Audes' "Blue" Speaker: 2000 Marvel?


Anyone audition or own the Audes "Blue" speaker?? It has gotten a good review in Stereotimes( May Issue).Speakers are made in Estonia, and the company now seems to have reliable distribution in the USA. This model could complete with Gershman's Cameleon speaker which has also gotten good reviews. All comments welcomed
sunnyjim
The Audes speakers are amazing for numerous reasons. The build quality far exceeds the retail price. You have to realize that Audes builds the majority of what goes into the speaker, they have a low labor rate in Estonia and they are very committed having purchased a 100,000 square foot MIG plant.

Sonically the speakers have impressed everybody. I have yet to hear any speaker that looks and sounds as good as the Audes at anywhere near their price point. They have wonderful transparency without being aggressive, excellent bottom end, tight and fast, with superb soundstaging.

Having said these things I am a dealer but I have found no need to push the product since once experienced they basically sell themselves.

I saw your postings earlier but was too busy to respond plus I was hoping some customers would comment.

Good luck.
I completely agree with Stewart. The Audes line is IMHO the most amazing speakers no one has heard of. For the money, they are TOUGH to beat. Hopefully, you will get some customers to reply to your post, instead of just us biased dealers ;-) Good luck!

Best Regards...Mike - Father & Son Audio
HI

I purchased Blues a year ago. Its a killer for the money...the only cheaper way to get seas drivers is to biuld speakers yourself. Associated gear is all solid state
el-cheapo: acurus A-100 amp, Parasound P850 preamp, Tosh SD9200 DVD-A source. I am using them in medium sized room
25 by 16 Ft. Soudstage has good depth and width, upper end is smooth yet very detailed. Being an electrinica junkie i pay a lot of attention to bass and these babies get it right every time. Bass is tight and focused (Doped paper house made cones are big part of it), extending very low (no sub for music is necessary at all). Where these speakers really shine is the midrange spectrum. Two 4.5" seas drivers excell in voice reproductions.
Hope this helps a bit.
I recently have listened to the Audes at a friend's home. It was my first experience with Audes, and I am not a dealer or anything of the sort.

First, the negatives. The speaker is a bit forward. With the wrong equipment, could it turn bright? This is not a speaker in the "Boston bland" mold. That's about it. Yes, I know, a lot people will think I should say these are the positives. Fine.

As the speaker speaker is forward, it will appeal to some, and not to others. If you like a dark, laid back type of sound, this isn't for you. Also, the speakers are pretty large, which some people like, some don't. I do.

Midrange seemed quite clean and clear. Lower frequencies were full, but the smallish room I was in makes me not want to comment too much on the Audes bass in the absolute. The speakers are quite tube friendly and sensitive, but I won't say that they will mate with SET amplification. I didn't find them romantic, I found them to offer an open sort of sound.

I rate the cosmetics and build quality in league of $5000+ speakers. Fit and finish is very good. In fact, I rate just about everything about the speaker to be in the league of $5000+ speakers. The binding posts made me ask if the owner performed his own upgrade. He did not. Suffice it to say even the most jaded will say, "WHOA!"

I was asked to guess how much they cost. My guess was between $7500 and $11000 (in these days of audio lunacy, I have learned to round up).

Would I buy a pair? If I was looking for a new pair of speakers, I would definitely put them on my very short list. At $2000, I am not really sure if they can be beat, but I would still try(not sure I wouldn't go for a romantic type of speaker, but would depend where I was in my audio journey).