I won't have $45K to spend on a loudspeaker in this lifetime or any other I imagine but the little snippet in TAS peaked my curiousity. Has anyone heard this speaker and would be willing to offer their impressions?
Utilizing advanced technologies to render an object virtually undetectable is one definition of the word STEALTH. Stealth is not commonly used, but became a household word during the Gulf War. The U.S. military used advanced technologies in aircraft to make them virtually undetectable to the enemy. We all watched in awe as bombs and missiles were dropped with incredible precision and obliterated the Iraq military machine.
It seems as though Richard Vandersteen of Vandersteen Audio had the Stealth Fighter in mind when he set out to design the appearance of the Model Seven loudspeaker. My personal pair of Sevens are black in color and during low light listening sessions they disappear in my room. The clean design lines of the Model Seven remind me of the aircraft after which it was designed.
That being said, the ultimate disappearing act of the Vandersteen Model Seven loudspeakers has nothing to do with their outward appearance. Instead, Richard Vandersteen utilizes test of time proven design principles, as well as innovative and cutting edge technologies and materials, that render them undetectable in the production of music in your listening room. This rare combination of proven design, cutting edge technologies and materials, and the Seven's ability to be tuned to any room, sets them firmly at the top of an elite group of world class loudspeakers.
Ive enjoyed listening to music my entire life, and since the age of 14 had my own audio system. In the last 20 years my system has continually evolved into a true high end audio system. Four years ago my wife and I purchased a new home which has a large 33 x 23 family room that I have converted into our listening room. Through that move I began to realize how important both the room and speaker placement are to the reproduction of music. Two years ago I was fortunate enough to have Jim Smith of Get Better Sound fame come to my house and conduct a Room Play session. Because of the Sevens' room tuning ability, Jim and I were able to place the speakers in the room for the best imaging, sound stage, and aesthetics, and then adjust the bass response to the room and my personal tastes. This capability is unique, and to my ears makes a significant difference when done correctly. John at Audio Connection in Verona NJ is my dealer and does an excellent job getting these settings right.
So the answer to everyones "how do they sound?" question. In a word the Sevens sound fantastic. The first thing I noticed with them is their ability to flush out all the inner level details of the human voice and instruments. The tonal quality of the presentation is so life like and real. A few months back we went to Blues Alley in Washington DC and heard Ramsey Lewis perform. The venue there is very small with minimal amplification of the performance. It was in that setting that I realized how true to the source the Model Sevens truly are. No, its not live in my listening room, but closer than I ever thought possible. The three dimensional sound stage, instrument decays, and space around the performers draws me into long listening sessions. But its the presentation of the human voice that sets them apart from any speaker I have ever heard. So lifelike, the small inflections and nuances that are unique to every singer are jaw dropping. Im continually surprised by the lifelike size and shape of the presentation in my room. I could go on and on but I think you get the idea. Ive purchased my last loudspeaker. High end audio is all about squeezing every last detail and potential from the source material. The Vandersteen Model Sevens are as true to the source as any loudspeaker Ive heard.
In conclusion I challenge anyone to take an objective look at what makes a world class loudspeaker, and see if you agree with my opinion that the Vandersteen Model Seven stands alone at the top of an elite group of speakers that most would call world class. The factors below when considered causes them to have no peers.
- Proven design principles that have stood the test of time
- Cutting edge innovation, technologies and materials
- Aesthetics that blend into and home décor (look like they belong in a home not a recording studio)
- Room tuning capabilities for seamless integration in any room
- Settings that can tailor the sound to individual tastes
Evaluate these attributes when making your loudspeaker selection and you will find few if any competitors that can match the Model Sevens total package of value.
