I've heard the Nova BE's once and the Grande Utopia BE's twice. I've not heard the Savoy's, but they are on my desktop (does that count?). I have heard the Andra II's, however. I'm sure you'll get varying opinions, but here's mine:
Audiophile = JM LABS
Musical = EgglestonWorks
Choose your poison. |
Hi Ecamel, please check my system for my thoughts:
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?vaslt&1141945367&read&3&4&
Savoys are really wonderful speakers.
Enjoy, luca. |
I am a musical Audiophile and I say JM LAbs.However,I am biased. |
if listening to music is like traveling on a journey taking you wherever it chooses to then i would suggest nova be's.
i've lived with these wonderful speakers for 9 months and they just get better with time. highly recommended.
however, be warned, these speakers are ruthless at revealing shortcomings of anything upstream. they also demand good setup and solid mechanical grounding. |
Thank you all for your replies! I have to agree with the opinions about the Nova's, which I've heard and really am impressed by.
I'm struggling to know more about the Savoy's, as there is no dealer here in california. I've called eggleston, and they're going to send me a couple of review articles (fi, anther from china), as well as a color catalog/something. I guess i'll have to find a way to listen to any EW speaker somehow to make some sort of assessment.(?)
One other question - do either of these speakers require a big room? (My setup is in a room that is ~27x14)
thanks for all your help! |
I thought that Eggleston had a dealer in LA, no?
I heard the Andra II's fill a room that size without any strain whatsoever, and that was with 160W monoblocks and no preamp! There, now that I've saved you $20K, you can buy us both a pair. :-) |
Thought I'd respond to your question about a big room. I have Andra IIs in a 23'X 13.5' X 9' room, and while the A IIs sound superb, I would have some real hesitation about a pair of Savoys in that room, especially in the bass. I heard the Savoys and Andra IIs side by side, but in a smaller room, at a show, and thought that the Andra IIs just about worked, with a slight bit of overload in the bass, but that the Savoys just overpowered the space. Your room is about 4' wider, which might help, but I don't know how much. As to the JM Labs, hell of a speaker, but I wouldn't attempt to squeeze either of the ones you suggest into my space. Maybe yours would work. One other thought--the A IIs are designed to go close to the front wall (within 2'), and I believe the Savoys are also, but I believe the recommendation on JMLabs floorstanders is 4'-5'. If that's so, you may want to think about that issue, especially if you're putting them along the long wall. |
One major mistake that a lot of audiophiles make is putting too big a speaker in too small a room. dont make this mistake!
seriously - don't get the savoys or the novas. Get the andras or the altos, and go buy a boat with the leftover money. The andras or altos will sound better in that sized room than the bigger speakers will. |
Thanks folks for your suggestions. Based on your feedback, i've reconsidered my options for my space.
Newly acquired target for consideration: Aerial 20T. Any thoughts?
thanks again! |
Any thoughts?Yes,at least try the Altos. |
Ecamel,
How tall are your ceilings. If they are high then bass will be an issue with a smaller speaker. Low ceilings will be a different story. |
the novas be are fantastic speakers.... 2 years of fabulous ownership... heard the savoy once at a show ,and was impressed as well.... but to my ears the novas be are just right. |
Sorry for being disconnected recently; we are having our house remodeled and are now living with friends. Should be able to move back home in a couple of weeks.
However, i have been busy listening to speakers at various dealers, thinking, listening, thinking, and made a purchase: new Aerial 20T's.
To my ears and taste (mostly classical and small orchestral), the 20 T's prouduced the most convincing image. I very much enjoyed the articulate sound of the Nova's. However, after considering my small-ish space, and that I found the JM's a bit forward sounding compared to the 20T's, I went with the 20's. They haven't arrived yet; i'll post a full report in about a month after they (and I) have settled in.
thanks for all the posts! |
Outstanding choice you lucky dog. Are the Aerials still being manufactured? |
They are still being produced. In fact, Mike Kelly continues to make 'improvements' over time. While he won't divulge specifics, he will commit to improvements in sound quality: better integration of drivers (suggests xover changes to me), and hinted to other 'tweaks'.
Anyway, i heard the latest version and loved them. LOVED THEM.
I bought a new pair, in piano black. MK describes the finish as literally 'piano' black, as the cabinets are sent to germany for the finish by a piano maker. Should be stunning.
My system is as follows:
ML 360S DAC
ML 326 preamp
ML 334 x 2 (one per speaker, biamp)
Sony XA7ES as transport
Cardas golden cross everywhere
Can you guess the next upgrade? How about a Purcell to tempt the DACs to speak 24/96? (started another thread for this feedback).
I loved the speed of the Novas, and they cast an impressive image. However, I was getting fatigued as i listed to them - they seemed a bit forward to me (could be the setup). Gave up after I carefully considered my room size & ceiling height (8 ft :()
Anyway, I'm counting the days until our remodel is done so that I can set up 'shop'. More later:) |
