I should have never ....


... visited the local high end audio store a couple of days ago.

So a couple of days ago, I decided to go down to the local high end audio store to listen to the Proac Response D2 speakers on tube equipment. The folks at this store are very friendly and were willing to go out of their way to accommodate my request. They hooked up the Proacs to some VTL tube separates (sorry I can't remember the exact model numbers, but I believe the VTL preamp and amp were around $9000 combined), and let me listen to the music of my choice - Diana Krall/Live in Paris, Melody Gardot/Currency of Man, Alan Pasqua/The Antisocial Club, etc.

I had high hopes for the Proacs, and for the most part they did not disappoint. The bass was really satisfying, and the details were there for sure. But for some reason I felt that they were more forward sounding than what I had imagined based on reviews. Diana Krall was not sitting in between the other musicians, but she was a good 3 to 4 feet in front of them. I could always tell that the speakers were there, i.e. no wall or disappearing act. I could feel some harshness in the music.

On a whim, I asked them if I could listen to the Sonus Faber Olympica 1 stand mounts that the shop also carries. First of all, I've never seen a more beautiful piece of furniture. They have to be the most gorgeous speakers I've ever seen in my life. The salesman cautioned me that they were almost twice the price of the Proacs. At this point, I'm thinking that the money is probably going more toward aesthetics than sound. I wasn't really expecting a huge difference between the Proacs and the SF Olympicas. But, boy was I wrong!

Unlike many of you, I have only limited experience with high end gear, and almost zero experience with tube equipment. But what I heard that day was a revelation. The Olympicas had the most amazing details, imaging and sound stage. The midrange was pure liquid. And most importantly, they completely disappeared behind the wall of music. Diana Krall was sitting right between the other musicians, a little to the right of the guitarist though. The base was so good that I don't think one would ever need an additional sub. It was that satisfying.

I realize that a lot of that has to do with high end/pricey tube sound and the demo room acoustic setup. But I have not been able to get those few moments out of my head. I was planning on setting up a smaller rig in my study (which is around 10x15 feet), and now I think SF Olympica 1 would be a great choice. The only problem is that it's waaaay over my budget. I was thinking around $3500 total (speakers + integrated + cables), but the Olympicas are over $7500 if you include the gorgeous stands. Of course, I can save money by going the used route but it'll still be way over my original budget.

So my question to all of you -- is there anything else that might compete favorably with the Olympicas in terms of sound (most important) and looks (not the top priority but still a consideration). Whatever I get cannot be big and boxy (Harbeth) though.

Secondly, is there any reasonably priced tube integrated amps that would still provide enough oomph while not sacrificing the stuff that makes tubes so musical and engaging?
128x128arafiq
@kalali
Yeah but he was tempted but put off by the Sonus $7500 price tag- I was throwing the OP a temptation bone.
I've owned several brand named hi end speaker and 3 years ago, due to a move and room restrictions I purchased a pair of SF Cremona Auditor M stand mounts and was absolutely stunned how well they performed.  I paired them with 2 REL G2 subs and drove them with Mc 601 monoblocks. I can tell you I shocked alot of my audiophile buddies.  The imaging, focus, detail and musicality was spectacular.  Very halographic.  I recently upgraded to SF Guaneri Evolutions and I do love them, but still to me the shocking thing is how well the little Auditor M's performed by comparison at approximately 25% of the cost!!  If I had to I could happily live with the Auditor M's.  They have to be one of the most underrated or "under the radar" speakers out there.  You can pick up a used pair here on Audigon for $2,500. - $3,000.  If you do a google search, there are a couple of good reviews still listed.  Enjoy the journey!
Arafiq
You can get great sound on a budget if you know what is important to you. You cannot have everything you may want  at that price point.  But you can have great music.
The most beautiful system I have heard recently was one of the cheapest. An unlikely combinations of KEF LS 50s driven by an Almarro a319b in a small but well treated room. It lacked a lot of things technically. But at the same time one did not care, because the large billowy soundstage and the unforced ease of the flow of the music totally disarmed my prejudices.
My advice: make friends with your local dealers, listen a lot, and don't buy anything for a while until you find out what is really important to you. Best of luck.
Folks: Just wanted to clarify that when I started thinking of building a smaller system for my study, I initially set a budget of about $3500 ($2000 for speakers and $1500 for integrated amp, both used of course). I figured that I could get used Proacs Response D2s for around $2000, and actually went to the dealer to listen to Proacs only. It just so happened that the Proacs didn't do much for me and I fell in love with the much pricier Sonus Faber Olympicas. That's why the title of this thread is 'I should have never ....'  :)
Also, I forgot to mention that I'm not replacing my main rig. This is a new system that I'm planning to put together for my study. So far, here's the list I've compiled based on all the great suggestions here:

- Vienna Acoustics Haydn Grands

- Dynaudio

- Thiel 2.4 (although the ones I listened to at a friend's house were a bit on the bright side)

- Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor M or Olympica I

- Vandersteens (the same dealer carries this brand too, so maybe I'll go back to have a listen) -- any particular stand mount model to focus on?

 - KEF LS50 - I listened to these at a friend's house about a year ago. They just didn't move me the way the SF Olympicas did. But that could very well be due to his equipment

 - Primaluna Dialog - great reviews and I really want to try tubes in my smaller system this time. What other reasonably priced tube integrateds should I look for (around $2000 used)?

I also like the advice of taking my time and listen to as many choices as possible. The other option is to wait a few months and save up enough funds to buy a used pair of SF Olympica 1s  ... yeah, I think I'm in love with these speakers :)

Thanks for the great advice