System Components:
Vandersteen Sevens, BAT VK 600SE with 655SE Caps, Audio Research REF 5SE with Super tubes, PS Audio DS and PWT, Bricasti M1, Music Vault M7 Server, Pass Labs XP 25 Phono Stage, Basis 2200 Signature TT w/ Vector 4 w/VTA Tonearm, Dynavector 20X2H, Synergistic Research Power cell 10UEF, Synergistic Research CTS speaker cables Synergistic Research Speaker cells, Synergistic Research CTS XLR interconnects, Synergistic Research Transporter Ultra SE, Synergistic Research ART acoustic System, Synergistic Research FEQand HFT's. Rack of Silence stand.
This is coming in late for you previous posters, but my experience with the Model 7 has been in the past few months. I haven't been impressed with he Quattro or the 5a previously regardless of the amplification. I have driven over 150 miles round trip to demo front end and amplification products to hear them with my own speakers, vintage audio physics. With that qualification, my dream speaker is the Model 7. I have heard them with AR, Ayre, and Aesthetix amplification, digital and analog, and it made no difference, shockingly realistic artist in the room presentation. The price reality is that my MB convertible is currently priced lower than this speaker puts me back in my listening room.
The bass response of the 5s and 7s are so accurately refined that the idea of adding anything to them is as repulsive to me as someone painting a sidebar on a Rembrandt.
The uniqueness of Richard's solution is the extraordinary flexibility for speaker placement within the room and capability to adjust and tune the subs to the room. Controls for not just 11 bands of frequency response, but contour and level as well.
When it comes to the 7s, the bass is somewhat improved of the already great 5s due to higher capacitance in the sub amp power supply, but more importantly, a more accurate midbass driver. Bass can contain a very high bandwidth for example a strong wack on a large drum. The midbass carries a surprising amount of the load for this type of signal.
The perceived lack of bass impact could have been set-up. What those of us who have experienced the 7s know for sure is that they have decidedly excellent and accurate bass. I would posit that, as is often the case, some listeners are simply accustomed to the exaggerated bass that exemplifies so much of the industry. My suggestion, when encountered by just such an occasion, is to go with the accurate bass (Ie. Vandy 7) and then spend a few bills on a subwoofer to rumble your belly with. You'd still be ahead of the game compared to all the bloaters out there.
Greetings Stringreen Thanks for your post and observation. when you popped in I wish I was there as you caght me with my pants down breaken in a cheap amp not up to the task of the sevens I would like to invite you in next time to expierience what your keen ears deserve. Thanks JohnnyR
I am a 5A owner which when set up properly is already a great speaker. When I heard the 7's I personally felt that although it was slightly better, it wasn't worth the upgrade FOR ME. Richard said that I would hear a greater difference set up in my room. For me, however, although I think Vandersteen and John Rutan are Wonderful guys to work with, it wasn't the significant cost to upgrade. That is true only more so, for the 5A carbons. If I were to start again, and not own the 5A's, I would be much more interested.
I've never heard or seen the 7s but this lean bass observation puzzles me. I've had the 5As for about six years now and lean bass has never been an issue. Bass is actually a strong point. Tight, firm, strong and well defined. There is essentially no difference in the bass module used in the 7. It's one of the few things with very little change over the 5A. I suspect the guys here postulating less than optimal setup are on the right track to explain these scattered observations.
I had the same experience as Siliab and Deadlyvg but everything else was beautiful. I heard them at a dealer with the Ref 5 and Audio Research 150 perhaps more power would solve the leaness in the bass.
Maril555, I guess I am the friend you refer to (I recognized your system from the pictures). Thank you for your remarks.
Siliab, I was not at T.H.E. Show, so I cannot comment on that setup, although they cannot have sounded too bad since John Atkinson picked that room as one of the three best sounding rooms at the show. What I can assure you is that the Seven's all but lack foundation. In fact, once you get used to the truly flat bass response you can obtain from them, it is difficult not to be bothered by the in room bass response of almost any other speaker.
