AudioCircle
Industry Circles => Triode Wire Labs => Topic started by: Jonathon Janusz on 10 Jul 2016, 02:26 am
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Pete! Drag Greg on to the forum and spill a little about what he brought to the show! :hyper: Pictures would be. . . good. . .
I just read another post about a little Vittora at about 1/3 the price? I'm sure you, Gary, and Greg have some great sound going, but the reports from the show so far are a little lean and inquiring minds want to know. :thumb: I wish I could be there, but I've been busier than busy taking your advice from a few years ago.
Finish strong at the show, gents!
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I'm also interested to know how things are going in the Daedalus/Border Patrol/Triode Wire Labs room. That was another combination I would have liked to hear. I've thought for a while that your cabling would pair well with Lou's speakers, and I have a feeling the power supplies Gary builds into his amps would be an asset to really make the Daedalus dynamic driver shine.
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Pete! Drag Greg on to the forum and spill a little about what he brought to the show! :hyper: Pictures would be. . . good. . .
I just read another post about a little Vittora at about 1/3 the price? I'm sure you, Gary, and Greg have some great sound going, but the reports from the show so far are a little lean and inquiring minds want to know. :thumb: I wish I could be there, but I've been busier than busy taking your advice from a few years ago.
Finish strong at the show, gents!
Hey Jonathon,
Thanks, brother!
Here's the scoop... Greg Roberts from Volti crashed the BorderPatrol & TWL party with his new "reasonably priced" horn speakers. Gary Dews and I were using Gary's beautiful looking and really phenomenal sounding Living Voice OBX-RW loudspeakers (Gary is the sole US importer of these great UK speakers)... I was very, very impressed by these Living Voice speakers (http://www.livingvoice.co.uk/products-auditorium-speakers.html (http://www.livingvoice.co.uk/products-auditorium-speakers.html))... they really don't do anything wrong...
Gary Dews & I let Greg set-up his "brand new" global-debut speakers at 2 PM on Saturday (exactly mid-way through the 3 day show). At 2:20 PM (20 minutes later), the speakers were sold to a local audiophile... yeah, that quick! Gary & I spent considerable time with Greg evaluating & tweaking the new "Rival" speakers on Friday night after-hours (well worth it!)...
(http://cdn.stereophile.com/images/071016-Volti-600.jpg)
From Stereophile's Herb Reichert -
"Most of you must know I am a long time fan of Volti Audio's Vittoria horn-loaded loudspeakers. They achieve what I always thought was impossible: a smooth, coherent, hyper-efficient loudspeaker that bubbles with musical life—and never let's on it's a horn speaker. Most folks that heard it agreed except, many wished it was smaller and less expensive. Well, Volti proprietor/engineer, Greg Roberts was listening and at CAF released a smaller, less expensive model, the Rival at only $7900/pair. The sound, while not quite as sweet and sophisticated as the Vittora, was "oh my my" tight fast and textured. The box, the drivers and the music reproduced seemed properly scaled, utterly uncompressed. The new 99dB-sensitive Rival delivered a great portion of the bigger speaker's pleasures. Bravo Volti!
The new Rivals were driven by Border Patrol S20 EXD parallel, single-ended, dual-mono 300B amplifiers ($16,750/pair) and the Border patrol 1543 DAC ($1500). All cables were Triode Wire Labs and sourced from a PI Audio UberBUSS power distribution block."
http://www.stereophile.com/content/caf2016-herb-gets-it#CqMKA2T9CrDibcre.97 (http://www.stereophile.com/content/caf2016-herb-gets-it#CqMKA2T9CrDibcre.97)
Cheers,
Pete
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Ok, I've been dragged in!
A lot of people really like the sound of the Vittora speakers, but cannot afford them, and/or they are too big for their rooms. I've been asked over and over again if I could produce a speaker that has the same characteristic Volti sound as the Vittora, but at a lower price point and in a smaller cabinet. This is very difficult to do. It would be much easier to build a bigger and more expensive horn speaker.
So I've been working on this project for the last two years. In the back of my shop their are several failed attempts (cabinets) to attest to how difficult this task has been.
A couple of weeks ago I became inspired again and began working on a new idea. Use all the same components that are in the Vittora, but make a much smaller and very simple cabinet. Smaller and simple will keep costs down. Same components at Vittora should result in a similar voicing.
I just hit on something with this design and it just all came together very quickly. I worked day and night on it. My wife and I are at our old shop in Maine right now, living right here in the shop.
