Acoustic Zen Adagios, Devore Fidelity Super Gibbon 8s or Thiel 2.4s??

mcullinan · « **on:** 5 Jun 2007, 02:16 pm »

Acoustic Zen Adagios, Devore Fidelity Super Gibbon 8s or Thiel 2.4s??
Just looking for various comments, opinions, even offhanded comments.
Thanks.
Mike

PaulFolbrecht · « **Reply #1 on:** 5 Jun 2007, 09:51 pm »

To get the ball rolling -

Have not (yet) heard the Adagios, but the DeVores are wonderful, extremely musical, and spank the Thiels (which are pretty good too!).

miklorsmith · « **Reply #2 on:** 5 Jun 2007, 10:35 pm »

I've heard the Adagios and the DeVores. I'd take the DeVores for sure.

miklorsmith · « **Reply #3 on:** 5 Jun 2007, 10:50 pm »

I've heard the DeVores 4 times in two rooms with 3 different sets of electronics. While I think the DeVores are limited in the bass range, what they have is tuneful and serves the music. Their midrange is finely nuanced and treble is there, but doesn't get in the way. The speaker is balanced and transparent - you'll know what's upstream but it isn't "ruthlessly revealing" - most stuff will sound pretty good through them. Tonal balance is slightly warm, in a pleasing way, and they're efficient enough to run with 10 tube watts.

I only heard the Adagios in one system for about three hours. It was a good setup that I know moderately well in a treated room. I thought bass energy was substantial but undefined, more of a sonic mass than a rendering of something real. I thought the "parts" were fairly disconnected and the midbass was thick. Midrange was overpowered by the bass range and somewhat opaque. The treble range seemed very good in itself, but separated from the presentation. I can see why they impress, because they do go low with some authority and have good dynamic punch. I might choose the Adagios for rockin'.

As always, YMMV.

Red Dragon Audio · « **Reply #4 on:** 6 Jun 2007, 03:00 am »

I totally see where miklor is coming from on this one. For me it's like this. They both connect you to the music - however I have two distinct feelings about how each speaker does this.

Devore - intimate connection

Adagio - visceral connection aa

the room acoustics, associated gear all has an impact on this but the two speakers are quite different in execution thus sound distinct (thank you captain obvious

). It can't be said often enough - if you can listen to the two speakers that is truly the best way to evaluate if they are for you.

mcullinan · « **Reply #5 on:** 6 Jun 2007, 03:36 am »

Wow! Great insight, into both of the speakers. You guys dont mince words... I will definitely listen to both and see which is more my style. Visceral or intimate. Powerful stuff. Anyways, someone else on the forum had an issue with the Adagios bass.... but maybe its more from room setup or upstream components because there are so many positive reviews of the Adagios. There are an equal amount for the Devores... This week Im listening to the Adagios, next I will hook up with the Devores... KKeep the comments coming and I appreciate it.
Mike

bluewax · « **Reply #6 on:** 6 Jun 2007, 05:20 am »

I haven't had the pleasure of listening to the Devores or to the Thiels, but do have a pair of the first generation Adagios in my listening room. They go deceptively deep, and I can understand the "disjointed" sentiment, given a similar perception prior to treating my room with the Eighth Nerve Adapt line (review forthcoming). My opinion, right or wrong, is that they need some room to breath, particularly when assessing their low-end response and as a necessity of the D'Appolito configuration of their drivers.

While not the last word in detail, they are rather neutral, and provide a pretty transparent window into the sonic characteristics/signatures of upstream equipment. They'll tell you why you favor SS, or remind you again and again of the allure of valves. The same has held true - for me - of different kinds and designs of wire. They do like current, and I openly wonder whether the lack of low-end articulation may be due in some instance to insufficient power and/or the robust presentation even mid-wattage (~50w) tube amps tend to impart. I love the Copland CTA-405 integrated that's presently holding court in my rack, but do miss the low-frequency articulation of the EVS 500M monoblocks that preceded it.

Most critical to my ears, though, are the Adagio's agility and versatility. I lose little moving from raw acoustic work to highly processed and complex ambient psychill. The ability to capture the resonance of plucked strings in one breath, yet shake the foundations of my house in another is a special attribute. I have no desire to look elswehere until I've exhausted opportunity to tweak the rest of my set-up (but certainly do reserve the right to succumb to whim

). Last thought: ribbon tweeters... in my mind, they are one of the defining attributes of the Adagios, but I'd venture their appeal is system and preference dependent. Yet another reason to audition in as many contexts as possible...