I have about 1,500 hours on mine and drive them with ARC Reference Anniversary and Reference 250's. Each time I think I heard their full potential, I find that something else in my system was actually holding them back. For anybody who is considering purchasing speakers at this price point (or higher), I strongly believe these deserve to be heard properly setup.
Siliab, I think your impression is "room and system dependent"so to speak. I heard 7s extensively in friend's system on very familiar dynamic classical recordings, and I have to tell you, that bass impact and extension were simply outstanding, better, than in my own system,and one of the best,I heard ever. He has a very well designed and implemented dedicated listening room (Rives). Also, as you probably know, the subwoofers in the 7s are adjustable,so I could imagine a less, than ideal setup,that can be improved. The bottom line is- the bass extension and impact of the 7s are simply outstanding!
I also attended T.H.E. Show in Newport and spent time with the 7s. I got there when Dark Side of the Moon was playing and sat through Stairway to Heaven. I believe that this system's imaging eclipses anything I've heard previously. Simply inconceivably specific. Instrumental timbres were also extraordinary. Halfway through Stairway I thought that this was the best system I had ever heard. But, when Bonzo's toms and bass drum usher in the headbanger mid-section of the tune I neither heard nor felt the impact of the instrument. There was extension and instrumental tone galore but no sock. No kick. No balls! The foundation was simply missing. I have no doubt that I would find this system enthralling with any number of soft rock, combo jazz or vocal recordings. But I would find it unconvincing with Mahler, Mingus (big band), or Motorhead. Still, I was incredibly impressed and think that the 7s are a brilliant achievement.
This past weekend THE SHOW NEWPORT featured some of the best hi-fi in the land. One of the best rooms I enjoyed was the Optimal Enchantment (Randy Cooley) room that featured the Vandersteen Model 7 speakers driven by Audio Research flagship electronics plus the Basis Inspiration TT with Vector 4 arm and Lyra Titan cart. Analog ruled the room as Randy played some of the best straight ahead jazz recordings available today. Even with typical audio show noise levels, this system was a relief from the digital sound found in many of the other rooms.The Vandersteen speakers were still able to produce a natural, detailed, and dynamic sound that many, myself included, expect from Vandersteen speaker systems. Many people that I talked to told me that it was the best sounding room that they had heard. Being able to have extended discussions with Richard Vandersteen and AJ Conte was a terrific bonus as well. Both are music lovers dedicated to giving us the best sound possible in our homes.
Congratulations to Richard Vandersteen for being selected as the Los Angeles/Orange County Audio Society recipient of the Founders Award that is given each year to someone in the audiophile community who has had a major influence on both manufacturers and consumers in high end audio.
More that 300 audiophiles, including print and on-line media personalities from TAS , Stereophile, Positive Feedback, and Ultra Audio plus manufactures of high end audio attended the Annual Gala event. Bob Levi, President of the Society was the Master of Ceremonies while John Atkinson was the keynote speaker.
Richard Vandersteen accepted his award and spoke about how he got started in the business and then gave his views on various issues concerning high end speaker research and development. Richard's gracious wife and proud family were also in attendance.
Amen to that Stringreen. And as a bonus the Micro Ridge stylus will give you more detail with less surface noise. As HP has said, this is the best effort from Benz which also allows those who have a Benz LP to trade-in and save about 2K. A no brainer.
Run and convert your LP to an LP=S... The difference is extremely major. If you think you're hearing things now, you won't believe what the LP=S does for your system.
I totally agree with Adelphiaron. Also, any upgrade you make in your system will be even more obvious through the Model 7. I just upgraded my TNT 6 with rim drive, super platter, and SDS using an older Benz LP to a Basis Debut, Vector 4 system fully loaded with all of the upgrades and the new Benz s MR. All I can say is WOW!! The speakers seem to be physical objects that sit inside the soundstage with the performers and recording venue all round them. More extention in all directions, especially the bass. I know this is the Basis at work, but the Model 7s let you hear more of it. And don't forget the new high pass filter will be here soon.
