EQ customized to the room.
i agree that active eq rocks. i used my deqx w/a pair of $20 craigslist sansui sp2500's and the results were nothing short of astounding...
Now what does that leave (that I can afford)?
plenty plenty plenty for a reasonable outlay, especially if you are willing to shop used. $4k can get you oh-so-close to the best, imo; which i consider reasonable, considering we are talking "finest".
ymmv,
doug s.
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First, any decent speaker must produce a solid 3D image. So strike dipoles or arrays immediately. And you may want to strike "2.1" designs (that use two mid/woofers with one doing bass/mid-bass only).
The image depends upon the recording too, so scratch any speakers that _always_ produce a solid 3D image.
I agree about scratching the line arrays, although for different reasons. As for dipoles, Linkwitz Orions image quite well.
Second, any good speaker (for music) must produce 30 - 20k. So strike nearly any standmounts. Active designs are the exception. I heard the old Paradigm Active 20 years ago and was gobsmacked.
It depends upon what kind of music you're listening to. There are a lot of recordings with nothing below 40 Hz. Then there are some recordings of pipe organs that go far lower. However, in general I would say that most of what you'd hear below 30-40 Hz is just noise and not music.
I don't think speakers need to go up to 20K. There just isn't anything to be heard that high in most cases, and certainly not at the listening position.
Third, any great speaker must be capable of producing life like dynamics without colorations. So strike low to medium efficiency speakers that can't handle literally thousands of watts of power or nearly all horn designs that exhibit excessive air compression in the throat or flexing of the horn itself.
Power compression is a real problem. In addition, it seems that most of the drivers sold by companies making consumer drivers aren't really that good.
Proper waveguide designs don't display either of the things you mention. As for horns, they're ok for soccer games, hostage negotiators, or the tannoy at a railway station in the UK.
Fourth, the finest speakers would be active with EQ customized to the room.
Passive networks can work just fine. In fact, I feel the finest speakers around are ones with passive networks. (Although the crossover to the subs will likely be active, and EQ for the subs may be useful.)
Now what does that leave (that I can afford)?
How much can you afford?
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I'm with Bob. I built my own full range system with Geddes Abbeys and 2 subs. It's best I have heard - but I haven't heard that many different systems.
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Now what does that leave (that I can afford)?
The Bose Wave Radio? :dunno:
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Martin Logan E2 Statements at an invite at Sound Advice in Sarasota(now closed) :thumb:
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Proac Response 3.8. It was quite a few years ago I had a chance to sit and really listen to them. They were the last speakers I heard that blew me away. Since that experience I have listened to some fine speakers that were much more expensive but none of them left an impression on me the way those 3.8s did.
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I heard a new system a few weeks ago that really blew me away. I haven't heard one do that in quite a while. I've heard systems that do some things better than it, but I haven't heard a system carry a tune and just boogie like this one did -
Full Naim system:
NAC 252 pre-amp
NAP 300 amp
HDX music server
N-DAC
Ovator S600 speakers
There may have been an outboard power supply in there. Not sure.
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Proac Response 3.8. It was quite a few years ago I had a chance to sit and really listen to them. They were the last speakers I heard that blew me away. Since that experience I have listened to some fine speakers that were much more expensive but none of them left an impression on me the way those 3.8s did.
I have a buddy (with very good ears) who loves the 3.8 -- probably his fave also. And he's heard lots. Swears it even handily beats a very well set up pair of Vandy 5A. That is some accomplishment since I think the Vandy is an incredible speaker.
I've never heard the Proac, but my tastes and priorities are typically aligned with his, so I sure do look forward to it. :thumb:
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For me the best are:
GR Research Super V
Linkwitz Orion
GR Research V2
GR Research LS9 at Arthurs house
Big Soundlab
Green Mountain Audio Imago IV
Wilson Audio Sophia
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- Vandersteen (any of their models) - very musically engaging
- my older brother's maggie 20.1 driven by all audio research electronics & linn sondek vinyl
- dynaudio special 25 driven by beefy musical fidelity amp
- speakers for head (my beyerdynamic T1 headphones driven by matching a1 amp)
- best of best.....just purchased pair of Esoteric MG20...speed, immediacy and transparency of electrostat, imaging of a mini-monitor, large soundstage and warmth of best floorstander.
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Shindo Latour
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The best speakers I've heard:
Adam Audio Tensor Beta - Easily trounced Wilson Maxx 2's and Wilson Watt/Puppy 8 (and Sasha) I've listened to.
Gedlee Abbey - I currently own the Abbey 12a and Harpers. I have also heard the Nathan
Linkwitz Orion
Wilson Audio Maxx 2
Sonus Faber Stradivari Homage
Wilson Sasha
Vandersteen 5A
Take care,
Ian
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:D buy and sell,what a game we play.two sets of speakers that came but never let go,Proac D38's and Maggie 3.6's......i have yet to try the Maggies with a couple of good subs,but i bet that will be greatness.the 38's are very good value. :D
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Got em right now, the GamuT S9's.
Runner ups:
YG Acoustics Anat II Studio
Verity Audio Lohengrin II
Avalon Sentinel
Martin Logan CLX
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Correction to my previous post: It is the Proac Response D38 that my buddy raves about and prefers to Vandy 5A, and just about everything else.
The Response 3.8 is an older and discontinued model.
:duh:
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Short list:
Pi 3 Pro's with Pi 3 subs
Emerald Physics CS1.3
Classic Audio T1.4
Jim Griffin Line Arrays with (12) CSS WR125S midwoofers and (9) Aurum Cantus G3i-130 ribbons
Sanders 10C
AudioKinesis Dreammakers
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Infinity IRS REF III's
GR-Research LS-9's
GR-Research Super-V's
B&W 801 Series II
:thumb:
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In no particular order:
IMF TLS80
QUAD ELS63
Gale 401
Lecson HL1
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Would be nice if one of you with the time on your hands to spreadsheet this information.
Kind of a "scorecard", if you will. :eyebrows:
Bob
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Would be nice if one of you with the time on your hands to spreadsheet this information.
Kind of a "scorecard", if you will. :eyebrows:
Bob
Funny I was just thinking that right before your post. It seems we could get a pretty definative picture, at least of the golden ears on A/C. Ill see what I can do.
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I have never listend to the statement e-two's but would pay good money to hear them.
The idea of paying money to listen to the best speakers you have heard reminded me of this report from StereoMojo's Best Sound at Show award at the recent CES and The Home Entertainment (THE) Show, found near the bottom of http://stereomojo.com/CES%202010%20Show%20Report/CES2010ShowReportPart7BestofShowAwards.htm
I've included the whole quote for context but have bolded for those who want to skim.
Mark
There's no denying that this is an expensive system. We almost passed it by altogether. It was the last room we ventured into just a few minutes before the show officially closed.
We had heard DarTzeel components before. We knew they were megabuck icons, not something we'd ever review. And we'd certainly never heard of Evolution Speakers. Probably just another overpriced speaker system. A couple of ceramic drivers and nice enough lacquered cabinets, but nothing special compared to all the monstrosities we'd seen that weekend and at countless shows before. Not surprisingly, this system was heard at The Home Entertainment Show, not CES. Things just seem to be better at THE Show. Only real hardcore music and audio loves venture there, not the teaming hoards the populate the massive Consumer show,
The moment we entered the room though, we knew there was something special going on. The room was crowded with several people standing outside the door, peering in as if something cool was happening. When they saw our Stereomojo badges, they eventually ushered Darby to the center chair.
Usually when you go into a megabuck room such as this ( Kondo in particular), you'd think you were at the last green at the Master's Tournament waiting for the final putt. There's a hushed reverence. Eerie. Not here. Everyone was so relaxed and jovial, like they had all just smoked some very happy weed. The room's hosts were playing a selection from Reference Recording's "Tutti" disk, one we know very well. Though we had heard that track thousands of times before, we had never heard it like THIS!
We're not even going to try to describe the sound. All we can say is that this was not just the best sound at this show, it was the best sound at ANY show we've EVER heard. In fact, we can state that it's the best stereo reproduction we have ever heard...period. And that friends, is saying a lot.
Yes, the DarTzeel amps ( NHB-458 monoblocks, whose 1000Wpc cost $135,000, but that's a pair - not each...ahem), and preamp (NHB-18 NS - $29,000 - but it includes a phono stage...gasp) together cost around $300,000. Cables by Evolution as well and all the other ancillary gear probably added quite a bit more. The Playback Systems MPS-5 Reference SACD/CD costs another $15,000.
However, the Evolution Acoustics model MMtwo speakers were not anywhere close to those numbers, or close to any of the megalithic (we made that one up, too) speakers we saw. The Evolutions weigh 375 pounds (!) and sell for only $35,000 per pair. The "only" is in contrast to all the other six-figure speakers at the show.
They are 53" tall, 18'" wide and 30" deep. The tweeter is a 5 inch aluminum ribbon between two 7" ceramic midranges and one 15" treated paper cone for the woofer. Frequency response, according to the literature, is 10Hz-40kHz and that's +/- 3 dB.
At -6 dB. they go all the way down to an unheard of 7 Hz. They claim that impedance is 7 ohms and only deviates by +/- 2 ohms, so no wide swings. Sensitivity is a very high 93 dB. They are phase and time aligned. Woofers and tweeters are user adjustable. An internal amplifier for the low end is rated at 600 watts RMS. Max power handling is 400 watts. Minimum watts, they say, is 5 watts. Hard to believe. But if those watts are only driving the 93 dB sensitive mids and tweeters, maybe so.
