[phusis]

Hi all

Went by Karsten's place last Saturday with a friend for a great afternoons company and music, and we had a thorough listen to the Timepiece 3.0's. It was the second time around for me to audition them, and even though in the meantime I've acquired a pair of (used) Raidho Ayra C-1's, indeed truly wonderfully sounding speakers, the Timepiece 3.0's certainly caught my utmost attention again. I must say - the texture, physicality, wholeness, insight, ambient retrieval, balance, the natural and honest manner in which they presented the music and how they made it sound real - it really had, and still has me thinking seriously about replacing my Ayra C-1's with them. There's this sensation of feeling the music over TP 3.0's very vividly, where in comparison my Ayra C-1's keeps you just a tad more at arms length, so to speak, not letting you feel quite so clearly the very fabric of the "woven surface" and core of the music. It's indeed a little like rubbing your fingers gently against a piece of textile; with the 3.0's it feels like untreated soft cotton, whereas the with the C-1's it's as if the same piece of fabric has been slightly treated so as to appear more smooth against the fingers. This is not to say the 3.0's are in any way "rough" or harsh sounding, on the contrary, but rather the example should serve to show that the TP 3.0's may represent music a bit more naturally - from the hand of nature, if you will. This also applies to the dynamics, where they seem to give in more fully over the entire bandwidth. These traits of the 3.0's, in combination with their aforementioned wholeness, is what really has me hooked!

Actually, Karsten has been so nice to offer me to try them out at my own place, and this may be realised from the coming weekend! Can't wait to hear them in my livingroom...

Be well, and feel free to respond

Best,
M

[ooheadsoo]

Thanks for the post.  You reminded me that I didn't have any music playing - Firing up the TPs now with some Hall and Oates.  This is some good stuff. 

Be sure to let us know how the TPs sound in your own system!

[lonewolfny42]

Actually, Karsten has been so nice to offer me to try them out at my own place, and this may be realised from the coming weekend!

That's the best place to test them...in your own system.

TP 3's should work fine with your NuForce equipment....get ready for a "big" sound...compared to your Ayra C1.0 speakers...

Happy listening....

[phusis]

Thanks for the responses! I'll get back with impressions, possibly on Sunday...

Best,
M

[phusis]

The Timepiece 3.0's got hooked up with my stereo yesterday, and already by now I have a strong feeling that my Raidho Ayra C-1's are going to be replaced with the TP 3.0's. Actually I'm rather certain about it right now, but I'll give them two weeks to really get under my skin - not that I believe it will change my stance as is.

Truly wonderful speakers, the Timepiece 3.0's. Kudos to their maker(s)

I'll get back with impressions...

[evan1]

Go for it

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=81512.0

[phusis]

The two weeks mentioned above needed to reach a settled mind on whether to maintain my decision to replace the Ayra C-1's with the TP 3.0's have been treated with a heavy dose of Occam's Razor during today; it would only take two days to finally come to the conclusion that the TP 3.0's are going to take a permanent place in my stereo setup! 

My impressions on the 3.0's can be summed up quite compressed: they're clean and natural sounding, very simply put. In more detail, though it may seem redundant to come about again, it's a combination of things pointing to a common denominator, namely the very whole-ness of the sound. There's both a naturally appealing core and textural "surface" in their reproduction, and it really fills out the space around, above and between the speakers with a solid and lifelike presentation, yet still spacious and relaxed. There's this sensation of not being in the slightest of doubt about what's going on in the music - without it being forced or spoon-fed, that is - and there is such an ease about the presentation that it makes you relax and become fully involved in the music. The clarity and open-ness is stunning. There appears to be a minimum of compression - dynamics, both micro and macro, are given an unhindered run, it feels. Voices and instruments(all ingredients in general) are held firmly in place even with the volume cranked up and the music being complex - not that I play it loud very often. How intoxicating it is hearing voices(for example) placed so calmly and physically in front of you even when things are putting it to a hard test. They're incredibly capable, and seems to be taking in everything you feed them with the greatest of ease. The sound is BIG(though not too big, if I'm able to judge correctly) - simply lifelike. Bass is deep, agile, full, and very nuanced - integrated into the rest, though sometimes at odds with the 3.0's placement in my livingroom. One hour takes the other, and I'm smiling BIG TIME past midnight - a little worried about my neighbours, perhaps

Oh well, time to get some sleep, as much as I'd just like to keep on going hearing music. Perhaps more on the sound of the 3.0's later. Feel free to chime in, all of you.

