Speaker(s) of the house

[Lex]

Let's look at, talk about, evaluate high end speakers...

Aerial 20Ts



Joseph Audio Pearl


Sonus faber Cremona

Sonus faber Gaurneri Homage


I won't even menion the 20K plus Amati Homage. 8O

Wilson Watt Puppy System 7


Ok, you can add others, open discussion, whatever floats your boat.

Lex




Cable Guy DVD Collection

[sfdoddsy]

OK, I'll play

I heard these a few years ago, but never thought I'd be able to afford them. The Audio Artistry Beethoven Elite. Four way dipoles, active crossover. $38,000 and Stereophile Speaker of the Year (woo hoo!).






Steve's DIY Dipoles

[Lex]

Steve don't play fair! Just for the price of a BMW, that's all, lol. They are nice, but way out of my price range, lol.

Lex




Cable Guy DVD Collection

[Digital Bob]

Ok Lex, trying to step out of the shadows a bit more here. Now lay off! hehe
************************************************** ***

I tend to favor loudspeakers that have very smooth and natural off-axis response. In days gone by this property of loudspeakers was often overlooked. And even today I feel many designers tend to think of this charactersistic as somehow "secondary" in the design. And truth be told, if you treat the room to minimize the off-axis interactions, then it much less of an issue. But then again you are cheating yourself out of some spaciousness and "air".

Which is why I favor things like the Sonus, Revel, Energy, Mirage and others that consider off-axis response as key to realistic sound. It might be worth noting that some very smart folks agree with me (ok, I agree with them LOL h: ). At least two gentlemen came by this belief very scientifically; Floyd Toole and Ian Paisely. Floyd headed up the acoustics wing of the NRC. For those that don't know, the NRC is sort of like NASA for Canada but instead of space research, they confine themselves to earthly pursuits. They hosted the single most comprehensive listening test in history and Floyd headed that up for the NRC. Ian Paisely was part of the manufacturers that participated in that same testing and he was elected by his peers to lead the Athena Project, the manufacturers part of the process. His reknown skill as an acoustic researcher made him a natural for the job. In any event, several years (8? IIRC) and several hundred designs later, the two most influential men in the testing came away with remarkable similar conclusions. Even though they came from different sides in the process. Both of them came away understanding that it is the oft overlooked off-axis response that separates the great speakers from the good, assuming everything else is roughly the same. In fact, it is this belief that led Ian to design the speaker (The M1) that scored higher in this, the world's most comprehenisve listening test, than any other speaker design tested at any price. Interesting.

And now the flip side... A cosmetic dentist, frustrated musician and musical instrument builder in Italy decided to start a loudspeaker company. He had money, passion, a very keen mind, and great ears. But he was no university trained acoustic researcher. He was simply a man with a mission to create beautiful music for the world. He did his own version of "research" that involved many years of listening and tinkering until he came to many of the same conclusions that these two reknowned audio academics did. And he built his speakers according to what he learned and what he believed.

Dr Toole left the NRC and was primarily responsible for the design of the Revel Loudspeakers. Ian Paisely is VP of Engineering for API which makes Mirage and Energy. And Franco Serblin started Sonus Faber.

Which would I choose if money were no object? That's like asking me if I think Ty Cobb or Babe Ruth was the better player. But since money is always a factor, I will tell you that the scale and effeciency with which API operates now-a-days has made the Mirage (and Energy) line a VERY attractive choice. Are they sexy and have they been hand-rubbed by virgins in the black forest? nope. But if you just give them an honest listen, I think you might fall in love to.

Have fun,

dB

[David Meek]

Hi Bob. Edited your post by adding the [ /img ] block to your sig, but the image isn't showing up.




David - HTGuide flunky
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[Digital Bob]

Thanks, it was an attempt to link the Mirage OM pics for all of us. Guess I am ashamed to admit I don't know how to insert pics here in this forum. hehe ops:




dB

[David Meek]

Bob, check your e-mail.

[Lex]

Wow Bob, up to 35 posts now. We may have to add another server to handle the load. :LOL:

Nice post, btw.

I have a little pair of Mirage, that are pretty nice speakers. M5SI I think.

Lex




Cable Guy DVD Collection

[Rock Dog]

Of course I wish I had the money for some of these things. But more than that, I'd just like to see, feel, touch and HEAR some of these products. There are some incredible designs and ideas out there. One of my recent favorites.

Calix-Signature Phoenix Grand


Many of you must have heard some of these "horn" designs along the way (or even own something.) Why a horn? There must be something to it, given the fact that many of the horn designs I've seen are at the very high-end of the market.




-Thomas-

The easiest way to find something lost around the house, is to buy a replacement.

Hey You! Make sure you stop by the HTguide Off-Topic section. It's FUN!!!

[Rock Dog]

I've been a big KEF fan for over a decade, although they fell behind for a while there. I have gotten a chance to hear these (although not as much time as I'd like) and thought they were stunning. The new reference line is fantastic IMHO. And as far as recent designs. I think that these, in maple, is one of the sweetest/sexiest designs going.

Here's the 201s, 205, and the 204c (center) respectively.
Sorry about the pic size, but you gotta see 'em clearly









-Thomas-

The easiest way to find something lost around the house, is to buy a replacement.

