[Downsize]

Vapor Cirrus loudspeakers  -  Flying above the clouds  

Oh how I wish I could just find ONE flaw with these speakers ... just one !  That way, no-one could accuse me of gushing about them like a schoolboy about his first love. No-one could call me a "fanboy", and put me in the same category of the old Stereophile crew, who NEVER reviewed a bad product.  But if I am to be honest about the newest Vapor Cirrus 2-way speakers, I am simply doomed, because I just can not find even one fault !

The builder of these amazing speakers is Ryan Scott. A small independent who builds custom speakers one at a time for his lucky customers. Several months ago when we started discussing building me a pair, he told me these would be the best speakers anywhere near their price. Sure, everyone thinks their own shit don't stink, and their own farts smell good, but that kind of confidence is usually reserved for the wine tasting, aristocrat, pompass, self proclaimed "audiophile" .... and just let me tell you, Ryan is the furthest thing from that !  His communication was excellent before, during, and after the sale. One thing that sets him apart, is that he listens to his customer, and strives to give EACH customer exactly what they want.  He first sent me a link with probably 5000 different real wood veneers, and told me to pick what I wanted for my new speakers ( Glad these were not for my wife, or we would have been dead and buried before a veneer was picked ! ) He then told me to give him about 8 weeks, give or take, and he would have them done. Let us just leave it at " He beat his own timetable projection ... significantly. Once they were done, I really received a shock when Ryan told me if I would pay travel expenses instead of shipping, he would deliver them the 750 miles to my place and help me set them up !  Try and get THAT service from a big name manufacturer !
Once he arrived, and I first saw the speakers ...... Well, I am getting ahead of myself . Let's talk a bit about these speakers I now deem " Among the best in the world "

The speaker's construction :

The Cirrus cabinets were designed by a Finite Element Analysis software program, designed to virtually eliminate cabinet resonances and internal reflections. The final shape also greatly reduces any edge diffraction, with it's beautifully curved sides. The cabinets are made exclusively with 14-ply AAA void-free Baltic Birch plywood, as are the horizontal internal bracing shelves ... all 5 of them. These braces have also had all of their edges rounded over to help air flow smoothly, and reduce turbulence. The walls of the cabinets are filled with an engineered silica compound to further attenuate both sound transmission and resonances, and this has shown to reduce resonance by 25db as measured on an accelerometer !  This is hugely significant !  The top and bottom plates of the cabinet are a sandwich of two pieces of the birch plywood, with a constrained layer of mass loaded vinyl between them.  The front baffle is constructed in this same way, with a sandwiched construction with the mass loaded vinyl. The front baffle is attached to the cabinet with a very sticky layer of sound deadening gel that was developed to install between sheets of sheet rock for sound deadening rooms.  Because the front baffle is mounted on to a 3/4" thick integral front of the speaker, the end result is a front baffle that measures a whopping 1 - 3/4" thick ! As if this is not enough already, a threaded rod runs from the top plate of the cabinet, down through the center of the assembly, and loads the cabinet with tension, making the top and bottom plate also acoustically dead !  Forgive me if I take my liberties here, but I can guarantee you even Magico does not go to these extreme levels of attention to every last detail !  And what do you get ?  A cabinet that sounds as dead as a silent night. Rapping your knuckles on the side is just like rapping them on a concrete pillar .... Just nothing.  Another neat feature of the internal bracing, is the 4 slots cut into the braces . These slots hold just the correct amount of acoustic stuffing for the design. Has Ryan just thought of everything with these ? The finish is something that just must be seen to be believed. Let's just make one thing clear from the start ... Ryan is very, very good with the use of wood veneer !  Every seam is perfect and flawless, and no-one would ever guess it is not solid wood instead of a veneer. The hand rubbed finish is to die for, and can be tailored to the customer's tastes, glossy, satin, or flat.