Cheers, bw

TONEPUB · « **Reply #7 on:** 6 Jun 2007, 03:32 pm »

For my 2 cents worth, the Thiels are a bit on the dry side, the Gibbons are somewhat romantic but very musical and the Adagios had more of an "audiophile" sound to me. I've listened to all three extensively and actually bought the Gibbons for my living room after the review.

But the big thing to keep in mind is user preference and system matching.

I know guys that have all three of those speakers and they all think that theirs is WAY BETTER than the other two. I think the hardest part is finding a sound that you like..

Personally, I always err on the side of a bit of romance and more musicality, so I love the Gibbons.

As someone mentioned earlier, the Adagios have more punch, so if you love dynamics that would be a great choice. I liked the Adagios better with a tube amp, but a freind of mine has a big solid state amp and loves the punchy sound.

The Thiels seem to be more attractive to the "flat frequency response" crowd. Not my cup of tea, but again, they've been around forever and have a big following.

It's all about finding out what you really enjoy, kind of like buying art!

These are three good speakers in about the same price point that offer very different presentations!

zybar · « **Reply #8 on:** 6 Jun 2007, 03:38 pm »

Quote from: TONEPUB on 6 Jun 2007, 03:32 pm

For my 2 cents worth, the Thiels are a bit on the dry side, the Gibbons are somewhat romantic but very musical and the Adagios had more of an "audiophile" sound to me. I've listened to all three extensively and actually bought the Gibbons for my living room after the review.

But the big thing to keep in mind is user preference and system matching.

I know guys that have all three of those speakers and they all think that theirs is WAY BETTER than the other two. I think the hardest part is finding a sound that you like..

Personally, I always err on the side of a bit of romance and more musicality, so I love the Gibbons.

As someone mentioned earlier, the Adagios have more punch, so if you love dynamics that would be a great choice. I liked the Adagios better with a tube amp, but a freind of mine has a big solid state amp and loves the punchy sound.

The Thiels seem to be more attractive to the "flat frequency response" crowd. Not my cup of tea, but again, they've been around forever and have a big following.

It's all about finding out what you really enjoy, kind of like buying art!

These are three good speakers in about the same price point that offer very different presentations!

Well said Jeff.

George

sts9fan · « **Reply #9 on:** 6 Jun 2007, 03:41 pm »

I have only listened to the DeVore's out of the three but they had me searching my car for change(couldn't find enough). I thought they were WONDERFUL speakers and I plan on trying out a pair of Nines when they come out.

PhilNYC · « **Reply #10 on:** 6 Jun 2007, 04:46 pm »

I've found with the Adagios that they need to have a LOT of space between them...at least 9ft...to get the best out of them. Any less than that, and to my ears they lose a lot of definition and nuance, particularly in the bass and lower midrange. They project a very large soundstage, and I find them to really be great for home theater applications...

saisunil · « **Reply #11 on:** 6 Jun 2007, 04:58 pm »

I have adagios and I think they need a lot of space. They can be fussy about room pacement.
Gibbons, I'd imagine, would better suit in a small to medium size space where as Adgios would rule in large spaces and at least need medium size space.

I find that my adagios sound better paced along the short wall than along (currently setup) long wall.

Since they go really low (30 Hz and lower), one needs to address bass boom, room acoustics issue - which applies to all full range speakers.

I find that the three speakers are tonally very different:

Thiel (cold) to Gibbon (warm) and Adagios somewhere in between.

An audition is a must!
Good Luck

EthanH · « **Reply #12 on:** 6 Jun 2007, 10:34 pm »

Some great and very informative feedback on these speakers so far.
I'm not sure how to phrase this question, but I'm curious to know if the Devores have a good "presence" to them. I'll probably be living in an apartment for the next three or four years so I'm very interested in a modestly sized musical speaker with good soundstage and some drive or visceral presence or what have you.

I find this quality, whatever you'd like to call it (balls?), makes it a bit easier for me to relax and connect with the music. Most reviewers write the Gibbons' bass is adequate for most people, but the same can be said of Linbrook Sigs or my Totem Arros, both of which provide entirely different presentations.

