Acquired taste. At Axpona, one of the very biggest outfits that sells very expensive tube amps makes a statement each year by using the current “most annoying” loudspeakers to demonstrate “our amplifiers can make even this trash sound good”. In 2024 they used that model as the bad speakers. Nothing drives me out of the room faster than that brand and Focal. I was more than amused that I had zero problems enjoying those. Could be the amps, could be good speakers. Someone said berillium tweeters require certain amplification. Hmmmm.
People are attracted to different aspects of the overall sound. My definition of good sound is mine alone. But yours is so very different. Curious…
My impression of them from everything I have read plus from people I know on another forum where the dealer/owner of the forum pushes them is that they require big current amplifiers and are sterile sounding. Many of the owners if they don’t like that sound use warmer amplifiers to counter that. Magico and Diablo 333 might make them more palatable. I’ve never had the desire to drive hundreds of miles to hear them. But for what it’s worth it is the Absolute Sound loudspeaker of the year.
Oh I know. And I know I am being petty when I write what I write. I have a damaged sense of humor. There was a time when I could have bought either brand. It is always interesting when you hear something in person that makes you want to flee. At Axpona @paul172 and I walked into a few rooms and immediately looked each other and said “run away!”. And we did. Shows are fun.
In the last three weeks I have heard 6 different systems, 4 in homes. Each one made me fearful of going home and listening to mine. All four are excellent systems that I would swap mine for. Three are just absolutely outstanding, and one is indescribable. So much better than anything else. What is winning in my world are my speakers, and Dipoles. CLX and Alsyvox Raffaello speakers which are ribbons. Speedy film, when driven with great amplifiers, they just disappear.
There is something about bowling pin ice cream cones that shouts my name:
S3 2023 or S5 2024? I have the S3 in a small room and I love them. I want the S5 but I think they would be too big, I will probably still give it a shot. I used to have the Audio research 160m mk1 but recently moved to the new Boulder 1151 monos, wow what a difference.
My Magico experience’s at Axpona. M9 most recently on a $2 million dollar system sounded as it should at least up to a 900k system. Lol
The S3? In the giant tube amp room I can’t remember the brand, lots of tubes tho. A gent pulled out his vinyl copy of Bruce Springsteen Live at Hammersmith Odeon and it was the best I’ve heard Springsteen’s voice singing Thunder Road. Magico speakers.
I just got an email saying my SRA Takshaka bi-wired speaker cable was made. The pair was ordered one month ago, and it still needs to go to a five-day curing process. Hopefully, I will get it by next week.
Currently I am using two pairs of Fidelium SCs. Although these are great cables, they are sounding a bit on the warmer side (with great details still). I expect Takshaka SC will sound more to my liking. In that case I am done pursuing SCs.
After Gryphon D333 showed up, suddenly my system sounded simply PERFECT! I lost a lot of desire on upgrading on $10000+ cables. I only have Muon Pro system upgrade in my mind simply because NA is doing an upgrade, and I know how valuable it will be. So, why not?
I really really really hope I will not post many upgrades, reviews, and other blah blah from now on.
I said to myself “don’t do it”. I told myself to not put tubes back into the system, that with my new found clarity that I’ve never had before there would be no reason to put any tubes back in the system. I didn’t listen to myself and put the tube amp in with the solid state source and preamp plus REL sub connected from the amp and no Infinity control box.
Patricia Barber, Sevdaliza, Miles Davis and Ben Webster sounded extra good with the clean solid state front end feeding the sweet EL34 tubes from the tube amp. One extra benefit with this “tweak” is that it cost me $0 (cost me only my sanity).
