I agree jetter. This forum is all about sharing our listening experiences and our expertise. However, dealer hyperbole and sales are not welcome IMHO. I have suffered through Audiotroll’s salesmanship on too many different threads and I call him out every time he does it. That does not stop him.
By the way, I have always said that the Paradigms are very good speakers and T&A equipment is outstanding. I heard Audiodoctor’s presentation of both at length over 2 days at the NY stereo show last year and have heard T&A products and Paradigm products in different settings over the years.
Unfortunately, Audiotroll hypes these too much and will NEVER lend any context to the sound of whatever gear he pushes other than to maintain that it is scientifically indisputably the best in anywhere near the price. He will argue if you disagree. It is just not right here. If every dealer did what he does (and I believe most reputable dealers would maintain that they sell the finest products in their price range and can find Stereophile and Absolute Sounds reviews to support their position), what a bore this forum would be.
What Audiotroll AS A DEALER does not mention is the character of the sound. How many of you know what CH Precision gear (to which Alan Taffel favorably compared T&A gear) sounds like? Well, I’ve heard that gear on many occasions and it is very fast, has great bandwidth, great specs, etc--but some would say lacks musicality--a criticism leveled at other amplification from the likes of Constellation and Spectral, all great gear if you like that presentation; unlike, say, gear from Pass, D’Agostino and countless others which tend to be more liquid, but some would say at the cost of some transparency. By the way, I personally prefer T&A to Constellation and CH Precision, but not to other gear that costs less.
The Personas--again, if I could level a criticism-- it would be that they were just a touch on the hard/bright side.
Now Audiotroll will say that I don’t hear what he hears or that the time I heard the Personas the room was not right or the setup was not perfect and he may be right to do so--but I have no incentive to mislead anybody about what I heard because I have nothing to sell and nothing to gain by voicing my opinion for the benefit of others. Just to be clear, I can also find fault with every piece of equipment that I own and can describe those faults in detail, but have decided on balance that the combination of all of my gear works for me. We all make these choices based upon our personal preferences. Some love Martin Logan, others Sonus Faber. Therefore, I would not argue with anyone who thought that the Personas had no equal at a multiple of their price. They are that good for the listener who likes that sound.
But you will hear no nuance from Audiotroll--just how certain he is of his opinion due to his and Dave’s many years of experience with many brands---a position that can be taken by most dealers I know if they had the desire to so state here. Thank God they don’t.
