My Adagio experience:
I am on my second pair of Adagios. I had a pair a few years back and ran them with an 845 based tube amp that was only 22 watts. It sounded OK but I could never really get the tweeters to "wake up" unless I drove them at a high volume. I wound up selling them.
Looking back now, I think I sold them way before they were fully broke in and I am sure I used the wrong amp.
I recently came across a deal on a pair that I couldn't pass up so I jumped back in. I matched them this time with a great hybrid integrated (150 wpc) along with a better front end and Acoustic Zen cables. I also gave them a chance to break in fully. WOW! What a difference. These speakers sure benefit from an amp that can grab them by the balls. They always had a fast dynamic midrange but now they have a solid articulate low end with clear detailed highs. Imaging is outstanding and the overall sound is now what I had been reading about in all the rave reviews.
I recently listened to a new pair of Adagios at my local dealer while auditioning other electronics. They were not set up very well and were not broken in. The Adagios sounded dull and lifeless. No imaging to speak of. I can see why people would think they are overrated. These speakers need a long breakin period, good electronics, and careful setup to sound like the speakers in the audio magazine reviews (not unlike most speakers out there). The good news is they can and do sound like the speakers in the reviews given the chance.
Another nice thing is they are almost always available for a discount from authorized dealers and can easily be had on Audiogon for half of retail. At the discounted prices they are a great bargain.
As an added bonus, the customer service from Robert Lee at Acoustic Zen is as good as any audio company out there! They are also an American company that you can get ahold of during normal business hours.
