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Raidho D1 audition


Two weeks ago I have heard the Raidho D1 speakers in a hi-end shop in Amsterdam (A10 audio). Surprisingly, but luckily for me, I was the only one attending the "morning" demonstration. I could listen all the CD that I brought with me sitting in the sweet spot and without any disturbances.

The D1 where driven by the Jeff Rowland Corus preamp and the 625 power amp. There were two CD players hooked up, i.e. the dCS Vivaldy and an EMM labs single box retailing at roughly 30k euros (I did not asked which model it was). The dealer told me that the system was optimized for the dCS player, meaning he has used his most expensive cables costing around 30K euros. He did not mention which brand of cables he used and I did not bother asking as I find it silly to use cables that cost as much as the pre-power combo (we all have our prejudice in this regard).

The D1s sounded certainly nice, very detailed and fast but also with a very full midrange. Resolution-wise, one would have a rather hard time to find speakers that are more transparent in the midrange and highs (IMO of course). Speed-wise, while very fast, the D1s are not as fast as horns or electrostatics. The stereo image and soundstage were quite good (given the fact that the listen room was filled with other electronics and speakers) and together with the very detail and full midrange made for a rather impressive presence of the speaker in the room. That is, voices and most instruments where rendered with full body and size with a confidence typically associated to large speakers (at least in my experience).

I could not really judge the bass output of the D1s, as the room was quite large (given the D1s' size), plus the position of the speakers in the room was not chosen to give the best bass response but rather a good stereo image and soundstage. Nonetheless, it seemed decent. However, given the level of performance in the midrange and high departments, it would be a pity to not add one or two top of the line subwoofers (in fact as many as necessary) to achieve a world class performance also in this department.

I have quite a bit of experience with moderately high priced monitors like Dynaudio C1 (mk 1&2), Focal Micro Be & Diablo, Wilson Duette and Vivid Audio V1.5. Among these monitors, the Focal Diablo sounds the closest to the D1s, i.e. fast and detailed. The Vivid V1.5 has also a similar presentation. While the D1s sounded much better than any of these monitors, I find it hard to say how much better it really is. Not only I have listen these speakers in different system and room and at very different times, but one should not underestimate the effect made by the dCS Vivaldi in the D1 demo I had. (The Vivaldi was a marvelous cd player to say the least, though at 90K euros ones should not be surprised.) Maybe I should also mention here that the dealer told me that in his opinion the D1s are above the Magico Q1 (while being cheaper here in Europe). Since I have never listened the Q1s, I can not make any comment in this regard, but the dealer carries Magico speakers for a long time and has first hand experience with the Q1s.

I would conclude by saying that I was quite impress with the Raidho D1 speakers. 17k euros (including stands) is certainly a lot of money for a monitor with limited bass, but the reality is that 17K represents only a fraction of the price of other expensive monitors, e.g. TAD CR1. (I would be really interested to hear from people who have listen the TAD CR1 monitor and also the Raidho D1s).

Finally, I should acknowledging A10 audio in Amsterdam (www.a10audio.nl) for putting together a very nice demo.
nvp
sidekick_i's avatar
sidekick_i
59 posts
 
I've recently been visiting the Raidho facilities in Aalborg, Denmark.

The day offered a tour including an overview of the Raidho design philosophy and impressive line of production. It's a relatively small company with very ambitious goals combined with skills and craftsmanship of the highest level.

In a relatively ordinary room without any acoustic treatment other than thoughtful proportions and rigid wall structures, the C- and D-series performed in a way that can not be described as anything else but world class. Realistic, homogeneous, balanced, engaging, enfolding and highly musical, where the speakers tend to disappear completely (especially the C- and D monitors). All models played with a very high grade of resolution, with great transparency and realistic dynamics combined with warmth, body and authority that impressed me greatly. The performance was among the best I've ever heard on small-scale music (which I primarily listen to myself ), but they handled complex symphony orchestras and live rock just as easily. The units are also compact and stylish with a finish better than most. I was very, very impressed.
sabai
2,027 posts
 
Nvp,
I auditioned the Raidho C1.1 monitors in Singapore last week -- with no room treatment or tweaks. They were stunning. As difficult it is to compare 2 different speakers in 2 different systems, my opinion is that the TAD CR1s I auditioned a few weeks ago in Bangkok are totally outclassed by the Raidhos. The Raidhos are on a whole different level. YMMV.
dracule1
1,085 posts
 
Hey Sabai, I'm glad you like the Raidhos. I like the Raidho C1.1s a lot, but comparing TAD CR1s to the C1.1s in two completely different systems and drawing a conclusion or opinion is of limited value. I've auditioned both (not in the same system) and prefer the C1.1s, but I don't think CR1s are totally outclassed or on a whole different level.
razmika
45 posts
 
Dracule1
>>I know a dealer in US who carries both Magico and Raidho line
I will be in the US next month (Actually next week, by now). Can you tell me who the dealer is? I would love to audition them both in the same room.
nvp OP
317 posts
 
Hi guys,

I'm sorry for the very late reply.

First I would like to mentioned that I though a bit about the posts of Maxgalla and Windmolen above, and I find them rather dubious. They seems to have subscribed on Audiogon only to point out that A10 Audio in Amsterdam is not an official Magico dealer. Furthermore, the next day after my last post here I got a mail from the dealer (who put together the D1 demo) with details about his experience with the Magico Q1 speakers. Apparently, he has set up (together with the Magico distributor) the Magico Q1 speaker for an audio show using his own electronics (Zanden and Soulution), and also listen to the Q1s more than once in combination with Soulution electronics.

At first I was a bit surprised by this whole turn of events, but then I've realized that Magico speakers are advertised rather aggressively on most of the hi-fi sites I visit. It seems they train their dealers (at least the dutch ones) to be just as aggressive. :)

Coming back on topic, here are my answers to the posts "addressed" to me:

Sidekick_i, thanks for the report about your tour of the Raidho factory. Did you have the chance to compare the D and C monitors. If yes, can you elaborate a bit on the differences?

Sabai and Dracule1, thanks for sharing your experience with the TAD and Raidho speakers. I agree with Dracule1 that comparing two speakers in two different systems that are also in different rooms is of limited value. Unfortunately, often this is the only thing we can do. Also, based on my limited experience with the Raidho D1 and the TAD Evolution speakers, I agree with Dracule1 that the C1.1 (or the D1s for that matter) can not totally outclass the TAD CR1 speakers. In fact, based on the experience I had last year in Munich with the TAD Evolution speakers (hooked up to top of the line TAD electronics) I find it very hard that any system at any price can totally outclass that TAD system. (As mentioned before, the TAD CR1 model is supposed to be better than the Evolution model.)

Wenrhuang, when I had the C1s in my system I have liked them very very much. The two brands have very different presentations, quite opposite IMO. I would call the Raidho presentation transparent, while the Dynaudio presentation dark. IMO the Raidho C and D monitors are much faster and more detailed than the Dynaudio C1, but the Dyns have a more fuller sound. Which one would one prefer is a matter of taste. I should also say that, compared to my current speakers (Avantgarde UNO G2) both my previous monitors (Dynaudio C1 and Focal Micor utopia Be) sounded slow and "boxy" (almost broken). While I did not compared directly the Raidho D1 monitors with my UNOs, my guess is that they will compare better than the Focal Micro Be and the Dynaudio C1.
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