Gary and Pete allowed me to 'crash the party' as Pete says, which was very nice of them, sharing time with the Living Voice speakers. Selling the Rivals at the show was unexpected and a nice bonus. Now I can buy more plywood and components and do it again! But the real value in bringing the Rivals to CAF was the feedback I got from Pete and Gary, for me to gain a better understanding of the design and how to move forward on it. There are some changes coming for the final version.
Greg
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=146749)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=146750)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=146751)
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Pete,
Wanted to also mention that the TWL HAL AC Power Cords and the PI Audio Group UberBUSS and DigiBUSS were powering the HAL digital front end in the GT Audio Works room as well.
Ran three days continuously with excellent sound quality mentioned by many in the room.
Thanks again for making those for me!
Best,
Rich
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Hi All,
Thanks for "dragging" Greg into this. I too have been looking around for more information on the "Rival" from Volti Audio after reading Mr. Reichert's comments in Stereophile. Great job with the pictures and good luck. That's some nice gear used to feed the Rivals!
Best Regards,
Blu99Zoomer
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Welcome to Audiocircle, Volti Audio. The Rival was one of the standouts at CAF, both in performance and value, and sounded better than many more expensive systems. This should be a very popular model for you.
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Hi All,
Thanks for "dragging" Greg into this. I too have been looking around for more information on the "Rival" from Volti Audio after reading Mr. Reichert's comments in Stereophile. Great job with the pictures and good luck. That's some nice gear used to feed the Rivals!
Best Regards,
Blu99Zoomer
Certainly some great gear upstream that really helped the Rivals sound as good as they did.
Once I get a finalized model I'll put all the information and photos up on the Volti website to make it 'official'. I'll also send out a newsletter with the info.
Please feel free to ask any questions here about the Rival.
Greg
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Welcome to Audiocircle, Volti Audio. The Rival was one of the standouts at CAF, both in performance and value, and sounded better than many more expensive systems. This should be a very popular model for you.
Thank you for the welcome and the kind words. I don't always have time for forum discussions - too busy making sawdust.
I hope to sell five or ten pair of Rivals each year. That would be perfect for us. We've needed a sub-$10K speaker that really sounds great, and I think the Rival will be it.
What do you think of the name 'Rival'? The name is a reference to rivaling the Vittora in sound quality.
Greg
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Hi Greg
Nice to see you here.
What drivers are you using or is that a secret? :lol:
Crossover much different than the Allura and Vittora or is that a secret too :lol:
Anyone who hasn't heard a good set a horns needs to IMHO
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Hello Greg. In a post above you mentioned that some changes were coming for the final version. If they are not proprietary, could you say what they are?
I hope one of them is not a vertical adjustment in the price.
Thanks
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Gents,
I've moved the discussion of the new Volti "Rival" loudspeaker (as well as other Volti products) to this thread...
There is great synergy between Greg Roberts' Volti products and Triode Wire Labs...
Ask away your Volti Loudspeaker questions...
Cheers,
Pete
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Gents,
I've moved the discussion of the new Volti "Rival" loudspeaker (as well as other Volti products) to this thread...
There is great synergy between Greg Roberts' Volti products and Triode Wire Labs...
Ask away your Volti Loudspeaker questions...
Cheers,
Pete
Thanks Pete.
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Hi Greg
Nice to see you here.
What drivers are you using or is that a secret? :lol:
Crossover much different than the Allura and Vittora or is that a secret too :lol:
Anyone who hasn't heard a good set a horns needs to IMHO
The Rival has a 1" compression tweeter driver feeding into an elliptical tractrix horn, a 2" compression driver feeding into a 2" throat wooden tractrix horn (which I make), and a high-power, high-sensitivity 15" woofer, bass-reflex, ported.
Crossovers are always designed and voiced for each speaker model individually. I suppose the design reflects my overall mood during the development, or what music I was listening to at the time! lol
Greg
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Hello Greg. In a post above you mentioned that some changes were coming for the final version. If they are not proprietary, could you say what they are?
I hope one of them is not a vertical adjustment in the price.
Thanks
Changes to the final version will include some cosmetic tweaking of the cabinet, like doing away with the recessed front area - going to have a flush front piece. I'm going to make the cabinet slightly taller to bring the tweeter and midrange up a bit higher. The tweeter will be recessed instead of just surface mounted. I think the cabinet needs more internal bracing. With the slightly revised cabinet shape/size/bracing - I will take a look at bass response again and see if I can make any improvements. I'm going to upgrade some of the crossover components during the redevelopment of the crossover for the new model. That's about it.
