Care to offer comparisons? Wilson, YG, Magico, Stenheim, Rockport, Audio Note

@bobbydd Very, very helpful. Thanks!

@jeffseight 

I see a couple dogs on the list and some names missing.

I am only mentioning things in my area I might have access to, but what would you add to the list? Which are the "dogs" and why? Thank you.

@hilde45 audition some of these and let us know what you think as well. 

this is the closest I will ever come to these speakers: by reading that somebody I don't know had heard them :)

@audphile1

I can say that I have heard the Rockports powered by Boulder and the Stenheim’s powered by CH Precision ($58k integrated); I also heard two sets of Wilson speakers powered in one case by D’Agostino and in the other by Ayre.

In all cases, the speakers and equipment were like... a James Cameron movie. By that I mean they had tremendous dramatic punch and precision. Bass was punchy, tight, accurate, clean, and very definitely located. Mids and highs were detailed, right-sized, and cleanly arranged. Soundstage in all cases were wide enough, but no rooms which I heard these systems presented much depth -- or air.

That lack of depth, air, was missing for me. It is hard for me to relax with such speakers -- that’s why I probably went tot he James Cameron analogy. The sound systems were "riveting" the way a sci-fi movie is riveting. The way movie theater sound is riveting. But not like a lounge, a concert hall, a jazz club, a coffee house.

A lot of this likely has to do with the rooms I heard them in; all had a very great influence -- rooms always do -- so it’s hard to isolate from the total experience the speaker’s "innate" character. It’s possible (probable) these speakers could all sound much different. At the very least the systems involved were all very high quality solid state, so that helps. In some cases, more diffusion in the rooms would likely have changed something, but I'm pretty sure that the gear involved was to a certain extent, just doing the magic it does.

My tastes run pretty clearly to more efficient speakers and lower powered amps, especially tube amps, but I have yet to have a chance to hear very very good systems with that philosophy. I hope once Audio Note gear is a full part of one local shop's inventory I'll have a chance to hear that. Until then, I'm just trying to hear stuff that is ostensibly "top-notch" to at least establish some data-points about what that sound is like.

@hilde45 thanks for sharing your thoughts! Interesting observation.
It sounds like the systems you’ve auditioned were perhaps set up / geared more towards resolution and precision. I believe that can be changed by pairing these speakers with different amplification and or source, and even different cabling, to tune it more towards warmth and musicality. And to your point the room plays a huge role.
Many variables and most likely plenty of potential to change the sonic signature.