ELAC and Alchemy

Last night had a chance to meet Andrew Jones and Peter Mednick, whose Alchemy electronics are now in-house with ELAC. They were featuring two systems in a home. (Herndon Audio in Albuquerque) They had an active 3-way bookshelf initially named the Argo but now the Navis following a copyright issue. They have a ton of features, including wireless capability if desired. Reports of an active full range floor stander have me panting.The front end was the Discovery server. The entire system was around $1500, including a lifetime Roon license. No matter what music was sent to those little beauties-lovely veneer-they sang. I thoroughly enjoyed music that I'm familiar with that I don't like and shook my head in disbelief over songs that I like. Palpable slam, engaging midrange, well articulated bass that didn't try to do things it can't; broad, deep soundstage with a generous listening sweet spot. For the price of an interconnect you can get music. Not sound, music. And then there was the big rig. Adante floor standers fed by Alchemy pre and monos-that can be switched to stereo with a front panel button. Discovery streamer and a couple other goodies for digital and an Alchemy phono amp for vinyl. Stunning, just stunning. This system can sing, cry, swing, rock and roll. Emotionally and physically moving. Deepest soundstage I've heard, realistic instrument separation, speakers disappeared, male and female voice captured with all their glorious resonance, massed choral and string pieces were lush, sweet and personal. They were provocative, sassy, soothing, startling and inviting. At one point, Peter asked the 20 or so people in the room, "Who likes opera?" Two hands. He played a tenor-soprano duet from some obscure work and repeated his question. 20 or so pairs of hands were raised. Less than 10 grand also including lifetime Roon. These two have defined value in audio for me. Both these set-ups were featured at RMAF and were apparently well received. I can hear why. Try to get a listen.