Bit of an audio newcomer here so my apologies if I'm not expressing myself clearly.

miklorsmith · « **Reply #13 on:** 6 Jun 2007, 10:39 pm »

Do you have the ability to listen to them? That's ALWAYS the best advice.

mcullinan · « **Reply #14 on:** 6 Jun 2007, 10:54 pm »

Devore is made right here, or at least locally in Brooklyn, NY. Im on the Island so I would have to go into the city to hear them. The Acoustic Zen dealer is similiar to yours as he schedules a time slot for you to come in, I guess to make it a more personal experience... IDK. I hope its not some high pressure situation, I always feel a bit uncomfortable listening to speakers because I get the impression that you have to buy that one right them. If Im going to drop 4K I want to make sure Im getting the best for me... The Zen dealer is like 20 minutes from me and Ive already heard the Thiels whose soundstage was huge and defined, though a bit on the cool side... I also listened to the Paradigm S8s but they did absolutely nothing for me... I have yet to find a Paradigm I like, at least the Thiels got me musically.
Mike aa

PhilNYC · « **Reply #15 on:** 6 Jun 2007, 11:01 pm »

Mike, if the Zen dealer near you is like me (a home-based dealer), scheduling the time slot is simply to make sure he's home when you arrive...

(of course, if you're willing to take a short trek out the NJ, shoot me a PM...I'm about as low-pressure as it gets...)

bluewax · « **Reply #16 on:** 6 Jun 2007, 11:08 pm »

What's your room size?

Visceral can cut both ways, *very broadly* speaking... on the one hand, warm and seductive... on the other, more aggressive and dynamic.

Based on the word's definition alone, I assume what you're not looking for is an overly detailed, even clinical presentation.

Quote from: EthanH on 6 Jun 2007, 10:34 pm

Some great and very informative feedback on these speakers so far.
I'm not sure how to phrase this question, but I'm curious to know if the Devores have a good "presence" to them. I'll probably be living in an apartment for the next three or four years so I'm very interested in a modestly sized musical speaker with good soundstage and some drive or visceral presence or what have you.

I find this quality, whatever you'd like to call it (balls?), makes it a bit easier for me to relax and connect with the music. Most reviewers write the Gibbons' bass is adequate for most people, but the same can be said of Linbrook Sigs or my Totem Arros, both of which provide entirely different presentations.

Bit of an audio newcomer here so my apologies if I'm not expressing myself clearly.

saisunil · « **Reply #17 on:** 6 Jun 2007, 11:12 pm »

Another aspect to consider would be the spl level you listen to.
Adagios really sing at mid to high volumes. In other words they need some spl to really wake up/ come to life etc. (in my experience).

I heard Gibbons a few times:
1. In a store - connected to low powered tube amp - the vocals were to die for - Romantic - exactly - it made me fall in love with the vocals coming out of gibbons (I bought my first tube amp soon after that). But they did not come across as very dynamic speakers for me and I need that quality when I listen to Orchestra and some Jazz.
2. I then Gibbons at HE show connected to Simaudio SS equipment. I think the system was not broken in (but why do people show their equipment without breaking them in first

) - I could not stay in the room for too long. It sounded very HI-FI ish and I would attribute it to the room and cold electronics.
3. I recently heard them in another store, while shopping for a pre-amp. It really lacked authority in the bass department. The base was weak, it was weak enough for me to not buy them as I needed one pair of speaker for all listening types.

Bass - I find Gibbons to have relatively weaker bass, while Adagios really go low but don't have tight bass.
Thiels do justice in the base department, but may not paint organic mids and highs.

I have yet to find a speaker at this price point that did all the three frequencies well.
Although I heard http://www.lipinskisound.com/ at a store - they were amazingly transparent and emotionally connected at the same time but at HE '07 show they sounded hi-fi ish

.

If you cannot audition, try to find a dealer that keeps both Gibbons and Adagios - if you assure them business they may let you audition both speakers in your home/room.

Gibbons 8 were made for NYC apartments and if you do not listen at high spl, given its limitation - it may just be the right speaker for you at the price point.

Another thing to consider would be a good two way speaker - which is what I am leaning towards as a next step for me.
2-ways tend to have simpler crossover and are generally easier to drive and do things right in top and mids.

EthanH · « **Reply #18 on:** 6 Jun 2007, 11:59 pm »

Quote from: miklorsmith on 6 Jun 2007, 10:39 pm

Do you have the ability to listen to them? That's ALWAYS the best advice.

Very true. Right now there's nowhere nearby, but soon I'll be moving to a city where I can get a "by appointment only" audition. I'll probably check them out at some point, although I have to say I'm a bit intimidated by the whole appointment thing.

zybar · « **Reply #19 on:** 7 Jun 2007, 01:09 am »

Quote from: mcullinan on 5 Jun 2007, 02:16 pm

Acoustic Zen Adagios, Devore Fidelity Super Gibbon 8s or Thiel 2.4s??
Just looking for various comments, opinions, even offhanded comments.
Thanks.
Mike

Would you consider other speaker choices?

If so, what is your budget?

George