Rockport Atria?

They were a little exclusive. If that is a little, what constitutes a lot? I give them credit for having the stones to continue to market to a small portion of the market which is overcrowded by flagships and other somewhat exclusive (as you might say) brands.

Jeff Fritz did a piece on speakers he would buy and these made his list. This is one of the four speakers I'm considering.

http://www.ultraaudio.com/index.php/features-menu/opinion-menu/384-what-i-d-buy-loudspeakers-over-15-000

Jeff's article is what intrigued me. I find his reviews refreshing because he does so many direct comparisons, stating his favorite. Anyway the only speaker on his list I have heard is the Salon 2 and I really like them, so the recommendation of Atria over the Salon was interesting.

The one speaker brand I wish I'd auditioned before buying Salon 2s a couple years ago is Rockport - although from what the article says about the Salon 2 being preferable to the Atria in larger rooms it sounds like I'd have to move up to the Avior. And I doubt I could have found those used for anything close to what the Salon 2s cost me.

I heard them at the recent Newport Beach audio show. I thought they were a little bass shy - at least compared to the Avior which I heard extensively at the same show the year before. The exhibitor assured me that this was due to the limitations of the room (relatively small hotel room) and that I needed to listen to them properly set up. All the other attributes that I enjoyed about the Avior were in the Atria (exteded, clean but not bright highs, excellent midrange, very good soundstage; just a very clean, and very musical presentation). Both shows (2012,2013) had the Rockports exhibited with excellent BAT gear. If I were in the market to buy speakers up to $30k I would give them a listen and try to bring my amp/pre-amp along. I would also seriously consider the Acoustic Zen Crescendo a strong competitor at the relatively "bargain" price of $16,000. I have heard that speaker on several occasions and was very impressed.

Ackmann00 I agree with you completely. Both the Rockport and Acoustic Zen speakers sounded amazing at CES 2013.

Jwm,

Did you also feel the bass was a little light (Atria)? Are the speakers tuned pretty flat? I have read the older models were a little ripe/warm but seems like these new models are higher resolution and more neutral.

I agree with Jwm. The Acoustic Zen Crescendo speaker room/system sounded better than many rooms using 30-50K priced speakers at CES 2013.Very impressive true musical sound.
Charles,

I had the old Aerial Acoustics 7b which are long gone. Decided to go with the Atria in its place. I can't wait. They are phenomical speakers. I only heard the Avior since the Atria were not on the floor. Yes, The Avior are clearly better than the Salons. The Atria should be fine since my space is only 22 x 13 with 9 foot ceilings.

Yeung, please give us your thoughts on the Atria. My room is a similar size to yours and would like to know how they sound. Some have said they are "shy" in the bass but I don't know if this would be true for your room. It seems like they would be a perfect fit.