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Lowther in bass reflex or Cain Abby

After looking at many of the speakers suggested in response to my previous post regarding suitable speakers for a low powered tube amp (Sophia baby 10wpc) and late night-low volume listening, I am still leaning toward the high efficiency full range driver camp.

I’m most interested in the Cain and Cain Abby and the bass reflex 1.3 model speakers from commomsenseaudio.com loaded with one of the Lowther drivers. The Cain speakers seem to be a well known and well regarded system. Does anyone have experience with the Lowther systems from common sense audio?

Price wise these are about the same, the lowest end Lowther being slightly less expensive, but it is close enough in price for that not to be a real consideration.

Anyone care to share some feeling/experience/biases regarding either of these tow (particularly the Lowthers)?

Thanks again!
kunja
jtgofish's avatar
jtgofish
515 posts
 
In my experience these types of speakers are very cold sounding.If you like speakers that emote you probably need to look elsewhere.
The Goodmans Axiom 80 is the exception to this however.
Many of us have been down the single driver path.You can enjoy these immensely for a while but after a while you also come to realise their weaknesses as well as their strengths.
Some don't though,so they are probably still worth a try.
gmood1
1,251 posts
 
Just buy some Zu speakers..there the best speakers in the world and nothing I'm mean nothings better.. you know. LOL
herman
2,252 posts
 
Check out the new Lowther Alerion. The smaller Lowther in a Cain cabinet. http://www.lowther-america.com/ I have heard them and they sound excellent, but you will need a sub.

While I agree that single drivers are not for everybody, the last word I would use to describe a Lowther system is cold. For whatever weakness' they have, and all speakers have them, I have never heard them described as lacking in emotion. In fact, this is the one attribute that almost everybody uses to describe them. If they sounded cold it was not the speaker.
dlstephenson
121 posts
 
I live in MN if your close come and take a listen to my abbys. I have not heard the lowthers, so I cannot comment on them, but the Abbys are really magic. I have tried the onix sp3 and the eastern electric m520 and enjoy the experience they provide. I listen to almost every type of music on them from clasical to new rock.
darkmoebius
900 posts
 
Jtgofish,

I don't know which single-drivers you have listened to, but as Herman has mentioned, my Cain & Cain I-Bens are anything BUT cold. And this is from a guy who loves a "slightly warm" sound ala Jean Marie Reynaud speakers which I owned for 5 years.

The real problem is that single-driver designs are difficult to execute well and can be ruthlessly revealing of their own and all upstream flaws. As a result, there are far more poor examples than there are great and system matching takes a real committment to effort.

Anyone in the Los Angeles or Southern California area is welcome to come on over and hear for themselves. Just drop me an email.
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