Cain and Cain Abby

zybar · « **on:** 31 Dec 2003, 04:03 am »

Has anybody heard them?

What were your thoughts?

I am thinking these would like really nice in my living room setup.

Since this is a secondary system, I am not overly concerned about deep bass.

Thanks,

GW

Hantra · « **Reply #1 on:** 31 Dec 2003, 05:16 am »

G:

I REALLY like Abby's. I almost bought a pair. I have spent a few hours with them, and there really is nothing not to love. The bass isn't the deepest, but I like the bass that it has. Subwoofing Abbys will be difficult b/c they are very fast, and I found the VBT's to be too slow for the Abby.

They're gorgeous, but beware of shipping issues. Some people I know have had them. . .

B

JLM · « **Reply #2 on:** 31 Dec 2003, 12:29 pm »

I heard them briefly at the 2003 MAF in a nicely furnished 14 ft x 20 ft room. Very nice, very musical, especially for small ensembles (jazz, chamber music). Obviously hard to hide and certain domestic acceptance issues. Beautiful, world class woodworking.

Not hard to DIY, except for matching the quality presented by Terry Cain. Some have also folded the top over the backside to reduce the height or doubled the cabinet volume/length into a full retangular cross section to add more bass (see The Cain and Cain site).

I'm a big fan of Fostex drivers, but its hard to believe the Fostex drivers are faster than the VBT subs.

Lak · « **Reply #3 on:** 31 Dec 2003, 01:45 pm »

I own the Abby’s and use them as my main speaker in my set tube 2A3 system. I like them with the regular speaker as opposed to the nearfield speaker. I think they would be fine as they are for a secondary system. I added a subwoofer and a super horn tweeter and crossover on my main tube system because in my opinion they lacked the lows and highs I was listening for.

bmed · « **Reply #4 on:** 31 Dec 2003, 02:55 pm »

Zybar ,

I currently use the Abby's (Nearfield version) in my small office/listening room with 2A3 and a Cary Rocket. Like Lak, I have a subwoofer (ACI Force) for the LF. I found with some tinkering with placement I get a pretty seamless integration. Imaging and transparency are their strong points. If you've never heard single drivers, you might want to give them an extended listen, as they're not for everybody. They will get slightly congested sounding on complex music. Rock and layered orchestral works will not sound their best.

I think the Abby's are a no brainer for a small room and low-powered SET's, especially given the price. They're furniture quality pieces. If you really want to hear nirvana and have the space, Terry's single BEN's with the supertweeter are amazing (albeit 4X the cost). Hantra has heard them, I'm planning an audition next month hopefully. I'm saving my pennies and checking payphone slots regularly.

Brad

Hantra · « **Reply #5 on:** 31 Dec 2003, 03:06 pm »

Quote

I'm saving my pennies and checking payphone slots regularly.

Brad, you stay the hell outta my area. These payphones are MINE!

See. . .That's how crazy people get after hearing the BEN.

Let us know how you like it!!!!

zybar · « **Reply #6 on:** 31 Dec 2003, 03:15 pm »

Thanks for the replies...

I showed the pics to my wife and she thought they would like a lot nicer in the living room than the Reynaud Twins MK II's that we currently have in there.

The only problem might be the height...

On one side it would actually go over the wall. You can see what I mean by this picture:

http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/galleryimage.php/Zybar-s-Dedicated-Music-and-HT-Room-Living-Room/setup_as_of_11_05_03.sized.jpg

Anyway, they really are very nice looking speakers...

GW

gonefishin · « **Reply #7 on:** 31 Dec 2003, 06:47 pm »

Hi. the Cain and Cain speakers are really a work of art. Some of the finest craftsmanship I've seen. Simplistic in design...and wonderfully executed. But the Cain and Cain's don't stop surprising me with just it's good looks. They really do sound nice. The C&C speakers are the best sounding rear-loaded single driver I've heard...granted...I haven't heard a ton of rear-loaded single drivers...but the other ones I have heard...didn't even compare with the Cain & Cain's. He really made something special for the single driver fans out there.

do you have a dealer in your area? or maybe someone in your area that has a pair?

F-100 · « **Reply #8 on:** 31 Dec 2003, 07:01 pm »

I have owned the Abbys (nearfield version) in the natural Alder finish for about 4 months now and I like them very much. In my system, I drive them with a pair of DARED VP-350B tube monoblock. They sound extremely well with vocals and acoustic music but will not reproduce notes below 50Hz.
The craftmanship on the cabinet is top notch. You can't go wrong with this speaker in your living room. They make great conversation pieces and have a high WAF.

JoshK · « **Reply #9 on:** 31 Dec 2003, 07:08 pm »

Has anyone compared Fostex drivers to Jordans? How do they differ in sound. Some day when my wife and I buy a home I intend to do the HT with 5 full range drivers.

Lak · « **Reply #10 on:** 7 Jan 2004, 03:18 pm »

I improved the sound of my Abby's by at least 15% by replacing the internal wiring with Midnight Silver Edition speaker hook-up wire. All sound improved better bass, mids, and highs, including a faster attack. The workmanship of the Abby cabinet is great however if you take the speaker out of the cabinet or look at the termination of the internal speaker wire to the five way connection you will notice a sloppy solder job.