As big as those speakers were and crammed into a small room, when the music started they utterly disappeared. Linda said they sounded just as good to her and she was seated next to the left wall, way off axis. For the first and only time at this year's show, we listened to the entire Stereomojo Ultimate Evaluation Disk. As every track played, we were mesmerized. We have heard each of those tracks thousands of times, but in this room it was if we'd heard them for the first time. No, there wasn't any new sounds or noises we've never heard before, but what we did hear was simply....Wow! And it was not the amount of sound we heard, they weren't blaring, it was utter realism of the voices and music. Herve Delatraz of DarTzeel commented on what a great demo disk it was. The music wafting from that system was better than most live concerts. Publisher James Darby was heard to say to Evolution designer Jonathan Tinn, "This is the only system I would PAY to hear".
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The first set that comes to my mind is some Acoustat 1+1's driven by a Linn Sondek deck/arm/MC cartridge via a Spectral pre amp and amp listening to a very fine recording of some choral music. Spectral is something special if you don't know. There was stunning realism. Next best to my trials and trails would some Maggie 20.1's and some Vandy 5's. This from the earliest to the latest auditions, all quite awhile ago. This year I got to hear an AudioKinesis Planatarium Beta System with some sterling equipment in front and must include those bad boys.
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First, any decent speaker must produce a solid 3D image. So strike dipoles or arrays immediately. And you may want to strike "2.1" designs (that use two mid/woofers with one doing bass/mid-bass only).
The best imaging I ever heard was from a pair of very carefully set up Martin Logans back in 93. I can't remember the model number, but they were hybrids (cone bass) with a simple bass mod that reduced boxiness and they were well into the room and set up using my "mono phantom image check" method, so don't strike dipoles off your list!
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The first set that comes to my mind is some Acoustat 1+1's driven by a Linn Sondek deck/arm/MC cartridge via a Spectral pre amp and amp listening to a very fine recording of some choral music. Spectral is something special if you don't know. There was stunning realism. Next best to my trials and trails would some Maggie 20.1's and some Vandy 5's. This from the earliest to the latest auditions, all quite awhile ago. This year I got to hear an AudioKinesis Planatarium Beta System with some sterling equipment in front and must include those bad boys.
The Acoustat 1+1's were amazing speakers. In 1990 I bought a mint pair for $900. I hooked them to a Threshold FET II Series II preamp and a modded Adcom GFA-555 amplifier. It was one of the best systems I've owned. No bass, but the midrange was to die for.
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I hear ya, bro.
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The idea of paying money to listen to the best speakers you have heard reminded me of this report from StereoMojo's Best Sound at Show award at the recent CES and The Home Entertainment (THE) Show, found near the bottom of http://stereomojo.com/CES%202010%20Show%20Report/CES2010ShowReportPart7BestofShowAwards.htm
Mark
...and that was the Evolution Acoustics MM2, with one woofer, two mids and a tweeter per side. It makes me wonder what the MM7 with 3 more woofers and 4 mid bass drivers in addition per side must sound like:
http://evolutionacoustics.com/mmseven.html
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The Deadalus Ulysses are some of the finest speakers I have heard. Also, a pair of Martin Logan hybrids (not sure of model) at a friend's house in KC several years ago powered by Classe monoblocks. And the VMPS RM 40s at Woodsyi's sounded very nice.
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Near the Canal Street landing during the 1984 World's Fair, WRNO had set up a temporary control room. They were using KEF (Model 103.2, I think). They sounded fantastic in that space.
The Celestion A3 also comes to mind, and as others have mentioned, various Maggies.
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Got em right now, the GamuT S9's.
Runner ups:
YG Acoustics Anat II Studio
Verity Audio Lohengrin II
Avalon Sentinel
Martin Logan CLX
Any Pics of the Gamuts :thumb:
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Any Pics of the Gamuts :thumb:
(http://www.gamutaudio.com/media/images/products/%7B39F5D38E-28FD-4BE5-A86A-4FFE27A04321%7D_S9-Blanco-STD358.jpg)
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:D what do those S9's sell for ???? they sure look nice.... :D
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$140K/pair.
Anand.
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:D no really,what do they sell for ???? :lol: :D
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For you, I give Cyber Monday deal - $139K. Paypal add 3% please. :lol:
Anand.
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For you, I give Cyber Monday deal - $139K. Paypal add 3% please. :lol:
Anand.
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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THe set of Scaena speakers at HP's(he has 4 woofers and 18 mids). They have stupendous bandwidth from below 20Hz to above 20 KHz. They have superb definition over the entire bandwidth. Imaging is at least as good as I've ever heard. Dynamics meaning chnge inlevels, both macro and micro, are awesome. And they can do all this at levels most speakers would shrivel at. And the last time I heard them he didn't have the improved tweeter crossover which even adds to the transparency and detail.
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For you, I give Cyber Monday deal - $139K. Paypal add 3% please. :lol:
Anand.
Plenty of pics in and full review in issue 32. I'm not crazy about the grilles or the light color, like mine in the dark finish better....
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=39377)
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Well the question is: What is the finest speaker I've heard?
That would have to be my open baffles with Hawthorne Audio 15" coaxials. Now, I know these are not the best speakers in the world . . . but they are most certainly contenders at their price point! :thumb:
Required internet forum addendum: IMHO
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...and that was the Evolution Acoustics MM2, with one woofer, two mids and a tweeter per side. It makes me wonder what the MM7 with 3 more woofers and 4 mid bass drivers in addition per side must sound like:
http://evolutionacoustics.com/mmseven.html
Good Lord. I wonder if anyone actually owns those yet.
I just found a thread in the AVS forum with some comments from (very grateful) owners of the MM3 and MM2. It includes some interesting history of Evolution Acoustics. I was surprised these speakers go back to at least 2006. Four years with so little fanfare.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=761168
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AC Member Rutgar owns a pair
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How would you compare the Classic 12.1 to your TL-D1s?
I have a pair of TL-D1s and am ordering the Classic 12.1. If my room were not cavernous the TL-D1 would be the last speaker I would need - but it is.
How much do the Classic 12.1's go for? I know those PHY drivers are on the pricey side.
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MBL 101 X-Treme Radialstrahler. When I heard them each was driven by an MBL 5KW mono amp. It was the only system I've ever heard that sounded like the band was in the room with me.
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PMC FB1's
the low end is amazing. Only thing I would prefer is the same frequency response from a single full range driver !
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Would be nice if one of you with the time on your hands to spreadsheet this information.
Kind of a "scorecard", if you will. :eyebrows:
Bob
Since you asked, in alphabetical order, with the multiple recommendations noted at the right. Please note I also included your Bose wave radio recommendation, just to show I don't play favorites. However those who just said a brand of speaker were left out, but I did try to match up all of those using shorthand for model numbers etc.
Acoustat 1+1 x3
Adam Audio Tensor Beta
Apogee Full Range x3
Ascendo C2
Ascendo C8
Ascendo M-S
AudioKinesis Dreammakers
Avalon Sentinel x2
B&W 801 Series II
B&W 802D
B&W Silver Signature
Bambergaudio Series 5
Bose Wave Radio
Bozak Concert Grands
Carfrae Little Big Horn
Carver Amazing MK IV
Celestion A3
Classic Audio T1.4
Danny Richie's Super V
Deadalus Ulysses
Dynaudio Evidence Temptation
Dynaudio Special 25
Emerald Physics
Emerald Physics CS1.3
Energy 22 Connoisseur References
Esoteric MG20
Evolution Acoustics MM2
Evolution Acoustics MM3
Feastrex OB
Gale 401
GamuT S-9 x2
GedLee Abbey x3
GedLee Nathan
GedLee Summa Cum Laude x2
Genesis Model 1.1
Gershman Black Swan
GR Research LS9
GR Research LS-9's
GR Research Super V x2
GR Research V2
Green Mountain Audio Imago IV
Hales Design Group Concept Five
Hansen Audio King
IMF TLS80
Infinity IRS REF III's
Infinity Kappa 9
Infinity Reference Standard IRS-3
Jadis Eurythmies
Jim Griffin Line Arrays
JM Labs Grand Utopia
JMLab 946
Kaiser Kawero
KEF Model 103.2
Kharma Ceramique
Klipsch RF-83
Krell LAT-2
Lecson HL1
Linkwitz Orion x3
Magico M5
Magico M5
Magico M6
Magico Mini
Magico V3
Magnepan 3.6 x3
Magnepan MG20.1 x5
Martin Logan CLX
Martin Logan CLX w/Gotham Sub
Martin Logan E2 Statements
Martin Logan Prodigy
Martin Logan Statements
Mastersound 845 monos
MBL 101 X-Treme Radialstrahler x3
MBL reference
Meadowlark Blue Heron II
Merlin VSM-MXe
Monitor Audio Platinum monitors
Nelson Reed 804
Nomad Audio Ronin
Oswald Mills 3-ways
Ovator S600
Peak Consult Empress
Perfect 8
Pi 3 Pro's with Pi 3 subs
Pi Speakers 4 Pi
Pipedreams x3
PMC FB1
Polk SDA 2.3
Proac D38 x2
Proac Response 3.8
QUAD ELS 63
Quad ESL-2905 x3
Raidho Ayra 3.0
Revel Studios
Revel Ultima Salon 2
Rockport Aquila
Salk HT2-TL
Salk HT-3
Salk HT-4 x5
Sanders 10C
Shahinian Diapason
Shindo Latour
Snell A1
Sonicweld Pulserod
Sonus Faber Stradivari Homage x3
Sound Lab A3
Sound Lab U-1
Steinway Lyngdorf Model D
Supravox 215-2000 EXC
TAD Reference 1
Tonian Classic 12.1 S
Usher Be-20
Usher D2
Vandersteen 1, 2, 3, etc x2
Vandersteen 5A x5
Vandersteen Model 7 x2
Verity Audio Lohengrin II
Verity Audio Lohengrin II's
Verity Audio Sarastro II
VMPS RM 40 x2
VMPS RM/X
VMPS RM-V60
Von Schweikert Unifield 3
Von Schweikert VR-11 x3
Von Schweikert VR-9
War audio reference one
Wilson Audio Maxx
Wilson Audio Maxx 2 x2
Wilson Audio Maxx Series 3 x2
Wilson Audio Sasha
Wilson Audio Sophia
Wilson Audio X-2's
Wisdom Adrenaline
YG Acoustics Anat II Studio x2
Zu Druid MKIV
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Revel Studios
JMLab 946
Another set that we heard from '06-'08 at CES, guy had a killer cdp w/ vol control into hybrid amps then into these great 3-ways. For us, the best sound overall at CES all 3 years, and a nice guy to boot. Listened to our entire collection with no stuffy reserve.
