First Impression: Vivid Audio B1 Speakers


I'll start by stating that these speakers only have about 50 hours on them, so they're not even close to being broken in but, wow, what a speaker.

If you want to detail and transparency these speaks have them in spades. Depth, soundstage... superb. Put on a good recording and you'll be bowled over.

Sure, the low-end doesn't plunge the depths put they have GREAT bass punch. They definitely like some power but my Cary 211AEs work well.

You'll hear everything with these speakers so good front-end gear is a must.

Speaker placement is a bit tricky and I still don't feel I"m there yet but experimentation is part of the fun.

I'll post more in the coming weeks.
marty97x
What's your room like, and where are the B1s placed?
I have a pair arriving soon...
My room... I have bay windows at the rear, left and right windows on angles. The right wall has built-in shelves. LPs fill up most of the space. The left wall, no shelves. 9' ceiling, 16' L x 12' W... BUT behind my sofa (listening position) I have another open 14'x12' room, so I don't get reflections from the source. Have a large area rug on the floor. It's a fairly dead room.

The speakers are about 1.5' from the back wall. Each about 1.5' from side walls... although because of the shelves on the right side, the "cove" makes it about 2.5'.

I've spent about 10 hours or more finding the right position and still not there. I have a weird room. But definitely try toeing them in more than you might normally. That I have found to be a constant for the best imaging.

At times, I've probably got them 90% "there" and when it's right (or close to it it) it's crazy good. Then I screw it up by trying another position.

Lastly, they require a 4 Ohm load, so hopefully your amp has that output option. They need power... I'm cranking up the volume knob on my pre another 20% than I needed to on my Focal speakers.

Please post your thoughts when you get them.
Cool. There's an app "AudioTools" that has a real-time frequency analyzer that may help you fine tune your positioning. $20 to download, and will work with the mic of your iPhone or iPad.

Dealer says 200hr to break in... How'd yours sound outa the box?
Sounded excellent out of the box but keeps getting better. My dealer told me 500 break-in time.
Vivid is one of the few speakers I would consider now...congratulations! What color did you get? I've noticed they used bi-wiring that can get tricky, did you experience that? And more importantly, how low do they really get? Do you have any electronica or other bass endowed music to put them to test?

Thank you