Vandersteen Model 7 speakers are incredible. I have lived with a pair of Vandersteen 5A's for about 10 years and still feel there is no speaker in their price range that is even close.
I went to hear The Model 7 with not necessarily intending to buy, lets face it they are not cheap. One thing I would tell anyone wanting to hear them make sure the dealer has set them up right as Richard Vandersteen has instructed. On hearing them the first time I felt the were slightly better than my 5A's. I then was able to hear a pair of Model 7's that I was told were set up correctly and experienced a completely different opinion. I was now hearing things I had never heard with my Model 5's. Yes, I was was more than a little impressed. Still at this price range your thinking what else is out there and maybe I better take a listen, which I did. I listened to the other very high end speakers, which we all very familiar with and came away with an even greater opinion of the Vanderteen Model 7. They especially do not have the coloration I heard in other speakers. I am not here to knock any other speaker or manufacture but the Vandersteen Model 7 just stands out impressively above the others.
I decided I had to have a pair still wondering how will they sound in my sound room. Fortunately I had heard them at the dealer with Ayre MXR monoblocks and KXR pre amp which was what I had. I believe I have a very good sound room which I have worked on for over 15 years to achieve the kind of sound I wanted. The speakers were delivered and set up as Richard Vandersteen had instructed. The gentleman who set them up had the jigs and laser that Richard designed for setting them up. Then came dialing in the eleven-band equalizer and woofer level controls to my room.
Finally the moment had come to see if I had made the right choice, to hear them the first time in my sound room. I sat there unable to say anything to the gentleman that helped set them up, not believing what I was hearing. We both just looked at each other amazed at what we were hearing and I new I made one of the best choices I would ever make.
I now have many hundred hours on my Model 7's and know they are better than my Model 5's across the board. The base is tight deep, dynamic and detailed in every way. The mid range thru the top end has a wonderful clarity, transparency and openness. High end notes for lack of a better word just seem to shimmer with no hardness or glare. The soundstage is huge and every well defined. The vibes in Jazz At The Pawnshop just seem to fly across the room with amazing clarity. From the quiet brush work to the high end piano notes in the 45 rpm Misty by the Yamamoto Trio you find yourself immersed in the music of the Model 7's. No matter the type of music I played thru the Model 7's I heard things I have never heard before. They just seem so real, so life like and you get a feeling of being right there. The astounding thing is the more I listen to them the better they seem to get. Richard Vandersteen spent many years in creating these speakers and all I can say is Richard they are PURE MAGIC.
Had Black lable society rocken with an NAD amp while the Sevans were breaking in like a live event. Alice in chains bass line was insane the who Live at leads alblum Happy Jack will make you happy when you hear Kieth Moon's drum work. Muddy Watters the Folk singer Big legged womans and Good morning little school girl never heard better. yes I am a Vandy dealer but also like this music myself What I hear is ((less speaker and more music)). Johnnyr
Encouraging to read that the Vandersteens do well with Classical music. I was worried that this would be their Achille's heel. I heard them with classical briefly at the last RMAF and wasn't as impressed as I was the year before (with jazz).
This is an update from my previous post on the Vandersteen Model 7 speaker system. I am now at 850 hours and I can say without any doubt that the speaker continues to improve. I think this is remarkable. I have talked with Richard Vandersteen about this and he told me that he has experienced the same phenomenon with his own personal pair. And this after three years! The chages are not obvious like when you are breaking in the speaker, but are subtle and act as a sort of audio fix every few days. Properly set up (per manual) and driven by quality electronics (I have Aesthetix all balanced), this speaker can compete with any speaker out there.
Also, typical of Vandersteen's approach to speaker maufacturing, there will be a new high pass filter available soon. This will replace the current model. The word is that this will take the Model 7 to an even high performance level and will be a dramatic improvement similar to going from the Model 5a to the 7. If there is way to improve a current production model you can bet that Vandersteen will find it and do it.
