SILVERLINE SONATA II-giant killer?

I have a pair of Sonata 1s. I live in the SF Bay Area and recently had Alan do an upgrade of a couple of the drivers and the Xover (I had an amp meltdown and did not have fuses in the path - DC does not sit well with bass drivers). I bought the Sonatas to replace a pair of Accoustat 3s. I choose the Sonatas because they came very close to replicating the attack speed that I had with the Elctrostaics (note that the Electrostatic panels were 32" wide by 75" high and our new house has windows where the speakers needed to go and my wife said no...). I have driven them wih both tube (Cary 100W) and SS (Adcom and othrs), and they sound wonderful in all cases. As I have a large space, I find that the 100W is not sufficient, but that is probably subjective (the room is 16x12x40 and has large openings into a much larger space. The three things that make Alan's speakers great are the drivers, especially the dome mid-ranges, teh Xovers, and the cabinets. Note that I use a powered sub with the Sonata 1s, if you have a smaller space, he 2s should be sufficient. A final comment on placement. I have found the Sonata's to be relatively tolerant of close wall placement on the sides and still throwing a very large soundstage.

can anyone else share their exp

I own the Avalon style Sonatas, and originally got them for my main system which included BAT VK150SE tube amps. Ultimately I could not live with the Sonatas in that system. I tried every speaker position and they always seemed to call attention to themselves in the midbass, and were a bit fatiging. The imaging and soundstaging was to die for though. I ended up with the Sonatas in a lesser system that consists of Pass Aleph 2s. I really enjoy them with the Pass amps, I don't hear the problems that heard on the BAT amps. The BAT amps are much better than the Pass amps, but I think the Sonatas sound better overall with the Pass amps. You could probably sell off the 1.2s and go with an Aleph 3, it might even sound better, I had the 3 before the 2s and actually thought the 3 sounded a little better overall.

Bob. I have used the Sonata ll for a year now and my equipment is a tube pre and tube amp. The amp is a VTL 150 which is rated at 150 watts in tetrode and 70 watts in triode. As you probable know, these speakers are extremely efficient (95db.)and perform extremely well in triode (70 watts). The fact that I sometimes play in tetrode at 150 watts is just not over kill but adds to a tighter control in the mid and lower bass regions as well as a holograhic sound stage. I agree with thunnicutt that the LaFolia is the better speaker but I get tons of detail from my Sonata's. I would say that because of their physical size and huge soundstage, a fairly large room is recommended. I think these speakers are the best in their price range.
Good Luck.

I just recently changed from B&W 802's, which I owned for a very long time. My main criticisms of that speaker seem to be the same as yours, a little harsh on top, and not the most natural mids available. I tried many speakers ranging from Audio Physic, Meadowlark, B&W Nautilus, ProAc, Vandersteen, System Audio, Silverline, Soliloquy and others. What I ultimately decided to buy were British monitors, specifically Spendor SP 1/2's. I purchased the Spendors over the Harbeth models because I own push-pull tube equipment, which matches the Spendors extremely well. If I were the owner of high-powered quality SS gear like you, I would not consider my search complete without at least trying a pair of Harbeth speakers. Prices new range from about $ 7000 for Monitor 40 to a little less than 3k for Compact 7's. See Bob Neills reviews on enjoythemusic.com as a starting point. He talks about a similiarly sized room to yours, with similiar listening tastes. I believe that you could get a money back guarantee for an in home audition if there are no dealers in your area. YMMV, of course, but if naturalness of timbre is important to you, at least read the reviews.

Mike

Bob,

Based on what you've listed as your desires, I'd say you should pass on the Sonata II. Great speaker, which I've owned, but really more suited for tubes, especially low(er) powered SET. Huge soundstage, but not very detailed. Woody, more diffuse sound. Not a great match with powerful SS. I agree with Jim, regarding the La Folia. While I have a pair for sale on AGon (I was trying to "downsize" from my SF Amati Homage), my recommendation would be the same. The La Folia is basically a world-class monitor (i.e. precise, detailed, holographic imaging from the Dynaudio Esotar tweeter and mid-drivers) built on top of a tight, deep bass driver (11" Focal in a dipole config which goes truly to the low 20s). If I hadn't already had the Amati, I would be keeping the La Folia. IMO, they are one of the best speakers at that price range. 8 ohm, easy to drive. 92 db efficiency. Alan Yun from Silverline calls the La Folia his speaker for "detailed, critical listening" especially with Classical and chamber music. I'd definitely try to give them a listen.

Happy hunting.

Tom

Bob, maybe you can extrapolate from the following info, or narrow down yr choices... Pls note that I listen to classical music mainly and blues, so my opinion is biased in that respect. Also, it's my ears and tastes, i.e. YMMV.

First: your amps are arguably neutral, you like the sound, they're open and have driving power; so, there should be no problems getting the speakers rocking...
Of the speakers you mention, I had the Avanti & have heard the Piega. I have enjoyed both (i.e., was satisfied by the sound)partnered with the following ss amps: Symphonic Line RG7, RG4 (monos), Kraft 250 classA: "warm", euphonic, and fast transients, good tonal balance; Burmester mid-line (name?) amp: precision, clarity; YBA Passion stereo: dynamics, similar to Kraft, but slightly more neutral and less "euphonic"; ML 360(? The big 150W stereo.. I never remember the numbers): fast, bit darker than the others, I preferred it on blues than on classical.
Overall, the Kraft 250A pleased me the most with both speakers.
Both speakers had good, easy, bass response to around 40Hz in the room, with the Avanti being more demanding of positioning in order to overcome an ever so slightly analytical lower mid. The Piegas erred (for wont of a better word) slightly towards neutrality while the Avanti towards brightness -- both pleasantly so, and I may say intentionally (& thereby, achieving an excellent balance). I found the Avanti had the edge on imaging and the Piega on sense of space. Piega reminded me slightly of a hybrid stat (a good one, of course!), while the Avanti have speed and sound very phase correct, top to bottom.
Not very decisive, I know, but if you could hear one of these speakers, we can then compare notes. Cheers!

I think you would be very happy with a used pair of Silverline LaFolias. I have seen several on Audiogon for
$4,000-$4,500. I currently own a pair and use a tube pre and Spectron digital amp with them. I was told by Silverline that the LaFolias work extremely well with high-powered ss amps.They also have higher quality drivers than in the Sonatas.
Good luck.
Jim

I have the original Silverline Sonatas (Avalon style) with a 200 wpc Conrad johnson SS amp. It works very well and especially for accoustic music. I cannot imagine anything better. The difference between the original and MKll series is that the newer series has 2 10" woofers whereas the original had one. I have not heard the MKll but imagine the second woofer to be a good improvement since the original series were a little light on the low end. Great midrange and imaging. I think you would like them.