I want to keep the idea of offering a relatively low priced base model, with a list of options that my customers can choose from, so the goal is to keep the same introductory price of $7,900 and hold that as long as I can. I can tell you that the percentage of the total price going to components is much higher than in your average high-end speaker. Keeping the price down and being sustainable in business is a tricky thing!
We'll be offering Triode Wire Labs internal wiring as one of those options.
Greg
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Here's a photo during the crossover development stage
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=146775)
The mid horn fits within a cutout on the motorboard. Tricky to get the gap even all around.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=146776)
Greg
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Hey Greg,
Congratulations on introducing the Rival! I wish I was there to hear them... hopefully soon enough. Of course if you
are driving through MA with a pair of Rivals on your truck, please stop over at my place. 8) I thinking that the LIO + Rival
would be a killer pairing if they are anywhere near the performance of the Vittoras.
Since you mention that you plan on increasing the height, will this be a floorstander design (I see a small stand on the ones
in the CAF show pics)?
And I'm very curious about how the bass in the Rival compares to the Vittoras, and if you recommend an ELF with the Rival?
I know you are going to do really well with this speaker! :thumb:
Vinnie
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Hey Greg,
Congratulations on introducing the Rival! I wish I was there to hear them... hopefully soon enough. Of course if you
are driving through MA with a pair of Rivals on your truck, please stop over at my place. 8) I thinking that the LIO + Rival
would be a killer pairing if they are anywhere near the performance of the Vittoras.
Since you mention that you plan on increasing the height, will this be a floorstander design (I see a small stand on the ones
in the CAF show pics)?
And I'm very curious about how the bass in the Rival compares to the Vittoras, and if you recommend an ELF with the Rival?
I know you are going to do really well with this speaker! :thumb:
Vinnie
Thanks Vinnie. I did drive through MA with Rivals on the truck! But I couldn't stop - as it was I got to the show Friday night. I do think the Lio would be a great match to the Rivals. Can you send me one so I can play around with it?!! I know how busy you are filling orders, so there probably is no time to put one together for me.
The design is supposed to be a floorstand design, but when we got them set up in the show room, and Pete and Gary were evaluating them, it was obvious that the mid and tweeter were just a little too low. When we raised them up, the mids and highs became much more interesting sounding. Then when we turned the midrange up 1db, that made things really good. But we did give up a bit of the lowest bass by not having the floor gain from the port. So instead of a stand, I will simply build a taller cabinet. I only need to add 5", and then move the tweeter and mid up 1" more on the motorboard for a total of 6" higher.
I don't think a sub will be needed with the Rivals. They are pretty solid in the low end, like the Alura is. More than enough bass.
Greg
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I don't think a sub will be needed with the Rivals. They are pretty solid in the low end, like the Alura is. More than enough bass.
Excellent! :drums:
So the big question that I'm sure everyone has on their minds (including me) is 'how close' do them come to to "Rivaling" the performance of the Vittoras? 75%? No rush on the answer, but once you get them all dialed in for production, I'm really curious about this!
Vinnie
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Would love to one day hear this combo of TWL and Volti Audio in my part of the world (South East Asia).
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Some nice pics and feedback from Kemper Holt from EnjoyTheMusic.com
(http://www.enjoythemusic.com/Capital_Audiofest_2016/Triode_Wire_Labs_Border_Patrol_Living_Voice/DSC2523.jpg)
(http://www.enjoythemusic.com/Capital_Audiofest_2016/Triode_Wire_Labs_Border_Patrol_Living_Voice/DSC2585.jpg)
Late Friday night Greg Roberts of Volti Audio, now in TN, rolled into Rockville after driving all day towing a pair of new speakers finished the day before. Well finish tells the whole story, the new Rival speakers ($7900 per pair), are un-finished and require almost 10 times less man hours to build compared to Volti's Vittoras ($25,750), even though they use the same drivers. The production Rivals will have some improvements to crossover tuning, and will be narrower and taller not requiring stands. Now many more fans of Greg's Volti sound will find them affordable. So halfway through the show, the Rivals were setup in place of the LV OBX-RWs, Gary Dews graciously allowed the Rivals to crash the party. The Rivals had the tone and dynamics Volti is known for, and the bass could easily overload the room at times. The next time we hear the Rivals they will be dialed in and a speaker to watch for.