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Here's a shot of the VR-11s I'm fortunate to visit from time to time. Vac's top dog on Mids and Highs VTL Siegfrieds on Bass
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a110/jackd201/DSC_0241.jpg)
My 2nd Best VR-9s. Half the size and price of the 11s but in this much smaller room, a big chunk of what the 11s can do. Lamm M1.2 Reference on Mids and Highs Lamm M2.2 on bass
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a110/jackd201/vr-9.jpg)
Both feature 15" powered 1kw subs built in
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"[Since you asked, in alphabetical order, with the multiple recommendations noted at the right. Please note I also included your Bose wave radio recommendation, just to show I don't play favorites. However those who just said a brand of speaker were left out, but I did try to match up all of those using shorthand for model numbers etc.]"
Thank you for dooing my dirty work. I must apologize I have been extreamly busy. A 140 ton 120 foot boat smashed into our boat (home) and Im up to my head in insurance paper work. Great List. It looks like some clear winers have emerged! Cheers, Mort
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Since you asked, in alphabetical order, with the multiple recommendations noted at the right. Please note I also included your Bose wave radio recommendation, just to show I don't play favorites. However those who just said a brand of speaker were left out, but I did try to match up all of those using shorthand for model numbers etc.
Thank you for dooing my dirty work. I must apologize I have been extreamly busy. A 140 ton 120 foot boat smashed into our boat (home) and Im up to my head in insurance paper work. Great List. It looks like some clear winers have emerged! Cheers, Mort
heheheh...hehe, he said "winers"........hehehehe
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sorry bad spelling, Ill leave it.
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Living Voice Vox Olympians - simply astonishing!
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Since you asked, in alphabetical order, with the multiple recommendations noted at the right.
Wow, you certainly DID have some extra time on your hands.
That much have taken quite a while. Thank you you very much for that. :D
You get extra credit for alphabetizing. :lol:
Bob
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A few more for the pile
- TAD Reference 1 and Reference 1 monitor
- Vandersteen 7
- Gedlee Abbey with multi-subs
- Merlin VSM-MXe
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I'll throw the Marten Coltrane in the hat. They had a very nice sound at RMAF this year.
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Usher Be-20's
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Better late than never...JBL-4312A Control Monitors, but hey I'm a fanboy!!!! :peek:
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A few over the years:
1) Bozak Concert Grands (grew up listening to them as a child)
2) Vandersteen 5
3) VMPS RM40s
4) B&W 802D (original version)
Cheers,
John
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For me,,some of the best Affordable loudspeakers are Polk SDA 2.3's (tl and non tl) with sonicap's in the crossovers,, Carver Amazing Plats MK IV with a big a$$ BAT amp.
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My audio nirvana: fully restored Apogee Full Range with hybrid amplification made by Siltech
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Wow, you certainly DID have some extra time on your hands.
That much have taken quite a while. Thank you you very much for that. :D
You get extra credit for alphabetizing. :lol:
Bob
Yeah, I'm home with a cat about to whelp kittens, so I don't go out a lot these days. Alphabetizing is one click in Excel, so no extra credit, just the easiest way to sort out duplicates. The biggest pain was digging thru peoples shorthand for models, etc.
The winners and winers as they shake out so far. Salk, GR Research, and Gedlee are of course high on the list because of the forum we're on now. Magneplanar and Vandersteen longtime favorites with the preferred 20.1 and popular 5A at the forefront. Combining all of the Wilson Audio models together gives them a slight edge against combined Magico's and Martin Logan's. And I assume the unrivaled Bose Wave Radio must have many hidden admirers. Anyway, I'll update as needed and if you notice any errors please point them out (Yes, the "ales Design Group Concept Five" will shortly read "Hales Design Group Concept Five")
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The best I have ever heard are the ones in the main system in my house; Shahinian Diapasons.
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After this past weekend, I'll add the GedLee Abbey. My order has been placed!
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WITH OUT A DOUBT THE EURYTHMIE 11 HORN LOADED SPEAKERS.
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MY JBL 120Tis :D
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A big pair (don't know the model number) of Sound Lab electrostatics, driven by Wolcott tubed monoblocks.
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Vandersteen 5As, driven by vintage CJ tubed gear.
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A friend owned Sound Lab Majestic 945's w Atma Sphere electronics. Easily the best.
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WITH OUT A DOUBT THE EURYTHMIE 11 HORN LOADED SPEAKERS.
these were one of my choices, as well. :thumb:
(http://www.gruponeva.es/userfiles/EURYTHME%5B1%5D.jpg)
doug s.
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A friend owned Sound Lab Majestic 945's w Atma Sphere electronics. Easily the best.
I've heard Sound Labs U1's, those Majestics must have been truly awesome.
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The Infinity IRS Reference III speakers with CJ equipment at the Alexandria Virginia Audio Show in 1979.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=53456)
:drool: :drool: :drool:
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I had the opportunity to hear these at RMAF in my room after hours. Amazing sound. They have the best tweeter ever produced, along with superior crossover parts that other mfgrs wont spend the money for. I have been exhibiting at CES and RMAF for 15 years and I have never heard anything this good. They are a great value and easy to drive too.
http://www.vaporsound.com
the Cirrus
Steve N.
Empirical Audio
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The Infinity IRS Reference III speakers with CJ equipment at the Alexandria Virginia Audio Show in 1979.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=53456)
:drool: :drool: :drool:
that musta been the same system i heard in alexandria at the old excalibur audio shop - that's the second pair of speakers, along w/the jadis eurythmies, that i mentioned in my original post. :lol: :thumb: excalibur had an oracle delphi turnable set up - also the first time i had ever seen one of those...
excalibur's shop was about twice as wide as the room in that pic - twice as deep, as well, i imagine. not sure it sounded as good in the room pictured here...
doug s.
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I had the opportunity to hear these at RMAF in my room after hours. Amazing sound. They have the best tweeter ever produced, along with superior crossover parts that other mfgrs wont spend the money for. I have been exhibiting at CES and RMAF for 15 years and I have never heard anything this good. They are a great value and easy to drive too.
http://www.vaporsound.com
the Cirrus
Steve N.
Empirical Audio
Wow Steve, I'm blushing! I knew you liked them, thank you for saying just how much so.
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Wow Steve, I'm blushing! I knew you liked them, thank you for saying just how much so.
the cirrus' are definitely on my short list of must hear speakers, after reading what steve said earlier, re: the hearing them in his room at the rmaf show :
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=99651.msg1003977#msg1003977
"...IMO, your speakers crush practically everything without really low bass. Ill bet the TAD ref2 only has bass extension to beat it. There is no way the tweeter can compete IMO.
We played LZ Stairway to Heaven for TAS reviewer and the vocalist was so clear and defined that I heard new nuances and detail inthe lyrics for the first time. Ive only heard this track maybe 10,000 times or so....."
and later in the same thread:
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=99651.msg1004490#msg1004490
"...Quote from: Tyson on 18 Oct 2011, 02:57 PM
BTW Steve, I only did a Top 3 at show this year, but your room was in the top 5, IMO. Best I've ever heard a YG Acoustic speaker sound. Wish I could have heard the Vapors, seems like they took it up another level.
Duh, I should have had your cell phone. We played them both Sat. and Sun. after show hours....
I felt myself grabbing for my wallet and wanting to open it. :P
i am sure the cirrus' are something special...
doug s.
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that musta been the same system i heard in alexandria at the old excalibur audio shop - that's the second pair of speakers, along w/the jadis eurythmies, that i mentioned in my original post. :lol: :thumb: excalibur had an oracle delphi turnable set up - also the first time i had ever seen one of those...
excalibur's shop was about twice as wide as the room in that pic - twice as deep, as well, i imagine. not sure it sounded as good in the room pictured here...
doug s.
Same place as I heard the later pair of IRS V's. Did not sound as good as at the show as the room was way to small.
I do have an Oracle Delphi MKI with most of the MKV mods! It is a great table! :D
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Same place as I heard the later pair of IRS V's. Did not sound as good as at the show as the room was way to small.
I do have an Oracle Delphi MKI with most of the MKV mods! It is a great table! :D
when i heard the lll's at excalibur, it was in their main entry room, which was a sizeable room. if i had to guess, i'd say it was at least 18x24, mebbe bigger. the sound was breathtaking!
i also have an original oracle, w/most mkv updates, except i am using an o-l dc motor, w/hp lab-grade power supply. i agree it's a great turntable.
doug s.
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Evolution Acoustics MMThree run by DartZeel amplification. Hearing 45-rpm pressings of Led Zeppelin - Black Dog, and Patricia Barber - Too Rich for My Blood was ear-opening. Way bigger than anything I'll be able to own, but turned me on enough that I ordered a set of their new MMMicroOnes early this year. Waiting patiently as production issues get worked out. They're likely the polar opposite of what I have now (Harbeth Compact 7-ES3), but that's what makes this hobby so much fun.
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I second the Cirrus after a few days to stew on them...don't want to gush so just WOW. Incredibly deep sound stage, phenomenally detailed without being overly analytical, and so...SO musical, they will be mine...oh yes they will be mine.
Thanks for the experience Ryan...
If you haven't heard them you should
As far as a budget system Jlafrenz's Jolida JD-10a powering a set of Aurum Cantus Leisure 2 SEs in a well treated room at the emofest event he held at his house.
