Jim hit a home run with this speaker. I've never bought a speaker without hearing it first, but I took the plunge based on user reviews and Jim's help. The last speaker that I owned some years ago was the Magnepan 1.6 with Conrad Johnson components. It sounded great but without the slam that I desired. The BEATS are very different. They just play music very cohesively and there are no disconnects from top to bottom. I had no idea what to expect from the beryllium tweeters but they add nothing extra to the music. They simply convey the music in a realistic scale and space. The sound stage is not exaggerated or compressed, it's just right. Actually, I was surprised how good this speaker sounds at low listening levels. I can have the volume set at a very low level and still hear every detail.
I played an album by Fausto Mesolella and was blown away how realistic the guitar sounded. I tried everything from Cassandra Wilson to hip hop and most sounded great. I simply cannot tolerate a bad recording regardless of artist. So yes, if it is a bad recording it does not sound good to my ears.
https://www.nativedsd.com/product/sacd201-madama-terra/The Cary Audio si3002d integrated and Lumin U1 Mini with Uptone Audio power supply with the Song BEATS is a spectacular combination. I'm sure the BEATS or any of Jim's speakers would sound great with just about any amp. Just my 2 cents......
