Get your gear right first then worry about the tweaks and cables not the other way around. In changing the G1 for a G2,2 are you changing a Aries for an Aries or an Altair for an Altair?
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An Altair G1 for an Altair G2.2
Thank you again. That’s a good tip about Speaker Heaven and closely I live in the Netherlands. In the end i returned the SR Pink and bought a Purple which suits my taste much better and brought everything together. I’m really happy now. But the fuse and my AQ Niagara 3000 powerconditioner showed me what I love about the sound and what I’m also aiming for. Placement and a more holographic soundstage.
The road of trail and error in DIY crossover replacement, isn’t what I want to travel. To much uncertainties. But I do believe it can do much. My A7 speakers already have Isoacoustic Gaia III feet.
Grtz
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Well then you will get the advantage of the better processing engine plus the far superior power supplies. In addition the 2.2 uses their new Fusion DAC technology as opposed to the ESS chipsets from earlier models. I have an Aries G1 with the Hoer-Wege power supply and an Aries G2.2 and the differences are easily noticeable with the new processor and Power supplies. The changes in the two units should make a difference in the presentation.
As to your speaker choices I’m not familiar with the Certaldo 2s but do own a pair of Voltera 2s so familiar with the Rosso “house sound.” I also own a pair of Verity Otello’s and find the Verity and Rosso voicing to be very similar with their warm expressive midrange. Whether or not that step will be a step up or just diffferent would require an in house comparison as your A7s have a good reputation.
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Can you describe the improvements as the same properties I’m looking for?
The importance of power supplies I know is a great deal which i experienced by adding Farad Super 3 LPS to my router and switch. It gave me more insight into the music.
Nice speakers you have there! Rosso’s craftsmanship is impeccable! I love the warm sound, which Spendor also is know for. The Certaldo is a 2,5 way design which I think should sound with more ease than my A7 2-way design. Also the total diameter of bass driver should provide more bass, I’m guessing. But if it’s more controlled…
Not with BACCH and ORC. I had a guy in my room and he said “There is no way your bass can sound so good in this odd room”. Now he owns a BACCH-SP adio too. It is a critical piece so many overlook. Feet are fun, but not like this.
None of you guys who don’t have it have any idea how POWERFUL the Dark Side of the BACCH is.
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If you live in the Netherlands you have many options. Lots of HiFi enthusiasts. And the option of excellent speakers. Speaker Heaven builds very good speakers with Accuton drivers at an unbeatable price. But Tony Gee in the Netherlands also builds some loudspeakers and knows almost all capacitors and their sound. The best way to have your speakers customized to your taste is with a custom crossover. And if Tony Gee does this or helps you, you can be sure that your speakers will end up sounding the way you like. Greetings, Andreas
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Interesting! I will look into that. Thx
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I do fear the Dark Side of BACCH. Trading in my tin foil hat for a menacing black one may be too much for me.
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Hi, thanks for the advise. I did contact him and looked at his website and reviews. No change of the sound character of the speakers just more realistic and fluid. In a later stage I’m going for this upgrade.
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I went the route and built my crossover with very high quality components. The coordination and the values of the components are the same as in the standard version. In terms of the sound result, it is a different speaker that plays far from the standard. Richness of timbre, details, dynamics and a soundstage that allows you to look deep into the recording. Since you live in the Netherlands, it is easy for you to talk to Tony Gee about your needs. He can upgrade your speakers according to your wishes. I don’t know anyone else who deals so well with the effects of components and their sonic effects. Greetings, Andreas
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I’ve got an Altair 1.1 and an Altair G2.2 and unless one has very revealing speakers I doubt most would think there’s $3,000 US difference. Not sure about the G1 as I’ve never heard it. There are discussions about this subject on Auralic’s user forum. FWIW, I’m using 2nd generation Tidal Piano Cera speakers, so they’re quite revealing.
As to the speakers, have you auditioned each of those? I’ve heard both the Borreson and several Rosso Fiorentino models and they sounded rather different in the respective things they do well. Both are excellent but different and I imagine the room they’re going to be used in would play a role in which one would sound best.
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Which speakers do you use? Did the crossover upgrade keep the sound signature of the original but just better in all aspects?
What scares me a little is that I do this upgrade and I receive a totally different speaker. I really don’t know what I can expect.