I was modeling my home system after this system until I heard the Cirrus a few days ago. Now I might start picking up OT at work for a few months and selling some organs for a set of Cirrus.
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TAD.
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Under $1500/pair- HoytBedford type 1's. Very efficient, & a pleasing sound.
Under $10,000/pair- The Klipschorn. Walked into an audio store about 30 yrs & loved'em.
No price limit/pair- Utopia by Focal JM Lab(pretty sure that was the brand/model) . Listened once at an east coast audio parlor. The freq.response & presence was life like. I've never heard anything like them before or since.
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If only I could afford the Genesis 1.2 Just jaw dropping
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=53977)
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I had a chance recently to spend some time with a pair of Sonus Faber Liuto's These were the towers with the cherry wood. They sounded amazing. The REL subwoofer was not needed. Amazingly detailed.
I also had a chance that same day to hear a pair of Rockport Mira's.
The room was setup for 5.1 but just the L & R speakers were playing. The jazz track played for me sounded like the band was in the same room as you. Sounded amazing. Creepy center imaging and very wide overall stage with lots of depth.
However I preferred the Liuto's they just sounded more in your face, less fragile, and coming from a live sound background they had the sizzle in the highs on electronic music and a nice kick in the mid/bass areas.
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Oris Swing - for factory built. The nicest sounding horns I know of - much preferred to Avantgarde Trio.
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I had a chance recently to spend some time with a pair of Sonus Faber Liuto's These were the towers with the cherry wood. They sounded amazing. The REL subwoofer was not needed. Amazingly detailed.
I also had a chance that same day to hear a pair of Rockport Mira's.
The room was setup for 5.1 but just the L & R speakers were playing. The jazz track played for me sounded like the band was in the same room as you. Sounded amazing. Creepy center imaging and very wide overall stage with lots of depth.
However I preferred the Liuto's they just sounded more in your face, less fragile, and coming from a live sound background they had the sizzle in the highs on electronic music and a nice kick in the mid/bass areas.
I've heard the Liutos too and they are outstanding!
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I have heard the Herron Audio prototype speakers. Beat everything else I've heard. He just has to put those into production. Maybe there will be some news about that at CES.
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For me I would have to say this would have to be the Dunlavy SCIII or Dunlavy SCIV. These speakers were the imaging champ, efficient to drive and threw a wide and deep soundstage. Not only that, they were some of the fastest speakers I have ever heard. It was impossible to match a sub with them.
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TAD 1 also. I have enjoyed every Marten speaker I have heard.
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There have been so many great ones and many greats I haven't heard, but as of today I'd say the Vandersteen 7 at RMAF.
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Sanders 10C, then Salk SoundScapes and Vapor Sound Cirrus.
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I heard a similar Genesis setup in the late 90's when I lived in Taiwan.
I just happened to wander into a music shop in Taipei, and went upstairs as I heard classical music up there. I nearly fell over when I saw that setup!
I literally sat on the floor listening to that for 1/2 an hour. Amazing stuff.
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Sanders 10C
Indeed..
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I've heard the Liutos too and they are outstanding!
Do you know how many watts they were getting? The demo I heard was powered by electrocompaniet 120 watt amp. Beautiful equipment but I don't feel like spending 3 times the price of the speakers to power them.
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PMC BB5is, clean sound with loads of punchy bass as required (no sub needed).
Just beat the B & W 801D in my experience.
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Do you know how many watts they were getting? The demo I heard was powered by electrocompaniet 120 watt amp. Beautiful equipment but I don't feel like spending 3 times the price of the speakers to power them.
-retail price of liuto tower - $5k
-retail price of aw120 - $4k
ec makes great s/s amps, imo, but you can certainly spend less.
doug s.
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The speakers that have moved me the most and seemed closest to music were Quad ESL 57 modified/brought back to better than manufacturer spec by Wayne Piquet. Not great headroom but within it's confines, music seems true.
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JBL .....any year to date ( not the cheap crap but the pro )
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Sanders 10C
I went to Sander's website and it is not working.
One of my all-time favorites is the Acoustat Monitor III's with the Direct Drive servp amps.
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A long time ago, but the Acoustic Research LSTs (Laboratory Standard Transducers) were outstanding when reproducing a drum kit with a couple of Phase Linear 700s.
Here's a discussion relating to them, with a few pix:
http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/IP.Board/index.php?showtopic=4198
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Next year it is my goal to attend RMAF and finally get an earful of all this eyecandy I read about. Truly I've not had yet a heavy saturation of multiple high end brands, and that will be a fun few days for me.
So far the finest pair of speakers I've heard are my mmg's in my own system. They're off to be modded, so I can assume when they come back they will again be the finest speakers I've heard.
I am very interested in hearing larger versions of the Magnepan, Sanders electrostats, King Sound, Apogee, and I am also interested in hearing the MBL's, and GR Research. I'd also love to hear some Quad ESL 57's. Shoot, I wanna hear all of it.
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Next year it is my goal to attend RMAF and finally get an earful of all this eyecandy I read about. Truly I've not had yet a heavy saturation of multiple high end brands, and that will be a fun few days for me.
So far the finest pair of speakers I've heard are my mmg's in my own system. They're off to be modded, so I can assume when they come back they will again be the finest speakers I've heard.
I am very interested in hearing larger versions of the Magnepan, Sanders electrostats, King Sound, Apogee, and I am also interested in hearing the MBL's, and GR Research. I'd also love to hear some Quad ESL 57's. Shoot, I wanna hear all of it.
Yep, life is short, hear them all.
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Dunlavy Aletha
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the few i've heard that stand out from everything else...
B&W Nautilus (the racing snails) - equipment unknown, but it was 2-3 times the cost of the speakers.
JBL L300 Summit - with all McIntosh amps and sources (a great combination).
Infinity IRS Delta - with the Yamaha Centennial Edition amps and sources.
AR MGC-1 - Pioneer Elite AVR (my current system).
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No question, the MBL 101's are the top of my list. Every time I have heard them they have been quite moving.
Nothing I have heard yet sounds like them!
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I went to Sander's website and it is not working.
Works fine now....
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No question, the MBL 101's are the top of my list. ..
Nothing I have heard yet sounds like them!
Very true. I would still never consider them, however, due to their dismal sensitivity and the (hidden) amplification costs. There's a reason MBL always demo's 101's with their refrigerator-sized monoblocks.
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In bookshelf speakers, it's the J.M. Reynuard's Offrande Supreme v2 series, incredibly musical
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Very true. I would still never consider them, however, due to their dismal sensitivity and the (hidden) amplification costs. There's a reason MBL always demo's 101's with their refrigerator-sized monoblocks.
MBL is one of my favorites since 1982. They always had one of the best sound at the CES show, if not the best.
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I've heard various MBL's a different shows and yes they are impressive but there is something missing. The most memorable sound I ever heard was a pair of Sonus Faber Extrema's driven by some high end Denon electronics including very large Denon monoblocs. The presentation of solo piano was the best I had ever heard by a big margin. I was stunned by the realism.
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Man.. I still have no favorites... even after all this time! :o
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Vandersteen 5A's
Kaiser Kawero
Art Loudspeakers’ three-way DECO 20 loudspeakers with the new SystemDek 3D Reference turntable.
Merlin vsm
Proac Response D38 quicksilver ms 190
Salk ht3 at Joe btrio
Not really in any order but these are the ones that stand out in my mind
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Dunlavy SC-IV/A.
Dunlavy Aletha.
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norman labs bookshelfs.
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Cadence Arista towers. I have them. Their ESL panels are similar to Siltech Pentheons probably because both are owned by Mr. Shirke. Check this: http://www.6moons.com/industryfeatures/siltech/pantheon.html
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Infinity IRS III (12x servo-digital amp powered 12s), large dedicated listening room with approximately 10' ceiling, in the home of the Landmark Greeting Cards/Calendars principal in Corte Madera CA, Onkyo M-504 powered the 7' line array planar mids/tweeters, Telarc's Firebird Suite on Sony DAT deck.
Regarding the DAT source: Decades ago Peter McGrath brought two software into CES at the old Riviera Hotel, both the same recording he engineered, huge symphonic piece, one he mastered to DAT, the other he mastered to CD. We played both recordings on 6' towers flat to sub-20 Hz: CD on Sony ES deck, DAT on Peter's portable pro Sony, both into Theta DAC.
To say the DAT blew away the CD is a huge understatement. All of the luminaries present (I'm not a luminary, though I concurred) said the two software sounded like different recordings, different performances. IIRC none volunteered a reason explaining the observed differences. All agreed the optical format had kinks to iron out.
Huge MBL Radialstrahler at CES a close second, but too diffuse imaging for my taste, plus the Germans crank up too much midbass...though it is like nothing you've heard, technicolor audiophile.
Only because of the "pair" qualifier I omitted Kimber's Iso-Mic 4.0 system, one speaker per corner, proprietary 4-ch recordings require huge venues, preferred Roger West's huge Soundlab electrostatics (never to be displayed again) over the Andrew Jones TAD Reference 1 display...another superlative multi-channel system is Andrew Jones' 5.0 TAD Reference 1s with proprietary recording/playback software, Pacific Microsonics ADC/DAC.
Both the Kimber and Jones displays make stereo sound arcane. Stereo, like its inventor Alan Blumlein said, has problems...the ghost/phantom quality of the center image being foremost. I'd never chose to return to stereo since opting for pure analog Trinaural.
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The Quad ESL-63
When I worked at a ultra high end hifi shop years ago, one of the clients was a composer/conductor and had loads upon loads of excellent orchestral music in his library. At any rate, he had a pair of Quad ESL-63's that we were there to service. I can't remember exactly, but there was a wire in the base of both units that had to be reconnected or wired into a different location on the PC board.