I have had my Vandersteen Model 7s for about two months. The break-in for these speakers is anywhere from 400 to 450 hours. I have reached 450 hours and feel that they are there. However, Richard Vandersteen has said that even he does not know how good they can sound. They just keep getting better as time goes on. My electronics is Aesthetix Io Eclipse phono preamp with volume controls and two power supplies. My amps are Aesthetix Atlas Signature mono-blocks. Wire is Audioquest Sky and Audioquest Everest. front end is VPI TNT 6 with Rim Drive and power controller. The arm is Triplanar 7 with Benz LP cart. The system is balanced. I became an audio fanatic in the 1950s when, as a kid, I heard for the first time the Electrovoice Georgian speaker system with proper electronics etc. for its day. That was it for me. I have had many speakers systems over the years including Avalon, Maggies, and most recently Vandersteen 5As. I listen mostly to classical music ( a collector of records for over 40 years, RCA, Mercury, Decca, E.M.I. etc.) I had to wait a long time before I could honestly say that my system is very close to what I experience when I listen to the LA Philharmonic at the Disney Hall in Los Angeles. I have Richard Vandersteen to thank for this because of his years of research and development that produced the Vandersteen Model 7. Robert Harley's review in Absolute Sound is right on the money. The same is true for Pete Roth's review for the online Ultra Audio. The Vandersteen Model 7 projects a sense of truth to the source that the vast number of speakers out there do not. For the first time I can listen to the great Mercury recordings without the brightness that I and other collectors have complained about for years. I can finally really appreciate Kenneth Wilkinson's geat Kingsway Hall recordings for Decca and yes, I can hear the subway passing under ground. You will hear the multi-miking of the great RCA records, but you will also hear detail in them that I was not fully aware of through other speakers. The Model 7 is not just a step up from the 5a. It is a giant leap that takes you into the recording environment and lets you hear an amazing close approximation of what was heard at the recording session. Simply will find yourself totally involved in the music. For me image height is perfect, image size is dead on with the overall recording. And dynamics are close enough to the real thing without drawing too much attention to itself and distorting the soundstage. And finally there is the purity of the sound that no other speaker that I have ever heard has. If you think the Model 7 sound great at the dealers, just wait until you hear them in your own listening room. Once voiced below 120 hz and set up according to the manual, by the time you reach 100 hours you will begin to hear the greatness of this speaker. And that is just the beginning.
I was shocked a couple weeks ago. Usually I don't have much time and am not looking for new speakers so I dont spend a lot of time listening to speakers. I have been doing this a long time and also have a company that installs home audio systems, home automation, HT etc. Besides I have 5a and they are great. When Vandersteen was out doing the demo of the sevens in the area I didnt even go. Several month ago I walked into Audio Connection for something else and he had the seven set up I listened to them and was impressed I knew they were special right away but just didnt know how special. Well a couple weeks ago I was there and there was a guy there seriously looking at different speakers so I didnt feel bad following him around since I was not wasting any ones time and we had a good conversation about audio anyhow. I spent several hours listening to everything 2s 3s magnipans etc. I was shocked. I have owned Vandersteen 2,3 fives etc and many other brands. I know the differences between the twos and threes and then to the fives, the fives are just more there. Then we went to the sevens in a small room with glass in back right on the street, I wouldnt say is ideal and the music just came alive and was so much clearer. So clear that I had to go back and wonder what was wrong with the 5s, I couldnt believe the difference. I always though Vandersteen speakers where way laid back. These are not, the music is right there. It is hard to describe on vocals is it soft and nice to listen to but if you crack a symbol it is right there just like the guy was in front of you. There is always a compromise with speakers, the laid back sound of phase correct. The overly harsh thin sound of some but these just seemed to have great balance. The base was also terrific, same woofer as the 5a so I dont know what is different but it is just better. I also have been back a couple of times and listened to them on different equipment and found my conclusions to be the same. Anyhow I regret that day because I now find myself looking for a pair of sevens. But it was eye opening once I spent some time with them.
