i want to audition in my own modest place, a pair of direct acoustics silent speakers. i like the philosophy of their sound dispersion, which makes for a large but somewhat amorphous stereo sound field where instruments would largely stay put in their place no matter where one sits or stands. i’d love to hear a set of maggie IIIs also, the last time i got to hear those beasties was in 1982 in seattle’s definitive audio. they were playing a direct-disc recording of a bach pipe organ piece. the sound occupied the front half of the room as though i was transplanted to the recording venue. that was an acoustically perfect room with much room treatment, i want to hear them in a more typical bare room with a couch. i also wanna hear a pair of K-horns with a la scala center speaker and special klipsch center channel hafler box. i also wouldn’t mind auditioning a pair of energy 22 pros. i last heard them in another acoustically perfect showroom in northern VA. in 1985 and was mightily impressed, should have bought them but i lived in army barracks then so it was a no-go. and finally, a pair of 1965 IMF monitors, those i heard next to the aforementioned energy 22s the saleman had as a comparison to how well a small modern speaker could compare to a tried and true bona fide large studio monitor. those IMFs had a bass like granite, organ 32’ pedal tones and bass drums vibrated the air in the room as well as the walls and floors/ceiling. very addictive. there was such a sense of sheer ease with those speakers.
What speaker do you passionately want to demo?
Beyond the slight curiosity of what speaker you'd "like" to demo (example: every Klipsch horn speaker), what speaker(s) would you "passionately" love to demo? A brief explanation of "why" you like these speakers would be beneficial.
I'll start:
MBL 101 X-treme - almost a decade and reviewers still say it's amongst the best they'd ever heard. Probably should be matched to the MBL Electronics
Living Voice Vox Olympian Horn - it's wood (maybe sounds more warm/organic), it's a horn, and it consistently gets good reviews at the Munich High End audio shows.
Muraudio SP1 - Electrostatic + cone hybrid speaker that received many rave reviews. It's not an easy task successfully marrying the fast electrostatic to the slower cone to sound seamless. This speaker was on my short list to purchase.
Voxativ AC-XP field coil driver - both Voxative and Pure Audio Project speaker offer the Voxativ AC-XP field coil driver as an optional upgrade, but it's an additional ~$7k (yow). The reviews leads me to believe that this field core driver is sonically "significantly" superior above other choices.
Mike Lavigne's Evolution Acoustics MM7 in his dedicated sound room. The sonics of demoing speakers at storefronts or audio shows can be problematic depending on the audio chain and the room setup. MikeL has a matured optimized setup that is sonically recognized as excellent by other serious audiophiles.
I'll start:
MBL 101 X-treme - almost a decade and reviewers still say it's amongst the best they'd ever heard. Probably should be matched to the MBL Electronics
Living Voice Vox Olympian Horn - it's wood (maybe sounds more warm/organic), it's a horn, and it consistently gets good reviews at the Munich High End audio shows.
Muraudio SP1 - Electrostatic + cone hybrid speaker that received many rave reviews. It's not an easy task successfully marrying the fast electrostatic to the slower cone to sound seamless. This speaker was on my short list to purchase.
Voxativ AC-XP field coil driver - both Voxative and Pure Audio Project speaker offer the Voxativ AC-XP field coil driver as an optional upgrade, but it's an additional ~$7k (yow). The reviews leads me to believe that this field core driver is sonically "significantly" superior above other choices.
Mike Lavigne's Evolution Acoustics MM7 in his dedicated sound room. The sonics of demoing speakers at storefronts or audio shows can be problematic depending on the audio chain and the room setup. MikeL has a matured optimized setup that is sonically recognized as excellent by other serious audiophiles.
