Sadono,
Good link etc.
Well, hard to say what the room really does without listening to a reference system in it, of course. Furthermore, I haven't personally listened to pretty much most of Srajan's equipment either, and obviously, (as I said over and over again, and as anybody should tell anybody who gives those plain "a is better than b" statements over and over again) synergy is everything. Everything.
So, a couple of interesting issues come to light:
1. Srajan made a point that these speakers worked great with pretty much any amp that he used. Which is true to a certain extent in that the speakers really don't Jackyl and Hyde on you even with an amp mismatch. However, I also know that they love current and speed. Look at the drivers and the x-over. So, obviously an amp like a big tube unit or a high current unit such as the Stratos works wonders in quite a few different ways.
2. Srajan's room is indeed made for bass extension. Yes, the Loreleis are indeed very extended, but at the same time, his kind of room also tends to not bring out the maximum of information, let's say. Also depends on how you listen. If it's mostly nearfield, then all of this is academic. However, one of the reasons why the Duos are apparently so fantastic in his setup is a bit due to the character of his room. In different setups (and of course also taking into account the equipment) I have heard Avantgardes sound anything from neutral to overly analytical, or less "round" for a lack of a better word. I think that his room indeed gives systems ceretain characters. Having said that, the apparent (again, haven't listened in it) character of his room, however, is dead-on for his listening and reviewing style. Much, much better than other guys out there that listen in a "glass house". Also, having read some of his reviews on pieces that I know, I must say that I completely trust his hearing.
3. As for the setup of the Loreleis:
- they really benefit tremendeously from the setup formula as given in our web site for minimalizing 1st and 2nd wave of reflection.
- they really need to be at least 2-3 feet of the rear wall. The bass extension comes with quite a bit of air pressure through the rear port, and , for example, the dancing plants behind the speakers in Lima were a pretty good attraction, hehehe.
- with the axis setup: yes, I've listened to them sitting straight ahead, which is actually valid in a bigger room because of the dispersion rate of the Scan's. Facing the speakers directly at you, I dislike. Now you can tone up the detail tremendeously, yes, but to me, music is too much in your face this way. Calls too much attention, kind of "hey listen to me" in a way that very analytical (there are so many) amps and pres do for example. Personally I like them toed in just a few degrees. Here you have a wonderful flow of the musical texture, harmonics, and 3 d information. The perfect compromise for this speaker, and you can put them a mile apart without loosing any of that.
- However, obviously some amps with a , let's say, very strong personality can change all of the above, of course.
4. Lastly, because of the Scan 9700 and Rolf's ridiculous x-over, I have to say that yes, you can get more detail out of the speakers with system approach, room setup, and room environments. However, the one thing that I didn't succeed in yet (even when playing Deutsche Grammophone records and using early Audioquest cables) is to get the damn tweeter bright. It is so well dampened and so neutral, that I really believe that the darn Scan 9700 is the absolutely perfect piece for this design, ringtweeters and torpedos be damned, hehehe.
Hope that this gives you a bit more of an idea,
Klaus
