Speaker audition: a novice’s journey

Verity Audio (http://www.verityaudio.com)
LEONORE
Price 15,995, Sep 2009

NAD M5 CD SACD Player
Magnum Dynalab MD 309 Hybrid Integrated Amplifier
Transparent Cables (interconnect, speaker cables, power source)

Overall Impression
Fist thing I was impressed with was the amount of detail the speaker produced. I heard subtle sounds that I haven’t on any speaker in the 5K price range (not a fair comparison though) or even from the Sophia or B&W 8 series. However imaging left me unimpressed; the speakers failed to disappear, I had to shut my eyes real hard to imagine sound wasn’t coming from the two boxes. But to be fair the room was only 12x12, the speakers were only 1’ from the front wall and 7’ apart. My distance from the speakers was about 6’, too close for my comfort. The dealer refused to set them up in a bigger room; he thought the set up was perfect. Already he was irked by the idea that I actually wanted to spend a few hours to ‘audition,’ he said his home theater customers wouldn’t spend more than half an hour, and some would want to match the speakers with the color of their Porsche. Don’t know why a serious audio company like Verity would want to go with such home theater dealers, but that’s another story. There was very little three-dimensionality in the imaging. Soundstage was moderate, extending a little bit beyond the speakers. Perhaps due to the short and somewhat unaccustomed listening distance they sounded a little in your face, which is not what I was expecting the least bit from the Verity. The Stereophile review of Sarastro says it ‘is not a brash, bowl-you-over performer but a sonic sophisticate.’ And Leonore too maintained similar characteristics. They didn’t give me shivers at a symphony’s climax, but depicted the instruments with sufficient authenticity for me to be able to observe even the subtlest notes.

Now for the music I used
From the Caves of the Iron Mountain (Tr 7): I could hear the faint details of footsteps or water trickling or birds flapping. The Indian flute was convincing but I heard little more oomph from other speakers. Drums moving around the caves – from right to left, near to far – were okay but not very holographic in their presentation.

Lontano, Tomasz Stanko (Tr 1): The double bass sounded great, I could feel, as though, the fingers moving over the strings unlike the other speakers I have heard so far. There is a sudden burst of energy when Stanko’s trumpets comes on. Leonores played it convincingly, but the energy was sort of mellow.

Mahler Symphony 5, Benjamin Zander (1st Movement): Not many speaker so far has played it well, Verity being an exception. The instruments were isolated, without overlapping on one another. But somewhat missing were the imaging and ‘body,’ which is probably understandable for a speaker of this size. Also they lacked the drama in the second part of the movement, but by now I have come to realize that was the characteristics of these speakers.

Tchaikovsky Symphony 6, Mravinsky (1st Movement): The opening bassoon solo did not go as deep in bass as say the Sophia, some notes stood out (just a bit) and the crisscrossing of instruments in the latter part of the movement lacked coherence. But that apart the symphony was rendered beautifully.

Saint Saens Piano Concerto 2, Sakari Oramo: The notes floated beautifully. The speaker kept up well with the increasing pace of the piano. But did it have enough body? Did the piano sound a bit metallic and lacking on the wooden characteristics? Probably.

Elgar Cello Cencerto, Jacqueline Du Pre’ & John Barbirolli: Cello sounded nice, bright and warm; and the concerto played out beautifully to engulf me in its tragic emotions.

Elgar Sea Pictures, Janet Baker & John Barbirolli: Female vocal sounded a bit cool. But I need to have a better frame of reference.

Bat for Lashes: I picked this primarily for the drums and Lenores didn’t disappoint, playing out all the drums and cymbals with conviction.

Indian Classical, male vocal, live recording: The vocal sounded warm, softening the brash voice of the singer somewhat, which definitely made it more musical. But the warmth was bit of a surprise given that the female vocal sounded cool. Being a live recording you could hear people whisper in the background and on the Leonores I could almost make out what they are saying. The tablas played beautifully and realistically. However I could not feel the stage, being so close to the speakers. It sounded too much all over me.

Before I left, I asked the dealer to play the last piece on his $150K Burmester systems and there it was. It transported me to the realm of a world where I could hear the performance live, like the way this music had been recorded. Coming back, the Leonore sounded hollow and fuzzy in comparison. I left with a heavy heart, first because I couldn’t audition them in a room I would have liked and second, no matter what there will always be something superior above your budget. But at least I enjoyed the music for a few hours I spent there.

