I've had the LS-6 prototypes in my room for a little over a week now and thought I would share my perspective on them. First a bit about the room and system:
Room is 20x23x10 and has been decently treated with wall panels and Eighth Nerve Adapt seams. It is a pretty good room sonically, but could certainly use some bass traps (more to come on that)
System is as follows:
BPT 3.5 Signature Plus
Resolution Audio Opus21 with reference mods by Great Northern Sound
VAC Renaissance Signature MKII Pre
Moscode 401HR with stock tubes plus Mullard Blackburn 12AU7
Cables are Electra IC's from CDP to Pre -- TG Audio High Purity HSR IC's from pre to amp -- Shunyata Lyra SC's, and an assortment of Stealth and Acoustic Zen power cords
This all sits on Adona racks
Speakers are just over 9' apart, 7' from the back wall, and 13' from the listening position. Also worth noting that even though the room is 23' long, there is another 7' that opens up into a good sized alcove behind the listening position, so plenty of room behind you when seated there, not 3' from the back wall as math might tell you based on the room dimension.
(pictures are posted in my Gallery here
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?action=gallery )
My caveat to all this is these are just my opinions, based on my ears, listening with my system in my room. I'm simply relating that and not saying anything is better or worse than any other thing, or would win a shootout, or kills anyone else's, etc. I'm frankly weary of that aspect of this hobby. Your mileage may vary of course....On to the speakers:
I won't get too deep into fit and finish because these are a prototype pair, but take a look at the pics, they are actually not bad for a proto and these are large speakers, 6' tall, weighing around 150lbs. The finished models will not have the black baffle, it will be matched to the finish of the speaker. They will be about an inch narrower than these, and the front corners will round into the sides (according to Danny)
Strengths - widest and deepest soundstage I've ever heard a pair of speakers produce. Not exagerrated, just very expansive. Extends outside the walls by feet, not inches, and everything is playing very deep behind the speakers. Imaging is exceptional as well, players have their own defined space and there is room between notes so everything sounds very natural. Holographic and very dimensional as to where instruments and voices are in the soundstage. My friend Brian summed this up best while listening to them "I keep wanting to move the speakers because I'm afraid I'm missing something in the soundscape behind them" Brian, forgive me if this is not an exact quote, but it's pretty close, and it's very accurate.
Dyamics are really incredible, from the strike of a piano key, the snap of a drumstick or hand on a drum skin, shimmer of a cymbal, the pull of a resined bow on a string, everything is very lifelike and has great attack and decay. The Drum Track on the Burmeister disc made my kids run upstairs to see what was happening, they thought we had real drums up there....A real stength of these.
The bass on the LS-6 is very deep, but taut and fast. Easily into the mid/low 20's and very prodigious. It's not bloated at all and expresses individual notes and tone very well. In my room it really excites some nodes, so when my 9's come in I'll have to finish out bass traps for my room for sure.
Mids and highs are also done exceptionally well. Seamless integration with the low end, hell across the entire spectrum for that matter. Great extension without sounding grainy or harsh at all, voices and strings soar with silky beauty. Smooth as all get out on material I know to be a bit tough to handle for many speakers I've heard, but somehow keeps the sparkle or magic in the mids and highs.
Am I gushing? Yes I am, these speakers absolutely take you to another place and give you repeated moments of "back that up I want to hear that again" or "holy shit did you hear that?" I have lost copious amounts of sleep in the last week because I just keep on listening, amazed at what I'm hearing in even recordings very familiar to me. The few people who have come by to hear them have been very impressed and some quite shocked at how good the LS-6 sound, this is a very serious speaker....what they are asking for these will make you laugh once you've heard them. I've been listening to speakers in the $15-20K range, and they have all been terrific, but I cannot for the life of me tell you what they have that the LS-6 do not, they're that kind of good.
Weaknesses -
You need a pretty good sized room to get the best out of these, so they won't be for everyone. The low end will necessitate bass traps for me, but I needed to do that anyway. The mid range and high end, while absolultely excellent, lack that last bit of texture or body that a dome speaker gives me, but it's only the very last bit. I am at a loss to come up with much else by way of what the LS-6 doesn't do well.
Those who pre-ordered, well played you are in for a treat. Those who may be looking for new speakers and have the room for these, run don't walk, they are that good. As for me, I'm going to keep avoiding Danny and hope I can hang on to these until I can get my 9's... aa
I'm not much for reviewing gear online, but felt given the number of threads on these that I wanted to weigh in given how much I'm enjoying them.
