I’ve owned both Raidhos and YGs, and feel that both are great speakers. The Raidhos better meet my current taste and needs. I had previously owned Peak Consult Zoltans, and I loved the body and heft they produced, though they were a little soft up high, and too big for my room when I downsized. I found the YGs to be neutral and dynamic, but in my smaller room, a little lean—they failed to provide the ‘magic’ I was looking for, even with my tubed DAC and preamp (they had worked better in my larger room).
After listening to a number of of $30-40K speakers in showrooms—KEF Blades, Wilson-Benesch, Gamuts, Vivids, Wilsons—I once again found the requisite ‘magic’ with the Raidho D2s. They work great in a relatively near-field setup, and the tweeter is amazingly delicate, sweet and detailed. The bass is substantial for a 2.5-way with small drivers, and the mids are goldilocks right. They speak with one voice and never fail to transport me to lovely places when listening to favorite music—maybe not as neutral as YGs, but close (and delightful) enough that I don’t mind. I think they strike an ideal balance between ‘musicality’ and detail—and they match great with my Hegel H30.
And, yes, both Raidhos and YGs are expensive, but both bring a lot to the table. I’m not bothered by the change in designers. It appears that the new design team is attempting to bring some Raidho magic to better price points—always a good thing. Sure, buying from overseas companies can be a hassle if things go wrong, but so far, so good. I have yet to hear another speaker for a small-medium room that suits me better.