After the repairs were made, we also swapped out his current Audio Research amp with a couple of gold plated mono block tube amps. I can not remember what these amps were, but they were special ordered and took months to get. All I remember about them is that each one weighed 200 lbs, was gold plated and produced 250 watts each.
It was my job to hook everything up and dial in the system which consisted of a Wadia CD player as the source and preamp which was directly wired to the two mono block amps via very short and stout balanced cables, then Transparent Audio's TOTL speaker cables to the 63's. No subwoofers here, just the ESL-63's mounted up on their metal stands.
What I heard was a full 120 piece orchestra right there in this gentleman's house, at full tilt no less! Even without closing your eyes, you could swear that you could just get up and walk in between all of the musicians. It was so dynamic, so natural, so lifelike and with plenty of tight, detailed bass. I will never forget that system for as long as I live, and I have heard plenty of systems over the years. This one tops them all!
One day, I'll own a pair of those ESL-63's...
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Infinity IRS III (12x servo-digital amp powered 12s), large dedicated listening room with approximately 10' ceiling, in the home of the Landmark Greeting Cards/Calendars principal in Corte Madera CA, Onkyo M-504 powered the 7' line array planar mids/tweeters, Telarc's Firebird Suite on Sony DAT deck.
Regarding the DAT source: Decades ago Peter McGrath brought two software into CES at the old Riviera Hotel, both the same recording he engineered, huge symphonic piece, one he mastered to DAT, the other he mastered to CD. We played both recordings on 6' towers flat to sub-20 Hz: CD on Sony ES deck, DAT on Peter's portable pro Sony, both into Theta DAC.
To say the DAT blew away the CD is a huge understatement. All of the luminaries present (I'm not a luminary, though I concurred) said the two software sounded like different recordings, different performances. IIRC none volunteered a reason explaining the observed differences. All agreed the optical format had kinks to iron out.
Huge MBL Radialstrahler at CES a close second, but too diffuse imaging for my taste, plus the Germans crank up too much midbass...though it is like nothing you've heard, technicolor audiophile.
Only because of the "pair" qualifier I omitted Kimber's Iso-Mic 4.0 system, one speaker per corner, proprietary 4-ch recordings require huge venues, preferred Roger West's huge Soundlab electrostatics (never to be displayed again) over the Andrew Jones TAD Reference 1 display...another superlative multi-channel system is Andrew Jones' 5.0 TAD Reference 1s with proprietary recording/playback software, Pacific Microsonics ADC/DAC.
Both the Kimber and Jones displays make stereo sound arcane. Stereo, like its inventor Alan Blumlein said, has problems...the ghost/phantom quality of the center image being foremost. I'd never chose to return to stereo since opting for pure analog Trinaural.
OT, but the CD is 44100Hz sample rate and the DAT is 48000Hz sample rate. The early versions of transcoding software for the sample rate change was not very good. Same issue with Telarc's Soundstream recordings done at 50000Hz sample rate and going to CD. The other issue was with 16 bit processing of the data during the transcoding.
That is my understanding of the problem.
Back to speakers.
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A demo at the Paris "Festival du Son" in 1976:
A pair of JBL 4343 with 76cm/s stereo 1 inch master tape source... After hearing JBL pro large studio monitors, there is no going back! :D
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JBL .....any year to date ( not the cheap crap but the pro )
Sounds like sacrilege but for the really old, I'll take Altec and for the new, Meyer. (Pro)
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OT, but the CD is 44100Hz sample rate and the DAT is 48000Hz sample rate. The early versions of transcoding software for the sample rate change was not very good. Same issue with Telarc's Soundstream recordings done at 50000Hz sample rate and going to CD. The other issue was with 16 bit processing of the data during the transcoding.
That is my understanding of the problem.
Back to speakers.
Good point, if that's what happened - a 48k recording sample rate converted to 44.1k with older equipment can sound distinctly inferior. That's why I always recorded at 44.1k when I was using DATs to record onto, if the destination was CD. The only occasion when 48k made sense was when the recording was for DVD, or when I knew I was going to process in the analog domain in post production; then it was just good engineering practice to take advantage of the higher sampling rate.
Another possible factor; there was a time when CDs, in the process of manufacture (not "burning", but molding), were routinely passed through an DAAD process en route to the glass mastering for various practical reasons. This was not widely discussed, nor was the fact that there could be multiple AD and DA conversions associated with post production with no requirement to say other than "DDD" on the disc, which most people took to mean that the digital domain was never exited. Not so.
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Energy 22 Connoisseur References (with built in pedestals) circa 1988.
Infinity Kappa 9 (at the same saloon)
both of them driven by Sumo Andromeda II mosfet amplifier and Sumo Athena I preamplifier with a large, Denon CDP.
Funny, I still my pair of these. They are serving as a lamp stand in my small listening room. They were great for their day, though. They would not compete with today's best.
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Bose Wave Radio.........but a close second were Wilson Audio Duettes. The finest bookshelf speaker I have heard.
The B&W PM-1 was the best affordable bookshelf speaker.
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I would have to say Magico Q7's with Soulution Audio mono blocks. They're match made in heaven.
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I only noticed this thread today. I am pleasantly surprised that a number of others here share my opinion of the Kaiser Kawero. Their "Classic" speaker was being demo'd by LessLoss at the New York Audio Show earlier this year, and I have to say, it was the best speaker I have ever heard...just amazingly lifelike, musical, and enthralling. If I ever had the space for them (I don't living in a standard NYC shoebox 2 bedroom), I would convince myself to spend the money on them.
The Coincident Pure Reference Extreme and the Sehring 703s would be the second and third best on my list, but they are not in the same league as the Kawero.
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I would have to say Magico Q7's with Soulution Audio mono blocks. They're match made in heaven.
Heard them at CES few years ago. Wow, as nice sounding as the designer's ego is large.
For anyone who has heard them and is also familiar with Duntech Sovereign 2000: did you hear similar "drama," density, and spatial qualities?
Magico likely much higher refined, being decades newer. OTOH, 2000s driven by Soulution mono blocs would more closely approximate Magico refinement. I presume Soulution mono blocs are light years ahead of whatever I heard drive the 2000s.
The 2000s grabbed the center of your cortex and didn't let go till the music stopped or you left the room.
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Heard them at CES few years ago. Wow, as nice sounding as the designer's ego is large.
IIRC, the Q7's debuted this year at CES.
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IIRC, the Q7's debuted this year at CES.
OK. Earlier model then recently released, apparently Q5.
Is the 7 much better?
Magico had music server playback only, no CD transport. He asked what music I brought on CD, said he didn't have it, so ergo it wasn't worth listening to. Very nice. He forgot to look at my shoes to see how much I spent (cost less than his, for sure).
I recommend you bring SCBA if you visit his room. The problem is finding a suitably quiet SCBA, apparently as common as the proverbial "hens teeth."
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OK. Earlier model then recently released, apparently Q5.
Is the 7 much better?
Supposedly like "night and day". I haven't heard them; The Absolute Sound editor called them the most impressive product he had ever reviewed, or something similar.
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I went to a show specifically to hear the MBL 101E Radialstrahlers. They did not disappoint and I was equally impressed with the rest of the MBL system. However, I truly fell in love with a different system. If money were no object, I would have the Scaena loudspeaker system and the big VACs.
(http://i1052.photobucket.com/albums/s449/kpcrowley/scaena_room_1_zps51c0512d.jpg)
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Supposedly like "night and day". I haven't heard them; The Absolute Sound editor called them the most impressive product he had ever reviewed, or something similar.
Directed to the above mentioned TAS author, not the messenger rbbert. My favorite and only favorable words ever from Modanna come to mind, "And maybe monkeys will fly out my butt."
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(http://i1052.photobucket.com/albums/s449/kpcrowley/scaena_room_1_zps51c0512d.jpg)
That's sick :o
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Directed to the above mentioned TAS author, not the messenger rbbert. My favorite and only favorable words ever from Modanna come to mind, "And maybe monkeys will fly out my butt."
There have been threads at other forums about that TAS description...
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That's sick :o
Without a doubt, it's the finest system I've ever heard. In view is nearly a quarter million - way out of my league. Still, it's nice to know that such an investment can buy a system that so absolutely delivers the goods - imaging, detail and dynamics are extraordinary. I can only imagine how fantastic it would sound in a proper listening room. As much as I love my own speakers/system, I harbor no delusions about owning the best. Fortunately, the best isn't necessary for thorough enjoyment. :D
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The other problem with trying to have the best system is that it's a moving target -- as soon as you get the best system, it won't be the best much longer. I've also heard very expensive systems that I didn't think sounded that great.
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Well, I suppose it was a pair of Acoustat 1+1's driven by some Spectral separates and a Linn front end in a dealer showroom with a Mark Levinson recording of some choral music playing. I remember that last part cause I bought the recording: Mark Levinson, volume one.
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...In view is nearly a quarter million - way out of my league...
A quarter million here, a quarter million there...after awhile we're talking real money...
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These Avlars... I've crowed about them before. Not the most handsome, but the most convincing sound I've ever heard. I actually thought I was there, it was eerie. It's a two way, with a custom folded ribbon AMT inspired by the Heil AMT, but crosses over at 500Hz. The extension an clarity is outstanding and the imaging is almost like a single driver.
Those metal wire screens aren't there any more
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=87388)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=87389)
I don't own these, but I happily own a smaller sibling
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=71008)
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Hi Andy,
Remind me what makes up the rest of your system, please.
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That's sick :o
Have to agree. Heard the Scaena system at 3 different Axpona shows and it was my favorite at every one. The sound stage was extremely deep and wide. (Room was much larger than the one depicted in the picture) You were transported to the live venue.
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The speakers that have moved me the most and seemed closest to music were Quad ESL 57 modified/brought back to better than manufacturer spec by Wayne Piquet. Not great headroom but within it's confines, music seems true.
