Raidho Ayra C-1.0 - indeed, as Kiwi_1282001 put it: a truly brilliant pair of speakers.
I just received my pair today, taking over their "little" siblings, the X-Baby MkII Ceramic. I never imagined the step-up in sheer musical insight to be this pronounced, but believe me, it is. The whole frequency spectrum seems tightened up with more speed, resolution, lack of restraint, cohesiveness, dynamics(both micro and macro), clarity, background quietness(almost eerie), fluidity, soundstage stability and dimensionality, etc. etc. The overwhelming sensation of being presented with a musical truth, this right-ness, is awe inspiring and places me in a purely receptive and attentive mode. I'm sitting in my sofa a late hour past midnight and can't get myself to part with hearing yet another piece of music; it grabs hold of me, pulls me in.
You wouldn't know it walking into it, but once you hear it, it suddenly makes sense... |
Markeetaux -
I recently read the US retail price is in the vicinty of $18.000 a pair. My C-1's were slighty(4 months) used when I bought them, and was given a very fair offer by my dealer when trading with the X-Baby's. The C-1's of mine are in very good condition, and I gather they have been properly run in. I reside in Denmark, by the way, the "origin" of Raidho speakers.
They are indeed a beautiful pair of speakers, on top of it all :) |
Raks -
"Phusis... Your above rave review of your Raidho Ayra C-1.0 speakers is pretty much a mirror image of what other published reviews say. Congratulations!
Well then, we must be writing about the same speakers, won't you say? Congrats yourself for this piece of enlightenment...
"Im wondering how much of what youre experiencing is simply the product of listening to a $17,000 pair of monitors compared against a $5,000 or even a $10,000 pair of monitors? Is it possible that the old adage of you get what you pay for applies here?"
This is both a fair observation as it is distrust keeping my oppinion in a fixed context. I'm certainly comparing the C-1's to the X-Baby's, and as such my "rave" is also dependend. However, the expressed "truth" or "right-ness," as well as other ways to describe the experience, is my way of going beyond(or transcend, if you will) the sole context of comparison alone; I'm simply hearing a pair of speakers that truly overwhelms me, and the insight of the sound they produce tells me this could very well be the speakers to hold on to. Your distrust is not assuming my context to be more complexs than that of "lesser"(in your words: cheaper) equipment alone, but in principle it's the simple suggestion of yours on my oppinion as non-valid, or limited. Certainly we get what we pay for(and sometimes we don't), yet in no way should it keep anyone away from feeling sonic bliss has touched them even when they don't know what they could be missing, so to speak.
Intersubjectivity has its limits though, so I'm guessing your real problem lies with the speakers? |
Spenceroo -
The SP Tech Timepiece 3.0 are wonderful speakers. It's really a fullrange stand-mounted speaker, and among the two or three candidates of mine as a "keeper" - a place I now believe settled with the recent purchase of the Raidho Ayra C-1.0. The C-1's may lack the wallop, heft and extension of the Timepiece 3.0's - oh well.. :) |
Raks -
I believe I'm the one to apologize - immediately after posting my respons to you, but also while writing it, I couldn't figure whether you were being a bit sarcastic or not. I'm glad you have now pointed out your intention to me, now that I missed it the first time around..
But, thank you! |
Raks -
Actually, just ignore most of my initial response to you. The distrust is really placed on my part.. |
Spenceroo -
My impressions of the Timepiece 3.0 are too faint to pinpoint with any accuracy the differences to the Ayra C-1.0's, but I find them both very natural sounding - indeed highly honest and insightful. The 3.0's had a physicality that immediately struck me, a direct-ness without being in any way forced or fatiguing. It's the sensation of knowing very well the core nature of the sound of an instrument, for example, and the ease with which they present the music is quite addicting. As you say, they're extremely musical; no fooling around, but just music in a pure and... well, truthful manner.
One of the things I find so fascinating about the C-1.0's is their attentiveness, if you will, to the smallest shifts and nuances in the music. In effect, it produces attentiveness in the listener, and you truly feel the texture and innate-ness of the music. Moreover, they're seemingly capable of coping everything you feed them, unfolding evermore complexities for one to take in - carte blanche. They never fluster or loose sight.
I'd love to hear you more express in more detail the sound of the Timepiece 3.0! |
Analogkid -
I'm expecting my new poweramp, a NuForce Stereo 8.5V3, to arrive sometime next week. I'll gladly return with my impressions once the NuForce amp has been integrated in my system. It replaces an Acoustic Reality eAR 202 REF(a fine little amp, though not giving the C-1.0's the "ride" they're really capable of), and I believe I'm in for a substantial upgrade. It must be added that I use no preamp in the usual sense, but outputs from an RME soundcard directly into the poweramp, hereby applying a J River 15 playback application and its internal digital volume control as a "preamp" instead. Many may not feel this to represent an audiophile solution, but really, I'd choose it over most any (hardware) preamp. |
The NuForce Stereo 8.5V3 arrived yesterday, and has since been running some 20 hours. Allegedly the V3's require som 150+ hours(preferably past 200 hrs) to settle in, and will up to this mark or point present the listener with a reported rollercoaster ride going from good to bad to flabbergast inducing good. However, not many hours into its run yesterday evening a friend and I did have trouble catching our jaws; the level of resolution, extension(both ends of the scale) and decay, control, clarity, speed, organic-ness, solidity(as in voices exhibiting a very lifelike core and presence), purity, and a difficult-to-describe "energy" was beyond what any of us had experienced in most any home setup. Hard to believe that such a tiny box, and at an attractive price, can make such a difference. And to conclude: I'd say this little amp couples extremely well with the C-1.0's... |
Analogkid -
I use no preamp in the usual sense, instead going through the software-based J River 15 playback application in my mediaserver, using its internal digital volume control. I output directly from an RME HDSP 9632 soundcard into the NuForce, with great results. My music is stored lossless(WAV) on the harddrive. Since both the RME soundcard and J River 15 appl. are ASIO-supported, they're exclusively "linked" during playback. IC's and speakercables are Mundorf's Silver/gold.
It appears a software-based preamp may seem controversial almost, at least with regard to higher aspirations in sound reproduction, but in my experience it's the route to go. I also like the minimalist approach this setup offers.
What is your current system? |
