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When I was looking for new speakers last year I heard the Scorpio and the Sitara ( both driven by Moon amplification ) but didn't have the chance to hear the Yara. If the ones I heard are any indication of a "house sound " at Audio Physic, they are a really smooth-sounding speaker ( a little much so for my tastes ) but some of the other brands I listened to offered better bass extension and a little more excitement to my ears. They aren't a particularily hard speaker to drive which is a plus. Quality product, just not the product for me, FWIW. In the UK, there's a lot of really good speakers available at the Yara's price-point and you should have a lot of fun choosing the ones that suit you best. I'm responding from the colonies ( Canada ) but I've always had a soft spot for British speakers even though there are some quite good speaker companies right here ie: Totem, PSB, Paradigm etc. Good hunting, Lee !D.
I've owned AP Yara Evolution Bookshelves for about 3 years now. They're a generation older than the current Yara II. For what it's worth...I've never heard a smooth Audio Physic speaker. The ones I've heard have always been very honest, and sometimes too honest. They reveal what's in front of them. I've heard them with a number of systems, and they always seem to get out of the way and let the rest of the system sink or swim.They soundstage and image better than just about anything out there. I hear stuff that sounds like it's coming from beyond the walls. Images are solid and very 3 dimentional. These are the most noticable traits at first IMO.They have a very good tone and texture, with very little coloration that I can hear. Instruments sound real and natural.APs can rock when asked to, and they can play calm relaxing music when asked to. Like any good speaker should be able to do, they don't favor any one type of music over another.In 3 completely different rooms, my Yaras have sounded equally good. The only thing I've noticed that they're fussy about is distance from the back wall. They'll sound like a bloated mess if they don't have enough clearence. Placement is very easy, but fine tuning it and being a perfectionist like most of us are can take a while. I'm talking about very fine tuning. I haven't tried to place any other AP in my room(s), so no comment on other models.They're pretty easy to drive. My dealer has sold a good number of them to people with modestly powered tube amps. Not single digit watted SET amps, but he states he's never had a problem with 25-30 watt tube amps for the Yaras.Bass on APs may seem a bit light at first. Not the case at all. It's tight, tuneful, and quick. After living with them for a few months, I began to realize how over blown and flabby a lot of speakers' bass sounds.Their slogan is "No loss of fine detail" A very accurate statement.They can flat out carry a tune and groove as good as any speaker I've heard.Fit and finish is as good as I've seen on any speaker.What else can I tell you? I know I've made them sound like the perfect speaker. I'm just reporting what I hear. They're the perfect speaker for me. Doesn't mean they're perfect for everyone else though.Not sure what the rest of your system is, so I can't say how it'll synergize. Again, they're a very honest speaker, so they should pair up well with anything respectable. You mentioned Naim. I haven't heard the combination, but it should sound very good, as AP gets the PRaT right IMO. Haven't heard Luxman, so no comment there.My system is a Bryston B60, Apple TV as music server, and Rega DAC. Sounds so good to my ears that I know I'm done buying components for a very long time.
Lee,Thanks for the compliment, and congrats on the speakers. I hate to say anyone will love something they've not heard before, but APs are a very hard speaker to fault. They'd be so much more popular if they marketed their products IMO.I just saw your system now. I haven't heard Luxman stuff, but if everything I'm hearing about them is true, I say be prepared to upgrade the DAC Magic in the near future. The DAC Magic is very good for the money, but it will be the bottleneck that holds the system back. I like the DAC Magic, so please don't take that as I'm bashing it.I'm starting to sound like a broken record, err... skipping iPod... I just bought the new Rega DAC for $1k. Its a fantastic DAC in my system. The best way to describe it is it sounds like a very good turntable. A touch warm and smooth, but not artificially so.There are a ton of great DACs out there. I'd break in the speakers, dial in the positioning, get used to the sound, then start looking into DACs. A few months should be sufficient Again, congrats on the Yaras. Let us know how it goes. And, they look far better in person than the pictures.
I wouldn't dismiss the Rega DAC or any other piece of equipment Zooey because of a lack of balanced outputs. Balanced can definitely sound better, so long as it's truly balanced and not just an XLR connector. I don't think the DM is truly balanced, so the difference may have been solely due to the cable used.The best way to go about it is hear what available and make a decision based on what sounds best, regardless of the technology/features. Kind of like all tube amps aren't better than all solid state amps, all turntables aren't better than all digital players, etc. There's no one right way to do anything. If I've learned anything in this hobby, it's that the most important aspect of a piece is the end result, regardless of what's under the hood.
I had Audio Physic speakers, Virgo, for a while and like them very much. Ultimately sold them because they were fussy to set up properly (they had to be placed way toward the middle of the room) and lack of deep bass response. However, you should like yours immensely. But my reason for posting is to ask why it would cost 150 quid to travel a couple hundred miles to visit your dealer? Not sure of the current exchange rate, but that should be about $270. That will buy a lot of gasoline.
Lee - I stand corrected. I've been to the U. K. a few times and always did my traveling by train. Just out of curiosity, where do you live, and where is the dealer located?