The speaker's drivers :

Instead of writing long about the drivers that were chosen for these speakers, let me just sum it up this way :  The drivers used in the Cirrus are arguably the best in the world. The high frequency drivers are the RAAL 70-20XR ribbon tweeters, and it just sounds more like real life than any other high frequency transducer I have ever heard. I just can not add anything to that statement that will that will really matter, because "real life " is the ultimate goal of all audio reproduction. The bass driver is the 7" Audio Technology C-Quenze 18H52 woofer. This driver is made by the man who founded the companies Scan Speak and Dynaudio, and I just bet that means he really knows what he is doing !  He now owns the company Audiotechnology, and hand crafts custom woofers which can be spec'd to the speaker designer's own specifications. Custom all the way. These woofers were chosen because of their perfect balancing act of resolution and deep, powerful bass. They seem tp perfectly split the difference between the resolution and transparency of an Accuton driver, and the powerful bass of the Scan Speak Revelator. To my ears, they achieve this perfectly !

The crossovers and stands :

The crossovers are designed and voiced with just as much care as the fabulous cabinets. Usually, the Cirrus speakers employ a pair separate and veneer matched wooden enclosures that hold the crossovers, but here again magic has been worked. While waiting on my speakers to be finished, I received a call and was asked " What would you think if I designed some custom stands for the speakers, and placed the crossovers in the base of the stands " ?  Wow, really ?  I told him to go for it, and wow did it ever turn out awesome !  The crossovers are easily accessible via loosening the four round, knurled nuts on the top of the stand's bottom base. After that you just lift the stand up and there is the crossover in the bottom of the base. Parts quality is top notch here, as would be expected. Parts such as Jantzen 14ga foil inductors and Jantzen Z-Superior capacitors are used.  Upgrades are available, and mine came with Teflon V-Caps for the tweeters.  The speaker binding posts are located on the back of the bottom of the stands, directly behind the crossover, and they are WBT. The wiring from the crossovers to the speakers runs through the stands, and is Kimber TCSS which is custom braided to equal 14 gauge. ( I was planning on upgrading this wire later to something more expensive and exotic, but after hearing these speakers, I do not think any change is necessary ! )  The wire exits a hole on the top of the back of the stand, and connects to the speaker with the ingenious use of a Pro Audio Speakon connector ... ( Once again I questioned this move, but it was explained the Speakon connector is basically just like an Eichmann low mass connector. It is all a low mass plastic, with small gold plated connectors. A perfect choice ! )  The stand itself is a thing of engineering wonder. Made of the same dead Baltic Birch plywood, they are extremely sturdy and strong, and they are fillable. The top plate of the stand is a massive and beautiful piece of one and one half inch thick Tiger striped, solid Rock Maple, known for it's use as an acoustically inert wood for audio projects such as amp stands and equipment racks. The front of the stands have a recess where a strip of wood which matches the speakers is secured using a low grab adhesive. This allows the buyer to change the stand's looks by switching out the strip with another strip with a finish of anything he chooses; different wood, carbon fiber, metal, etc ...  The stands have an elegant 5 degree sweep backwards, and can be custom made to any height. The speaker has four 1/4" stainless rods that protrude through the bottom of the  speaker, and through the Maple top plate of the stands. A simple and attractive Acorn nut then tightens the speaker securely to the stand. Between the speaker and the stand is a layer of Sorbathane. Innovative and secure as all get out !  Of course the bottom of the stands have big one and one quarter inch brass cones to spike through carpet. Included are brass tiptoe receptacles for the cone's tips, in case of using on hardwood or stone floors.

Ok, ok ... But how do they sound ?

