@georgehifi
I've been a long-time fan of the ARC Ref 75 (w KT120s and 150s), and I've used it with Sasha 1, Alexia 1, and Sophia 3. I recently had it w/ Sophia 3 and thought it was great - that was until I had a Simaudio Moon i700 for a few weeks. I then put the Ref 75 (w/ Ref 3). It was clearly not enough for the Sophia 3, sounded bloated and a bit out of control in the soundstage (Tin Pan Alley, best example). The only thing it could do better than the integrated i700 is the air/atmosphere off stage in a few live recordings (clearest examples Ryan Adams at Carnegie, Neil Young Live at Massey Hall). Everything else sounded better, minus the nth degree of intimacy in some close miked material, but even that was very close.
..all this is to say, had I not heard this, I would've challenged you and said the Alexia sounded great with my Ref75 and 5SE before. And it did. But now I know what people mean when they say, "It may sound great, but you're not realizing the full speaker's potential."
Since I don't want to go down the rabbit hole of amps again, sticking with Moon, your comments are a strong vote for the Focal due to its ease with amplifiers.
Thanks for the comments, George.
@andy2
Right! I know. I'm fortunate to work for a tech/fab company and after about 6 months on the job, I caught myself complaining about the 'spa water' in the cafe; I was complaining to a co-worker, "All 5 of the options have an herb or a vegetable in them." It hit me in the face, true 1st world challenges. The struggle is real!
@bluemartini
Thanks for the comment. It helps. I had Sopra 2, and although it was very nice, not enough bottom end in my 14x21x10 room. I also thought the Sopra 2 (with ARC reference) was a bit too much of a silvery sound. However, when I listed online on Youtube - I know, I know - and compare the Sopras to the Scalas (v2 and Evo), it really sounds like they tweeter on the Utopia line is much more refined and less showy and 'silvery'.
Thanks all for the comments :)
Mikel
I've been a long-time fan of the ARC Ref 75 (w KT120s and 150s), and I've used it with Sasha 1, Alexia 1, and Sophia 3. I recently had it w/ Sophia 3 and thought it was great - that was until I had a Simaudio Moon i700 for a few weeks. I then put the Ref 75 (w/ Ref 3). It was clearly not enough for the Sophia 3, sounded bloated and a bit out of control in the soundstage (Tin Pan Alley, best example). The only thing it could do better than the integrated i700 is the air/atmosphere off stage in a few live recordings (clearest examples Ryan Adams at Carnegie, Neil Young Live at Massey Hall). Everything else sounded better, minus the nth degree of intimacy in some close miked material, but even that was very close.
..all this is to say, had I not heard this, I would've challenged you and said the Alexia sounded great with my Ref75 and 5SE before. And it did. But now I know what people mean when they say, "It may sound great, but you're not realizing the full speaker's potential."
Since I don't want to go down the rabbit hole of amps again, sticking with Moon, your comments are a strong vote for the Focal due to its ease with amplifiers.
Thanks for the comments, George.
@andy2
Right! I know. I'm fortunate to work for a tech/fab company and after about 6 months on the job, I caught myself complaining about the 'spa water' in the cafe; I was complaining to a co-worker, "All 5 of the options have an herb or a vegetable in them." It hit me in the face, true 1st world challenges. The struggle is real!
@bluemartini
Thanks for the comment. It helps. I had Sopra 2, and although it was very nice, not enough bottom end in my 14x21x10 room. I also thought the Sopra 2 (with ARC reference) was a bit too much of a silvery sound. However, when I listed online on Youtube - I know, I know - and compare the Sopras to the Scalas (v2 and Evo), it really sounds like they tweeter on the Utopia line is much more refined and less showy and 'silvery'.
Thanks all for the comments :)
Mikel