Owners of speakers by obscure companies chime in

I owned the Sasons for a year and a half and loved them. Robert and Steve are class acts! Nothing disappears like well placed Sasons. I'm kinda partial to LaPorte, I guess. :>)

I have a couple of recommendations. First, Classic Audio Reproductions makes a line of highly resolved, easy to drive and very full range speakers that are very close to if not state of the art. I have heard them rival the best ESLs, but with impact and extension that is not noted in ESLs. They are 97 db 1 watt/1 meter and so its easy to find an amp to drive them. They work with both tubes and solid state; Phillip O'Hanlan, who used to import Halcro and is now doing Luxman, has a set for his personal system, as do I.

Second, Audiokinesis (Duke) is making some outstanding product. We recently got in a set of his Stormbringers for a customer of ours. I set them up at home and I have to say, I was quite unprepared for how good these speakers are! Of course, price is always a driving concern, but setting that aside for a moment (the Stormbringers are **very** reasonably priced), they were playing well out of their league, being very detailed, extended, relaxed and with a good portion of wallop thrown in. While not the last word in bass, they were clearly making it in the upper 20s and could shake the room. Again, they are very easy to drive, and while on paper not as efficient as our ZU Druids, they **couldn't** have been far behind! I think a lot of that has to do with what part of the curve you rate your efficiency from. An excellent speaker by any standard, if you pick up a set, just get in the car and **drive** before Duke comes to his senses :)

Feastrex is made in Japan, imported to USA by Lotus Group. Full range drivers of unique design and exceptional quality. Mind bending performance. Full range with Feastrex means 50Hz - 20kHz flat, point source, lightweight paper driver, gigantic motor, leather surround, ultra revealing, yet musical and highly satisfying. This is the musical fountain, what many experienced audiophiles have been looking for.

Only a few pairs been sold in US so far, but the owners are ecstatic. Threads on Asylum and elsewhere are the only significant buzz in English language. Some people are buying just the drivers and building their own cabinets. I wish more people could hear this. There would be a lot more used speakers listed on A'gon...

Keep your ears peeled for this one... I am just a satisfied customer, no other relation to mfg or importer.

Aggielaw,

It's definitely not the water as you well know ;). BTW, You will be happy to know that our own little brewery here, La Porte's Backroad Brewery (dot.com) has a new ale called Specialty Ale (green label) that is absolutely wonderful. When people come to audition, we get them so drunk - everything sounds great. Presto! Instant sale!

Actually, it's word of mouth and auditions through our gracious customer base that provide the listening experience. PM us to find out about our Traveler's Rebate Program if flying to La Porte for a listen.

We hope to generate interest through our first large-scale public exhibit at AKFest this coming weekend. We hope to see you all!

Steve Rothermel
Ridge Street Audio Designs

I agree with several of the above, SP TECH and Bob have made loudspeakers that portray the event exactly as it should be in regards to what a chain of electronics and Transducers can do. I can't think of another loudspeaker that can best the SP TECH Minis, which are the bottom of the line. As many of you know, I have owned upwards of 30 pairs and many from the big boys. Sp Tech should be as big as any of the others, Bob is one of the best, most communicative and knowledgeable of anyone that you could buy Audio stuff from. Still Obscure but moving up in the charts!