Guys.. I didn't mean to suddenly drop off of the thread, was just having a terrible time with a new ISP. I am off to Denver today for the RMAF and would respond to you all on my return. I have auditioned Sonus Faber Cremona M in the mean time. I'd write about that as well as my experience at the RMAF.

cheers
Neal

I want to thank Rtn1, 4musica44107, Ojgalli, Bryans, Stevecham, Onhwy61, Rhljazz, Tobias, Buconero117, Fjn04, Goatwuss, Mjwpicman, Goose, Knownothing and Unsound for your thoughtful response. Thanks to your recommendations, I have a good list of speakers that I need to check out and some of them I already did at the RMAF. And other advice as well such as importance of room acoustics, associated components, having a wider range, dealer advice, what to look for and also a book. I also appreciate all the encouragements.

RMAF Oct 2-4 09

RMAF was cool, though people said it was much smaller both in terms of participants and visitors. I, however, couldn't complain, being my first time. We got to listen to so many systems, that my wife said 'you need coffee beans for your ears.' True you can't 'really' audition a speaker in a hotel room, with little room treatment, with noise creeping in from adjoined rooms and from people chattering (not everyone softly) in the back. But the manufacturers, distributors and most of the dealers (not all) tried their best to let you have a decent audition. Met quite a few interesting folks - members from audiogon, audiophiles from elsewhere and people in general, that are interested in and some highly knowledgeable about stereophonic audio. I had a long list of speakers thanks to the recommendations here, and although many of the companies hadn't participated, I still had quite a handful. Of course I knew I couldn't go through my usual auditioning ritual, so I picked three albums - Saint Saëns Piano Concerto 2, Mahler Symphony 5 (1st Movement) and Tchaikovsky Symphony 6 (1st Movement). Not all the three pieces have great recording quality, but my music collection is a mixed bag anyway and I'd still want to enjoy most of it. Besides, many of the legendary performances of yesteryear were not recorded well. I also realized (thanks to a friend's friend) I could not really test imaging or deep bass extension (both very important for classical) in a set up like that. In the end I didn't have a new pick, eliminated a few and bookmarked a couple for further exploration.

Well... that was a pretty long intro, let me come to the speakers and what I thought of 'em. And once again, this is just how 'I' felt about them in a less-than-perfect setup.

Daedalus Ulysses 11K
This speaker is a tad on the warmer side with decent soundstage width and horizontal imaging, but lacked in stage depth (may be room). Piano notes didn't float too well. They aren't very detailed but more than made up in the drama / energy however. Good price-performance especially if you could take advantage of the 30% show discount.

Bamberg Audio 5TMW 8.3k
I was in fact pleasantly surprised by them. These speakers use active woofers, like the Vandersteens. They are more towards neutral and quite detailed. The notes floated nicely between the speakers. But the music was probably a bit big for the room.

German Physiks 35k
I entered this room not knowing the speakers were worth 35k and came out not knowing why they are worth 35k. May be my ears were in desperate need of coffee beans by then and I am sure many people would have loved them. But I must say they looked cool, kind of like space-age retro (I just made it up). The piano lacked body, subtle notes didn't come up good. By now I came to know the price and didn't have a reason to pursue the test any further.

Wilson Beneche Curve 10k
The speaker, on good recordings, sounded like I am sitting in a recording studio with the singer singing into the microphone in the next room. Very detailed and super clear - these speakers will make my Bose-loving friends go wow. Just kidding, couldn't help. The piano lacked body however and the soundstage was unusually low, almost at the bottom of the speakers.

PS: you must check out the 50A amps designed by a local Denver lady called Kara.

Avalon Indra 19.9k
Though well above my price range, these were the speakers I liked the most. The soundstage is behind the speakers and quite high, almost like sitting on the 10th row of a symphony. Most neutral presentation that I heard, with right amount of drama - neither held back nor too melodramatic. However unfortunate it might be that I couldn't do a full audition of all the three classical pieces here, Indras will be in my shortlist for further exploration.

Focal Utopia Scala 30k
Cool (not the kewl cool), sounded somewhat metallic, lack of drama. Could not image well in a small room. Could not connect with them emotionally.

Emerald Physics C2.3 4.8k
Overall nice but lacks the body and energy of orchestral music or the piano concerto. But they are going to have a bigger speaker towards the end of the year, which would be good to check out.

Audiomanufacture SLS from Boenicke audio 12k
These speakers use a reverse horn technology (doesn’t Bose use the same?) and they sound much bigger for their size. But I wasn’t totally sure of the tonal accuracy of the horns, bassoons or trombones. However these are done by a young designer from Switzerland and I think they will improve over time. The other issue might be being side fired they have somewhat higher room dependence, especially on the side walls.