+1. That's why I have three pair of them, with the Koval mod. For those to whom reproducing the human voice is a loudspeaker's first and most important job.
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Wilson Alexia, no less! :thumb:
Read all about it!
http://mindseyemusic.blogspot.com/2013/09/road-trip.html
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Misson 770 and Beveridge 3's
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Vandersteen 7. Hands down.
I own a pair of Salk Sound HT2-TL complimented by four Jeff Bagby-designed 15" subwoofers, each with two 15" passive radiators. The HT2-TL are great speakers and incomparable at the price, as are Jeff's subwoofers (which I DYI'ed for 600.00 each). The HT2-TL are one-tenth the price (4500.00) of the remarkable Vandy's (48,000.00), and they sound great, especially with a subwoofer or subwoofers, which further improves the HT2-TL's midrange. I am drooling (literally) for a pair of SoundScape 8, the baby of the family. The larger SoundScape give the Vandy's a run for their money, even at 16,000.00 v. 48,000.00.
Zybar has a pair of Vandy 5A, driven by the very finest electronics in a meticulously-treated room, and Zybar's system is the best that I have ever heard, and I have heard a lot of systems over the years, in part because my father was in the audio business, and I had many opportunities to listen to systems in week-designed and treated rooms.
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TAD
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You know what, if I had the money and space for any of these outrageously expensive and usually bizarre looking rich man's toy audio systems, I would say screw them all.
I would simply make sure my large listening room had great acoustics and then book in a string quartet, jazz group, choir, or rock group to play for me live every weekend (all acoustical of course, no electricity allowed). I bet I would save a bundle of money doing this too, and of course have way way way better sound than any audio playback system ever done at any price.
Or as one young neophyte asked me at the RMAF, "Mr. Van Alstine, what would you get if you had $100,000 for your audio system?" I told him, well I would spend the first $80,000 on a loaded Audi R8 and then the rest to buy gas, maintenance, and insurance for it, and keep the audio system I now own, which is just fine for me and most others.
Priorities please, priorities. Keep head on straight please.
Regards,
Frank Van Alstine
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One man's expensive is another man's cheap. One can find a review in which a $1,000 amp is described an underpriced and a great bargain. Amongst civilians, $1000 for an entire system is viewed as extravagant and a silly waste of money. Hell, a lot of the world's people don't even have electricity, let alone the money to buy a bargain priced amplifier to plug into an outlet they also don't have. Wives think nothing of spending $1,000 on a nice sofa, but are not amused by the husband's purchase of a $1,000 amplifier. We see $200,000 Wilson loudspeakers and Mikey's $150,000 turntable, and while I find that vulgar, Audiophileland pretends those products are just like real products only more expensive. Car magazines review the new Ferrari, but I don't know anyone who owns one (an old one, yes!). If they had the money, those civilians would view buying a quarter-million dollar car as cool, but would still find the $1,000 amp bewildering. We're all on the slippery slope of what we view as justifiable, or even necessary to achieve one's goals, Hi-Fi prices, looking up in one direction (Dave Wilson's "statement" loudspeaker and Mikey's TT) and down in the other (Bose, etc.).
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Frank, I'm sure there's plenty of people that would rather drive a Honda Accord and have a $100k system than a cheap system and a fancy car. :wink:
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Accounting for taste, sensibilities, and understanding of the physics involved; nearly all of the 'top-end' speakers have their 'issues'...
Quads are wonderful but don't do bass and have limited dynamics.
But at the end of the day, there is no perfect speaker.
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Frank, I'm sure there's plenty of people that would rather drive a Honda Accord and have a $100k system than a cheap system and a fancy car. ;)
Yup - would never spend 80K on a car - but then again, I'd never spend 80K on a stereo system either....
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Who makes the finest car? Who makes the best cake? Your mom does. I do not think you can limit it to one. It is all too subjective. People will disagree. What speaker you like I may not include in my list. Me, when I have the money to upgrade I will be buying a certain $2000 speaker and that will be the best for me.
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Frank, I'm sure there's plenty of people that would rather drive a Honda Accord and have a $100k system than a cheap system and a fancy car. :wink:
Frank,
I drive a ten year old min-van so I can buy excellent AVA components to drive my Magnepan speakers. :D
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I've spent roughly $17,000 on stereo/audio but less than $2,000 on all my other pastimes in the last 40 years (and have my eye on another $1,000 worth of gear).
From that, I've got roughly $8000 worth of audio gear in use but less than $500 on all other pastimes.
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Carver Amazing (outbest maggies in soundstage).
Sonus Faber Concerto Domus (it emit sound only to front, but are very transparent).
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Accounting for taste, sensibilities, and understanding of the physics involved; nearly all of the 'top-end' speakers have their 'issues'...
Quads are wonderful but don't do bass and have limited dynamics.
But at the end of the day, there is no perfect speaker.
In my choice of the original Quads I put in the stipulation/qualification/proviso: "For those to whom reproducing the human voice is a loudspeaker's first and most important job". Yet, whenever the Quads are mentioned, without exception someone always has to bring up them having their well know limitations. Uh, yeah, we know, that's why the stipulation/qualification/proviso. :duh: :scratch:
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I told him, well I would spend the first $80,000 on a loaded Audi R8 and then the rest to buy gas, maintenance, and insurance for it, and keep the audio system I now own, which is just fine for me and most others.
My local dealer has a loaded R8. . .the sticker is $169K. . .not sure what $80K will get you. :lol:
http://www.parktownimports.com/web/new/Audi-R8-2014-St-Louis-Missouri/1413237/
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Another house in which to create a "dedicated listening room".
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Classic Audio T-1.4 (I think, or else it was the T-3.4, not positive which, driven by Atma-Sphere MA1's, I think ... I need to increase my Ginkgo intake 10x :oops:). Even these had limitations though - poorly defined bass (although room was enormous, cavernous, at audio show). But from mid-bass/mids on up, they were excellent. :thumb:
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Audi R8 for $169,000? Darn it there goes my car budget too. :(
It looks like I will need to keep driving my old 2002 Audi S6 Avant for a few more years. Just put a new set of Blizzaks on it yesterday for the winter.
Frank Van Alstine
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=88741)
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Well, I suppose it was a pair of Acoustat 1+1's driven by some Spectral separates and a Linn front end in a dealer showroom with a Mark Levinson recording of some choral music playing. I remember that last part cause I bought the recording: Mark Levinson, volume one.
My friend had the same speakers driven by huge Threshold Stasis mono blocs, IIRC SA-1 model nomenclature. Small sweet spot, but definitely one of my audio high points. Thanks for reminding me!
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In my choice of the original Quads I put in the stipulation/qualification/proviso: "For those to whom reproducing the human voice is a loudspeaker's first and most important job". Yet, whenever the Quads are mentioned, without exception someone always has to bring up them having their well know limitations. Uh, yeah, we know, that's why the stipulation/qualification/proviso. :duh: :scratch:
Sorry, didn't read the entire thread. But isn't it nice that someone agrees with you?
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I'm with Frank on this one.
girls like nice cars + boy buys nice car = boy gets girls.
boys like nice stereo systems + boy buys nice stereo system = boy listens to stereo system alone or with other boys.
Hate to say it but a nice ride does wonders for a man and if you've ever had one you know there's no comparison.
Drive a Honda but have a statement stereo system rather than drive a Ferrari and have a decent stereo system now personally that is one of the most amusing things I've ever read.
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You forgot the sad part. Girl wants baby, boy gives up nice car to afford same.
Doc
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Launch, There's a LOT of truth in that! :thumb:
EDIT: Doc, I never got to that level, so I can't speak for that one. :lol:
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You forgot the sad part. Girl wants baby, boy gives up nice car to afford same.
And the obvious follw up ... Girl births baby, boy sells blistering hot tube amps and teetering towers on spikes for trade on a nice, child-proof/safe Bose radio! :duh:
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Sorry, didn't read the entire thread. But isn't it nice that someone agrees with you?
:thumb:
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You forgot the sad part. Girl wants baby, boy gives up nice car to afford same.
Doc
First baby + first house at the same time meant Audi S4 went bye-bye...hello used Camry.
Glad those days are behind me.
George
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Apologies for the self serving nature, but it's the truth. The finest pair of loudspeakers I have heard is the pair in my sound room now, AudioKinesis Dream Maker LCS (Late Ceiling Splash). The sound is better than what we had two weeks ago at Rocky Mountain Audio Fest.
This is the first I've heard these in my own room. I'll post images in Duke's circle later. Tomorrow we test these to see how LCS works in a huge room with 16' ceiling.
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Firstly the most important consideration is the Listening room. In my room 12.5 ft wide by 26ft lenght Height 8 ft, I have tried many well known British speakers B & W KEF Monitor Audio, PMC, Spendor Harbeth and easily the best are the new Focalstage Floorstanders for natural reproduction without any listening fatigue for both Stereo & mch SACD & Blu-Ray IMO these speakers are a Best Buy.
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Firstly the most important consideration is the Listening room. In my room 12.5 ft wide by 26ft lenght Height 8 ft, I have tried many well known British speakers B & W KEF Monitor Audio, PMC, Spendor Harbeth and easily the best are the new Focalstage Floorstanders for natural reproduction without any listening fatigue for both Stereo & mch SACD & Blu-Ray IMO these speakers are a Best Buy.
I'm so with you on importance of the room and single driver/transmission line speakers.
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Boy, how I miss the days when you could go to a store and hear speakers of the caliber under discussion. Dunno about where you live but hi-end stores where I live have all closed. I was in San Francisco recently and didn't visit a single store :duh:. WTF was I thinking. Haight Street had cute cafes and novel shops and yet the panhandlers looked the same and there was still a large number of them. Only way you could tell them from their 60's counterparts was the abundance of tattoos.