Asktheaxis, It's not often that I read something written so succinctly and honestly, that I have to step back and reread it two times. THIS was such a comment. I too think that Rich Vandersteen has something magic here with this speaker. That midrange driver is a work of art...only the best Planars have the qualities that this speaker offers. He's done a remarkable job building, and YOU did a remarkable job reporting on that.
I recently had the opportunity to listen to the model 7's in Tacoma, WA, and will say this; I don't frequently voice comment on the attributes of sound equipment, as I usually prefer to quietly listen. But these things put a grin on my face I couldn't wipe off. The idea of distortion free drivers was merely a concept to me before hearing these speakers. The 7's have an accuracy to their sound that I have never heard reproduced through recorded music. The listening session changed my perception of what a dynamic loudspeaker is capable of. Remarkable.
"Any manufacturer who insists that his speaker is right and all others are wrong is a manufacturer who should have his ears, if not his head, examined." ______________________________________________________________
No mystery. I was just merely commenting on Csmgolf's post above describing his experience with Tidal speakers at RMAF 2010.
"Any manufacturer who insists that his speaker is right and all others are wrong is a manufacturer who should have his ears, if not his head, examined."
This sounds like a very strong point. I just wish it was clarified, to be easily understood.
I heard the Vandersteen 7's at RMAF on Sunday and can't say that the top ended sounded aggressive on the tracks that I heard. Another attendee I talked to felt the Vandy's sounded "shrill" on a track he had them play, but he also thought the same track sounded shrill in Dan Wright's ModWright room played back on the modded Sony XA-5400ES. So, I suspect that the fault lay in his recording.
I agree with the above posters that the speakers in most of the rooms sounded too aggressive. On Friday, I heard the $26000 Pure Reference Extremes that Israel Bloom of Coincident Speaker Technology had brought and thought they sounded terrible in the small room. The first two tracks of Patricia Barber's "Companion" CD that I brought sounded bloody awful - totally unnatural.
I agree with tvad that the JM Reynaud Offrande Supremes were some of the best sounding speakers at the show. And those "little" standmounts are flat to 30 Hz according to Jean-Claude Reynaud. The Revel Ultima Studio 2's, though different, sounded very good to me in the Rogue Audio room. While the Daedalus DA RMa in Dan Wright's room weren't aggressive and generally sounded good, I thought they were somewhat lacking in clarity compared to the Reynaud's.
I was disappointed that John DeVore chose not to exhibit at RMAF. I would have liked to hear his Gibbon Nines.
Any manufacturer who insists that his speaker is right and all others are wrong is a manufacturer who should have his ears, if not his head, examined.
One thing to keep in mind is in show conditions, the speakers were not listened to with the same tracks and on the same day. I listened to the Vandersteens on Saturday. I listened for about a half hour. I did not find them overly bright. I think the statement that 95% of the rooms were overly tipped up is a little high, but for the most part you are correct. I would put the estimate at about 75%. I liked many of the same speakers that you did, in particular the JM Reynaud and the Daedalus. The Tidals were a mixed bag. Most of there presentation was excellent. However, I got to listen to a track from one of my discs that I am very familiar with. The song is "Tradition" from Stanley Clarke's "If this bass could only talk". I have heard this song well over one hundred times on more than a dozen good systems. Stanley has his bass tuned up one octave, so there is a lot going on in the lower midrange. There must have been some kind of suckout in that range as the sound of the bass was very soft and the speakers placed him BEHIND the drums on the stage. The bass is THE featured instrument of the song. After the song finished, I was asked what I thought. I told them what I heard and told them I had never heard him placed there before. They apparently heard it too, because they did not dispute it, but instead blamed the engineering of the disc for this as the speakers could not be to blame. I told them how familiar I was with the song and was told in no uncertain terms that their speaker was right and every other system I had heard it on was wrong. I listened to this song on a couple of other systems that weekend, and apparently, they were wrong also. The whole thing was very off-putting and kept from returning to the room the rest of the weekend.
