Robert I may try the 2 front tubes since they have the most affect but not going down that road again with the rest. Did that with a Primaluna Dialogue integrated amp. Spent a small fortune but yes it is fun.
Rushfan have you seen the price on the Phillips GZ34? 😬😬😬 |
Prof...thank you for the your detailed explanation and experience with the 2.7. Valuable information. Isn’t crazy how we get used to a certain speaker. There is no perfect speaker but I think we get used our speakers and then wonder what am I missing or wishing I had more this or that. However, Cal you are exactly correct :) I need to work on my room. I did stuff a couple throw pillows in the front corners and things tightened up and it helped with some imaging/focus. But the walls need help no doubt to stop reflections plus need to measure my room. Very helpful information. Thank you :)
I am going to Cincinnati tomorrow to audition some Sonus Faber Olympica III. I have always been attracted to that speaker but it is pricey however, absolutely gorgeous. If a speaker can be sexy this is one of them lol. Can’t hurt to hear what it can do. I am taking my amp and interconnects to at least see if it will push them as needed. Only downside I know the showroom is treated so I have to take that in consideration. |
@james633.
This is exactly what I wanted to hear. Thank you so much. My gut is telling me I would really like the Olympica 3. You hit on what Kevin Deal said about the midrange. It’s not "chesty". But everything else is very nice. Sounds like a very well rounded speaker and the bass I like. Another dealer told me over the phone that it would be too warm for my Ref110 amp. I’m thinking the opposite. Musical and tone is what I’m after as long as it’s not boring. How does the new Nova series compare or you able to compare?
Interesting you threw in Wilson Sabrina. Never considered them but they look attractive. Downside I can’t hear them before purchasing. |
Had a nice visit at Hanson Audio in Cincinnati today. Had the listening room all to myself which was fantastic. They teased me with the SF Cremonese. Crimany those are great speakers. They should be at 55K. Of waaay out of my price range. He knew it but fun to listen. Next up was the Sorento. Nice speaker but at $5K no thanks. Then we got down to why I went. Magico A3. Build quality is fantastic. They look much better in person however I really wasn't impressed with the sound. Nice deep bass but was tubby almost. Extended highs and decent midrange. Hate to say it not for me. But the salesman said my amp was not a good match. A3 needs some solid state juice to make them sing. So my review take it with a grain of salt. I'm sure with a higher powered solid state amp they would sing nicely. They better but geez kinda disappointing. Lastly, the Olympica Nova 3. Night and day difference. First few notes and WOW. This is music. The soundstage really opened up and instruments floated in the air. Depth, detail, focus and overall musical. The bass was tight and tuneful. No congestion whatsoever. My Audio Research Ref110 was a perfect match. The salesman said and I'm not bullshitting, I've never heard the Olympica sound so good. Honestly, I think he was dead serious. All music was streamed with Qobuz. Overall an impressive speaker.
Then for shits and giggles we went into the Magico room. I think they were M5's but while they through a huge Soundstage, too detailed for these ears. At $135k those puppies better pour me a bourbon lol. My opinion they are not for rock or really dynamic music. Jazz, classical yes. They were powered by huge Boulder monos. And I mean HUGE. Speakers are a personal choice but Magico not for me. Build quality very impressed. |
Prof,
The room I was in also very well treated. Dead quiet. In my opinion the A3 was rather warm compared to the upper end Magico line. But overall not a well rounded speaker. Just didn’t have it’s stuff together so to speak as with the Olympica. I never found them fatiguing just not musical. With the right amp however I’m sure this would improve quite a bit.
James,
Is this a lateral move I’m not sure. I was hoping someone here could tell me. Believe me I’ve asked myself the same question. The O3 have different sound and it’s very pleasing to my ears. I wish I could compare my Thiels side by side. Different rooms also throws confusion into the mix. But what I do know is the O3 sounded oh so right to me. After discussing with a friend last night who I totally trust I think its a smart idea to change out my speaker cables and one set of interconnects before making a speaker change. This may get rid of any harshness I’ve heard and smooth things out. Overall better articulation. The Thiels aren’t harsh by any means just to clarify.
My cabling is Morrow Audio SP4 and MA5 which are silver coated and present some unwanted energy unlike their newer line up from what I’ve been told. It’s even documented on their website.
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Headphonedreams the step up from the Nova 3 is out of my price range lol.
James I agree it's what you enjoy at the moment but I definitely do not dislike the Thiels. They definitely excel at imaging and detail. Hopefully the cables will "fine tune" the sound. The interconnects I'm going to sound really rich and full. There was a thread in the cable forum about them. DIY Helix.
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@Prof....I doubt I will be able to keep the 2.7. The store I auditioned at gave me a very good trade in price if I choose to buy the Nova's from them.
@rushfan...Looks like they are out of stock but have rebranded Mullards for $140 pair. Do the front 2 tubes make the most difference? |
Thank you for the information. I can handle the 2 fronts if the cabling doesn't take care of the issue. The Mullards are great tubes but pricey these days as they are becoming scarce. |
Good suggestion rushfan. Are the Mullards overall quite a bit warmer than the stock tubes? Price per pair? I do remember going down the tube swapping fiasco with the PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium integrated I had a few years ago. Drove me crazy lol. |
Robert no problem at all. Your suggestion is a good one. I haven’t rolled any tubes in yet and if I do probably the front 2. I’m trying not to go down that road again replacing all the tubes.
To update the thread, I purchased a barely used pair of Olympica 3 (not Nova) from a dealer. They had maybe 25 hrs and never registered to anyone. So the break-in process begins lol. For them setup Friday late afternoon and 1st impressions they are very different from the 2.7. Extremely musical and focused but I know the will get better. The bass is very nice. I have the ports to the inside so I’m not sure if switching to the outside will help? Any thoughts? They are approximately 3.5 feet from the side wall, 2 feet from front wall and almost 8 feet apart tweeter to tweeter. Listening position is almost 10 feet. Room is 16 feet wide and 16 feet deep. Vaulted ceilings. |
Hi Walter,
After a month break in they are sounding quite a bit better. They are relaxing more and opening up. Imaging and layering of instruments is fantastic in my opinion. I'm guessing I have approximately 200 hours and the majority of those hours are with a Pass 150.8 amp now. Sold the Audio Research REF110 amp. Loved the REF110 but feel the Pass or solid state drives them better. |
James that’s a good question but for my tastes I prefer the SFO3. They both do a lot of things very well but I really think the O3s are more musical overall and versatile to various types of music. Build quality is top notch for both but I have to give the award to the 03 in a beauty contest lol. There is something about the O3 that make you a very proud owner and they ooze class. You can just feel that Sonus Faber as a company pay a LOT of attention to detail. The Thiels are rock solid as far as build quality also but at their prospective price points the O3 is a better speaker. But this is my opinion only. |
I remember you mentioning the lack of real grills and children in a previous post. Reminds me of a girl I went out for a very SHORT time a few years ago. She brought her little girl over one afternoon and I didn’t have the grills on my speakers and she proceeded to touch the tweeter and make a dent. I used a vacuum cleaner and gently placed it to the tweeter and pulled it right out. In the short time she was at my house she managed to dent the tweeter, scare the s--- out of my cat and leave foot prints on the wall. Needless to say that was the last time she was there lol. The mom was batshit crazy anyway bahahaha!!! |
