I came close to buying the Tekton Moabs, but decided against it because the cost of sending them back if I didn’t like them was close to a grand. Also considered the Spatial Audio X3’s.
Had a chance to hear a pair of them and they did sound quite good.
So the Alec beats out the spatial x3’s?
I heard the Spatial X3s in a different room with different equipment than mine, so I’m hesitant to make any generalizations. That being said, I prefer the sound I’m getting in my system with the Alec.
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A follow up review by Stereophile reviewer Jim Austin to analyze the initial concerns.
Anyone try tube amps 45watts or less on the Alec?
I’ve only used my BHK 250. In the first video I posted above, Jay tried some tube amps with the Alec with great success. I’ve read some other reviews where the reviewer felt lower powdered tube amps didn’t cut it with the Alec, and advised using high-powered amps with lots of current.
I’d be curious as well if others have experimented with medium power tube amps driving the Alec.
At most of the audio shows Alta Audio uses Krell amps to drive the Alec. I would think a medium powered tube amp would be fine driving a 93 DB efficient speaker.
I have the Willsenton R8 tube amp, 45watt. It’s just shy of Alta recommended 50-150 power handling. I’ll see how it does when the speakers get here.
Will you be bi-wiring or using jumpers? I’m sure the jumpers that came with the speaker are decent, but I can’t believe the improvement when I swapped them out for my Synergistic Research jumpers. Maybe the stock jumpers would have improved with more break-in, but I’m not removing the SR jumpers, the improvement in sound quality is significant. No matter what speaker cables you’re using I would use that company’s jumpers as well. I believe using the jumpers from the same manufacturer as your speaker cables improves coherency. There’s only two drivers, so it makes sense to have both of them wired with the same cable.
These speakers continue to impress, and they are nowhere near broken-in. One thing I’ve learned, placement is of Paramount importance. Even as little as a 1/4" makes a huge difference, making them go from so so to extraordinary. I feel fortunate to have stumbled across these unique, beautiful, and sublimely musical transducers.
My Alta Alec’s are finally fully broken-in, and my previous speakers are sold and out of the listening room, which to my surprise made a significant improvement in SQ. I’ve heard that having other speakers in the same room as your system speakers can muck up the sound, but have never experienced it for myself until now. Once the previous speakers were removed from the room I had to reposition the Alec’s, which took the speakers to a whole other level.
These speakers do everything extraordinarily well and suspend my disbelief more convincingly than any other speaker I’ve owned, and most I’ve listened to over the years.
When properly set up and dialed in, they completely disappear, as do the boundaries of the room, leaving me completely absorbed and lost in the music. Tonal accuracy is so true and spot-on that I’m startled at times by the level of realism they produce. They also have the uncanny ability to reproduce the size and feel of the venue in which the music was recorded, capturing all the subtle cues of room boundaries and reverb, along with precise and well-defined placement of instruments and vocals within the soundstage.
When it comes to transparency, the Alec’s are very close to producing the same see-through quality as electrostatic speakers, accompanied by the punch and impact of dynamic bass drivers which blend seamlessly with the ribbon tweeters. Bass is tight, fast, and very well defined, with no overhang or bloat.
I couldn’t be happier with my system right now. The combination of PS Audio electronics with the Alta Alec’s is to die for.
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Former Alta Rhea owner here. Just wanted to chime in with feedback on my experience with the Rhea’s.
The Rhea’s do not measure flat for those of who you are looking for ruler flat response. They’re not even close to flat as they have an exaggerated low end compared to most speakers. However, they have been voiced to sound musical. In the studio, yes, I want flat response so I can determine if what has been recorded sounds as intended. However, when it comes to listening to music for pleasure, I want to ENJOY listening to music, and this is where Alta speakers excel.
With the Alec being front-ported they’re probably easier to place compared to the Rhea which are rear-ported. The Rhea are one of my favorite speakers that I have ever owned, and for most people you will not need a sub. I’d imagine this is also true of the Alec as it features an even larger mid-woofer than the Rhea.
The only reason I moved on was to try out Ascend Sierra Towers w/ RAAL ribbon tweeters. If I’m not mistaken, Alta uses a RAAL ribbon in their Celesta FRM-2M bookshelf speakers, though I have never had a chance to hear them. RAAL tweeters are simply on another level compared to the ribbon in the Alec/Rhea/Alyssa/Lelantos. However, the bass from the Sierra Towers is anemic compared to the full sound of the Rhea’s. I have to pair the Sierra Towers with a Rythmik sub for sufficient bass response. As a standalone without a sub, I wouldn’t even consider the Sierrra Towers. Alta in general have a vey full sound with a deep and powerful low end. Having previously owned numerous PMC models I am a fan of transmission line cabinets.
Mine were powered by a Job 225 amp. Preamp was an NAD M51 and source lossless audio from Node 2 and Windows laptop.
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Anyone here with Alta Audio speakers who lives in Southern California? I live in San Diego, looking to audition Alta Alecs or Alyssas to replace my Goldenear Triton Ones but the closest Alta dealer is in Tucson, AZ.
Take a look in the new Adam Speakers
https://audioxpress.com/news/alta-audio-debuts-adam-three-way-floorstanding-speaker
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And the new Hestia 2 and Adam at VPI House