To the poster who liked the ML ReQuest. I had it in a second system and the Monolith IIIs in the main room 27 years ago. When my wife heard them 26 years ago, she HATED them. Bright, beamy, lacking in bass and warmth, limited dynamics-yuk. Replaced with 1990s versions of the Legacy Focus and Signature IIIs. They are old now and looking forward to VS or EA speakers mentioned above.
“House” Character of Popular $20-$30k Speakers
I’ll be upgrading my speakers in a bit (after I add a turntable to my system). I’ve always thought that people two often end up attempting to correct or compensate for a quality they don’t like in one of their system components. My thought is that speakers and amps shouldn’t try to “correct” each other, but rather, they should complement each other, while sharing many similar qualities in their sonic signatures.
With that in mind, I’d describe my Gryphon Diablo 300 with the internal DAC (fed by an InnuOS Zenith MK3 streamer) as being rich, lively, engaging, slightly warm but moderately detailed, with dramatic dynamic swings that can often simulate a live sound. Smooth but energetic and engaging at the same time. My speakers I’ll be upgrading from are B&W 803 D2’s. Big full and bold sound but with finesse and moderate quickness too.
What brand of speakers would be along the lines of the sound I describe above? I’d be hoping to follow this sonic signature in my next speaker purchase, but adding some small capabilities with transparency and detail, imaging, and low end presence.
The speaker brands I have in mind to look into are:
-Magico (would check out the A5’s. I hear the A5’s could be too analytical for some, but have an excellent and clean bass presence. Bust most rave about the A5)
-Sonus Faber (heard these are too relaxed for some?)
-Wilson Audio (if I can get over how they look)
-Monitor Audio
-Dynaudio: Maybe this brand could be a sweet spot?
-B&W: I’ve tested many and find them lacking in bass presence resulting in a mid forward style. That said the 802 D3’s I auditioned matched the sonic character of their upper ranges very well.
Would be interested in how others describe the house sounds if the brands above…
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@fleschlr--may I ask what preamplifiers and amplifiers you used with the MartinLogans? |
@jomonhifi , totally planning on lugging my Diablo with me! If you carried it on your own you are a stronger man than me. My wife will need to help me load it in my car, and the dealer will need to help me unload and reload it…. Will be a lot of work! But unfortunately absolutely necessary. I didn’t even really like my current speakers until I connected them to the Diablo, despite home demo-ing a number of other amps and separates, including McIntosh, etc. So glad I found the Diablo. Just hope I don’t drop it while lugging it to the shop!!! |
@hedwigstheme I started with an Audio Research SP14 and Classic 60 amp. Then went with a beefed up/modified Counterpoint NPS 400 amp. Then 125w tube monoblock voltage regulated custom made amps with a custom made preamp using six subminiature tubes (both amps and preamp have super capacitor ratings and large classic NOS transformers). Overkill on my Legacy speakers (now include a super beefed up and voltage regulated Dynaco 70/no longer ultralinear for the Signature IIIs). Tremendous bass control and superb dynamics. Hoping to purchase Von Schweikert VR9SE MkII in future or maybe Evolution Acoustics MM2 or MM3. |
@nyev my main issue with panels is that they ONLY sound good (and really good) in the sweet spot. Not at all what I've found. In fact, I find my Maggies, after detail to placement and set up, to image off axis better than any box speaker I've heard or owned. As I have them set up (four or more ft. from front wall and two or more ft. from side walls, with tweeter ribbons to the outside and very slight toe in) the image stays rock solid and focused - wether in or out of the sweet spot and wether sitting, standing or even laying on the floor. In fact, not having to sit (head in a vice) in one exact spot, to enjoy great imaging and a large well managed stage, is one of the things I like most about the Maggies.....Jim |
Stage Accompany Master M59’s for large rooms and you can get the speaker cabinets made out of BamBoo wood too.. Special Order They have more videos on You Tube on the M59's and M57's
They sell them in Canada at https://www.benabe.ca |
More on their Stage Accompany M59's https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/stage-accompany-m59.774/ |
I own a pair of Sonus Faber Amati Traditional and have auditioned Magico many times. To me, it is a question of do you want to reproduce music or a science experiment. If I was listening to details of crickets mating for my masters degree… I would pick Magico. If I had $400K of electronics and wanted to hear every last detail off of albums, I would pick Magico. If I wanted to listen to music and have an emotional connection… I want my Amati. I love my Amati… and they are beautiful as well.
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My local dealer has a pair of the Amati Traditions in the Red finish. They are beautiful, both in appearance and sound. Definitely the top of my want list for speakers in this price range. If I may ask, what are you using to drive them? So far I have heard them on McIntosh(C53/MC462 combo) and Burmester Integrated. IMO, they definitely sounded better on the Mac gear. Currently powering my Sonetto's with a Michi X5. |
@styleman I was lucky enough to get a pair of Focal Sopra No2's when they first came to the U.S. and they will probably be the last pair of speakers I purchase. I find they "work" with all sorts of musical styles, from soft acoustic to loud rock and roll. When I was auditioning them I did find they didn't "shine" being driven by some amplifiers, sometimes sounded "edgy", but being driven by smooth sounding electronics, they really sing! |
Thanks for all these other suggestions, but only the brands I mentioned are available near me. I was also thinking, my room may reduce my choices even further. Given my room configuration, even though the room is quite large, I can only have about 20-25 inches behind an average dimension speaker. I think this might rule out rear-vented models (SF Cremonese recommend twice this distance behind the speaker for example). The Magico A5’s again look promising in this regard as their manual suggests trying with 20” behind and adjusting a bit from there…. I think the Wilson’s might be out of the question because of this with their rear ports. Same with the SF Cremonese (but the Amati’s could work). Also, regarding the Magico’s being for listening to mating crickets for your thesis (lol), from what I’ve read the A5’s are more musical than typical Magico’s. One review I read suggested these are the first Magico’s that won’t be polarizing to people. And my Diablo should in theory add the the tone and liveliness with it’s slight coloration. It’s done that with other speakers including my current B&W’s.
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You Know, there's a plethora of very fine sounding, full range, floor standing speakers out there. It all depends on your own personal preference and how deep your pockets are. If you want a proven, true world class, true full range floor stander, that's very reasonably priced new, let along what they could be had for on the used market, save yourself some time and hassle and just go with a pair of Revel Salon 2 speakers. You will not be disappointed!!!! |
I'm driving Wilson Watt Puppy 8's with a Gryphon Diablo 300. Talk about synergy!!! Ever so slightly sweet, but extremely detailed and does space (depth, width, height) better than anything I've ever heard. The bass is super tight and impactful, but never overbearing (which is a problem I had with my Pass Labs in the past...).
You can't go wrong with Wilson and Gryphon. |