I need to check with Joseph too to see if there is a dealer in the St Louis area
Anybody have Experience with Alta Audio Alyssa Speaker
I have been reviewing speakers in the $5K price range and came across the Alta Audio Alyssa speaker. I have put these on my watch list. I am very interested in hearing if anyone has personal experience in listening to these speakers. What other speakers would you compare them to. Interested in reading what you have to say.
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Thanks for this. I for one am crossing them of my list.
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I listened to Alyssa speakers at Axpona. I was really impressed. Obviously it was in a hotel room but I sat front and center and the sound was solid. Leonard Cohen and Sharon Robinson singing By the Rivers Dark: sublime. When I upgrade my speakers I will give them a serious critical listen, but the glimpse I saw at Axpona was memorable. |
I heard all three Alta Audio speakers shown at Axpona. All of them had the same issue. It sounded like the midrange driver did not correctly meet the tweeter making vocals seem recessed / distant / veiled. There was a suckout that just didn't work for me. The Stereophile measurements of the Alyssa not only show the suckout, but a peak at about 1.5k that make it even more obvious. It was clearly audible. I am with @soix , go with the Pulsars. |
@airwatcher I’d recommend listening to the Joseph Audio Pulsars if you can. Given what you described they may well be that best of both worlds speaker you’re looking for. Just my $0.02 FWIW. |
I made a point of hearing the Alyssa's at AXPONA this year. I visited the room twice and unfortunately the demo music was always focused on their amazing bass reproduction, to a fault I thought. I would have liked to hear something a bit more balanced to see how they perform across the spectrum. Not knocking them by any means, but it does seem like a speaker that you want to hear before you buy it. Noting the previous post, I also visit a room with the Triangles, it was really good, and yes lively.
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I recently auditioned a pair of Alyssas and was greatly impressed. For reference I've been listening to Triangle Signature Thetas with two SVS SB2000 Pro subs. If I could find speakers combining the best of both they would be perfect! The Triangles are more "lively" and I missed that with the Alyssas. However, when it comes to bass reproduction there was no contest: the Alyssas were simply astounding in that regard. Yes, they play to 32Hz and seemingly lower in my room. And the bass is controlled, detailed, and palpable. I also heard bass passages in the mids and upper mids that I swear I'd not heard before even though I was very familiar with the tracks (and this from a musician/bass player). I also turned the subs off once I knew what the Alyssas were capable of, and never missed them. The soundstage was large: wide and deep. Highs were never bright, and overall the presentation was what I'd consider neutral; "Honest" would apply. As I said, I missed the liveliness of the Triangles with the Alyssas, but I think with Alyssas more is gained than is lost. Pretty sure I'm gettin' 'em! Good luck. |
Just found the Stereophile follow-up review, responding to H. Reichart’s original : https://www.stereophile.com/content/alta-audio-alyssa-loudspeaker-jim-austin-december-2020 What seems odd, given what YouTube reviewers have reported, is the second Stereophile reviewer’s assertion that "they are at their best with female voices and higher instruments". Huh? What are we supposed to deduce from such a disparity? What have you decided to do ? |
@stuartk Unfortunately I’ve never had the opportunity to hear any Fritz speakers but have read nothing but very positive things. Given that they’re sold direct I’d guess the Carbon 7s would sell for about the same price as the original Pulsars, and the specs between the two seem very comparable. That said, to me the real magic of JA speakers is in the crossover that can’t be duplicated because it’s patented. I believe this is a big part of why JA speakers just sound special to me, but I’m sure the Carbon 7s are also excellent in their own way with those intriguing series crossovers. From what I’ve read the Alyssas may have been voiced with a little more laid back treble region, and as the Pulsars strike an optimal balance of detail and air to me without sounding bright or edgy if the Alyssas stray from this it’d be a definite no go for me. But not having heard either of them this is just pure conjecture on my part so not really worth much, and at this level I really think it comes down to personal taste more than anything. |
@tjraubacher A pair of Pulsar 2 Graphene just popped up on USAM. I have no affiliation, it just reminded me of this thread. Price is a bit higher than your budget but worth looking into. Looking at past listing, I’ve seen dealers sell this for less, so there may be some room for negotiation. |
I’ve only heard the Pulsars at shows, but just going by what I’ve read in reviews it seems one of the more defining differences may be in the treble where the Alyssa sounds like it could be a little more laid back relative to the Pulsars. Not saying one is better than the other and just depends on what kinda flavor you’re partial to up there, but that may be an important area to explore further FWIW. |
I am sorry; I did not mean to hide anything; I have been just doing research to identify potential speakers. Hence looking at the Fritz then the Alta Alyssa and finally the Joseph Audio Pulsars. To me it looks like the Pulsars are the real deal. Right now they are my #1. I am still researching because I plan on this being my last speaker buy. The house situation should be resolved soon. |
yes I am going with patience. Not in a hurry and not making any expenditures until after we see if we can get a construction loan in next month. The $5K would not impact that but I don’t want the W to use it as a reason for not getting the loan. Besides if we get the construction loan I will have a separate listening room above the garage. A place where I can truly appreciate the Pulsars. |
That's a tough one. It's hard to make someone care about something they don't naturally discern/value. One of the youtube reviewers drove the Alyssa's with an H190 and H 390, which caught my attention. He didn't mention anything about lack of clarity in the lower mids, though. I could be mistaken. At any rate, I recalled you were very positive about the Hegel + Pulsar pairing.