This is the hardest part to write about, because every time I sit down to take notes, the only thing on the paper that I have written down is " WOW " ....   Look, this may very well be cliche' , but these speakers just will not let you remember that you are listening to a speaker, because they sound just so much like a live music event !  They are in a word ... Perfection. But I know that will not be enough, so I will do my best to put it into words :
The most amazing thing about the Cirrus speakers, is their ability to sound both smooth and dynamic at the same time. They are endlessly easy to listen to, and the most non-fatiguing speakers I have heard. Yet at the same time, dynamics will make you jump through the ceiling. Fast, fast, fast. That is how they sound. Their ability to stop and start with zero overhang, makes them just so very accurate. The complete lack of cabinet resonance, makes them so clear, so clean. Now at this point, you may be thinking "analytical ?"  Not one bit. More like insanely resolving, yet smooth and musical. Sound like an oxymoron ?  I know, that is what I keep thinking too. How can a speaker be both very resolving and detailed, while also so easy to listen to ?  They just really, really get your feet to tapping, as they have tremendous drive and pace ( again, probably due to the lack of cabinet resonance interference ).  They are voiced just perfect too. This is one of my favorite things about this speaker !  The sound stage never comes forward of the speakers at all, yet will extend back as far as your room is large, and past that !  Their depth of field seems endless. The separation of different musicians, placement in the huge sound stage, and imaging is sharply defined, and pinpoint.  Nothing seems too large, too small, or out of focus. And speaking of large, these speakers sound HUGE, HUGE, HUGE !!!  Their dynamics and ability to play loud is just unmatched in a speaker of this size. Another interesting thing about these speakers, is their ability to completely fill in between the two speakers, regardless of how wide they are in the room. I keep spreading them further apart, and literally NOTHING changes except the width of the sound stage. Doing this with most speakers shrinks the stage depth, and starts to make the center image do funny things. These just do not do any things wrong when they are extremely spread out wide in the room. These speakers are named Cirrus, which is a type of cloud which is airy, and wow does that name ever fit !  These speakers pull an airy, disappearing act like few others ever have !  They are so transparent and invisible in the room. Sounds just float in space so beautifully. Although these work great in a small room, these will completely disappear in a large room, while filling the room completely with wonderful sound !  Oh for a large room ... sigh.  The highs ?  The highs sound more like real life sounds, than anything I have experienced. Cymbals are in the room with you, and all percussion is taken to a new level. I just do not know what i can say more than this : The highs sound real. The mids are very, very transparent and smooth. Tonality seems a perfect balance of warmth and resolution. I would describe the mids as balanced and transparent. The lows are about as good as it gets for a 2 way monitor. Very, very snappy and fast, with great leading edge transients to the bass line. Bass is also full and resonant, and never sounding lean or overly warm. The Cirrus' ability to play low will leave your mouth hanging open wide ... The specs show them playing flat to 39 hz, and they leave no doubt of it !  They will make the air shudder, and the room load with pipe organ, and stand up bass has you looking around for the bassist who just snuck into the room with you !


Summing up ....

As I said in the very beginning of this review, surely there is something I can find wrong with these speakers. Let me assure you, if I have gushed shamelessly about these speakers, they deserve it fully. So here is what the Cirrus leaves me feeling :  These speakers completely allow the listener to forget they are sitting in a listening room, listening to a pair of loudspeakers. They will never leave the listener wanting more, or picking out faults. They will however COMPLETELY remove that nagging question most listeners always have in the back of their mind ... You know, the one that asks " I wonder if I get new speakers, how much better it could sound " ?
No ... You won't be wondering that at all.

 
C.G.

Footnote:  These are the newest version of the speakers that used to be sold by BPT, as the BPT Cirrus. They are now sold direct by the same person who has always built them. His new website is www.vaporsound.com

[rjbond3rd]

Wow, stunning.  Is that a tung oil finish?  Or something more like French polish?

[Downsize]

Wow, stunning.  Is that a tung oil finish?  Or something more like French polish?

This particular finish is Original Waterlox. Literally any finish is available though.

