2. speakers
  3. 1300099158

Verity Audio Amadis Owners, Listener Impressions?

I was wondering if anyone who owns these speakers or who has spent some time with them could chime in about them. I'm waiting to hear a pair and it will probably be another couple of weeks at least before they will be available. The demo pair I will get to hear is currently being built by Verity, hence the delay. In the meantime, I was curious to get feedback from any owners out there or folks who have spent some time with them. I've done a good bit of searching on various forums and come across a couple of folks who have heard them but not a single owner. This is still a relatively new model from a pretty small manufacturer and at a significant price point, so I guess that's not surprising.

My local dealer has the Finn, Rienzi and the Leonore at a on display and I thought they had some very impressive qualities about them. In a second demo I had with the Leonore, I began to understand the view that I had seen various folks comment about Verity in general which is that while they may not necessarily grab you right away, spending time with them substantially increases appreciation for them. That was my experience and II am very much looking forward to hearing what the Amadis brings to the table in the way of additional bass output and overall sound refinement. I had been interested in hearing the Parsifal Ovation as a next step up from the Leonore, but there are no demos available from the distributor or from Verity directly because of the age of that model. So, the Amadis was suggested as an alternate. In speaking with Julien Pelchat, he had high praise for the Amadis (as you would expect) and takes the position that the ring radiator tweeter it employs is very close to the ribbon used on the Sarastro II. I haven't heard the latter, but it seems that there is quite a bit of good sentiment out there for the Sarastros so if the Amadis is close, I should be in for a real treat. I'm certainly interested to hear how the Amadis improves upon what I've already heard from the Leonore.

Since I know folks will ask if I have looked into or suggest alternatives, note that I am indeed looking at a variety of choices (as we all should be when considering new speakers, especially at this price point where so many good choices exist). My interest in this thread was to get some feedback on this specific model while I wait. Patience has never been my strong suit, but this seems like a good way t pass the time. Thanks in advance for any thoughts or feedback.

Jeff
rgbyhkr
4musica44107
520 posts
 
I do not own the Amadis but have heard them three or four times. I am very familiar with and very much enjoy the sound of Verity speakers. I use a pair of Taminos and Fidelio Encores in separate systems and have heard the Finn and Leonore.

For my primary system, I wanted and selected a speaker that can play all types of music extremely well. I chose the DeVore Fidelity Reference Silverbacks and continue to be thrilled with them. However, the Amadis is the first speaker that I have heard that I believe I would prefer in my primary system where, again, an essential criterion for that system is that the speaker excels in all types of music reproduction (or at least all of the types that are important to me). Whether the Amadis at ~$30K is better enough than the Silverback at $16.8K is another matter entirely. I continue to be AMAZED by the Silverback. It would be very interesting to see what John DeVore could develop speaker-wise at the ~ $30K price point.

As to what I prefer about the Amadis over the Silverback, I believe the reproduction of piano music is a bit more accurate on the Amadis. I also felt the bass response on the Amadis was a little better. Finally, since you also mentioned the Leonore, I will tell you that both the Amadis and the Silverback are better overall than the Leonore. The latter comment is significant to me insofar as the Silverback and Leonore are very close in price.

All of this IMHO, of course. YMMV.
countingbackwards
138 posts
 
I've not knowingly heard a pair of Amadis, but , but might be able to add a bit of perspective anyways as I have Parsifal Encore's. Before purchasing the Parsifals, I listened to the Finn and Rienzi as well. My feeling was that the Finn didn't quite fit in with the family sound - which I'd categorize as coherent, rich & detailed. The Rienzi and Parsifal, though, were quite similar in character to my ears. The Parsifal just has much more scale and a deeper bass - basically, it sounded like a bigger, bolder version of the Rienzi.

My guess is that every step in Verity's ladder is similar - if you like the Leonore, you're likely to LOVE the Amadis, as long as your room is big enough for them.

One thing...make sure that the speakers are well broken-in before you audition. It'll be hard to do, but I'd stay away from your dealer's showroom for a few weeks after they get the speakers in.

Also, to comment on 4musica's mention of the Silverbacks - if you have a Devore dealer near you who stocks Silverbacks, do give them a listen. In my area the top-end Devore that's available is the Nines, which is a great speaker, if a bit drier and lighter sounding than the Verity's (don't know if the Silverbacks maintain that characterstic, but would love to hear them). I personally have a preference for a richer sound like the Verity's for serious listening, but I'd imagine that anybody who likes one, will like the other.
rgbyhkr OP
32 posts
 
Thanks for the feedback. As for Devore, that is one of many brands that has no representation anywhere in Georgia, let alone here in Atlanta. I know lots of folks would say it would be worth the trip to visit an out of state dealer and while I'm sure it would, my schedule doesn't really permit that.

My Verity dealer just informed me that the Amadis demo units won't be in until more like mid-April. That's certainly disappointing, though I did just have a great demo of some Burmester speakers that the same dealer also carries. So, I'm mulling over whether to wait to hear the Amadis and compare or just go ahead and get the Burmesters that I have already heard and really liked. I'm not sure what I'll do as I have some concern that the delay could wind up being longer than even this new estimate.

Jeff
countingbackwards
138 posts
 
For this much $$$, I'd wait...a few months is nothing compared to a lifetime of listening! When I did my search, I took several months and listened to everything available in my area, listening to most of my favourites more than once. The speaker shopping experience can be fun, enjoy it and take your time!

Don't be too concerned about not having Devore's around - just listen to what you DO have around. Most of these companies are small and have incomplete distribution chains, so it's impossible to hear everything.

And know this...if you wait for 2 months, then hear the Verity's, and decide that you like the Burmester's better...you'll be far more confident with your choice than if you choose before hearing the Verity's. You wouldn't have posted this thread otherwise.

I'll keep my ears open at the Montreal Salon Son & Image next weekend - there's usually a lot of Verity speakers around (being that they're a relatively local company), so I'll let you know if I get a chance to hear some Amadis.
More to discover