Well, since Adam (Banksfriend) bought the M60s from me, and Spencer pointed out that we did a pretty long audition with the Coincident Digital Master and Fried C/4 satellites, I figure I should also throw my two cents in.
First of all, Hyperion has proven very difficult to obtain speakers from, as Joe (Slipknot1) will attest to. While we started a lot of talk regarding them via our HE2004 audition, I now am removing my recommendation of the loudspeaker based on non sonic reasons. This may change in the future, or so I hope. I also believe being intimately familiar with the Atmas, the Hyperions are NOT at all a synergistic match. The sound would be too harsh, thin, and difficult to listen to.
The Merlins that Spencer owns and loves so much (which I also love) are a potentially EXCELLENT candidate. The Atmas are on the fast side, but can be lean sometimes. My newer amps seem to be A LOT more relaxed and liquid, I am not sure if it is the 12SX7 tubes, drastically increased power suppy, coupling caps, other parts or what. The liquidity and ease of the Merlins would be the perfect foil, I think. Also, when we listened to Mark Paul's system, the Merlins seemed to pair just a bit better with the Berning ZOTL, which sounds quite similar to the Atmas according to our good friend Swampwalker (though if I remember correctly, his preference was a bit towards the Atmas - a bit more easy to listen to), than my more tradition transformer coupled Granites. Apologies for the run - on sentence. Though, I did like the lushness of the Granites on some things - it was a hard call for me (Spencer felt otherwise, liking the Berning - the Doctor and Slipknot I think liked the Granites, though I could be wrong).
The Coincidents can be good with the Atmas in many areas, but the combination can also be a bit forward. I upgraded my speakers with the ScanSpeak Revelator, a Seas midwoofer rebuild, different wire, and cabinet damping/stuffing. This helped a good amount, but they still seem to be a much better match with the Granites.
The old Frieds I have are truly a special pair of speakers. They were Bud's himself for the past maybe 15 years. He has tweaked and tweaked them over the years, and they are a one of a kind item. They are truly a one of a kind speaker, but they are perhaps in the worst condition I have ever seen a pair of speakers in. The cabinets are dinged and chipped, the subs are not finished, the wiring is crap and is falling apart, the drivers are falling out of the cabinets, the electrolytic caps are old, the foam is rotting, etc. Incidentally, we didn't hear them with the Fried subs, we used the Coincident Troubass (10" woofers) modules. I don't know if it's the low Q paper drivers, the TL midrange loading, the series crossovers, or all of the above, but in several ways, these are the finest speakers I have ever heard.
Open, FAST, tremendously revealing, yet easy to listen to. The notes just come out of the speakers like real music. Paper, while sounding faster and more open than polymer drives, is also less rich tonally. Please REMEMBER that Bud is the man who brought Lowther, Quad, B&W, Dynaudio, NAD, etc., etc., etc. to the USA. He has heard EVERYTHING over the years. Every technology, every tweak, every driver, every alignment, everything. In addition, he has lived 84 years listening to live music. He didn't invent the TL, the Series Crossover, the low Q driver, the paper driver, but in comparison, they have all proven objectively and subjectively far superior to him - just ask him...
For whatever reason, the more I try the Atmas with Fried speakers, the more I am impressed with the marriage. Somehow, Bud's quest to produce a resistive, rather than a reactive, loudspeaker have found a soulmate in OTL amps (I love telling Bud this - he HATES tubes). Perhaps the impedance is to the Atmas liking more than most speakers. Ralph Karsten himself owned and loved Frieds for many years; he has told me several times.
I have to preface that I am a part owner of the resurrected Fried company - mostly as a reflection of my dedication and love for Bud. So, you can say I am a BS artist or what have you. But, I sincerely think the new Fried Studio VII speakers would be an intriguing enough match for the Atma Sphere M60 amps that I think they would merit an audition.
