[pvolpe]

Hi guys, new member here, so please forgive me if this topic has been covered already.  I cannot use the search feature yet. 

I am looking into getting a new-to-me pair of tower speakers.  And the Vienna Acoustics Mozart & Mozart Grand speakers have caught my eye.  Admittedly I have not heard them yet, but I have heard the Bach models and was quite impressed.  Despite Danny's less-than-favorable measurements of these speakers, and observations that the components are sub-par, reviews of these speakers tend to be very favorable.  Many reviewers (when the speakers were current) said that they were one of the best $3k loudspeakers on the market.  And descriptions by both professional reviewers and owners of these speakers are consistent with my own preferences.  i.e. I tend to favor a warm treble, very good imaging.  And I don't crank it up as loud as I used to.  (My current speakers are Celestion SL700, which are also very warm, and have even been described as "dark" back when they were new.  By comparison, most other speakers sound overly bright to me.)

Anyway, most reviews I've seen of the Vienna Acoustic have been very favorable.  And then I came across Danny's review video and subsequent upgrade.
Maybe this isn't the right way to go about buying speakers.  But since I'm buying used my choices are limited.

I found several people online selling the Mozart speakers.  And also two pairs of the Mozart Grand.  One pair is pristine.  The other pair has a damaged driver, and the asking price reflects that.
Doing some simple math, I can get the damaged pair, and Danny's upgrade kit for less than the cost of the pristine pair.

So here's my question...
Given that most people tend to like the Mozarts out of the box, despite their flaws, would Danny's upgrade kit maintain the speakers' sonic signature?  Or would it change them completely and turn them into a totally different speaker?

I realize that the objective measurements would be improved.  But I am interested in subjective opinions of people who have heard a before & after.

Thank you!
-Peter

[Tyson]

I almost bought a pair of Vienna Acoustics about a decade ago, because I loved their sound signature so much. 

I've not heard the GR Research upgrades for the Mozart or the Bach but I have heard other upgrades as well as heard most of the regular GR Research speakers.  IME, the GR Research house sound is similar to the Vienna Acoustics (smooth and non-fatiguing).  While at the same time having much better resolution and imaging/soundstaging.  If you get the upgrade for the VA's I think you will be very pleased.

[Doublej]

Look at the before and after graphs. Danny eliminates a huge variation in the frequency response curve. They will sound different after the upgrade.

https://gr-research.com/product/vienna-acoustics-mozart-grand-upgrade-kit-pair/

[Hobbsmeerkat]

Look at the before and after graphs. Danny eliminates a huge variation in the frequency response curve. They will sound different after the upgrade.

https://gr-research.com/product/vienna-acoustics-mozart-grand-upgrade-kit-pair/

The "Grand" model was a disaster, but the standard Mozart model was actually pretty good by comparison, just parts quality was pretty bad.

[pvolpe]

The "Grand" model was a disaster, but the standard Mozart model was actually pretty good by comparison, just parts quality was pretty bad.

Have you heard them personally, either the original or the Grands?  Or are you reiterating what Danny had to say about them?  I respect his research and his measurements.  But I also know that, despite the measurements and supposed low-quality components, these speakers were favorably reviewed when they were new.  Hearing is subjective.  So I am looking for subjective opinions here. 

[77SunsetStrip]

For what it's worth, will share a somewhat similar situation.  Found a great deal on a pair of Tannoy speakers, made in the UK, a few years old that retailed new just over the $3K mark.  Every review raved about the super flat FR and great sound for the price.  Made the purchase. 

They did sound good on first impression.  REW showed a good FR.  However, after a few weeks and a wide variety of music decided they were accurate but no life.  Pulled the crossover to find a couple electrolytic caps, steel core inductors, sand cast resistors and a few no name poly caps.  Every component measured in spec.  Upgraded all the parts in steps.  Tweeter network first, midrange next, and woofer last.  Converted push on connectors to solder.  Installed tube connectors.  FR remained flat.  However, the sound quality very different.  Music now has life, dynamics, and clarity not present prior to the upgrades.  I can say with confidence no placebo or expectation bias.  There were specific shortcomings noted in the before condition that do not exist in the after.

Good luck with whatever you decide.