How many pair of speakers do you own?

Hi Bbchem,

Absolutely love the Tone and I am really enjoy the single driver sound. It took a bit getting used to as the Tone's sound character was a departure from what I'd heard in the past.

While they don't have the pin point imaging of, say, my Focus Audio FS-688 monitors, the quick and natural sound is very addictive. They throw quite a large soundstage as well. Definitely a bit on the warm side, although that is not a bad thing given that the room they're in is a bit "live". The Tones are paired with a REL sub in my work office (see systems link) and two are well suited for each other.

Single driver speakers seem quite popular over here in Asia and Zu, in particular, has quite a following in HK / Singapore / Japan. If you've not heard them or their big brothers, the Druids or Definition Pros, try to. In my opinion, the Definition Pro at around USD 9K is a superb value. Were the FA-888 not the current king of (my) speaker hill, I would seriously consider picking them up and could indeed live happily ever after.

Back to the Tone - my latest purchase of the Kotaro is directly related to my experience with the Tone. While I love my AC V3Ms, With a new office being built in China, this was a good oppurtunity to move them to a bigger space that's better suited to their strengths. Though the Kotaro appears to be two way, it, like the Tone, is a crossoverless wideband single driver with a Murata supertweeter.

The Kotaro has no bass below 70 Hz and, for my tastes, really needs a sub. Aside from that, in many ways it shares much of the Zu appeal with the the upper mid range and highs being the Kotaro's strong suit. It is so clear and effortless (but not etched), that it was frankly startling the first few listening sessions. My hunch is that people whom like single drivers are going to hear a lot more about this speaker.

Never heard horns yet - that's next on my list. Happy listening.

Cheers,
Garry

Thanks Garyk! The Mark and Daniels are a cross between a Single Driver and a Electrostatic, they are made in China and cost $1600 which is at the top of my budget. They sound like my Hornshoppe Horns on Steroids. The Horn Shoppe Horns cost $850 for a floorstanding single driver loudspeaker. For their price they are hands down the best value in Loudspeakers at that level and 2 or 3 times the price. I have 4 pair of speakers currently, Mark and Daniel Rubys, Hornshoppe Horns, Usher X719 and Definitive Tech BP6 for home theater. I am most intrigued with the Zu and Gallo and the Kharmas which are completely out of my league.

Regards, Bill

Magnepans
JM Labs

sometimes you feel like a planar sometimes you dont

5 currently in 5 different rooms, soon to add another pair

Dynaudio Contour 1.3 Mk 2 - main system in my 12X12' listening room/office with the best interconnects, wiring, etc.

Ohm Model L with Ohm SBA enhancement (see ohmacoustics web site) and custom fitted Morel woofers - connected via in-house wiring in the adjacent 30X18' rec room

vintage Ohm Walsh 2's from 1982 (still cranking no problem) - connected via in-house wiring in 12X12' sunroom

Triangle Titus + M&K sub-woof - separate 2-channel audio/video set-up in 17X17' family room connected to a vintage Tandberg TR2080 receiver (still cranking)

Realistic Minimus 7's, wood housing that have withstood the weather on my deck for about 8 years now

Soon to add another pair of newly upgraded Ohm "Super" Walsh 2's using the latest Ohm Walsh drivers (I'll be comparing these a/b to my old Walsh 2s to see what the difference is).

Six pairs in six systems:

1. Clements 103D at work. w/Technics 25 wpc receiver (early 1980s vintage), Sony CD/SACD 5 CD changer, Mac laptop w/iTunes. Other than a somewhat aggressive treble that can turn digital cymbals a bit spitty, this is a remarkably musical setup. The very forgiving crossover lets these speakers perform much more than adequately with the current limited receiver.
2. Fried Beta IV signatures with new woofers in my daughter's system. w/50 wpc Harmon/Kardon receiver (late 1980s vintage), iPod. Fried speakers have always been remarkable to me. I sold many pairs of them when I sold equipment long ago and these were bought for my wife. The quasi-transmission line loading of the woofer in this design leads to remarkably full and articulate mid- and upper-bass that you almost never hear in small speakers. Vocals are sublime. The system works insanely well for what it is.
3. Vandersteen 1Bs in my son's system. w/35 wpc NAD integrated amp, Philips CD player. I love Vandersteen's for some of the same reasons I love Frieds, although they have their dissimilarities. The Vandersteen's image very well when setup correctly, and have very good timbral accuracy in the midrange. Their woofers are also transmission line loaded. This yields very good bass extension and pitch definition. The system sounds as good with Tool as it does with Telemann.
4. Vandersteen 1Bs in a bedroom HT system. w/AmFi 50wpc HT receiver, Oppo universal player, Polaroid 24" HD LCD TV. Used almost exclusively for DVD playback but very good for music too. Very good vocal intelligibility and great, rich massed string sound that is ubiquitous in the movies my wife enjoys.
5. 1960s era H. H. Scott 3-way "bookshelf" speakers with 12" woofers in the family HT system. w/ Pioneer 100 wpc HT receiver, Oppo universal player, Panasonic HiFi VCR, Teac cassette deck, ancient 27" RCA direct view TV. These speakers are in their perfect element here. Smooth, extended bass response, rich midrange balance that favors all sorts of "big" music and soundtracks, and very clear upper mid, and high frequencies that assist vocal intelligibility. They image only passably but this, somehow seems less important in this application.
6. Wilson WP7s. w/phono and tube-based big rig in dedicated room. This is my portal to musical valhalla, and my drug of choice.