Analysis Omega 22K
They did well on a good recording (Saint Saëns) but were merciless on not-so-good ones (Mahler). The piano sounded very musical (my wife said ‘notes dipped in honey’), the subtle / soft background orchestra came alive, behind a very energetic pacing of the piano. But they tended to get somewhat muddy on the fast movements of Mahler. Soundstage depth wasn’t great either. Crisscrossing of instruments on the Tchaikovsky wasn’t reproduced to my satisfaction. I have heard them play better on a Maggie 20.1, in a properly set up room at a dealer no less. But I want to give them benefit of the doubt and explore further.

There were several speakers that I went by either not being able to or not wanting to audition. I don’t want to talk about those first impressions, as it would be an injustice to them. I wish I could check out Dynaudio or Usher, but unfortunately could not do as their rooms were crowded every time I tried. Since my return last night I have been listening to my Spendors a lot, with renewed and invigorated interests. They don’t do a bad job after all and for the money (1.8k pair) they are wonderful.

RESPONSE TO GRAHAM & THOUGHTS ON IMAGING

I had fallen into a deep slumber. Graham’s mail came as a wake up call. But I was out of town and with blessings from Murphy my computer crashed. To my and many of yours disappointment, I haven’t done many auditions since my move. New place, new job responsibilities and significant travel. And I cant do much where I am.

First of all I want to personally thank all of you (especially Rtn1, Hevac1, Cdc, Mjwpicman, Magnumpi205 or Don, Jayctoy, Goatwuss, Tdavism3 and of course Grahamps or Graham) that care to read these long posts, care about my progress and post your thoughts, inputs and suggestions. There are also several of you who email me directly. It might just sound customary, but I really really appreciate you guys a lot.

And I also appreciate Graham for making an honest and personal effort to explain his side.

One thing I have realized that in the field of reproduced music there is very little right or wrong. In spite of its footing on science, it is a lot about personal preferences. And when that happens, there are points of view, that can be ~very~ contradictory. There are hundreds of speakers (and audio systems), many with their own personalities and characteristics. None is liked universally, none is disliked universally (except probably the real crappy ones). What is nirvana to one can often be a nemesis to another.

I believe, after having been to numerous concerts, that ‘Imaging’ is as much auditory as it is visual and about knowledge. You know it’s the first chair playing the flute because you can see it. You know it’s not the bassoon next chair because you know how a bassoon sounds. If you close your eyes, you can only ‘sense’ the sound coming from a certain section of the orchestra. So in that respect the viewpoint of lack of origin specificity for sound is quite right. But when I am at a concert I am also using my eyes and my knowledge to complete that specificity.

The story, however, changes significantly if I am very close to the stage, say in the fourth or fifth row. I can identify the sources with much more accuracy partly due to the proximity itself (and consequent less loss of sound) and partly due to the perspective (wider soundstage with more directionality).

If we look at its origin, Stereo was conceived to create a ‘constructed’ reality. That is to create an ‘illusion’ of reality. However stereo misses an important element of music which is visual. Also stereo accentuates sound, if you compare with the concert hall. I read somewhere the problem with audiophile systems is if you listen to them too much you start hating live performances. Though largely exaggerated, there is probably some truth in it.

The same imaging logic applies to ‘Soundstage’ as well. From the front of the concert hall (at Orchestra level) one can feel the width and depth. As you go back, both tend to shrink. However (arguably) the best sound and a deeper soundstage you get is from the First Tier, where tickets are usually as or sometimes more expensive than the first few Orchestra level rows. But how many of us like speakers that have a soundstage near the bottom. May be many of us do (think Wilson Beneche). And that takes me back to my point again – there aren’t too many rights or wrongs.

I find superb, subtle details with restricted soundstage and real life imaging without much specificity bit of a paradox. You generally get that kind of soundstage and imaging from back of the orchestra level and from there you do not hear superb details (without amplification) due to the losses as sound travels, no matter which concert hall you are in and how good the acoustics is.

Long story short, I think lifelike stereo is slightly overrated. It finally comes down to your preferences on how you want recorded music be reproduced.

Now couple of points about Graham’s response. As I said before I was impressed with the amount of detail. But soundstage and imaging were by no means what ‘I’ (I repeat ‘I’) was looking for. And not to beat this to death again – there is nothing wrong about what I want from my stereo for my $20K investment (price + tax + cable).

We live in a comparative and competitive world. When I see dealers who tell me that I could come back the next day, if I were not happy with the set up or the room; or tell me I could audition as many times over as many days I want till I am convinced or even offer me to take the speakers home and listen in my setup and return if I am not happy with them; my obvious preference will be for them.

I still think Leonores are in my shortlist and deserve a better audition.