Acoustic Zen Crescendo

I took notes at RMAF 2007 and this is what I wrote at that time:
"incredible impact, bass out the wazoo, excellent definition without brightness, very extended at both frequency extremes, fairly large visually, powered by 250W Halcro amps, a bit brighter than the ESP's, almost too much bass for the room".
I thought it was one of the better sounds I heard. I didn't buy them as they are too large for my space. I think it would be worth taking the trip to listen. Much to my surprise the last appearances at RMAF have been with lower powered tube amps which I have not heard, but the icing on the cake is that you have a wide choice of amplification. When I heard them with the Halcro's, I was under the impression they needed killer power.

Rhljazz: Thanks a lot for the notes. From what I've read, Mr. Lee worked pretty hard to improve their original efficiency. What was your impression of the midrange drivers? Do you recall whether they seemed seamlessly coherent with the lows and highs? What did you consider their main weakness--possible bass overload?

Best,
Bill

I have owned them for close to a year. Everyone is different, but I find them the perfect speaker for me. I had taken advantage of the trial periods for a few others- Reference3a Grand Veena, Zu Audio Definition Mk2, and a Tyler Acoustics model I don't recall. I say this to let you know I have tried others before settling in to these.

The Crescendos are a full 'meat on the bones' presentation, and they produce NO listening fatigue whatsoever. The midrange is pure and grain free, the highs sweet and not at all agressive. I hear no discontinuity between drivers, though I admit I listen more to the music than to the 'sound.' When I have audiophiles over, or want the last word in imaging and high end openness, the grilles need to come off, as the manual states. But the difference is not huge.
As far as positioning goes, they are not too finicky. Mine are in my living room, therefore I don't have them as far from the walls as might be acceptable by audiophile standards, but they still image and soundstage well.
I like to listen at the loud end of reality, 90-100db at times, and they play along nicely and just make you want to listen more.
If I had one nit to pick regarding them, I feel that the grille mounting scheme is not worthy of a $14,000
speaker.
FWIW, I use an LSA Signature amplifier, Bryston BCD-1 player, and VPI Classic as components.
I am by no means a reviewer, so I probably left some things out that are of interest. Feel free to ask any questions.
Jim

As I recall the imaging was excellent and the sound was not confined to the speaker cabinet.
The drawback for me was the physical size and the bass output for my room which is a bit of an odd shape, but only 14x15. If I had an appropriate size room, I would own a pair.

James_Edward and Rhljazz: Thanks a lot for the info. These speakers seem to offer a lot. I'm going to have to find a way to hear them!

Bill