Regretfully, I've decide to go ahead and sell my beautiful Daedalus speakers.
Info:
http://www.daedalusaudio.com/DA-RMa.htmlLike all Daedalus speakers, the cabinet shells are handmade of solid American hardwood, in this case walnut. Pictures never do justice to these; they are simply gorgeous, with sonics to match. The 3/4" hardwood sides are "tuned" with maple struts, much like guitars and other acoustic instruments, the effect of which is both subtle and unique in my experience. Finely detailed and refined, yet with a coherent musical presentation that simply sounds more like live music to me than most audiophile speakers (of which I've owned over 250 pairs in the past 47 years) which often sound clinical and thin by comparison.
The DA-RMA was Lou's first no-compromise standmount, which morphed into the current Athena. Lou told me he wanted to duplicate as much as possible the sound of the DA-RMA in the Athena, with the same drivers and crossover technology, but in a single cabinet. This pair was updated about 1.5 years ago to the current V2 version, including the all-poly crossovers and woofer trim rings. Everything but the drivers and cabinets was replaced, and the finish renewed. A friend has Athena V2s and they sound very closely alike save for a few Hz. on the bottom end.
These are high sensitivity speakers (95db/w/m) which can be driven easily by 10 watt SET amps and even small Tripath amps, but can handle large amounts of power comfortably. I've heard them with many amp sizes and architectures, but have never heard them sound anything but great with any high quality amp. The drivers have cloth surrounds for extreme durability and long-life. The size fits nicely in most rooms- speakers are 30" tall w/o stands, 44hx14dx11w with bases and stands. The speakers themselves are the most compact of the V2 models.
This sale is not a reflection on the quality of these speakers, which along with Apogee Divas are one of my 2 favorites of what I've owned, but that my hearing has taken a turn for the worse in the last year and it's getting harder to appreciate the finer points in the presentation. I'm finding I often need to listen hard to pick things up that previously were clear; possibly related to my tinnitus, which is getting steadily louder and more distracting. I have to "listen through" a layer of sonic smog much of the time, which is fatiguing. It's become annoying that I can't really enjoy these as much as I used to, and it's kind of pointless to have them and not be able to appreciate them. Ah, the fun of aging....
These are an easy 8, condition-wise. No scratches, dents, fading, discoloration or finish issues, except for the naturally occurring features that come with solid wood. The hand rubbed finish is gorgeous. Their presence in a room really adds to the décor, and they have a super high WAF. My wife and I redecorated our home to match them, at her suggestion!
The 2 smaller Daedalus V2 models, the DA-RMA and Athena, rarely, if ever come to market. I've never seen another pair of either V2 for sale, so figuring a price is tough. These are handmade in small quantities and people hold onto them. I've decided a great deal is about 40% off, so that is what I'm pricing these at. Walnut Athena V2s list for around $11k currently, and the DA-RMAs v2, with bases and stands (also solid hardwood) were over $10.5k total. I'll include spikes and Herbie's glider feet (great for hardwood floors). I've read that Lou will start selling his speakers through dealers. I imagine that will mean much higher prices ahead.
I have the original boxes. Local pickup in Seattle is welcome as well.
You'll never find a nicer pair of the "smaller" V2 models, IMO.
Thanks for having a look.
