Cornwall IV vs. Volti Rival, Razz; Razz v. 1, 2, 3 -- what changed?

@hilde45 

How efficient do you require for the power you're running?  I contacted Greg who confirmed I could run 2 watt flea amps on my Volti Rival 100dB.  The Cornwall IV is 102dB

Seems the OP is targeting ~94-95dB. 

My vote is for the Volti Razz or stretch to the Lucera.  

Other options:

Charney Companion Moderno/Excalibur 104dB 

Tekton ~98-100dB

Daedelus is popular with low powered amps, maybe used to meet budget

Zu Audio

I was targeting the Rivals IIRC at ~$10k, then was very disappointed that Volti, along with the rest of the industry, raised their prices. I complained to Greg even though I knew it wasn’t his fault - rising Covid/post Covid costs. He says to demo the RAZZ, which I did at 2 audio shows - they sounded fantastic, but I had already mentally invested in the idea of Rivals.

Luckily, there was a used mint pair of Rivals in my favorite wood veneer - birdseye maple so I purchased them. When the stars line up.... I was a bit surprised how much larger they are vs the RAZZ.

The new Lucera has larger drivers, seemingly the same as the Rivals.

After hearing the RAZZ, it’s hard to imagine @hilde45 wanting to upgrade as the sonics are terrific. However if @hilde45 has a bit of curiousity upgraditis as many of us do, then he should stretch for at least the Lucera.

If I had the large space and funds, I’d purchase the Volti Vittora which seems sonically superior to Klipsch offerings. As horn bass drivers can be huge, the size of the Vittora is my comfort limit.

@hilde45 wishing you the very best and hope you find your ideal sound

Maybe useful: My main system is Vimberg MinoD driven by Constellation electronics targeting neutral linear without giving up musicality. My Volti Rival at 100dB is used to explore tube magic starting with the 300b and flea watt amps. Greg confirmed that I can try 2watts amps which opens the door to try 2a3 and 45 SET amps.

Maybe not apples to apples, but when I discovered Volti offering Klipsch upgrades here, it seems Volti drivers are better than Klipsch. I get the feeling that Greg looked at Klipsch speakers as a reference then made better sonic products reflected in the many very positive reviews.

@silverfoxvtx1800

Most new audio components need a break-in period.

I also gave Greg a hard time when he raised his prices on the Rival which I was targeting even though I knew that Covid related supply problems caused increasing cost for many high-end audio manufacturers. Shortly after, I found and purchased a used mint Rival in my favorite wood veneer and I apologized to Greg.

Just purchased Memoirs Of A Geisha Original Soundtrack LP.  Big fan of John Williams, Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman (saw both live at the symphony).  @silverfoxvtx1800 -thanks.