PranaFidelity speakers, what say you?

Pts, like you, I’ve just heard them at shows (twice) and they never fail to impress. They have a presentation like no other speaker I’ve heard which can be beguiling but I wonder how they’d fare in the long run. Even this last time this past weekend, I sat for a while just to take them in again.



All the best,
Nonoise

Think you'll ever pick 'em up, nonoise? I'm seriously debating it (when I have the cash) as I've never been so impressed with a pair of speakers. I'm itching to also hear the floorstanders Steven had sitting around inactive.

I'm sure the other PranaFidelity components in the chain helped, but I think there's a lot more choice of solid state preamps / power amps in that price range (and below) that could work just as well. The speakers on the other hand seemed to have a special kind of magic.

I currently own a pair of Tekton Lores which I like a lot, and figured if I ever upgrade it'd be something better from Tekton. The PranaFidelity demo opened my eyes to the fact that sometimes spending a bit extra can get you a lot more sound, plus what seemed like little to no ear fatigue. I relish the thought of listening to loud music all day long without getting prickily.

@pts,
If you already own a Tekton, did you get a chance to hear the Double Impacts at the LA Audio show, that you visited? I understand that the DI kills $18-$25k loudspeakers. Can you please share your thoughts?

Dammit, I should've read the vendor list more carefully. I didn't notice Tekton were there and am now kicking myself. I'd love to hear the Double Impacts, as I'm sure they're the giant slayers that people claim.

With owning the Lores, I'd say the Tekton house sound is bold, dynamic, and a lot of fun - but at the end of the day not perfect and it's apparent that you're listening to speakers. I'd say that might also be true of the Double Impacts, but that's speculation on my part.

With the  PranaFidelity stuff, I couldn't find any flaws and the the music sounded... in the room REAL. They're a bit more expensive compared to the flagship Tekton speakers, but if you're looking for end game at semi-reasonable prices, they're definitely worth a look. If they were part of the $10,000+ crowd, I wouldn't be championing them.

Don't mean to derail your original topic.
Yeah, same thing happened with me during AXPONA 2015. Did not read the list and missed a couple that I wanted to hear. But this time I made sure that I visited each and every room, some even twice :-)
I have been hearing s much about the DIs that it seems unreal.

But I have heard good things about Prana Fidelity loudspeakers. Never got a chance to listen to them.

Pts, I'm afraid the Pranas are out of my reach, price-wise. They do have that "in the room" presentation. From what I remember from a few years ago when I first heard them I was told that the electronics made by Prada are responsible for a lot of what I heard but I'm pretty sure that any good set of amps and pre will do.

Also, I didn't notice that Tekton was there as well and am kicking myself right now. I read on another thread on another site that Tekton stated they couldn't make it to the show and yet....
I should have kept up because I really wanted to hear them.

And, here's my "not intending to highjack the thread" mention that I'm seriously leaning towards the Elac Adnate monitor speakers. Monitors work best in my space and these really spoke to me.

All the best,
Nonoise

If you're in the LA area, you're welcome to drop by and listen to the Lores to get a taste of the Tekton sound.

Pts, thanks for the invite but I have my heart and ears set on monitors. (That, and I can't part with my Timbernation maple stands that I had made)

I took a look at the Tekton monitors as well as his whole line and he uses different drivers from speaker to speaker save for some that are voiced along the same lines. That pointed tweeter that he uses in his group array looks interesting. There was a speaker at the LAX audio show that used one and it was incredibly airy, open and extended without any etch.
When I asked the maker about it he said it's an older design but when done well, it's right up there with the best.

All the best,
Nonoise

Sounded great at the LA Audio Show this past weekend. Seemed like a good value.

Prana has a nice floor stander too, as you saw. If you liked his stand mounts....you'll love the floor standers. I heard these at a show prior to this one. Extension is very good for their size. The floor standers extend more and have slightly more output capacity. Steven builds nice stuff, and you will have something very unique and nice. Good luck in your quest. Just to be bad....I will suggest also the ELAC Adante, and the Vandersteen 1Ci. Both do damage in the under 10k price point IMHO. Similar $$ will also get you into Fritz Grove/Carbon 7 Speakers. I have Groves and they are awesome too. Quite a bit less, (about 2 - 3 K) and worth every dime. KEF R series are very good too.

Excellent speakers- we showed with them a few years ago at the last THE Show in Las Vegas.

How would much difference would you say it realistically makes if Prana speakers were driven by mid-range ($1-2k) pre / power amps?

Prana electronics look awesome, but they’re really pricey, and the speakers alone will leave me broke :)

Hoping I can get to 90% of that sonic bliss with my 150W Odyssey pre / power combo.

Pts
I have heard a couple of Prana speakers. To me they are a complete speaker. In other words they sound great with the popular average electronics and just get better from there. I think they are fantastic, it is like they have a zen to them. If you know Steven, there is a reason for that. He wants you to connect to his speakers on a very high level as he himself likes to. 

Always a top sounding room. His systems have a certain 'soul' that eludes most others. And they have that certain something that just makes them great fun to listen to. I was disappointed that he didn't have a room this past year at RMAF. Just a 'static' display. 

Couldn't agree more. It was one of the best rooms I visited at the LA audio show and have regrets could not spend more time in it. Will have the Bhava soon in my demo room.

jjaudiosolutions.com

So - anyone here actually own a pair? It's a shame they're not yet often seen in the wild.

