Persona 9h vs S3 mk 2

@prof As someone who has owned Bryston in the past for about 15 years. Bryston would not be in my 10 ten electronics to use with Persona’s. I recently heard Bryston 4B3 and BP17 cubed with Vandersteen Treo CT and even that combo was not to my liking. Maybe I am getting soft in my old age. I attributed my dislike to the Bryston gear. Just did not like that pairing. 

I have heard Bryston sound good with other speakers, like my old Revel Salon 1 + Bryston 7BSST

Man you guys are making me want the 9H! 

@audiotroy  What other speaker have you heard do you think could compete with the 9H in the same price category?

Ya Mike is a bit weird. Every time you ask him what electronics he used for the 9H he doesn't say anything. 

@ricred1  What brands and models did the dealer prefer?

How does Kef blade and ref 5 compare to 9H ?

Smodtactical, we have the Kef Blades which are very good not as transparent and do not throw as focused a soundstage but they sound bigger with a more rounded deeper bass.

The Vimbergs sounded amazing at Axpona, it would be hard to tell if they sound better per say, they seem like they sound similar to the Personas with a richer overall but still highly detailed presentation, nor do they have as deep of a bass response but overall they were fantastic sounding and on our list as one of the standouts at that show.

We do like Rockport speakers but haven’t heard them in a while, don’t believe that would image as holographically and the transparency in the midrange isn’t as good as the Personas, but overall a great speaker company.

Also at Axpona the Wilson DAW were sounding really good.

Those would be our recommendations.

As per Mike it is doubtful he ever had a pair in his shop, if he did a quick drop and plop without due dilligence in setup he would probably not like them.

Also Mike pushes the hell out of Magico so why would he want to bring in a direct competitor that looks prettier, is more efficient, images with more holography, and in the case of the Persona 9H offers better bass in any size room with the built in subwoofers with Anthem Room Correction.

We are willing to bet he never had a pair in his shop and based his dislike on hearing them elsewhere. A dealer would be able to answer which amplifer and setups he used.

Food for thought.

As you are a Canadidan the Personas shoud be way less expensive in Canada for you. If you factor that vs the greater cost of many competitors you should strongly consider the 9H personally we think that if you invest in good electronics, source and cabling you will get fantastic results with the 9H.

When they are setup correctly they are smooth, image incrediibly well, have very tight bass and have incredible resolution.

Personally our setup of the T+A electronics, Aqua Hifi dac, Innous Statement plus good power conditioning and cabling is one pretty amazing system if you are in the East Coast of the United States you should come over and hear our demo system it is pretty amazing.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ Persona dealers

It's almost 2:30 here in Portugal, and I just finished a 4-hour listening session. Are my ears bleeding? ... not even a little!

I listened to a variety of musical genres. Alternative rock (Fink, Shearwater), world music (Dead Can Dance), jazz (Mina Agossi, Cecile McLorin), classic (Berlioz), etc.
These speakers can play anything with ease.

 Now I go to bed with a smile on my face.

@audiotroy  Honestly the 9H is an incredible value (especially for dealer prices I am getting). I would say they offer up a lot of the detail and imaging that I heard on the far more expensive Contriva G2 (although the CG2 was definitely superior). The only thing that stops me from jumping on them is my lack of comfort with beryllium. I know its not necessarily toxic as a driver but I always have a fear of the driver cracking and spraying be atoms everywhere. If I spend car money on a speaker I just don't want to ever think about something like that.