Well clueless-they're real big! Hope that was a help ;) |
I owned a pair of Whispers and sold them just because. They have the best midrange I have ever experienced and a really great overall sound. The bass doesn't go into the extreme lower levels but it didn't concern me. I replaced them with the Quad 989's. They are great too but still a bit short on the midrange compared to the Whisper. I have owned Apogee, Wilson Watt/Puppy 3/2, Witts, ML Quest Z'z, Eggleston Andras, and the Quad 989. The Whispers are the only ones I really miss. I drove the Whispers with a Levinson 331. They are very easy to drive and placement is not as critical as most speakers. They sound really good even at low volumes. |
Thanks Ljgj, you have quite a reference list to compare them to. I like them because I am a midrange listener myself. Give me a speaker that's really sweet in the 300k-3000k or maybe even up to 6000k range and I'm happy.
Tireguy, will you help me move them up to the third floor?
Sincerely, I remain |
I auditioned them at some length and was impressed at the
time. Ultimately I went with the Dunlavy Signiture 5(s) and
invited the manager of the store where I auditioned the
Whisper speakers. This was a somewhat difficult situation
for him in that the Dunlavy(s) blew the Whisper away in every possible way including the vaunted midrange for which
they are famous. Legacy Audio is a maverick in the
world of high-end audio. Please do yourself a favor and
find a way to do an 'apples-to-apples' coparison with
some of the speakers that have had to hold-up to world-
class competition. The manager of the store sadly agreed
to this oppinion by evening's end. |
All Legacy speakers sound best when driven with a S.S. high current amp, however tubes could be used also. I used my CJ Premier 11-A tube amp (70 watts) with great success. Sounded as good if not better than with my S.S. high current amp. If it's a good price, I personally don't think you could go wrong with the Wisper. Some would also tell you, I'm also quite often clueless, but I beg to differ...I think :-). |
I ultimately biamped mine with an EAR 534 on top and the Levinson 331 on the bottom with the Whisper box hooked to it via a Mcintosh C42 preamp - I later switched the Levinson to a Mcintosh 352 which had a smoother sound in my opnion. |
I think they suck
I auditioned dozens of speakers in the 10-20K range
and the Whispers were very unrefined in the bass and mid bass regions
They were OK for big home theater but they were awful with two channel music
BTW I ended up with the Von Schweikert VR7's |
Clueless- if you decide not to get the Whispers check out the new VMPS RM 40's. At 4600 new they are hard to beat - I just heard them today. |
Can you elaborate a bit on your impressions after listening to the RM-40s? I am keenly interested in these speakers but they're not easy to find.
Thanks
Ken |
there's another active thread on the Rm-40s taht I initiated and it would be great if you could post your impressions there. Try here -->
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?cspkr&1011279351
Thanks again. |
I have put my thoughts on the RM 40 thread. |
Thanks for the advice Ljgj. I tried to find some info on the elusive RM 40 to no avail. It's not even on their web site yet. I must admit that I tend not to buy stuff that is "this years award winner". The really good stuff rises to the top over time and to often I find chasing the latest rage leads to all sorts of noxious vexation. Of course you lose out on some really good stuff too! I'll try to check it out. What does everyone thing of JM Lab Mezzo Utopia for $7500.
Sincerely, I remain |
I think they are very big. |
Great speakers. Don't be fooled by others trashing them. What they need to sound best is a big room. If your room is medium to small, the Whispers won't be a good fit. Their weakness(relatively minor) is in the bass region. Highs,midrange,dynamics,soundstaging are top-notch. If you can get a good price and have a good sized room, you will be extremely happy with these speakers. BTW, they sound superb with tube amps that can supply some current. |
Hi Clueless, I'm likewise (clueless) on the Whispers but DO know s/thing about Mezzo Utopias.
Price: IF the electrical part is top-notch and the cabinetry in v. good condition (I would call it 8/10, a seller "9/10"), then $7500 looks reasonable enough. I would like them to be a recent pair, too.
If you're interested in more info, don't hesitate to ask... Cheers |
Legacy themselves say that the Whispers are much more placement insensitive than most speakers. If that's true, why do so many of you say that a big room is needed?? I'm concerned about this, since I'm also thinking about the Whispers but have only a medium sized room (13 by 20 with lots of stuff in it). |
I stood in Legacy Audio's home studio with Bill Duddleston,their design engineer, and listened to the Whisper and the Focus in direct comparison. The whisper is sweet but I bought the Focus as I could not see the price difference warranted the Whisper. And the Focus has real bass definition---down to 16hz but they do like a lot of power which is contrary to Legacy advertising. All the Legacy products seem to perform better in open spaces and with power. They also make a sub that mates with the whisper which cures the bass weakness.........
I am just a satisfied Legcy customer. |
Von Schweikerts! Lol
My Focus SEs leavet them in the dirt |
Bored much? This thread is over 9 years old. |
