Talon Khorus Speakers

Hi Plato! I also owned the Inner Sound Eros not long ago. I agree that they are a great speaker, and probably one of the best values in audio. I prefer the Talons, though. I don't like the "light" (you call it immediacy) that electrostats and ribbons portray. I also found the narrow listening window of the Eros difficult to live with. Your listening biases are very apparent, since all of your choices are those types of speakers. I drive my Talons with an Art Audio Jota, which seems to work really well. I tried a variety of amps with the Eros. The ones that worked really well were the Aronov 9100s and the ARC VT100 Mk2. The Spectron 1KW was okay, but too digital sounding. The Cary 805C (with the KR rectifier tube) was the worst combination with the Eros. Given your relationship with Stereotimes, you must have access to a good many amplifiers and equipment. Which amps have worked well with the Eros? Also, you always seem to respond to threads about the Khorus, but not much else. You have also responded in some cases very negatively. Is there something about Talon that bothers you? As far as the world's best speaker, is anybody really qualified to make that judgement? Comparing a $14,000 product to a $70,000 product is "a joke". The Talon Khorus, as with any speaker, is a going to appeal to some people and not to others. Some of the "rah rah" for certain types of equipment on this site sounds like high schoolers rooting for their home team, while throwing rocks and bottles at the opposition. Which brings up another point....it seems like nobody auditions much anymore. This used audio equipment market has generated a whole new customer base....those that buy products for thousands of dollars without ever hearing the equipment they are buying, and do so based on other people's opinions. What caused this to happen? The high price of audio equipment? The availability of exotic components via the internet? The limited number of dealers and market for this type of electronic gear? Given the subjectivity of people's opinions based on their own listening preferences, this seems like a risky way to invest in any particular component. Sounds like a topic for another thread.

Wow Glreno, You beat me to it. Very well said. Only the self promoting and the naive make gross statements of absolute value regarding most things in h-e audio. The speaker category in particular is so fraught with intangibles, from room configuration to listening preferences. I find it surprising, the number of people who make proclamations of good and bad based on hearing equipment or speakers outside their system, without stating it as such. I could wax poetic for hours about sound I'd heard elsewhere and what I thought about it... but, what value is that to a hobbyist trying to compile an audition list or asking after personal experience? I've heard fabulous sounding speakers in my home sound bloody awful at dealers or shows, haven't others? Based on the (in home) trials I've done with the Khorus and over a half dozen other speaker systems within the $10-$20,000 range, I believe the Talon line of speakers deserve exploration. They reproduce music in a way that to me, sounds more accurate, more coherent and more "in the room" than the many other speakers I've owned or auditioned. Should that make them all things to all... Are they "The Best"..of course not. However, anyone shopping at, or even well beyond the Khorus price point owes it to themselves to bring a pair home for trial. The personal experience gained through exploration teaches volumes about preferences and system interactions. It's what separates satisfied music and audio hobbyists from disgruntled, distrustful internet hobbyists. Grant

I have been asked what speakers made my top five list as I was exploring. 1- The Pipedreams. They gave me goose bumps with the presentation but they were too big for my room and had all sorts of problems with amplification due to the fact that the depth charger subs that come with them (4 in all) require separate amplification. Now the $75000 speakers need another $40K in quality amps. 2- Talon Audio Khorus. All my accolades have been said in the many threads on the subject but the bottom line is I own them. 3- Von Schweikert VR6's. These are the speakers that I replaced with the Talon's and it was a very tough choice. I was fortunate to be able to keep both for a long enough time to allow the Khorus' to fully break in. The Khorus' improved over the lengthy break in more than any other component I have EVER had in the last 25 years. 4- Montana KAS. These are darn good speakers but not better than the others listed and just seemed to me to want to over do the bass and the are BIG. You need a BIG room to tame that bass 5- Merlin VSM SE W/ BAM- I think Bobby builds the best monitor out there but he does not get the bass to integrate semlessly with that wonderful mids and highs. I use a pair of the TSM SE's in my office. The Talon's sound like there is only one driver it is absolutely seamless yet they also disappear completely. The one driver sound is coming from that point in the soundstage that it should. They have this huge centered focal point to the presentation that everything seems to radiate from. I am looking forward to th ROC. Enjoy the music

Re: Talon Khorus I just added the ROC sub to my Khoruses and it must be heard to be believed. The bass is not necesarily better (bass was as good as anything I have heard) But everything opened up and dynamics are astounding. I am using 120wpc OTL amps and there is a synergy I can't adequately describe. I agree w/ the need for extended breakin. Mine keep getting better too. By Celebrat on 12-19-00

Hi Guys. Enjoying your comments on the Talon Khorus. Of course you probably know where I stand on them, since I've corresponded/communicated with many of you. I'm continuously amazed at how good these things are. I guess I get a little jaded over time and forget the harmonic and soundstaging magic the Khoruses provide. I get a few new speakers into my listening room and instantly hear the difference --a difference I can barely tolerate. Make no mistake about it, once you get the Khorus broken in (an arduous task if there ever was one) and spend some time with them, there is a very high probability that you'll get hooked on them and most other speakers, while "nice" and "good" just won't cut it any more. Of course you guys that own them know what I'm talking about. Regards, Stuart