Janszen za2.1 vs nola metro grand ref series2

2out2sea, I've owned the zA2.1 for more than a year now without a moments regret. And I fully agree with your impressions of David. I believe his is both knowledgable and totally honest. He has been wonderful to work with both before and after my purchase.

Rather than summarize my impressions of the speakers I'll offer this link to my written review - http://db.audioasylum.com/mhtml/m.html?forum=speakers&n=329558&highlight=m3+lover+Janszen+m3+lover&r=&search_url=%2Fcgi%2Fsearch.mpl%3Fforum%3DALL%26searchtext%3DFried

Also, look for the comments by jsm71 on Planar Asylum. We both had overpowered SS amps to begin with (which did sound very good) but then changed to lower powered tube amps which upped the listening pleasure.

So yes, take the home trial. And follow David's instructions on placement. They do not need to be placed well out in the room like other planar speakers.

Fair question Rcprince, so even though 2out2sea made his/her decision I'll try to answer for the general interest of other readers.

First off, I'll admit that soundstage is not my highest priority, that goes to tonality and a sense of involvement with the music. I attend a fair amount of live musical performances and I almost never hear the precise instrument placement as described by many magazine reviewers. That precision requires very close seating to the performers and I prefer to be back just a little to better take in the whole perspective.

Secondly, my room does not allow for optimum speaker placement since the right channel cannot be more than about 2 feet from the side wall. I've heard Duntech Princesses in four other rooms and all allowed better soundstaging than my set up did. Speaking with John Dunlavy confirmed that ideal placement provided at least 4-5 feet distance from sidewalls.

Now for those not familiar with the Princesses they are 6 feet tall with five drivers in a w/m/t/m/w array. So they do produce a very large soundstage, including width in a proper set up. The Janszens are a little more than half that size. In my room there is no appreciable difference in width of soundstage between the two models. And the height from the Janszens is greater that would be expected from their physical size. There has been a four year interval between owning these two speaker systems but from memory I don't feel there is much compromise in soundstage height.

One area where the Janszens excel, which as mentioned was not a priority for me, is image placement within the soundstage. With careful setup my system now presents more precision than any of the multiple other systems I've lived with through the years. I was not looking for this but it has been fun to experience.

Regarding Maggies, the most stupendous soundstage I've heard was recently from a friend's MG-20s. But to achieve that he places them almost half-way out into the room. Unless you close your eyes it can be something of a "2001" experience with those two large black obelisks there in front of you. Not many situations can allow for such placement and one of the benefits in the Janszen design is their performance when placed fairly close to the front wall (if fact they demand not to be pulled too far out for best bass extension). Any model Maggie, like all dipoles, will benefit from placement well out into the room. The hybrid Janszen does not radiate from the rear so does not have that need.

So I hope this longer reply helps 2out2sea with setup and offers a little more information for any others considering the Janszens.