Joseph Audio Pulsar?

I, too, heard the Pulsars at Axpona NYC and they were coupled with a Bel Canto front end (DAC and Power Supply) and Bel Canto monoblocks (I assume the top of the line reference ones but I am not certain). As someone else stated, they were running computer files to the DAC. I came away very impressed by the Pulsars. They are transparent, dynamic, have very extended high frequencies, and can really pull off the disappearing act. They set the speakers up at an odd angle in the room (not parallel with any wall) but this shows Bel Canto/Joseph Audio tried their best to optimize the sound for the lousy room they were in and this was the best solution. I will concede that they might not be every one's cup of tea. I can see some listeners thinking that they are hyperdetailed on top with too much treble energy and perhaps too forward in their presentation. In addition, we have to remind ourselves that these are pricey standmounters in some very competitive floorstander territory. Many of us are used to hearing/ auditioning good small standmounters in the $2K to $3K range and we might have a tendency to compare the Pulsars to those, but these Pulsars are more than double that.

Mp666, I believe the BelCantos monoblocks were the 500s. To be fair, the bass extension and weight from these likely far exceeds less expensive ones in 2-3k category. However, if you are marrying them to sub, that may offset the benefit of Pulsars low end ability (or maybe help them integrate better?) I'd like to hear the new B&W 805Diamonds to compare. That would be a good fight.

When I heard the Pulsar's with the BelCanto's at the Audio Show in Detroit, I was really disappointed.

Having heard the Pearl's, I assumed that it was the BelCanto's that were disappointing to me. I'd never heard them before and assumed that the Pulsar's carried the Pearl's sonic signature.

It looks like I might have been wrong in my assumptions.

Chuck

Jeff, they were the 500's.

Chuck,

The Pulsars and the pearls are so similar over the vast majority of the sonic range that I have to believe that something else was at play here.

By the way, and I admit that this is a real pet peeve...why do you insist on putting all those apostrophes in your writing (i.e. making it the possessive case when you actually want the plural form)? You used the damned things six times and got it correct twice ("the Pulsar's carried the Pearl's sonic signature"). I swear, the English language, or rather the use thereof, is going to hell.