Opinions on the ; Rosso Fiorentino Sienna or Volterra II Speakers

Good evening mboldda  - thank you for your follow up as it is appreciated. Rosso Fiortentino's lack of dealers here in the US is a bit of a concern for me. "' Skip '' was a pleasure to speak with who is the national distributor with ; Audio Thesis as you know, did fantastic job going over the merits of both of these speakers. However, the Volterra's in my room may be too small and I still have questions with those speakers on how the bass would perform. The Siena's for $35,000 have a lot of competition in that price range from the likes of ; Wilson Benesch Act 1's, Franco Serblin Ktema , Wilson Audio, Magico, Vimberg and even Avalon. This point in time for me they seem to be really too much of a gamble......      

Personally, I feel that investing 10% into the price of a speaker to set up live demos is a good insurance policy to ensure you end up with a speaker you love for a long time. With a $35K budget, that easily justifies a couple flights to see what you connect with. Especially with the possibility of a dealer covering flight costs after purchase. 

On the other hand, some people enjoy regularly changing up gear, and I get that. If you know that you're the type to change every few years no matter what, I'd patiently shop used. But if you're looking for a longer term speaker, I think a flight or two for live demos is a good investment. Between LA and NYC you can usually find just about anything you want to demo with some phone calls and planning. DFW, Denver and Chicago seem to be other cities with good audio networks if you wanted more options. 

Thank you ; displayname as your response is appreciated. Just as a thought, if this line of speakers was more established here in the US I wouldn't have to fly all over the country just to hear them at a dealers store as I could otherwise just drive to hear them. Big difference..... 

That's totally valid. I'm not sure where you're located, which is a factor as well. Unfortunately, physical hifi shops just aren't as common these days. I'm in DFW so I do have the luxury of being able to find Rossos, and many other brands, within driving distance to audition in person. However, there are still several brands I would love to consider that would require a flight to audition. Fleetwood, Triangle, Tannoy and even several of the brands you mentioned: Wilson Benesch, Franco Serblin, Vimberg, and Avalon would all require an out of state trip to audition. 

This is true for most people in the US. If you want to audition high end speakers, you really only have a few options. 1) stick with options in driving distance 2) Travel to an audio show and hope the brands and models you want to hear are represented or 3) order blindly based only on reviews and hope for the best 4) take a dealer trip. 

That experience isn't exclusive to Rosso. It's the reality for the vast majority of the higher end hifi industry. Most places simply don't stock speakers that retail over $10K. And outside of a major cities, most places don't stock hifi gear at all. I know you said "fly all over the US" but that really isn't the case. If you plan a trip to the LA area accordingly, you can find most brands available in the US there. 

Also, if you were just talking about the Elbas, then the price of a trip probably isn't worth it. But if I was shopping in the $30K range - I think a trip to LA is pretty cheap insurance if you're not satisfied with the options available in your area. Not exclusive to any one brand. It's just probably the best place to hear the largest number of brands outside of a loud and crowded audio show. 

I've heard some very interesting posts and reviews and I believe a true dedicated Audiophile will take all necessary actions to build a system of their dreams. After all, we all love music and the Rosso brand will be one to elevate our listening experience. I own the beautiful blue leather pair of Elba 2 and out the box, I immediately realized that these speakers had the most incredible CrossOver that allows any selection of music to express an elegant Soundstage presence. Not to mention the classy design and color of choice to suit a man or woman's taste.
 As I am a deep listen of Jazz and other genre of great music, these speaker's reproduction of all instruments allows you to close your eyes and imagine the musicians presence in your space. That says a lot in comparison to many high-end speakers priced far beyond what you would pay for the Elba 2. This and the rest of the Rosso brand models I've heard (PIENZA, FIESOLE, SIENA) will likely take a huge leap over other higher priced speakers in the US (Wilson, Magico, Vandersteen, etc.) in the coming years and at it's current price point, musically the sweetest sounding speaker I've heard in some time. I will only upgrade until I get to the pinnacle of greatness with the Florentia. That's my dream for my truest musical experience. I hope everyone take the time to experience what I am in the DFW area.