[Downsize]

Man did I ever have a great experience with the Cirrus today !  I was sitting on the couch folding clothes and listening to music from my laptop. I dropped some washcloths on the keyboard and my finger must have hit the mouse, because my Ben Harper suddenly changed to Audioslave's Gasoline ..... I was about to change it back when the guitars and bass kicked in, and blew me flat away !!!   The sound was just HUGE !  Wall to wall and floor to ceiling, this song made me look like the old Maxxell tape ad !  I would have thought I was listening to speakers as large as Klipschhorns !   It is simply amazing how these stand mounted speakers can sound so huge, with zero distortion, and zero strain   

[MttBsh]

Downsize - just curious.... do you like these speakers?

[Downsize]

Downsize - just curious.... do you like these speakers?

Not even one bit !       Thing is this :  When you've been in the industry as long as I have, you get jaded. You start thinking you have pretty much seen and heard it all, and products that just blow you away become pretty scarce any more.

So yeah ... I've been blown away again, and no ... the new has not worn off yet.   

[Agisthos]

Thanks to downsizes great review, I am getting a pair of these. It may seem a bit risky, but knowing downsize's music preferences and his audio backround, it really says something. I know a bit about speakers, having put together kits and done some big upgrades, and I have never seen anything close to the value for money as shown here. Of course, the proof will be in the listening, and I will report back in due time.

My build is going to be different to Downsizes. Ryan can customize each speaker build any way you want.

I am not getting custom stands, because these speakers will be shipping overseas. I will get a custom base plate, that can be directly attached to my own stands so I essentially will have a bolted on standmount.

The venner and finish is going to be way different, exposed birch ply rubbed down in a satin finish. Exactly like the magico mini look. Hair shirt all the way baby!!

The front baffle plate will be black phenolic paper. This stuff is 10x stronger than MDF and most CNC shops will not touch it because it can destroy your tools. So it should make the ultimate anti resonance material for mounting the drivers.

Internal wiring will be upgraded litz copper. Crossover will be V-Cap OIMP on the network instead of the Janzten. Bypass capacitors will be V-Cap CuTF (Copper Foil Teflon Film). These are the latest and best crossover bypass capacitors available.

[jtwrace]

These are the latest and best crossover bypass capacitors available.

Says who?   

 

[Agisthos]

Says who?   

 

Well let's just say they are the latest design in high end bypass capacitors. Whether they are the best.... that is subjective.

I am also getting the amorpheous core tweeter upgrade.

[Downsize]

Thanks to downsizes great review, I am getting a pair of these. It may seem a bit risky, but knowing downsize's music preferences and his audio backround, it really says something. I know a bit about speakers, having put together kits and done some big upgrades, and I have never seen anything close to the value for money as shown here. Of course, the proof will be in the listening, and I will report back in due time.

My build is going to be different to Downsizes. Ryan can customize each speaker build any way you want.

I am not getting custom stands, because these speakers will be shipping overseas. I will get a custom base plate, that can be directly attached to my own stands so I essentially will have a bolted on standmount.

The venner and finish is going to be way different, exposed birch ply rubbed down in a satin finish. Exactly like the magico mini look. Hair shirt all the way baby!!

The front baffle plate will be black phenolic paper. This stuff is 10x stronger than MDF and most CNC shops will not touch it because it can destroy your tools. So it should make the ultimate anti resonance material for mounting the drivers.

Internal wiring will be upgraded litz copper. Crossover will be V-Cap OIMP on the network instead of the Janzten. Bypass capacitors will be V-Cap CuTF (Copper Foil Teflon Film). These are the latest and best crossover bypass capacitors available.

Glad I could help to steer you that way Agisthos !  You will never regret your decision. And from what I hear, your system cabling is good enough to reveal just how good those speakers are !   LOL   

[Dracule1]

Most speaker builders seem to agree that Dueland CAST caps are the best sounding caps for crossover application.  Unfortunately, they are some of the most expensive caps around and can get to be size of CDs, so may not fit into a speaker unless you have an outboard crossover.  Do a google search "humble homemade hifi" and you'll see an extensive cap shootout including Vcaps, Mundorfs, Duelands, Clarity caps etc. 

