Cost no Object but Small Room

I remember seeing some of Alon Wolf's designs sold on here several years ago. I wondered who he was, and now he has the hottest speaker on the market...funny how things turn out.

Hey guys, these speakers are getting very expensive very quickly? What about looking into some older approaches to spakers such as the Stonehenge series from Iconic Speakers? I was thinking of trying to hear a pair of these:

http://www.iconicspkrs.com/stonehenge.html

What are your thoughts? Once again, small room tube amps?

Good point, tubes or solid state would be a personal preference.

I was told (but I cannot confirm) that you couldn't do better with a large coax driver in a large box for a small room. I have personally never heard such a speaker, but I was curious if anyone in this thread could contribute to this idea of the Iconic Stonehenge Model V.

I have not heard the speaker, but am considering a trip to the factory to audition.

I too am in the same boat. But it is very difficult to replace the Living Voice speakers I currently own. I can say good things about the OBX2 however. They are very nice.

I have them setup in a 12' x 12' listening area in a room that is 12' x 24' and they sound great. My setup has them wider than expected considering how close I sit.

Trade-offs, that's what speakers are all about right?

Here is how I would describe the pros and cons of the OBX:

* Dynamic range is very good. These speakers have bite if called upon.

* Refined sound from top to bottom in terms of frequency spread - smooth sounding w/o any horrible gaps or bumps.

* Fast and well controlled. The mid bass, I've had others over to hear them and some very respected ears have commented on how much mid bass texture is revealed. But keep in mind, this is a bass reflex ported box, I'm sure you will get a cleaner low end with a sealed box. But the low end is always problematic.

* Good detail across the frequency spread with the exception in the mids, I suspect the cross over from the 2 mid bass drivers to the tweeter. You really have to listen to pick up on this, it is not obvious.

The OBX is a very well balanced speaker from what I've heard. You always want more after time, but when I go to listen to other speakers, I seem to come back satisfied with what I have. But I have to disclose that I am budget minded and I try to look at value. So my comments may not apply to this thread.

You are on the cutting edge of this hobby by looking at your system. I look forward to reading about your journey with your next speakers! Please keep us informed as to the direction you go.

Henry,

I had a chance to listen to the Magico Mini and the V3 today in completely different systems. The Mini is a tremendous speaker, you definitely have the power, and should go hear these asap. :) Very nice 2 way indeed. The V3 will give you lower response, but it's a step down in refinement.

How goes the search?

Hearing them makes me want to look at a solid state amp now...:) But, alas, my room is only so big, I cannot have a 'collection' of audio gear laying around as I have no intention of letting my Lamms go anytime soon.

best,
James

The V3 was setup to a pure Zanden system, the 90 watt monoblock push-pull 845 amps, the preamp, and the transport/dac signature combo. I did not check the wires, but I did notice the Nordost speaker wire. They were in a large room about 8 feet up from the back wall. I do not know the room measurements.

Detail was there, bass was there, but I was not able to critically listen because I did not have my own CDs. I was just getting a casual sense for them. But I heard all I needed, they didn't do much for me.

I was disappointed in the Zanden monoblocks. But then again, different system completely and setup in the dealer may have been less than optimal.

I went into a much smaller room (about half the size of the last) where the Minis were playing, driven by Burmester gear with a Metronome CD player. I think the amp was about 280 watts per channel.

Now I can see why these speakers are getting attention, tremendous detail, and coherency that is in a whole other league from the V3.

The Burmester gear I've heard before, good, but not my cup of tea. I would love to hear the Mini on a high power tube amp of some kind. They do require lots of power from what Mr. Wolf replied to me, when I asked about my ML2s. He said they would be fine with the V3, not the Mini.

Henry, that's interesting you heard them with ARC gear. Do you remember the configuration of the system? Was it all ARC?

I was curious about the CJ line as well, they make high powered monoblocks recently reviewed in HiFi+.
I wonder what a pair of the 270 watt monoblocks would be like? I wonder how much heat those amps put out?

As for the Metronome cdp, I don't recall the exact model number, I just went to the website to check to see if I would recognize it, but wow, Metronome has expanded quite a bit since I last saw them. It was a larger 1 chassis unit I think...on the Signature line. But yes, it did not draw attention to itself at all which is complementary to itself in that system. Very resolute and coherent, and at the same time musical.

I prefer tubes however, so the over all sound was a bit thin for my taste, which is purely personal.

Henry, what were your thought listening to the ARC gear vs the Dart?

Jim:
I remember starting out down the path of a serious CD player, Metronome was always at the top of my short list, but at the time, no one in my area even heard of it.

I have to remained focused here, speakers in small rooms is what I'm really curious about.

Although, I'm sure I'll have to go back to hear the Kallista rig some time...:)

Henry:
Have you thought about making or having a speaker built for you upon specifications?

I'm toying around with an idea of having a Jensen Onken cabinet built, where I could try several 15 to 16" coaxials a try. A vintage approach you might call it.