Swiss Options - Piega & Stenheim

Hi Audiogon braintrust -

After about six years with my Magico A3s I’ve decided to upgrade to something new. While they’ve been great for movies and tv, they don’t have a sound signature I’m all that in love with with music. Typical Magico - very accurate, great bass, but not particularly warm or airy. I believe it’s partly due to my amp (Devialet 440), but changing the amp isn’t an option due to space available in the living room.

I had the opportunity to visit AXPONA in 2022, and discovered two Swiss speaker brands - Piega & Stenheim whose offerings at the show were deeply impressive. Both companies make speakers similar in size to the A3s and are within my budget. With memories of their other models still in my head, the Piega Coax 811 and the Stenheim Alumine 3 are at the top of my current list for potential A3 replacements. Each are roughly within the same price range.

Unfortunately there aren’t any dealers for these brands within driving distance and have two questions I’m hoping someone out there will have some answers to.

Firstly, has anyone found themselves in this same position and compared these two models themselves? If so, what did you think and where did you land?

Second, Stenheim also makes the Alumine 3 SE for a not insignificant uncharge. Has anyone done a side-by-side with the base Alumine 3? If so, what were your thoughts?

Thanks so much