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Some coverage from Scot Hull from Part Time Audiophile...
https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2016/08/13/capital-audiofest-2016-volti-creates-a-new-rival/ (https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2016/08/13/capital-audiofest-2016-volti-creates-a-new-rival/)
CAPITAL AUDIOFEST 2016: VOLTI CREATES A NEW RIVAL
(https://audiograb.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/caf-volti-4618.jpg?w=860&h=573)
"I heard, almost by chance, that Greg Roberts of Volti Audio had snuck into CAF with a brand new prototype that he’s calling “Rival”.
Rival, that is, to the big brother “Vittora”. If that $25,000 horn loudspeaker recalls a Klipsch K-Horn, this new offering might recollect the Klipsch Cornwall.
The three-way speaker prototype featured a large bass driver, a horn-loaded mid and horn-loaded tweeter, both pulled directly from the Vittora (the bass driver came from the earlier Alura). It was propped up on some borrowed stands to help improve the mid-range focus. The finish was a Baltic birch, and the horns were set into extremely precise cut-outs. All in all, the up-close impression was very positive.
Shown here with BorderPatrol electronics and Triode Wire Labs wiring, the final design of the Rival (or whatever the final design is called) is coming soon — I’m betting we’ll see the production version at RMAF this year. Greg told me that the speaker is going to be a “platform” — a low price for the base (which should look very similar to what we saw here), with additional costs for a different finish, perhaps a boat-tail cabinet, and more. But given that the sound was dynamic as all hell, with great impact and scale, my wager is that this Rival is going to be yuuuuge.
The price for the prototype? $7,500 — which is in the neighborhood of what Greg is hoping to offer as a starting price for the production versions too. Based on the reaction at CAF, I think he’s gonna have luck with it.
This first Rival sold in 20 minutes."
(https://audiograb.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/caf-volti-4620.jpg?w=856&h=571&crop=1)
(https://audiograb.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/caf-volti-4631.jpg?w=700&h=&crop=1)
(Gary Dews & me helping to "set-up" the new Rivals!)
Cheers,
Pete
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Hi guys - wondering if we'll hear the Rivals at the NY Audio show next month. I'd love hear them with a non-DHT LIO (i.e. What I have :D )
Any preview from Greg and Vinnie what's on tap for the show?
Thanks!
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Hi guys - wondering if we'll hear the Rivals at the NY Audio show next month. I'd love hear them with a non-DHT LIO (i.e. What I have :D )
Any preview from Greg and Vinnie what's on tap for the show?
Thanks!
Greg Roberts from Volti will be bringing a pair of Rosewood Rivals to the NYAS, Vinnie will have his LIO and VR120 amp as well as a CD transport powered by his new UltraCap power supply. Walter Swanbon from Fidelis AV will be bringing a German-made Acoustic Signature turntable. Walter is the US Importer for Acoustic Signature.
Should be a blast!
Cheers,
Pete
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Thanks Pete. Looking forward to seeing Vinnie again and meeting you and others.
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Looks fun Pete. The Rivals appear to follow Bob Crites' Cornscala formula. Not a bad direction to go.
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Looks fun Pete. The Rivals appear to follow Bob Crites' Cornscala formula. Not a bad direction to go.
They sound much better than Cornscala's! Greg utilizes the same midrange & tweeter horns used in the Vittoras as well as their drivers...
Cheers,
Pete
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The design has been "Voltified"!
I just sprayed the finish on the first two pair and will be assembling them in the next day or so. Should have photos by the end of the week. All the info will be up on the website at the end of the month.
Greg
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Good Luck guys!
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Thanks for the pics, Pete! :thumb:
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I just received the June issue of Stereophile magazine in the mail this afternoon and the Volti Rivals received a superb write-up from Ken Micallef.
In conclusion, Ken wrote, "At a base price of $7900/pair, the Volti Audio Rival, like the Vittora before it, is a true bargain. Adding a snazzy veneer increases the price by a wallet-crunching $3500-not so much of a bargain. But the Rivals played music with supreme fidelity, openness, lifelike images, transparency, impact, touch, timing, dynamics, and flat-out musical fun. They sang with tubed amplification and worked equally well with solid state. They glorified with both LPs and CDs. The Volti Audio Rivals are inspirational music-makers."
Greg also had a nice Manufacturers' Comment toward the back of the magazine...
Congrats Greg!
Come and hear the new Volti Rivals at the upcoming LA Audio Show, June 2-4 in Room 346!
Cheers,
Pete
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=161893)