Joseph Audio RM33si & others in the $8,000 range


I keep seeing the Jospeh Audio ads "Best Sound at Show" with the RM33si speakers but I do not know anyone who owns any JA speakers. Why? Does any Agon member have them? What do they sound like and what have you compared them to? I am looking in the $8000 price range and have seen the Piega P-10s going for $5000. A bargin? What do you recommend with my system, Pass Labs X-250, X-1 preamp, Sony SCD-777ES (soon to be modified by Kern).

Comments and advice are appreciated.

Happy Listening.
bigkidz
In defense of Jeff Joseph and his speakers, while I found the format of playing controlled material less to my liking than just playing what folks want to hear (this can be said about most exibits, and is a pet peeve of mine at the 3 shows I've been to), I personally found the Pearl/Manley set-up at Hi-Fi 2002 to definitely be among the best if not the best at the show (the "St James Infirmiry" finale was THE BEST "you are there" demo), Jeff or Eva Marie Manley did not ask for my vote but Jeff did remind folks to vote as he stated above. I would reserve final judgement on the Piega because I just didn't like the 5 channel demo by Sanibel, certainly not because of the speakers which sounded quite seamless for a multi-driver system. Both are nice systems but like Twl, at this price point Sound Labs A-3's would also be on my short list. I thought they were a bit more than 8K though.

With your existing equipment, I would think the Piega would a better match than the Joseph which would benefit greater from tube gear IMO.
In defense of Jeff Joseph, I have heard them just once and thought for a dynamic speaker, they gave a balanced presentation from top to bottom. If I were to look at purchasing a new speaker system they would be one of a handful that I would audition. As for the commments about being dry, I believe this perception occurs because the speakers do not place any emphasis on any one octave tonally;a very natural sounding speaker system. They image very well and have a very large soundstage side to side.
I agree with Dolphin. I listened to the Pearls at the show in NYC and also demo-ed a few other models at Park Avenue Audio. My impression was that they were very detailed but also dry sounding. The fatigue factor can not be overlooked.
Hi Henry,

The thing about being a speaker manufacturer is that the speakers get the credit or the blame for the sound - even if the problem is one of setup or upstream components.
The speakers are now at Avantgarde Music & Cinema in Manhattan- I think if you audition them there you'll come away with quite a different impression than what you got from Park Avenue Audio. Bob Visintainer knows how to set things up properly.

Call him at 212 229-1842. He's a great guy.

Jeff