[John Casler]

OK RUBY just got REAL

Let me assure you, my initial listening evaluations were and are as good as I have EVER heard from a smaller Stand Mount Speaker. . .EVER.

The system I was using (listed above) had a pair of NuPRIME STA-9 power amps bridged to 290wpc.

They sounded GLORIOUS and I think most could easily have "lived happily ever after" with the set up.

But I needed to move the STA-9 to Power a Pair of Evoke EDDIES in the Home Theater temporarily.

But no problem, I have my FAVORITE amp todate, which is the NuPRIME MCH K-38 (400wpc bridged) , to fill in.

THINGS JUST GOT REAL!!  or could I say "REALER"? (no not a word)

Now to be honest, I certainly expected the K-38 to be better in just about every category (and it was), but it is sometimes a little crazy, when you swap gear, and you hear subtle sounds SO CLEARLY, that you want to listen to EVERYTHING all over again.

I only had time to play a little from a couple cuts, but OH what an experience.

First let me inform you that on the Ballad of Bill Hubbard (Roger Waters - Amused to DEATH) which is one of my PHASE CHECKING and SOUNDSTAGE test cuts, I heard something that made me OPEN MY EYES WIDE!! 

At the beginning of that cut, you might think you hear a babbling brook, some crickets, and a dog barking way off on stage right.

Well here is the news.  If you ears are good enough, you can hear not only crickets, but Cicada (which is a FAR different sound), and when you hear the DOG bark Stage Right, you can hear ANOTHER dog further away deeper in the soundstage, answering the first dog!!!   

Then when the radio shopping host and customer start talking (hard Stage Left) you can hear EVERY WORD.

So I have MORE listening to do, and will report on just how DEEP the K-38 and RUBY will allow you to hear into the recording.

Many use headphones to attempt this kind of DEPTH.

Now you can use a pair of RUBY.   

[slefley]

The Ruby + bridged K-38 sound like a great match.  My living situation requires that I listen at what most people would call quiet levels - typically 80dB max.  My room is fairly small and I listen near-field so this volume works pretty well for me.  Most reviews talk about how a system sounds at extreme high volumes, but rarely do they talk about how it performs at lower levels.  As an example I tried the STA-9 (one only) with my easy to drive Vivid 1.5's and the pairing sound great at higher volumes but lost transparency and drive at lower volumes.  Have you had time to form an impression of the Ruby + K-38 at lower volumes?

[John Casler]

Have you had time to form an impression of the Ruby + K-38 at lower volumes?

Yes the K-38 and ALL the EVOKE Models match Incredibly well.

I am glad you ask about the lower listening levels of the RUBY, because like the EDDIE, THIS is one of the Special Talents of the EVOKE line.

Like the genes we inherited from VMPS, the wonderful thing we do that few other speakers do is we have "ADJUSTABILITY".

The problem with most ALL speakers is that are "One Size fits All".  That is, they have a SPL Sweet Spot, where they sound their best.

This is crucial to picking a great speaker for YOUR listening habits.

There is a physiological effect to your Aural Ability that has been observed by the researchers Harvey Fletcher and Wilden A. Munson.  And strangely enough this observance is called the Fletcher Munson Effect. 

While some of the frequency research contours are quite complex, the most important message to YOU and I, is that as SPL reduce, our ability to heard BASS and High Frequency Details reduces at a higher rate than Midrange Frequencies.

So, when you listen at lower (apartment sensitive) levels with most speakers, you simply LOSE the wonderful sound of your speakers.

Well with RUBY and all the Evoke line, there are L-Pads on the rear, that allow you to slightly BOOST (or reduce) those higher frequencies so that the SPL "Sweet Spot" can be adjusted.

So after all that, the answer is YES, the RUBY can sound INCREDIBLE (with proper adjustments) EVEN at lower listening levels.