Help me remember the name of some high end cylindrical and very tall speakers with a waveguide that was top to bottom on one side. Heard those in a shop and a colleagues listening room a ways back. They qualify imho.
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To me the finest pair of loudspeakers I've heard are the ones I'm listening to right now, The Vapor Audio New Joule Whites driven by a Purity Audio Design Basis Two Pre driving a pair of Merrill Audio Veritas Mono Block amps used with an Exemplar modded Oppo 95.
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You need to get out more. The title of the thread is "Finest...heard", not "Finest...owned"!
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Help me remember the name of some high end cylindrical and very tall speakers with a waveguide that was top to bottom on one side. Heard those in a shop and a colleagues listening room a ways back. They qualify imho.
Would those be the Beveridge?
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I live in NW London England and fortunately there are still stores in London & elsewhere in the UK to visit and audition speakers, Many dealers also operate from Home & commercial premises. Hi-Fi Mags plenty the oldest HFN & RR, although Gramophone were reviewing Hi-Fi many decades before HFN & RR appeared. also What Hi-Fi? Hi-Fi World, Hi-Fi Choice, Hi-Fi + , Home Cinema Choice.
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Would those be the Beveridge?
That would be my guess also.
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Would those be the Beveridge?
I believe they were, Russell. Thanks.
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You need to get out more. The title of the thread is "Finest...heard", not "Finest...owned"!
Perhaps you might want to go hear what Seadogs is so pleased with. You may find that you agree with him . . . :wink:
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Salk SS8.
McIntosh XRT2k had a lot going for it; but there was something not quite point-source on the mids/highs.
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(re: the Beveridge speaker)
I believe they were, Russell. Thanks.
It might interest some to know that "our own" Roger A. Modjeski of Music Reference was involved from 1978 in the amplifier design of the Beveridge.
http://www.ramlabs-musicreference.com/bio.html
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Magnepan 20.7
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Perhaps you might want to go hear what Seadogs is so pleased with. You may find that you agree with him . . . :wink:
It's possible, and I hate to dismiss something with which I have no experience, but unless there is something awfully special about those speakers, I find it hard to believe. I know a lot of people do find something special in full-range cone drivers, but I'm definitely not one of them. Full-range planars, maybe.
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The Finest pair was actually two pairs of Klipschorns driven by some monster Mac Tube Stack and possibly a quad setup
at a UVA frat house in 197?.
Probably at some audio show since then somewhere in the US of A, I have heard something to compare, but how could my aged memory know for sure? :?
I wish the topic was: Name the Finest Pair of Loudspeakers You Remember Hearing. :cry:
Shoot, Now I forgot the question!!! :duh:
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JBL Everest. Not that price is the determiner of quality, but they're about $60K a pair if I recall.
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Everest. 60K. Equally insurmountable for me.
Love to hear them though. Maybe I have and just can't remember. :) Always liked the JBL's.
Got an old pair of Altec Horns and Crossovers. Always wanted to do something with them.
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Probably Focal 1038be. But the 1028be's were also very good. For bookshelf, the Wilson Audio Duettes.
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Do Bill O'Reilly and Dennis Miller count? :P
I crack myself up. :lol: They are speakers
and probably loud. Yuk Yuk.
Seriously I couldn't match anybody here.
Most of what I've heard has been the run
of the mill audio shop fare such as Linns or
such. The most I've ever purchased has
been the recent JBL S530 for $379 this
Christmas. They do sound good with my
TBI Millenium.
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Do Bill O'Reilly and Dennis Miller count? :P
I crack myself up. :lol: They are speakers
and probably loud. Yuk Yuk.
Seriously I couldn't match anybody here.
Most of what I've heard has been the run
of the mill audio shop fare such as Linns or
such. The most I've ever purchased has
been the recent JBL S530 for $379 this
Christmas. They do sound good with my
TBI Millenium.
Good One ApolloTT About Bill and Dennis. They are Loud and Funny in their way. No doubt the JBL's and Millenium
sound sweet.
James
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Good One ApolloTT About Bill and Dennis. They are Loud and Funny in their way. No doubt the JBL's and Millenium
sound sweet.
James
Edit: I just looked. The JBL's retail for Six a pair. Good Deal Mate.
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Hey Now,
I was on a business trip to Vancouver, B.C. last fall and had the opportunity to pop into HiFiCentre to have a listen. The guys there were terrific, they let me roam around and audition for a couple of hours. They had in a back room some Wilson Audio Sasha W/Ps that floored me. They sounded amazing.
I think they had a dCS pre-amp and CD feeding a McIntosh amp. Haven't heard anything like that in recent memory. We don't have any audio shops in Louisville, KY. So it is a treat to go on a business trip and check things out 8^).
--
Finest kind,
Chris
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You know what, if I had the money and space for any of these outrageously expensive and usually bizarre looking rich man's toy audio systems, I would say screw them all.
Priorities please, priorities. Keep head on straight please.
Drive a Honda but have a statement stereo system rather than drive a Ferrari and have a decent stereo system now personally that is one of the most amusing things I've ever read.
Surely, this is a straw man argument. If I had the disposable income for the speakers/amps about which I posted (a quarter million), I can't imagine that I wouldn't plant them in a million dollar room. How does purchasing exquisite gear skew my priorities? When one has such capital to toss at the room, hiring Rives (for example) to do the room design doesn't induce the slightest batting of an eye.
A quarter million dollar speaker/amp combo may be for the well heeled, but the components are certainly not toys. Every t has been crossed and every i dotted. From design to manufacture to performance, nothing short of exemplary will do. I appreciate no compromise designs.
Similarly, I wouldn't consider a Ferrari 458 (lists for about a quarter million) a rich man's toy car. If I were a rich man, I'd own a couple (hopefully, two would be enough to insure that I'd always have one to drive while the other is out for service). For some people, there's more to driving than getting from point A to point B. Lots of money means I can enjoy lots of track days, but that still doesn't wedge the car into the 'toy' hole.
I drive a Honda S2000 CR. I love my little car. It's a blast to drive and it's exceptionally reliable. What's not to love? Still, it's not a Ferrari 458 – not by a mile! I desire the 458, but it is well beyond my reach. Fortunately, an excellent sports car was in reach, and that's what I bought (and I don't mean financed). So it is with my audio system, but I invested more in it than I did my car. Both are kept in a new structure. The combined cost wouldn't buy a new Ferrari 458.
Since I was a youth, I've wanted a 911. The latest generation is an amazing car to drive, but I don't connect with paddle shift like a do a proper manual. It was a goal of mine to buy one when I turned 50, and I was prepared to make that dream a reality. As so often happens in life, the plan changed. I thought of options and talked to my wife. She was in favor of the dedicated room and the Honda. I drove the Honda, fell in love and bought it. A couple of months later, the big garage project was under way. Of course, it went well beyond the projected budget, but that's a common theme in life as well. :wink:
I'm quite satisfied with what I have :D, but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't love to own a Ferrari and the big Scaena speaker system and the big VAC Statement (now, the IQ – not what was pictured) amps, etc. Knowing that there exists something better doesn't diminish my enjoyment of what I have. I honestly don't care about the Porsche anymore. Likewise, the Magnepan 3.7s paired with the Def Tech Supercube Refs are keepers in my book – the best speakers I'll ever have, but not the ultimate, which is the theme of this thread.
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Tough question. Tough because there really is no answer. Speakers are part of a system and a non-optimum part anywhere in the system can swamp out the good qualities of the system or any of its other parts. That being said, however, I had double KLH 9's twice and loved them. Wish I still had them.
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Modified Electro-Voice Wolverine speakers, I have a pair now.
The woofers are a pair of EV-FOUR 12" 10LB magnets
The midranges are MR-10 horns (new K-77 diaphragms "kit" )
The tweeters are TW35 (with K-77 kits)
CR-10 Midrange crossovers with Dayton 1% capacitors (modified to be 12dB)
CR-35 Tweeter crossovers Dayton 1% capacitors (modified to be 12dB)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=93291)
Before upgrade
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=93288)
After upgrade
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=93293)
KITTY
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Tough question. Tough because there really is no answer. Speakers are part of a system and a non-optimum part anywhere in the system can swamp out the good qualities of the system or any of its other parts. That being said, however, I had double KLH 9's twice and loved them. Wish I still had them.
Excellent answer, and I would only put in stacked Quads for the double KLH 9's, which I never got to hear (or even see!).
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I'd say it was a tie - the TAD Compact Reference driven by all TAD equipment just blew my socks off at RMAF, and the GR Research designed Serenity 7 speakers did too:
(http://www.stereophile.com/images/112tad.1.jpg)
(http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z387/Outofthewoods/S7O1_zps776d1621.png)
For using such disparate approaches, they both have very similar strengths - transparency, dynamics, imaging, clarity, smoothness, and FUN.
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I was lucky enough to hear that system at Excalibur Audio back in 1984, the Temptation album played on a Sota table with CJ premier mono bloacks and the Infinity Ref Std speakers. The air and sound depth of that system was breathtaking.
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Danny Richie's all electrostatic line array in a milled aeronautic Al alloy frame with 12 open baffle servo subwoofers. It blew away my LS9's, it was better than any of the TAD's, better than the Serenity 7 (and I completely agree with Tyson's RMAF rating), better than Wilsons (and I like Wilson speakers), better than German plasma stuff, better than any thing I have ever heard. Maybe Rich Hollis can top them when he finishes his electrostatic design, but as of today, they are king.
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I'd say it was a tie - the TAD Compact Reference driven by all TAD equipment just blew my socks off at RMAF, and the GR Research designed Serenity 7 speakers did too:
(http://www.stereophile.com/images/112tad.1.jpg)
(http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z387/Outofthewoods/S7O1_zps776d1621.png)
For using such disparate approaches, they both have very similar strengths - transparency, dynamics, imaging, clarity, smoothness, and FUN.