Grtz
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My system is pretty revealing. Until now I heard every little change or upgrade. My dealer is willing to lent me a Altair G2.2 to compare. I will receive it in a few days/weeks. We’ll see. If the G2.2 brings me a bit more realism, weight, soundstage, texture and bass control/layering (?), I will be happy.
I’ve heard the Rosso’s and Borresen and I agree, both totally different. The Rosso sounds warmer, more lushious and full bodied. The Borresen more transparent, airy and full of detail. But that was just at a dealer. Still hard to judge on totally different electronics, cables, distance and room. Didn’t bring them home yet for an audition to have a direct comparison.
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I built my speakers myself. The difference in the quality of the individual components and their sound signature is audible. There are also some speaker manufacturers that offer improved crossovers, B&W with its signature for example. Since you have Tony Gee in your country, I would take a trip and listen to his speakers. He knows almost every sound signature of a component. Nobody can tell you what sounds like better than Tony. Maybe you’ve already read his capacitor test. The way he describes the differences also corresponds to my experiences. I started with the best Mundorf parts for my speakers and then replaced some capacitors with Duelund. The differences in the components of a crossover are comparable to differences in components. The music remains the same as what you hear with it, just at a different quality level.
Steinheim offers a speaker with a better crossover. As I remember, the price difference is about €20,000. They are not the most expensive components used there. It’s similar at B&W. If it didn’t cause such a difference in sound, manufacturers wouldn’t be able to justify such a premium. So what does a higher-quality component do in the crossover? Simply put, it affects the sound less. Smoother, more dynamic, better timbres. The image improves and the speakers “disappear”. Details are displayed more clearly and the recording room can be heard more clearly. It’s a similar experience to using high-quality components or cables.
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Excellent, trying at home is the way to go if possible. I didn’t mean to imply the G2.2 doesn’t sound better than the others, it is just that “better” is a matter of system context. Another thing that came to mind was highlighted in a review I’d recently read where the reviewer said that every Borreson (and similar design) speaker he’d heard well set up needed to be closer to the sidewalls relative to other designs in order to sound best. Thinking back to the way the manufacturer always sets up the stand mount Borrresons at shows I’be been to, that seems to be Borreson’s thinking as well. Not sure what their dealers think though.
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Wow! What impressive speakers you have! Great that you took this DIY journey to get the sound you want. In this way you really get to know your speakers in every detail.
I’m really happy about the tonality of my system. If I just have some more refinement, flow and openness I will be really happy. I think this upgrade path will just do that.
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True. The Borresens should be in place in the furthest corners near the walls as I have seen on videos on shows. I’m hesitant about new speakers though, because if almost always comes with a downsize. Or I need to put extra money on cables and tweaks again, while I’m so close now to my “perfect” system.
I heard them twice now but they didn’t blow my socks of from the start. Even though it was on way more expensive electronics then what I have now. They have nice features which I like but arriving home I thought my system played more to my liking. So I guess…that’s not a good thing and i think I’m gone write them off.
I’m wondering what the G2.2 can bring.
Thanks, I’ve had the speakers for 10 years now. It’s hard to find something better without costing a fortune. My speakers cost me around €7,000 to €8,000 in materials, without the Auva 100 feet. While I’m tempted to build better ones, I’m held back by the sound, which I’m very happy with, and I’d probably spend €10,000 or more on the next ones. Comparable ready-made speakers cost many times more. I switched from the Cambridge Edge NQ to the Marantz Link 10n. The price of the Marantz is three times higher than the Cambridge preamp/streamer. Yes, there is an improvement or a slightly different sound signature. The Marantz is a little more balanced in the low frequency range. It combines resolution with a gentle, never annoying high frequency range. But they are not worlds. A fuse or other cable has a similar effect. I think that Tony will help you fulfill your desires. Greetings Andreas
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The benefit of DIY is you can built and voice the speakers to the sound you want. I tried many different crossover parts and believe me, it makes quite a difference to the sound. My favorites are Mundorf Siver Gold Oil Supreme caps because it has such a natural organic sound to it. Also Duelund resistors and V Caps has such an extraordinary transparent sound, and highs that extend forever compared with lesser caps and resisters. I use Cardas hook up wires to reduce the harshness and distortions regular hookup wires produces. When I was done, I couldn’t find any speakers out there under $20k that I felt sounds as good, and I only spend a few thousand dollars on everything. It was a fun project.
I was at the Magico factory and they also use exclusively Mundorf and Duelund parts in all their speakers.
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