Coincident Total Eclipses or Inner Sound Eros Mark

I am an innersound eros MK1 owner who is going to upgrade to the Mk3 panels and amp. I have also heard the totem line. I love the eros and think they are a great speaker, albeight within the limitations of the narrow sweet spot discussed above. Plus the customer service from Roger Sanders at innersound is outstanding! I have also hear the totems and while many audiophiles like the totems, I found them to be a bit on the shrill side for my taste - (yes I was driving them with solid state equipment but it was good solid state equipment (levinson). If you can swing it, I would recommend the eros. And if you are worried about your amp driving the panels well enough, try it out. Innersound offers a 30 day home trial at no risk to you. If you have a good retailer, bring the amp to the store and demo it with the eros right at the retailer. I cannot comment on the coincident speakers. As always though, its your ears that matter.

Another less expensive speaker I have considered is the Totem Forest. Have you guys heard these? I know that they are a smaller speaker. Do they have a full sound? How is the bass? How do they compare to the Coincident Victorys? Do youlike them better or not as much?
Thanks again,
Edward

I had the Victorys too, Brulee. I tried everything to get the threadbare midrange corrected, and used amp after amp. They were just irritating to listen to. I finally got music out of them using a 12 watt Audion, which was a great match, but didn't solve the lack of bass the speakers have. The Victorys were definitely voiced using a lush SET type amp.

I haven't heard the Victory, but I am an Eros MKII owner and for the price, I would think they would be tough to beat.

I would have to agree with Plato above, in that you need to be careful with the amp selection for panels. You can't just push watts at them, as their impedence swings are wide, and they present a difficult capacitive load. I'm using an Aragon 4004 MKII and it works fine for me. However, I am using the Innersound ESL Crossover amp and find its performance excellent.

As an InnerSound owner, I agree with the previous comments so far. That said, I don't know that your Quicksilver 80-watters will get the most out of the ESL panels. It's not that they won't have enough power -- it's more like they'll roll the highs slightly by driving the difficult capacitive load that the Eros imposes. Powerful hybrid amps, with a tube input stage and MOSFET outputs seem to work best with the Eros. Another way to go is to use a high quality tube preamp into a stable, high-powered solid-state amp.

Your Quicksilvers will play the Eros alright, but I doubt that the results will be optimal... I used a Music Reference RM 9 Signature version for a while and it sounded good, but not great. The other types of amps I mentioned drove it better. Curiously, the Clayton Audio 70-watt monos (high-current solid state) did not match well with the Eros, although they did sound fine with my previous Paradigm Studio 100s. Also, I prefer my Monarchy Audio SE 160 monos (hybrids) to InnerSounds own ESL amp (driving the Eros), which is now sounding quite nice on my Maggies. On the Eros, the ESL amp is very clear and detailed, but the Monarchys provide a warmer balance (more upper bass/lower midrange) and detailed, yet softer, highs. Plus, if you use a fine hybrid amp with the Eros you won't need to use a tube preamp.

My point is that the Eros can be amp-picky and if you drive them with an amp that is not quite up to the task you will get the wrong impression because they will not be at their best.

I agree with Glreno on the Totals and the Inner Sound. I owned a pair of the Victory speakers. It is not in the same league as the TE or the Inner Sound. This is just my opinion, you may love the Victory. I couldn't wait to get rid of them.

The Inner Sound is more transparent and detailed, but has a very small listening window. I owned the Mk 1s and you could change the tonal balance while listening just by leaning to the side or turning your head. If you listen with others, forget it. I also owned the Totals. They like some volume to get the most out of them, and need a bigger room. They have a wide and deep soundstage, and you can stand up, sit down, move around, and they still sound good. I would take the Inner Sound for the overall sound quality, if their limitations don't bother you

Hi Edward,

I haven't heard the Eros Mk III, but the Mk I was awesome sound for the dollar, very, very clear and transparent. Don't know the Eclipse. Make sure you have enough voltage swing in your amp to drive the ESL.

David