Did you hear the TAD in Dynamic Sounds' room at RMAF circa 2015? Absolutely mind boggling, in mono no less, vinyl source.
I've heard too many of the world's best to pick only one.
First, the best reproduced sound I ever heard was not a pair, but rather eight matched speakers, two per corner, Ray Kimber's Iso mic system at CES circa mid-late 00s. This is the last time Ray set up eight x 8 foot tall Sound Lab 'stats, playing Ray's original 4.0 native DSD Iso Mic program, four or eight Pass Class A amps each as big as a foot locker. Likely multiple DSD DACs. Later I heard Ray's similar Iso Mic demo but with four TAD Reference 1s, and with all due respect to TAD and Andrew Jones, not in the ball park v. the stats.
Another multi-ch system that likely outperformed any 2-ch format: estimate 2015 RMAF, exaSound room: 5.0 native DSD program > exaSound e20 > Bryston 5-ch power amp > five mid size Maggies (LCR close to front wall + rear corners)
Two speaker wise:
Duntech Sovereign 2001 designed by Ray Dunlavy, early 90s, CES, Riviera Hotel
Aforementioned TAD stand mounts, mono vinyl, Beatles program, like G. Harrison and John Lennon were raised from the dead.
Really, VMPS' very last flag ship, RM50 bipolar, 2x 30 lb 12s per side, Brian finally used DSP to notch out the 6 dB bump @ 1kHz in the planar mids, outperformed all prior VMPS including the RM60 Wings. (Likely my all time second favorite VMPS model is the mid/late 80s Strathearn direct-coupled true ribbon...each ribbon about 1.3 Ohm, several wired in series)
Infinity IRS III likely setup as good as they can sound, Sony DAT playing Telarc Stravinksy Firebird Suite, WOW! BTW, in the 90s, at CES Riviera Hotel, in a room in which I worked, Peter McGrath brought in a DAT and CD he mastered, both of the exact same program. A few journalists, John Curl, Ed Meitner, and others experienced AB test, CD v. DAT > Theta's $5k DAC (in early/mid 90s dollars that was actual money) > Threshold FET-1 with Curl's custom PS > Meitner 100W mosfet mono > VMPS ST IIa/R fine tuned and sounding fantastic. Speakers on short wall, long wall 25-30 feet. To say the DAT outperformed the CD is a ridiculous understatement. Everyone in the room agreed it sounded like two different performances. I suspect McGrath had already performed such AB test and knew the outcome. My first direct experience that the silver disc might have some problems.
IMF transmission line flag ship, early 90s at CES, Riviera Hotel (demolished after the last Bourne movie filmed there so I'm told) can't remember the model
TAD Reference 1, circa late 90s/early 00s, huge Pass Class A amps, playing Boz Scaggs' My Funny Valentine, Pacific Microsonics DAC/ADC (recorded w/this ADC, playing the original HD on which it was recorded), Boz singing solo while playing his 9' grand at his San Francisco home, absolutely terrifyingly delicious
JBL current M1 model, at Big Fish Automation, Layton, Utah, circa 2016, in their huge borderline commercial sized custom HT, with dual 18" JBL subs, setup and calibrated by JBL, made the $30k/pr Revel flagship in the professionally treated room across the hall sound like they were broken (with all due respect to Revel)...it's worth drivin1g a whole day to h1ear the M1, my all time favorite 2-ch if I had to pick only one, I brought a friend who is practically legally deaf, and he was blown away, I kid you not!
Huge SL stats, THE Show or CES (easily confused when they were next door to each other), setup by Blowtorch preamp co-designer the late Bob Crump, RIP, Bob's last show before his too early passing...considering you could not keep your hands on the Parasound JC1 power amps for hardly a second, I suspect Bob had the bias cranked to God only knows what voltage.
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Interesting and satisfyingly detailed list of comparisons, James. Thank you.
I am surprised at the result of the DAT/CD comparison demonstated by Peter McGrath. I feel there must be an unknown factor corrupting this apparent result. I have never experienced a difference such as you describe over the roughly ten years I recorded to digital tape (PCM F-1, Apogee AD500>Aiwa, Teac DAP-20 and Tascam DA-30 DAT recorders (going digital in) and Tascam DA-38 multitracks) and compared with the CD result, whether CDR or the final CD.
In your second to last paragraph, were you referring to the JBL M-2?
Thanks again for the fascinating trip through those listening experiences.
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It's a toss up between the Tidal Contriva Diacera and the MBL 101e Mk. II. They have a distinctly different way of presenting the soundstage but each is very compelling and thrilling to listen to. The MBL's are much fussier about amplification though and they need a big room to work well.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=163954)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=163955)
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OMG, yes, how could I forget the MBL 101s, unknown suffix, likely e version. It was almost as much fun hearing them as looking at listener's jaws drop open, literally, and I mean the literal literal, not figurative use. Too loud of course, as others often report, but still an audio high point.
Russell,
Yes, sorry, JBL M2. I shall edit forthwith.
In the CD v. DAT test: Sony's early 90s ES flagship CDP was the transport v. Peter's portable Sony DAT. I presume the same coax digital in both cases (did early 90s Sony portable DAT have coax output?). Maybe modern transports, digital IC, and DACs explain the difference in your tests v. that one in the 90s. Appreciate your further comments. Program was a huge orchestral piece which of course I can't recall, huge dynamic range, smashing crescendos. People can laugh at VMPS' old ST IIa/R, but the fact is they could sound anywhere from pretty horrible to close to state of the art for the era, depending on the gear, room, and most of all setup/fine tuning. How would I know? The home at which I heard finely tuned IRS III was that of Landmark calendar/greeting card principal, overlooking SF Bay in Tiburon. He drove a black Rolls, she drove a fly yellow Ferrari. He purchased, and Brian and I setup ST IIa/R in the living room (IRS in the huge entry/family room). Honestly, of course the IRS outperformed the ST, except for a couple areas. I would say the ST went just about as low as the IRS, maybe lower, though the IRS had more bass power overall, as you'd expect. Bass quality wise though, I feel sure, immediately after the drum whacks on Firebird Suite, I heard the IRS servo feedback compensate and suddenly over damp, a minor but non-existent artifact when we walked around the corner to hear the ST. The early 90s Onkyo 125 lb behemoth M-510 Grand Integra powered the IRS ribbon panels, located in the basement below the IRS.
I clearly remember the late Brian Cheney of VMPS, standing with both hands on his hips, on a clear day, staring at the expansive view of boats on SF Bay, saying, "Let's just say this is a view most people don't have." The only client I ever had with a more impressive home was a gentleman to whom I sold a pair of Totem Acoustics speakers for his study, in the upper Broadway area of SF about a block from the house in the opening scene of Bullit, where our dear Lt. Bullit (Steve McQeen) meets his protagonist Chalmers superbly played by Robert Vaughn. Similar view as the Landmark guy's home, but different perspective and farther away, more impressive home. (My brother in law provided the rock posters in Bullit's apartment, which was the home of his real life girlfriend, who supplied the plants for clothing maker Esprit, whose owners were friends with the movie producers. Also, at the very end of the movie is a very tall, very dark, and very thin black SFO police officer wearing sun glasses, running through the airport. That was an extra/real life SFO police officer, who left the force for the SFFD, where he was my coworker. His name is in a photo album book down stairs.) Well, another impressive home I visited for an audio delivery is Sandra Bullock's next door neighbor in Jackson Hole. Living room about 50x35x12 feet, with another view to die for, of the Tetons this time, with no ocean in sight.
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Focal grand utopias in Audio Reasearch's treated listening room.
Moved to tears by a performane of Ave Maria
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Didn't want to admit it earlier, but yes, I cried hearing Boz Scaggs on TAD Ref 1s, as described above. Glad it was near closing time at the show, no more than two other visitors plus designer Andrew Jones. It was truly like Boz played and sang for us personally. If anything, Jones is even nicer and funnier than the reports about him. A remarkable person.
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Bose 901's...back when they were making real speakers ..listened using a Dual MM turntable,Crown amp,Marantz 3600 pre-amp.
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I have two answers to the question of finest pair of speakers I have heard.
Speakers that I can't possibly afford to buy: Focal Grande Utopia EM
I listened to these for two hours in a shop in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Unbelievable sound stage....rather...I closed my eyes and I was 'there'.
Speakers that I can actually afford: Daedalus Audio Apollo speakers
I bought these after listening to them on separate occasions, and comparing them against Poseidons and Argos. [They even bested (IMO) my previous favorite - Salk Exotica 3s.]
I've heard them driven by a Modwright KWA150SE, an AVA 400R, a couple tube amps (forgot which), and a humble Nuprime IDA-8.
Michael
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Most recently, I heard the Focal Scala Utopia EVO - brand new model.
Excellent!
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I've only owned a few pairs, but my current, and best, pair is Ohm Walsh 4xo.
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I've only owned a few pairs, but my current, and best, pair is Ohm Walsh 4xo.
A very nice speaker, I would like to hear this omni.
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This is a very difficult question to answer as few people (including dealers and manufacturers) are willing to put the effort required to get any pair speakers to perform at optimum. Room integration takes an lot of time and effort, but it well worth it.
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I don't have the budget for rarefied speakers but my wife and my fav in the $10K and below range would be a pair of $10K Martin Logan. It was simply so natural compared to boxed speaker. The drawback is size and very narrow window where stereo is coherent. This is definitely, as a dealer said, 'A selfish man's speaker' - and he owned a pair.
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I have heard some ML and dont impressed, I would suggest instead a used Carver Amazing Platinum Ed with a Class D 400W amp.
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Wilson Audio WAMM
Chicago consumer electronic show 1985 or 1986
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Gershman Acoustics GAP
But I do not remember if they were the 520X or 828
520X
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=170399)
828
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=170400)
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The new Grandinote Audio Mach 4's and Mach 2's :popcorn: