Are you not entirely happy with Indras ? |
Hi elberoth2,
Now I have them at home, i can definitely confirm that I totally love them.
The stereophonic image is quite perfect : very large, deep, precise to the extreme and realistic.
The ceramics mediums and high are excactly what i love : fast detailed and natural sound.
And the invisibility of the indra's box is remarquable.
I really don't see any flaw for a speaker of this size.
It's quite an achievement.
The only thing that I miss is deep, deep bass for orchestral recording (it create an aven more larger soundstage and more body)
When I say bass it is really bass (not mid bass which are detailed and precise on the indra -contrary to wp8 for example).
It is impossible to achieve this kind of bass with speakers which are not VERY large, so it is not a flaw just a physical limitation.
I have tried subwoofers, it work in a way but not completely (nothing original ;)
I really love the avalon sound, i just can't think about anything else but with more bass.
So i have called my favourite dealer and i'm gonna try at home the Isis.
They are expensive, but for now I don't have heard anything that sound as an isis : tonal accuracy, SLAM (in a realistic way), and the very last bottom octave extension that I miss.
But for now i just try them, because the price is an important consideration for me.
The problem is that i know them well and I'm affraid that i will not want to let them go !
I know by an US dealer that Rockport is going to put a new speaker on the market (between the mira grand and the Altair) so maybe another path to follow.
But honnestly they have to bring something REALLY exceptionnal to compete with the Isis which is the best speakers that Avalon have ever made...and the best speaker that i have ever heard. |
I know what you mean. I have similar feelings about my Eidolons Visiion. |
yeah it is why i have opened this thread, maybe there is a manufacturer that have made "a sort of" more affordable Isis.
but i just discover the price of goldmund speakers : it is a joke !
So i guess i have to search elseswhere, goldmund is not fit for me.
Are you planning to buy an Isis ? |
|
To focus on the thread, i still want to know the quality of goldmund speakers. |
I auditioned them while ago....in an all golmund system. I found them accurate but cld not boogie and the tone was dry for my taste. |
I listened to both Goldmund's entry level speakers, the (mini)logos, and their top-of-the-line, the full epilogue. Goldmund products are extremely expensive and do not offer good value. The logos are fine as surround speakers in a home theater system, but in a two-channel system you need the matching subs, making the total cost very high and quite uncompetitive. As to the full epilogue, it costs around a quarter million dollars. Of course it was the finest speaker I ever heard, but that's what you'd expect. I also liked the way the logos/sub system sounded. I don't like to use the word "crisp" because it's so over-used by non-audiophiles, but in this case I think that adjective is appropriate. In fact, I like both kinds of sound, the detail of "crisp" and the richness of "lush." |
@Nyctc7 : you say "As to the full epilogue, it costs around a quarter million dollars. Of course it was the finest speaker I ever heard"
with which speakers have you compared them ? |
EPI 1 is an easy to drive amazingly natural and ACCURATE speaker. Very good base in a small room, really amazing, and light but good bass in a larger room. The best cabinet construct anywhere which means you hear the drivers. Look at the website. These are not "just home theatre "speakers.
All Goldmund stuff is $$$$$$, but, find it used and enjoy. |
@Nyctc7 : you say "As to the full epilogue, it costs around a quarter million dollars. Of course it was the finest speaker I ever heard"
with which speakers have you compared them ?
]REPLY
Well, let's say I drove a Rolls Royce and stated it was the finest car I ever drove. What does it matter what other cars I've driven? I'm not a professional reviewer.
I've listened to the top-of-the-line mbl and the top-of-the-line Wilson. And I liked both very much. What is the best? After a certain point, there is no single "best," becuase it comes down to a matter of taste. If I really had the $$ to decide between the top-of-the-line Goldmund, mbl, and Wilson, obviously I would spend a lot more time seriously auditioning them. |
Having owned several Avalon models, including the Eidolon Diamonds, and a complete Logos 1 and 11 system, you might find these comments useful. 1) The Goldmunds are high end 2 channel speakers without a doubt 2) The Goldmunds are more accurate and natural than the Avalons 3) The Avalons produce a deeper sound stage than the Goldmunds 4) The Goldmunds are especially well build. At first I thought the choice between the two was easy - it would have been Avalon, but now I would choose the Goldmunds because of their neutrality and naturalness - it is addictive
Amberandorange |
While it is difficult to justify Goldmund pricing, it is important to understand that these products are built for and marketed to people who don't need to concern themselves with the cost of things.
The above advice to buy them used is a useful suggestion.
Check out the Goldmund Dialogue speakers. They sold for $8000 per pair in 1987 and were years ahead of their time. While they are rare, you can find a pair today for under $2K if you are patient and you act quickly when you see them for sale. |
@Amberandorange : have you compared goldmund with the new model of avalon -Isis or at least indra ?
Because the new crossover is simply fantastic and improve the sound dramaticaly... |
I've heard the Goldmunds a few years back. The sound stage was too large for comfort. It was like a 12 foot saxaphone was right on my face. But in the same audition it put to dust a pair of Avant Grandes and Hyperions.
The speakers are made by the same people who make the Rolex watches. Similarly the electronics. These are way ahead of their time. They had a 32 channel decoder back then. What makes them unique is the "job circuit"
I came back and listened to my $800 Omegas, and they were not far behind except for the huge sound stage and the bass.
So I decided a swatch is just as good as the rolex for telling time and continued on. |
