3a l'integral nouveau Vs. Verity parisfal encore


Anyone heard both? How is there sound different/the same? Does the verity sound more like a wilson product than the nouveau? My memory of wilson was that it has, relatively speaking, a leaner type of presentation (kinda sorta like a merlin). But mostly I'm curious as to how the first two compare...
catsmeow
Good point.

Both the nouveau and the parsifal encore are obviously great speakers. I guess what i am trying to find out is whether or not the encore is, relatively speaking,...thin?
Here's how i define thin and this analogy just popped into my head. To me thin is when you get great soundstaging but no visceral impact or in othe words no "physicalness" which lends physical support to the details that your hearing. You hear the musical information in the soundstage, but you dont feel it on your body. What comes to mind are electrostats. My analogy is that of a comic strip. If you stand back the presentation of colors and structure are there, rich and dense but if you look closely enough you realize the picture is made up of a bunch of dots and the form and structure seems to be lost. Well, on a sliding scale with some speakers you gets more "dots" in the presentation than with others. With some speakers you cant see the "dots"(though theyre obviously there) and with some its more apparent than with others. "Dense" would be the opposite of "thin." So, with that definition, with the decapos i feel that, no, to a very high degree they are pleasingly dense, though at times, whether to my cabling, amplification or room or the speaker itself there is a small hint of "analytical" to them, but its to a acceptable degree in my estimation and they DO present the music with relatively good physical impact. In a degree that slightly betters the merlin tsm mm. In this way i felt the merlins were more like the wilson (musical info but not a high degree undergirding everything) and having never heard the encore's i'm wondering if the encore's are closer to the merlins in this respect than what the nouveau's would be? Anyone?
Cat,

If my previous communications didn't make it clear, in my experience the Verity is far, far "denser" than either the VSM or the deCapo - if I get your analogy. The physicality of music is more dramatic on the P/E. OTOH, individual instrumental lines "float in space" more eerily on the VSM, IMHO. The newer Merlins certainly are superior to previous versions in their ability to convey impact, but don't reach the level of the P/E. You may prefer the VSM or the Verity (a case could certainly be made for either), but by the narrow standard you've identified I can't imagine that the VSM (forget the decapo) could match the Verity.
I have had Verity Parsifal's for 5yrs, and I can't be happier with the sound, the quality of fit and finish (makore in my case), and ongoing customer support (ie advice on placement, tweaks, cables, amps etc.). I haven't heard the other speakers mentioned - other than the Merlins - too long ago, but certainly auditioned them.

I'm no audiophile really, but as I audition new gear for the system, I am never interested in getting a new set of speakers. These things hold their own to $30k speakers out there in my experience.

They are alive, rich and full, yet very detailed (not bright, though). Their detail lends them to application with neutral tube gear. I've never heard "thin" applied to Verity - and my experience is that they punch way above their weight class for presence and filling a room full of music.

If you go Parsifals - consider getting the new plinth b/n the bass and monitor from Verity, and send me a note re other tweaks I've found very helpful.

The other spaekers are great - I can't compare and contrast for you; but I can tell you I've never had a better ownership experience and these are speakers with a wide, gorgeous presence!
"thin" is not a word I would associate with my VA POs. Fully bodied is... As to the "visceral impact" you spoke of, before my current listening room, I was in a smaller one where the base cabinets were pointed forward and there was more attack. In my current room the overall sound benefited by having the base cabinets rear firing while I did loose some attack, the pros far out weighted the cons.

Keep in mind, that I have the Ovations which my present things differently than the Encores.

My Speaker History goes something like this: B&W DM3000 > B&W 805 Matrix > SF Concertos > SF Grand Pianos > SF Electa Amator II > (life changed big time) > 3A MM De Cappo i > Devore Gibbon Super 8 > Verity Audio Parsifal Ovations.

As you can see, my tastes started off very "detailed" and evolved to a real “musical” experience, driven by the adage “it is more important for me to hear “why” the performers are on stage, than it is to hear “where” they are on stage”….

Enjoy the journey!

BTW: The customer service of VA is top notch