The Gardner demo turned out to be a great time for me! I would like to thank Paul and Rick for putting the demo together, it was fun meeting you guys.
If I could turn back the clock on my DIY path I would commission Rick to build me speakers. I am not sure if line arrays are in my budget but after having spent time with Rick and seeing his work it is a no brainer for me. He is a soft-spoken, polite individual who loves music and it seems he has a passion for all sorts of speaker approaches and I like that.
Paul could not have been more of a perfect host for a demo like this. It was very gracious of him to share his house and his equipment to the audio community. I love his beliefs as an audiophile and I could have talked with him all day and throughout the night. Paul, I just received your PM so I apologize for not being more punctual with my reply.
Thanks again Rick and Paul!
Now some of my thoughts about the line arrays! To me, the first thing to be said about these speakers is 'effortless'!! Every piece of music played with no strain and to my ears it seemed like the speakers could have kept playing louder and louder. The ESLs and some MTM dipoles I have heard in the past did not keep an effortless sound to them as the SPLs increased. I could hear a point where if the volume was increased the music would change in its nature but not with these line arrays.
I have only heard a few high-end speakers in my life and each time I hear another I use a setup I heard at Goodwin's High-end as a reference. The listening room at this high-end shop was equipped with all sorts of room treatment creating an amazing soundstage and absolutely perfect imaging. Having this is a reference I can say that the line arrays in Paul's room did not have the same imaging nor do I feel the soundstage was as wide or believable. I think that if the line arrays were in the Goodwin's room the outcome would have been more like the reference system I heard originally.
I have no quarrels with the resolution or detail these line arrays produced. I could have listened all day to them even with other peoples' music selections. No recording sounded horrible but so many sounded terrific.
The entire room was filled with sound and one did not have to sit in one listening position to still have an enjoyable experience. This is not the case with ESLs or 3-way speakers. These line arrays do so much right and nothing below average in my eyes. They have detail to match ESLs, they fill the room with clean sound like a dynamic horn system, and they have the slam of a nice point source. Some might prefer a different type of speaker for their listening preferences but I feel if your listening ranges from classical to hard rock a line array is for you.
Geez, I could go on and on but i will end it here. I do not feel my description has done these line arrays justice so go listen to a pair of Rick's for yourself.
All you New England guys check out the "Town Square" and answer the poll if you get a chance. Thank you!