In my statement, I was actually referring more to a dynamic aspect of live music, than to a tonal character. I do agree on many bright sounding systems, which are not at all to my taste. On the other hand, speaker can be totally tonally correct and lacking dynamics at the same time, and to me it's a discfalifying characteristic. Live music is extremely dynamic, and lack of thereof doesn't sound live, or "natural" to me. I agree with you on two Daedalus rooms, just outstanding, one of my favorites at the show.
I heard them at RMAF, and do agree- was one of the best sounds at the show. Tvad, even though I do understand your sentiment, but couldn't agree with your impression. Of course, it's a matter of personal preference. I actually made an honest attempt to listen to Audio Note speakers again (mostly because of your very comments on it in this forum), and yet again found them lacking dynamics and any resemblance to live music. They do portray a very different take on music reproduction, that to my taste has very little to do with how music actually sounds. Sorry.
I heard them at RMAF and thought they sounded pretty good overall. I have to say the track that was playing was god awful and made me want to head for the exit though.
I attended RMAF and felt the ARC/Vandersteen 7 room was one of the best at the show. Incredibly musical and with no weaknesses that I could hear. One of the few rooms I could have stayed in for hours on end. The only room I clearly liked better was the Acapella room.
Hello Ian I was breaking in the Vandersteen 7s for a few days with the new NAD 275 BEE Stereo power amplifier ($1199) power amp and played Black Label society's latest cd track 6 Zakk Wylde guitar cranked and the room was rocken..... Alice in Chains(would)cranked up also sounded amazing. REMs live Cd track 2 or 3s bass line and singing was sick. Best Johnnyr
On Wed. I stopped into Ultrafidelis for a quick listening session. The speakers were scheduled to ship out later that afternoon. I met Jon for the first time, who after a short introduction began spinning lps. A quick note; I believe all supporting equipment was Audio Research except for turntable, which appeared to be an SME...sorry if that is incorrect. The AR amp was a digital, I think the DS 450. Unfortunately, I had limited time, so spent very little of it inquiring about the equipment. I am completely unfamiliar with each of these audio manufacturers so I cannot fairly assess the speaker on it's own merits...the whole being a product of the sum.
I wish to offer a preface illustrating my dubious and hesitant bent that I entered the listening session with. My one previous experience with Vandersteens was back in the mid-90's in a much less than optimum setting, leaving me tastelessly biased.
It was just Jon, another customer and myself; so I was slightly off, and sharing the sweet spot. Jon played a number of cuts off of lps, mixing in some jazz combo, vocals, harpsichord, small scale orchestral and lastly live Van Morrison.
From the first cut I was struck by the inner detail and lack of distortion. Incredible display of articulation without any noticeable grain or stridency. Jon switched out lps frequently, so to give us an assortment of genres and presentations. Each track brought out the most "live" in-the-studio panorama I have experienced form an audio system. The rightness of the instruments this system produced, especially in piano and strings was, again, the best I have heard. Not only the overall tenor, but the size and depth of each instrument seemed extremely accurate. The Van Morrison, with audience just blew me away. It was all there.
For me it is very difficult to justly make judgments in 40 minutes. The couple criticism I silently made was in Coltrane's tenor...sounded thin; and how sitting slightly off center was reminiscent of my experience with Avantgardes...the dominance of the nearer speaker. I have only the greatest adulation for the system Ultrafidelis assembled. It was evident the placement, room treatment, etc. was well thought out. When I got home and played a dozen lps or so through my Avalons/Jadis/Walker/Joules I was left wanting. The transparency and low level detail, decay and resolution of my system did not even approach what I had earlier heard.
One last comment...no slam music or heavy bottom was played. I regret not having made that request.
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