Hey You! Make sure you stop by the HTguide Off-Topic section. It's FUN!!!

[Lex]

Interesting, B & W style tweeters, nice cabinets, a little "Revelish" in a way with the stands.

How much on the R E F E R E N C E speakers?

Lex




Cable Guy DVD Collection

[David Meek]

That is one WIDE center channel speaker. No 27" TV's allowed.




David - HTGuide flunky
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[LarryB]

Rock Dog:

Have you heard the Calix-Signature Phoenix Grand, or are you just atracted ot its looks? The reason I ask is that I have heard it at two different shows and both times, I was under-whelmed.

Larry

[LarryB]

Here are 4 of my favorite speakers (in no particular order):





Lumen White Whiteflames




Kharma Ceramique Reference Monitor 3.2






Avalon Eidolon





Talon Khorus X MK II

[Rock Dog]

Rock Dog:

Have you heard the Calix-Signature Phoenix Grand, or are you just atracted ot its looks? The reason I ask is that I have heard it at two different shows and both times, I was under-whelmed.

Larry

No Larry, that's what I was saying. I have not heard anything with a horn (except early Klipsch models) and wondered what the hubbub was about. There seem to be a number of horn designs in the upper eschelon. I do like the look of the Calix, it's one of the cooler looking designs I've seen (as far as the far out stuff goes) I would like to hear them, but a lot of these things just can't be found to audition, unless, like you said, you catch them at a show.

I'll take your word for being underwhelmed. It's been my limited experience that very few "cool" speakers perform as one would hope.




-Thomas-

The easiest way to find something lost around the house, is to buy a replacement.

Hey You! Make sure you stop by the HTguide Off-Topic section. It's FUN!!!

[Rock Dog]

Interesting, B & W style tweeters, nice cabinets, a little "Revelish" in a way with the stands.

How much on the R E F E R E N C E speakers?

Lex

There seem to be a number of OEMs going with the B&W style tweeter array. The 201s list for $3,495 and can be had for $2,795.

The 205s list for $8,000.00 can be had for $6,448.00.

And that monster center channel is about $2,900. Don't have an exact price on that thing. Just going by a quoe I saw somewhere.

Not sure how much these Dipole Surrounds are. But they have got to be in the $2k range as well.

Again, IMHO. THey are gorgeuos. I have not heard these, but if they sound anyhting like the 201s and 205s. Da-yum.






-Thomas-

The easiest way to find something lost around the house, is to buy a replacement.

Hey You! Make sure you stop by the HTguide Off-Topic section. It's FUN!!!

[KS]

I haven't heard most of the speakers discussed but I did have an opportunity to spend a little time with the Aerial 20ts. One of my dealers took me to the home a client. While looking at some cabinetry issues home theater and music came up. When I told the home owner I had a Aerial set up he smiled and took me in "his room". Aerial 20ts in Cherry with Theta monoblock amplifiers. I almost told him not to turn the system on as I really didn't want to love it, but he did and I do. The Aerial sound that I enjoy was present but different, it really was a great experience. I don't see myself as qualified to give a detailed (soundstage, air, etc.) review but I was very impressed. I really like my system of Aerial LR5s but it took all of two minutes to realize I had entered the next level. I kept trying to be analytical but the music just took me, it was simply perfect, I'm not sure what else to say. If you get a chance to hear them do yourself a favor and give them a listen.

Ken

[Lex]

Hey Ken, good to see you here. Let's get that post count up, time for you not to be a new member anymore. I'll bet those 20Ts sure will sing.

How about these? 375 pound monitors. 8O

Sonus faber Extrema. Out of production speaker from 90's.






Cable Guy DVD Collection

[David Meek]

Wow! You just can't beat mass, can you? 8)




David - HTGuide flunky
Our "Theater"
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[KS]

Hi Lex,
It's good to be back. If you remember, a few months ago I posted I was having problems accessing this site. Shortly after that I couldn't get on at all. I tried to send you an email at the CAT site but I guess it didn't go. Anyway a couple of weeks ago my hard drive died and I had to rebuild the computer. Everything is up and running again and now I can get to my new favorite forum.

Those SFs are HUGE! I've never seen them before.

I never post unless I think I have a very legitimate question or know something that I think might be helpful. Since I'm by no means an audio expert that leads to fewer posts. I will however be a pest from time to time and I do check in daily.

When I purchased my Aerial LR5s I felt guilty for spending that much on speakers. The 20ts were close your eyes and float away good, but 20k is a boat load of money.

Ken

[Lex]

Ken, sorry to hear of your computer problems. I've had some of my own, trust me. 2 hard drives in a week. Fortunately, I have enough computers that I've got to have a LOT of failure before I am out. If they all went, well, I was not intended to be on the net at that time, lol.

Anyway, good to see you back Ken.

Yeah. those 20Ts are pretty incredible. I always liked the 10Ts myself. A real shame they phased those out. Yeah, for what they cost, you could have a pretty nice boat, lol.

Yeah, the Extrema are the extreme of their time. For sure. Reportedly, only 1000 pairs ever made.

Lex




Cable Guy DVD Collection

[mazuly]

My favorite:


B&W Nautilus

I had a chance to listen to them with some Krell Gear and they were incredible. A little out of my price range though

My second favorite is this:


B&W 802

I may be able to get these some day

Maziar