I did find one thing odd at the LA Audio show. Steven was running 89.5db efficient speakers with his own solid state 400wpc @ 8ohms power amp. With this type of setup I'd be surprised to get much leeway with the volume knob, but I did notice the CD player had an attenuator. I get that having lots of power in reserve can produce a very clean and open sound, but isn't this overkill? I'd think speakers that easy to drive would be better suited to something like a 50-100wpc tube amp, which would still offer lots of headroom?

My friend and I both thought the means room with the bhavas was a very good sounding room.  So much so that we went back for a second round of listening.  Very dynamic with a fantastic soundstage (both width and depth) and good detail.

"Means" in the first sentence should instead be "Prana".  Darn spellcheck

I also attended LAAS and with the caveat that I heard only 75% of the suites, the Prana Fidelity suite was my choice for best in show.  I guess the other caveat is that there were just so many horrible sounding suites such as the Voxativ, and poorly set up suites such as the Lumenwhite.  But that aside, Pranafidelity spoke to me.  The speakers out of the Kuzma Stabi M, through Steve Norber's own electronics including the Class D amp featuring the Ncore modules, and all Furutech cabling was just as organic and soulful as I have heard.  And although it is a bit difficult to call $5000 speakers a bargain, that is exactly what I'd call them.  Because at the end of the day, there are very few truly special products in high end audio that capture emotion and realism at any price, and the Prana does just that.  How is it that these speakers, and even the Prana electronics, don't have more exposure?  Crazy!!

Steven still sells the Fifty90 bookshelves which are extremely similar to the $5000 Bhavas (minus the made in the USA cabinet and a few minor upgrades) for $4000 which I think is at least getting closer to the word bargain. The price of his floorstanding Vayu went up 2k (to $9000) over the last year or so unfortunately, which prices me out. Still haven’t heard from anyone who owns a pair of Prana speakers. I wonder where he sources his drivers from?

ljgm  " How is it that these speakers, and even the Prana electronics, don't have more exposure?  Crazy!!"
I don't know for sure. But I think Steven is a one on one person kind of guy. Visit with him sometime, you will probably really enjoy it, and be better for it. He likes to take care of people on an individual basis and maybe big marketing is not his thing. I think he likes his equipment to truly move the soul with the music played through it and not draw attention to the electronic devices themselves.

Marqmike, agree. Although it wasnt exactly 1:1, I probably logged about 1.5 hours in Steve’s LAAS suite. He is fantastic to talk to. My friend put it best... Norber is looking to invigorate the human sympathetic system response with his product. Yes, indeed.

Pts, the cabinet shape and the crossover both changed on the Bhava vs the 50Ninety. Whether or not the end result of these changes is truly "minor" as you put it, is at least debatable until someone hears them side by side or Steve himself chimes in.

Bhava is a speaker I am very keen on owning. It and the Marten Duke 2. But there’s only room for one of the two and I am still undecided...

Can anyone comment on how the Bhava compares to anything a little more well-known? It's hard to tell exactly where the generally "fit" in the audio realm, not necessary in the greatest factor but in sonic character. Like more Sonus Faber or Focal? ATC or Harbeth? Bright? Laid-back? Etc. Cheers!

I haven't heard ATC in a while, but Pranas are definitely not Focals.  I would say more refined sounding and not quite as detailed.  Pranas are absolutely non-fatiguing, yet they aren't as laid back as say Harbeths.  Of course, the sound I heard in Steven's suite was influenced by the Prana electronics, including his excellent amp which utilizes the NC1200 Class D modules, and the world class Kuzma table with 14" 4 point tonearm.  

This is a year old thread, but just wanted to say that I bought the Bhavas and love them. If anyone wants to hear them in the Southern California area, drop me a line.

I bought a pair of Bhavas that were delivered on Jan 30th, 2018 and I am loving them. I bought them thinking I would use a pair of stands I currently own but when I tried the stands, I immediately knew I was mistaken. So as a temporary measure I placed them on top of my Infinite Slope 1.8s and have been listening to them from that rather high perch ever since. They are truly amazing. Soon I will order the Sound Anchor stands that Steven recommends for the Bhavas and I am certain the sound will only improve. But to be honest, if they never sounded better than they do right now, I would still be happy. My amplifier is a McIntosh MAC7200. My turntable is a Linn LP12/Ittok/Lingo/Dynavector 20x. I listen to digital through Sonos and Bluesound Node 2. 

Yes, at RMAF, I would say that Kenny G-looking dude's Prana stand mount speakers and the JWM(Joshua Miles) Allyson speakers were the best sounding stand mount speakers at the show.

I responded to a PM sondekmcintosh5 sent privately, but figured I’d also post info here, in case anyone else is considering a taller / less expensive alternative to the PranaFidelity recommended stands for the Bhavas?

I personally got a 2nd hand pair of ’Furniture Works’ adjustable (24" to 42") steel speaker stands on eBay, then filled them with sand to keep them non resonant. I use them at around 30" in height. Here’s a pic of them stock:

https://i.imgur.com/GKOo3Xc.jpg

Then again using eBay I bought two large/cheap bamboo cutting boards for the base (sprayed black and screwed on) to make the stands more stable. Next I bought two 1/4" thick 12" x 8" steel plates for the top (sprayed black and secured with industrial adhesive tape) which are wide and long enough to also keep the speakers stable. I use the white tacky stuff Steven supplies with the speakers to hold them to the steel plates. Here’s the finished stand:

https://i.imgur.com/AQx462J.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/cNorsvx.jpg

I find this looks great and is optimal to get the tweeter height where you need it (ear level) in a sitting position.