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Wilson Alexx V. I heard the origianl Alexx in a large room with tons of people and it was defined and dynamic, characteristics that soft bodies tend to destroy. I expect the Alexx V to be an improvement. Rockport Lyra. I consider in the very best speakers that the sound of the cabinet becomes significant. The Lyra cabinet seems to be the ultimate combination of strength and damping. Plus I prefer closed box bass and Lyra uses an unusual bass tuning that simulates closed box roll off in the 1st octave of bass roll off. The rest of the design is advanced and logical and impressive. |
Kennyc, I'm very lucky. I have the only speakers I ever want to own. You could say I'm married to them. The Muraudio gets decent reviews but IMHO it is a bad design. The panels are curved which is a terrible thing to do to an ESL as you create a non linear situation. Diaphragm goes back it loosens, forward it tightens. This is the reason they have to cross at 750 Hz. Right in the middle of the vocal range. 120 degrees is to much dispersion. To minimize room interaction you do not want any more than 45 degrees. For the same money you can get Sound Labs 545's. No curved panels and the array covers 45 degrees. No crossover. Much more diaphragm area and linear panels can take much larger excursions without distortion. Add subwoofers ( the Muraudio needs them also) and you will be in heaven. The only thing better will be larger Sound Labs. Read Roger Sanders's white papers. http://sanderssoundsystems.com/technical-white-papers He is the original designer of Martin Logan's curved ESL panel. |
Thanks for reminding me. Your discussion of Tannoy and Fyne reminded me of point source speakers. Because I was interested in a full range linear performance I dismissed point source speakers from my search in favor of multiple driver speakers thinking they can do a better job maintaining linearity at the frequency extremes. After many speaker demos, I’ve settled on the Magico A5 which I should be able to fund hopefully in a few months. Simultaneously I was looking for another speaker capable of being driven by a flea watt 300B amp. I was looking for uncolored neutrality and frequency linearity while being able to fit into my home (no massive horns). I’ve finally settled on the Volti Audio Rival 100dB, but wishing for the Volti Vittora’s 102dB performance (likely too large for my room). But I should also consider the “point source” speaker Coherent Audio MGRA 15 Signature 102dB - Fyne and Tannoy seem less efficient Funny how sonic differences between flea watt speakers seem less important relative what the 300B the brings to the table. Maybe it’s the difference between accuracy and midrange warmth magic. |
More Fyne dealers popping up everyday. Jim Smith of Get Better Sound has been a Tannoy fan and for years and had Canterbury speakers ($30k). He would also use Joseph Audio Perspectives ($18k); what I heard when I was in his detached, state of the art music room for one of his RoomPlay Reference sessions. BTW, anyone that can afford to do so should experience one of Jim’s sessions. It was a game changer for me. The cost is very reasonable. The main expense is getting to Cummings, GA. Make it a short vacation and also visit The Big House (Allman Brothers museum in Macon) and spend a few days in Savannah, now one of our favorite cites in the US. Sorry to go a little off topic. Anyway Jim heard Fyne speakers and ended up replacing his Tannoys with Fyne F703 speakers ($12k) and I believe this is his new reference. Anyone interested in an upper end Tannoy product should go out of their way to audition Fyne F700 or F1 series speakers depending on budget. |
I don’t know about passionately, but the line of Fyne speakers looks like something I would like to hear. The F704s would fit my room nicely :) Floorstanding Speakers Home Cinema | Music - FYNE AUDIO |
Honestly I’ve been around quite a bit and pretty much heard it all. Not every speaker but enough to know what different designs at all price points can sound like and do. So nothing burning at the moment. I’ll just say if you have never heard mbl set up well that should be on your list. Also Ohm. For something truly unique and different. For something compact and affordable give a listen to a pair of kef ls50 metas. |
I would love to hear the Viking system that utilizes a wide-range driver fitted to a waveguide, with the Fostex 31” woofer. I am also interested in the AER speaker with the single driver in a quarter wave back-loaded horn cabinet. I’ve heard a cheaper AER driver in a more modest cabinet of similar design (Charney Audio) and that system sounded terrific. I have heard fantastic systems utilizing G.I.P. Laboratory drivers; Deja Vu Audio makes custom designs using these drivers. But, I have not heard their drivers in their own cabinets. The cabinets are too big and expensive to expect anyone to import them from Japan, so it remains something I’ve not heard. |
Imagine T3 – Tower https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649763561-psb-imagine-t3-flagship-speakers-in-beautiful-gloss-ch... Get the Divorce Paper's Ready ! I wish I could pull the Trigger (on the Speakers of course)......:-) |
As a long time MBL groupie (and I owned the MBL 121s), the MBL 101 X-treme were on my list. And I actually happened upon a private demowhen visiting the USA - a dealer had them set up in a big room.They were a total gas to listen to, though I don't think they were working optimally in the room. I did such a big speaker search not long ago, able to listen to tons of speakers on my list, that I cleaned most of them off the list. But...for speakers I'm dying to audition in my home: Devore O/96. Loved them in the show room. But tricky speaker to get right and I want to see how they'd sound in my room. Even more so, I'm super intrigued about the new updated "Bronze" version of the O/96! And I would also add how auditioning the Devore Super Nines are up there for my real-world auditioning too. Taking off from there, I'd also love to hear the current Spendor Classic speakers, e.g. 3/1 right through to the 200. I'm also very intrigued by Charney speakers. Also: Janszen electrostatic speakers. That sealed box design fascinates me. Aaand, the Audio Physic Avantara and others in that range. Plus...HORN speakers. I am so bereft of true sit-down-and-listen to horn speakers. There's no real way they would work in my room, but I've loved the character I've glimpsed at some shows or stores. |
pretty much all the ones i have been truly passionate about demoing ... have already been in my home and have been demoed... btw - that is the ONLY way to really demo and know whether they hit the mark for me at this point, probably the only one that is on the to do list are devore o-96’s, and maybe, graham ls5/5's ... |
I've been impressed with DaVore Fidelity I heard the Super Nines of the Gibbons series at my favorite audio dealer and was shocked on the sound from the speakers. I love my Sonus Fabers and if money wasn't a consideration I'd have them as a second set I was so impressed. Sometimes a change is good. I like listening to them. I'd also like to hear a big pair of Maggies....my friend has a pair and they are different than mine. And I view listening to music as an activity for enjoying the moment. While I still like my main speakers they provide a much different 'presentation' that's appealing. |
