Alta Audio speakers--anyone heard them?

Anyone here with Alta Audio speakers who lives in Southern California? I live in San Diego, looking to audition Alta Alecs or Alyssas to replace my Goldenear Triton Ones but the closest Alta dealer is in Tucson, AZ

Totally agree...natural, detailed, but never bright...which I appreciate as well. I believe Michael likes a full bodied, weighty, live sound.
Very, very nice....I'm hooked. 

I had the Rheas and the Ribbon was not bright at all. If anything it was smooth and a little laid back. Very natural presentation. The Alta are not about super resolve, they are more about portraying music. I have sensitive tinnitus ears, so brightness or edginess is a big NO NO.

Yes, I would really like to hear the Lelantos, but I've always been suspicious of ribbon tweeters, as I've found I always prefer soft dome.  But no one I've read every mentions Alta's sounding overly bright or etched. 

Saving my S.S. checks for the Alta IO speakers . It has your there sound .

Heard them both at my Stereo Club,a dealer and Stereo shows wonderful sounding speakers from a great small co.Many of his speakers are great for the money.

Hello Michael,

Thanks for your reply. I really think it’s commendable when the owner/president/designer of a company follows-up with customers as it shows respect and accountability (and is excellent PR!).

Wanted to let you know that the Solo’s arrived Friday afternoon, after I had sent you the note.

I had a chance to listen a little bit over the weekend and very much enjoyed what I heard. As you’d mentioned (and I read about), the low end is really nice…full, tight, fast, and a lot deeper than one would expect. But there’s something about how open and flowing it is that’s so surprising…effortless. And they rise up dynamically when called for, like real music. Another element I didn’t expect...and clearly have missed on some other brands. Hmm.

The highs seem clean, but a little reticent, which is OK with me. I’ve got tinnitus in one ear (although my actual hearing is fine), so I don’t get along with ‘bright or forward’ speakers. The Solo’s balance suit me.

Lastly, voices are incredible. Again, maybe this is to be expected in this type of single driver design, but they were totally ‘in the room’ and fully present, natural, and with no shout. Listening to Joni Mitchell’s ‘Blue’ was amazing. After years of owning very good mini monitors that excel on voices, imaging, and tonality, I wasn’t expecting to be as seduced as I was…very nice.

 Anyhow Michael, the Solo’s could become the best $$$ I’ve spent on speakers ever, as I bought them as demo’s at a reduced price, and the dealer covered the shipping…lucky me. Can’t wait to listen more.

At this point in time, I’d guess that most people don’t know much about Alta Audio, and/or the Solo’s, but they should. Other than being a little ‘deep’ in their design, which might make positioning awkward in some set ups (as they ideally they need some space to breathe), they seem to be an amazing and highly capable small speaker. With further marketing and demo's you should be able to sell a boat load of them!

Thanks again for your design sense, passion, good ears, and follow-up Michael. You have created a wonderful line of musically pleasing speakers, and a ‘Gem’ with the Solo’s. I hope you have all the success with Alta that you deserve!

Sincerely, Rob

PS. Maybe I’ll be able to shake your hand at a Toronto stereo show one of these days.

 

Postscript:  I've been listening to the Solo's for about a month now, and I'm swept away every time I fire them up. I actually look forward to the next session as soon as I turn the stereo off...which is usually late that night.

The bass system is truly amazing, with tightness, definition, weight, and depth that completely surpasses anything I've heard anywhere near this size. Well done. If you like quality bass response, and have a small to medium space, try these out...you'll be blown away. The so called 'power range' is well represented with the Solo's, and you soon realize how it's not on many small-medium monitors.

And the inner detail really sneaks up on you, the coherence and transparency...you start to hear details and definition that were not clear or obvious before. You'll hear right through to the source in the mid range, but again, nothing is highlighted or etched, just there with clean resolution. Tonal colors really come through, and everything sounds natural.

Lastly, the more I listen, the more I realize that the high's are absolutely present and accounted for, which blows me away for a single speaker design: cymbals shine with shimmer and decay, bells ring, room sound is delineated, etc. Very sweet, especially if you're looking for a speaker that doesn't sound forward, just fully natural.

Highly recommended, 

R

I have good things to say about my Alta Audio Lelantos speakers.  They are a 3-way rear ported loudspeaker, similar to the highly reviewed Rhea, but utilizing a dedicated midrange driver in a larger pyramid-shaped cabinet.  They are fairly efficient (90db), so work well in a small/medium- sized room with my 60 watt/channel tube amp.  They emphasize musicality and are a bit more rounded than speakers, for example, with ceramic drivers.  But they can also reveal lots of subtleties in the music - just not in an etched fashion.  They also have very nice bass response and can reproduce low bass notes with good power. 

I would also stand by a product if I like one. And I have done that many times, in these forums. Funny part is, when I first saw that advertisement, I actually thought it was John Atkinson :-). I have read a few reviews about Alta Audio, and they were all good. Would like to read the Stereophile review when it comes out.

Yes, Alta asked for my permission to use part of my response to the review of the Titaniums in Audiophilia in his advertisement.  The answer was easy because I believe in the speaker.  Thanks

@jonaiken,
Aren't you the same person who features in Alta Audio advertisements in Stereophile? BTW, nice system.

Twoleftears

I have the Titanium Hestia’s for almost a year now and they are an awesome speaker.  They replaced the Martin Logan Renaissance 15A’s because of their musicality, transparency, tonal balance and soundstaging capabilities. I will say they need a mid-to-large size room and need to be at least two - three feet from the front and side walls or they can sound bass heavy and not as musical. What they do extremely well is present a clear image and 3D soundstage and maintain it off-axis. The problem you will have is finding a store that carries them in your area for an audition. I had the pleasure of hearing the prototypes in my home with the owner of Alta Audio Mike Levy and my local rep bringing the prototypes to my home for an audition. After 15 minutes of hearing the Alta prototypes I heard a speaker that was more transparent than Martin Logans, and provided more detail, timbral/tonal accuracy and excellent soundstaging I had to have them and ordered the first pair off of the production line. I believe Stereophile will be reviewing them soon and Audiophilia has already. Highly recommend you listen to them if you can. Alta Audio will have the Titanium Hestia’s at the NY Audio Show 10 -12 November 2017.

Jon

We're a fairly new Canadian dealer for Alta Audio. We haven't heard the Titanium Hestia's yet. We currently have the Lelantos and IO in stock. Both are excellent speakers. Full extended bass for the money with good levels of detail, but not analytical sounding at all. The quality of the drivers in the Hestia go up in a big way and hence the price as well. At 3.5 times the price of the Lelantos, I imagine the Hestia's are spectacular. There is a review on them from Audiophilia.

The last few posts in this thread will probably be of interest.  Especially the following comment by member Schubert, although it pertains to one of Alta's smaller models:

Schubert 6-7-2017
I heard the Alta 2-ways(4K) in Mpls. dealer recently , a magnificent speaker. Very easy on the ears, not a trace of "hi-fi" whatsoever .
If I were younger I would have bought them .

Good luck.  Regards,
-- Al