2. speakers
  3. 1015648954

What can come after Apogee Divas?

I have just moved from Europe to the US and had to leave my Apogee Divas behind that gave me so much pleasure for years (with active cross-over, run with 2 Krell Stereo amplifiers). I always liked the huge sound stage and clarity of these electrostats. I listen mostly to classical 2-channel music, but run a 10-foot screen 5.1 movie system with these speakers as 'mains' as well. Where should I go from here? Dynaudio Evidence temptation? Quad ESL-63? Martin Logan Prodigy? Wilson Audio Watt/Puppy? Krell LAT-1? JMLab Utopia? What is likely to give a similar performance to Divas in a large media room?
rogerwalk
gregm
3,405 posts
 
Fact is, Detlof, I have *literally* taken the words out of your mouth (or posts, as it were)! Unlike you, I never managed to reproduce those high frequencies with my 63s --due to insufficient amplification, as you have noted elsewhere.
Rogerwalk: if you buy Quads you now know who the specialist is!
To put the "flat-speakers" case bluntly, there's no musical comparison between the two, IMHO and having lived with Apogees (internal c/over, however) & Quads very many years ago. This said, I humbly submit that Divas are beautiful all-rounders, indeed, great speakers and, as you intimate, difficult to match -- more so to surpass!
Cheers
jeffloistarca
1,004 posts
 
Why not scour the for sale ads on the 'net and buy another pair of Divas in the U.S.? They do come up for sale every now and then. Better yet, post a wanted ad and see if you get any response, generally wanted ads do work. You were happy with them in Europe, I'm sure you'll be happy with your next pair.
joeabrams
132 posts
 
As a former Diva owner, I've considered the "What's next" question for some time. If I were buying today and had the appropriate room, the only real (apples-to-apples) candidate would be the big Magnapan, the MG-20 or whatever the current iteration is. For someone used to the "huge ribbon" sound, NO electrostat will do the job, and no dynamic speaker is fast enough. Used Divas are an alternative, but then there's the question how to repair 'em.
Best of luck!
Joe
ljgj
955 posts
 
The VMPS RM 40's or the big Soundlabs.
rebank
3 posts
 
I would find another pair of Divas. Spares are not an issue!!!
See

http://www.apogeespeakers.totalserve.co.uk/

for info on spare parts. I run mine with their active crossover (DAX), with Rowland 7 and Goldmund 9 amps.
I also have another setup with Atma-Sphere MA2 OTLs on Sound Lab A1 (and, occasionally, Stax F81). All these systems sound differently, and I cannot give a nod to one or another. Quads or ML (had both, but not the Statements) are not in the same league. Stacked Quads - may be closer.

Since performance in a video system is of a concern, I would either buy another pair of Divas, or, if budget is not an issue, consider aforementioned MG-20, Utopia, Krells or Sound Lab (U1 or A1).
Please tell us some day what you have bought and how it worked out.
Edward
More to discover