Best,
M

[mixsit]

..My impressions on the 3.0's can be summed up quite compressed: they're clean and natural sounding, very simply put. In more detail, though it may seem redundant to come about again, it's a combination of things pointing to a common denominator, namely the very whole-ness of the sound.

..Feel free to chime in, all of you.
Best,
M

You're doing fine.
Even back in your first post I felt you struck on it. 'wholeness, balance, natural and honest.
I see them as a neutral, dynamic clean palate. Bob's speakers are purely brilliant logical solutions.
I'm only on what, rev 2's or what ever, and he's improved from there?   


-Monitoring at CathouseSound AetherAudio 'Continuum A.D. and TimePiece 'Mini

[phusis]

You're doing fine.
Even back in your first post I felt you struck on it. 'wholeness, balance, natural and honest.
I see them as a neutral, dynamic clean palate. Bob's speakers are purely brilliant logical solutions.
I'm only on what, rev 2's or what ever, and he's improved from there?   


-Monitoring at CathouseSound AetherAudio 'Continuum A.D. and TimePiece 'Mini

Indeed they are very neutral, dynamic and clean sounding. I didn't get that much into the spatial abilities of the TP3.0's though, but it's certainly worth highlighting as one of their outspoken traits. The soundstage really locks into place with wonderful ambient retrieval, "fill," and the speakers seem to disappear altogether.

The aspect regarding "fill" may need a little elaboration, since it is one of the things that sets the natural tone of the TP3.0's, in my ears at least. In comparison the Raidho Ayra C-1's, and even some of their larger siblings(with the exception of the fantastic C-4's) to a minor extent, may seem a tad anemic and perhaps even "out of focus" in a peculiar way. It leads to some thoughts:

Quite often(read: for the very most part) when listening to a wide variety of speakers one gets the immediate sensation of listening to "hifi," and that may further lead into adhering to a particular mindset, if you will, where the sound generated in front of you is assimilated into a substitute of the real thing, almost as an entity in itself - pushing the term "hifi" somewhat into obscurity, yet without giving fully in to the music at a subconscious level. With this in mind I'll dwell on some impressions of the C-1's, before coming back to the outset:

Though extremely refined and delicate, among many other qualities, the Raidho C-1's have nevertheless placed in me the feeling of being held at arms length to the event, leaving me to ponder in awe over the intricate nuances in the presentation, as well as the elegance of it all. Yet, somehow that's where I'm left, to ponder over these intricate delicacies and never getting fully involved with the sensation of witnessing a real musical event - admittedly no small feat in itself. A friend of mine mentioned how he felt the C-1's were slightly manipulative in their sound when compared with the TP3.0's, and I actually agree with him - it's a well put observation. Earlier, in some of my conversations with Karsten, and before the TP3.0's in my own setup, I circled the notion of the C-1's being rather gentle and polite, and though doubtful whether this observation held any merit as something distracting from the "realness" of the sound, it stayed with me, and eventually had me more invested in, and ultimately reviving my initial impressions of the TP3.0's(that I'd auditioned some months prior).

The fill of the sound that's now entered with the TP3.0's in my setup is perceived as an ability to, well, fill out the sound as an intrinsic or inherent and natural quality - planting a textural, physical and organic feel - and in turn it contributes having me give up the subconscious struggle to maintain the particular mindset of the above mentioned "hifi"-feel, subtle it may be, as a stand-in. Moreover, the slight sensation of "out of focus" mentioned in conjunction with the C-1's stand opposed to the TP3.0's ability to lock into focus, and this as well puts me in a relaxed state where I seem not to, again, struggle to keep up the suspension of disbelief; the music feels more accessible and real. Coupled with the overall ease and balance of presentation in the TP3.0's it's something that really has me appreciating music as such, as music. It's actually giving in to music in relief.

Some may feel the C-1's to be more refined and delicate, though in the end I almost find it to be a subtle emphasis at the expense of the wholeness, the core and substance of the sound - not as a distraction in itself, but somehow standing alone. In my ears the TP3.0's redirect the attention to the music itself, in full vigor. The presentation just clicks into place, in more than one sense...