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My stereo is not in the main living area. It is in the refinished basement where I have my office. So I would say the visual is probably not the most important factor. The wife it’s more about the money. She thinks it is a waste of money. You can hear the music fine on speakers that cost way way less. Maybe someday she will get it. |
@stuartk Not sure I used “mesmerizing” but I guess it’s possible. I just remember hearing the original Pulsars at a show with Hegel electronics and they sounded excellent — very natural sounding. I heard them previously at another show driven by Bel Canto electronics and they performed at the same high level with that gear as well to the point where I questioned my inherent bias against Class D because it didn’t sound “digital” in the least, and I could’ve easily and happily lived with that system (and the Hegel too). My takeaway is the Pulsars can play nice with a variety of amps — yet another virtue to add onto the pile. |
You’re welcome. If I had the funds, now, I would probably buy those used Pulsars. BTW, one need not be a "bass freak" to appreciate standmounts that deliver bass that exceeds expectations in terms of the size of the drivers. But each to his/her own. Perhaps, if your wife is a music lover, you can play her favorites on the Pulsars to get her on board. Or is it purely a case of (visual) esthetics? Am I mistaken, or was it you who described the sound of Pulsars driven by Hegel as "mesmerizing" ? |
I 100% agree. The graphene thing seems much more important for the Perspectives, and there’s no way in hell you’re gonna be disappointed with the original Pulsars. Go for it! You can always upgrade them down the road if audiophile insanity kicks in, but personally I wouldn’t bother as the originals are so damn good already. |
This: https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/joseph-audio-pulsar-original-vs-graphene-opinions Don’t know why it just now occured to me that shipping could add a lot to the upgrade cost!
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yeah I read that review too. A little concerning when that is combined with what @audiojan was saying. I have been tracking all of the used Pulsars. The really good deals are already sold. Based on what I have read the Pulsars sound like a pretty spectacular bookshelf. Can’t really justify the new price for them and trying to determine if there are other speakers that compare. |
I also have H390 and am beginning to look towards an eventual stand-mount upgrade. I encountered many very positive reviews of the Allyssa, before reading the Stereophile review. https://www.stereophile.com/content/alta-audio-alyssa-loudspeaker "Unfortunately, when the Alyssas were not thrilling me, they were disappointing me with a lower midrange that lacked focus—but was it the speakers I was hearing or their interactions with the room and my amplifiers? In a larger space, with lower levels of reflected bass energies, the Alyssas would, perhaps, present themselves with a more balanced tone and sharper lower-midrange focus. Perhaps another Stereophile reviewer can audition these speakers in a larger room". I have no idea whether this is the same thing @audiojan experienced. No other review I’ve encountered so far has mentioned this, so perhaps it is a room issue, after all. There is a pair of Pulsars on usaudiomart: https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/650056503-joseph-audio-pulsar-speakers/
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@audiojan The reviews I’ve read of Alta speakers indicate they are a bit polite sounding up top that may also be feeding into your impressions, but it almost sounds like the speakers weren’t optimally set up in the room or maybe an equipment mismatch. What do you think? Anyway, the more polite house sound of the Altas is why I recommended the Prism and Mini-X above as they probably offer a lighter/airier perspective in the event the OP finds the Alyssa not to his liking/tastes. All comes down to personal tastes after all. Frankly, at $5k and as @blisshifi alluded to above, I’d go for a pair of used Pulsars and call it a day, but that’s me. |
