Has anyone heared Piega C3 speakers?

I know this is an old thread, but I was just poking around looking for amp recommendations for Piegas and happened upon this and I almost spewed Dr. Pepper out my nose when I read this:

"B&W Matrix 803 series II speakers walked all over them"

I've owned C3 Limiteds longer than any other pair of speakers I have ever owned. The high frequencies and midrange is the most beautiful I have ever heard. The bass is superbly tight and musical and is nowhere near as bloated as B&W or most other speakers for that matter.

That said, these speakers are not "plug and play". They will require careful placement to sound their best and they will reflect ANY changes in the upstream. I have heard these with $24,000 amplifiers, and still have been unable to find the limits of what they will do when fed the right gear.

I can't recommend C3 Limiteds highly enough. Nothing for the money will touch them if you like a neutral speaker that is supremely revealing and shines a beautiful light on the highs and mids that's truly addictive.

I have a Piega C10 standards, and I agree with HANTRAX 100%.

My C10 replaced my B&W 802s. The 802s are very bright and the mids really shouts at you. The bass are not extended enough, and does not cohere with the mids very well.

As can be verified by other Piega owners, the high frequency midrange is the most beautiful I have heard. Bass is tight and adequate. It has the smoothest midrange I have heard.

I highly recommend Piegas, value for money, not many speakers can top them. There is no way B&W 802 or 803s can top Piegas....

Interesting. I listened to C3's at Audio Alternative and A-B'd them against a pair of Revels. Set them up side by side, driven by the same equipment. Now, I think the Revels had more play time on them, but the first thing I noticed was that the C3's seemed more defined on detail, but metallic sounding, and after 30 minutes my ears got fatigued, while the Revels were easy to listen to. I wound up getting North Creek Eskas, and they seem to sound somewhere in between, for about 1/3 the price. Of course, I didn't have them in the store, so it's not apples for apples. When I talked with George Short at North Creek, I mentioned that the Seas metal drivers seemed harsh. He said he has had a pair in his lab and for two years can't make them sound right. I know a lot of things enter the equation, and Piega certainly uses high quality compnents, but side by side I found them not to my liking. Several people wandering in and out of the store thought the same thing, particularly with male vocals on a Chad Mitchell Trio recording. Hearing John Denver from 1965 really helps with timbre. The good thing was the money I saved; I drooled over the cabinets and would have bought them in a minute if they had been a little more mellow.

I thought I was the only one who thought the Piega P10 drivers (separate midrange & tweeter ribbons) were much better than the newer Piega coaxial ribbons (that I heard on the C3), which did sound somewhat tizzy, where the P10's separate drivers had wonderful tonality: not laid back, not metallic, just smooth & realistic.

Seas metal drivers? Piega uses a Vifa driver manufactured to their specs. Also, the Limited series can be harsh before the long break-in is done. I would say that mine broke in only after 3-4 weeks of play 24 x 7.

They still can be harsh now if I throw in a piece of gear that's harsh. I have found that they respond to every single change upstream like no speaker I have heard.

Also these speakers are particularly sensitive to setup. If you don't have them in the right spot in your room, you'll get bass that is less than satisfactory. Using a RTA and finding the right spot, I have the best bass imaginable from two 7" drivers. Also it's very important with drivers this accurate to align them properly. Mine are within 1/16" of each other relative to the listener. If they are off by half an inch or more, it's very noticeable. It's important for all speakers to be aligned symmetrically, but I find that the Piegas respond so much more to these requirements.

So they require some care and feeding, but once they are in the right spot, and aligned properly, they are the most rewarding speaker I have ever owned with mids and highs like no other out there, and super tight, natural, non-bloated bass.

End of rant. . . ;-)