[Agisthos]

Most speaker builders seem to agree that Dueland CAST caps are the best sounding caps for crossover application.  Unfortunately, they are some of the most expensive caps around and can get to be size of CDs, so may not fit into a speaker unless you have an outboard crossover.  Do a google search "humble homemade hifi" and you'll see an extensive cap shootout including Vcaps, Mundorfs, Duelands, Clarity caps etc.

Yes this is true and I have referenced that shootout many times as it has been updated over the years. But we have to draw a line somewhere. Ryan does the new V-Cap CuTF for a $300 upgrade. To get those Dueland caps the price is then pushed into the thousands. And like you say they are not practical being so massive in size.

At this stage there is barely any reports on the new V-Cap, apart from someone here on the audiocircle forums. So it will be a trial and if it works out --- great, if not we go back to a tried and tested cap upgrade.

[Dracule1]

The Vcaps are my top choice for use as coupling caps.  For my Tranquility DAC, I initially ordered the copper Vcap to be installed.  However, Eric of dB Audio Labs informed me, the tin foil Vcap is a better cap (just more transparent, more detailed) for the Tranquility.  He did a side by side comparison.  I don't haven't heard too many people using Vcaps for crossover application, although I have heard one speaker builder who used the tin foil Vcap for crossover.  But he feels the tin foil Vcaps are better for electronics than for crossovers.  Perhaps, the copper Vcap will be great as a crossover cap.  Again, personal taste will dictate how one feels about certain caps for different applications.  I have Duelands CASTs in my speakers - not physically in my speakers but built into the stand because they are just way too big.  And yes, the cost of the Dueland caps alone are probably as much as the Fritz Carbon 7 reviewed here.  It would be interesting if the designer of Vapor Cirrus could find some way to incorporate the Duelands into the stand mound speakers.  But based on the above picture of the outboard crossover built into the base of the stand, the Duelands probably will not fit unless he doubles the size of the base.

[Downsize]

Law of diminishing returns .....    Yes, even I believe in it     And I am an audio tweak nut too !   But I have to say, when you get to the level of V-Caps, and they are implemented as well as Ryan does in his crossovers, you are going to be hard pressed to hear differences in boutique caps of this level. Paying for V-Caps is probably that last 8 - 10 % od sound quality improvement, but paying thousands for that last 1% improvement ???

You could also spend another $7,000 per pair for all Mundorf silver/gold inductors ..... but why ?  I guess if I were Bill Gates maybe 

[jtwrace]

Most speaker builders seem to agree that Dueland CAST caps are the best sounding caps for crossover application.  Unfortunately, they are some of the most expensive caps around and can get to be size of CDs, so may not fit into a speaker unless you have an outboard crossover.  Do a google search "humble homemade hifi" and you'll see an extensive cap shootout including Vcaps, Mundorfs, Duelands, Clarity caps etc.

http://www.humblehomemadehifi.com/Cap.html

[Downsize]

http://www.humblehomemadehifi.com/Cap.html

YOU buy them, Ryan will make them work 

[satfrat]

http://www.humblehomemadehifi.com/Cap.html

That's 1 very informative website. But I'm surprised that V-Caps weren't included in the comparisons. Would have been interesting to see how they were rated.   
 
Cheers,
Robin

[jtwrace]

That's 1 very informative website. But I'm surprised that V-Caps weren't included in the comparisons. Would have been interesting to see how they were rated.   
 
Cheers,
Robin

I sent Tony an email asking if he has any plans...

[Downsize]

As the originator of this thread, may I respectfully request that we keep this thread about Ryan's speakers, and start new threads about any other manufacturer's offerings ?

Thanks

[jtwrace]

As the originator of this thread, may I respectfully request that we keep this thread about Ryan's speakers, and start new threads about any other manufacturer's offerings ?

Thanks

Of course.  Just ask for a thread cleanup.