One other note. I was hoping to hear something with ceramic drivers at some point as well since I've always been curious. However, attempts to locate a local dealer selling lines like Marten Design, Avalon Acoustics, Tidal, Evolution Acoustics, etc. all came up empty. I guess this whole market has no love for ceramic! :)
Jeff |
Thanks for the feedback. As for Devore, that is one of many brands that has no representation anywhere in Georgia, let alone here in Atlanta. I know lots of folks would say it would be worth the trip to visit an out of state dealer and while I'm sure it would, my schedule doesn't really permit that.
My Verity dealer just informed me that the Amadis demo units won't be in until more like mid-April. That's certainly disappointing, though I did just have a great demo of some Burmester speakers that the same dealer also carries. So, I'm mulling over whether to wait to hear the Amadis and compare or just go ahead and get the Burmesters that I have already heard and really liked. I'm not sure what I'll do as I have some concern that the delay could wind up being longer than even this new estimate.
Jeff |
I know that holding out is probably the right thing to do for all of those reasons. In the end, I probably will do just that while hoping that the set comes in sooner than expected. My dealer is going to keep working with the distributor and Verity to see if there are any creative solutions available. I'm just hoping that it doesn't push past this new estimate.
Jeff |
Well, you learn something new every day. I had looked into Devore and the dealer page of the website and wasn't surprised to see that there wasn't a GA dealer listed. Beyond that, I hadn't heard mention of Devore here locally. So, I was surprised to see the dealer mentioned by Hchilcoat whom I had never heard of. Sure enough, I found their website and they do indeed list Devore as one of the brands they carry. They also carry Nola, which is interesting as the Baby Grands get quite a bit of praise. I think I'll be giving them a call early next week to arrange for a listening session. If nothing else, it gives me an additional source of comparison leading up to the Amadis demo.
Thanks Hchilcoat, that was very helpful.
Jeff |
I have made contact with Steve and he's going to arrange for a demo of both the Silverbacks as well as the NOLA Baby Grands. The latter is out of the range of my budget, but the Metro was mentioned as an obvious alternate that supposedly has similar a similar sound. I figure if I don't like what I hear from the Baby Grands, then the Metros wouldn't be worth pursuing anyway.
I'm excited about getting to hear 2 possibilities that I have certainly seen mentioned on the forums but never heard for myself. Who knows, maybe one of them will become my new favorite. :) The Amadis delay has opened the door and since I had been curious about these others, there's no reason not to check them, out.
Jeff |
Those additional responses and impressions are interesting. Hopefully, I'm only a couple of weeks out from the Amadis arriving here and at this point I'm not quite sure how it will play out. My expectations are high, as they should be for this price category, so we'll see how they measure up to what hasbuiltup in my head over time. Since the pair will be new, there's also the break-in period. I'm going to give them a serious listen and likely more than one because of that factor but I won't get them if I don't love what I hear after a few sessions. I hope I do love them because at that point I can stop looking and just enjoy a great choice. That being said, I have this small but persistent feeling that given how the wait has served to further build up the anticipation, a let down might not be put of the realm of possibility.
Soniqmike's comments do hit home to a certain degree as I kind of felt that way during the progression upward from Finn to Rienzi to Leonore. The big jump in reaction to the sound never happened and the ROI on the Leonore compared to the Finn just didn't seem as good. It was to me as if the sonic improvements just did glee pace with the price. I certainly understand diminishing returns but to me this seemed magnified with those 3 models. With the Amadis, I'm certainly expecting a very noticeable improvement and again, for good reason. If that doesn't happen, then I'll know for sure that Verity is just not for me. It wouldn't be the end of the world but certainly would be disappointing to have waited just to get that result. The good news is that I have a very strong alternate choice in the Burmesters and there's still listening to be done on the Silverbacks, Nolas, Focal Scalas and MBL 120 and 101 (those last 3 are new additions that I will get to hear at next week's AXPONA show here in Atlanta). So, wait may have side benefits to either confirm the Amadis choice or perhaps instead offer up very good alternatives.
Jeff |
Hey Soniqmike,
I really am hopeful that the Amadis is what I want it to be and with any luck, it will be. I just got confirmation of another demo, but from a local owner this time instead of a dealer. I guy who lives near me has a pair of Avalons and invited me to come take a listen. I will be doing that this weekend so that certainly should round out a pretty darn good comparison. The next 2-3 weeks will be interesting.
Jeff |
That's a very valid point regarding the usual show pairings you see with Verity. They do seem to love the Nagra amps and while I can appreciate both that route and the amp pairing flexibility that the sensitivity of the newer Verity models provide, I won't be using tubes. My current amp as a Mcintosh MC252, though I am considering potential alternatives. Additionally, the best sounds I've heard at my dealer's place have been pairings with a Burmester 911 Mk 3. I'll likely continue testing with that amp at my dealer's place but I will also test with McIntosh as the dealer sells that line as well.
Just as an FYI, unless there were 2 Burmester rooms, I think the model you heard was the B20 vs the B30. I saw pics of a Burmester setup as well as a video from one attendee (http://www.youtube.com/user/Proacguy1#p/u/28/FMIItsyBOD0) and asked Jeff Dorgay (form Tone Audio) which model they were. It was his room and he said they were the B20s. I really enjoyed the B20 as well but if I went that route I'd likely choose the larger, but extremely similar, B30 due to my room's size. |
My situation was one where I started off liking what I heard on the Finn and also liked the Rienzi but still wanted more bass than what either of them provided. This was prior to really looking into the specs of the model lineup so going into the Leonore, I figured I would get that. In many speaker lines, increased bass output quite often accompanies moves made to more expensive models. In Verity's case, you get very similar bass output across the first 3 models before making a jump when you get to the Parsifals and then again at the Amadis. That was my experience with those first 3 and what I expect from the Amadis based on specs. That being said, I've read more than once that Veritys are not bass monsters. And really, that's ok. I just wanted more than what those 3 gave me.
In the absence of additional bass output on the Leonore, I was expecting more improvement in other areas to justify the price increase. For me and my taste, I just didn't see that. As such, the value proposition was not there for for me for that model. Certainly I understand diminishing returns in this industry, but as Mike says, that scale will be different for each particular listener. I still saw very good value in the Finns and the Rienzis (which were actually a trade in pair that I could get for less than the Finns, which improved their value further). As stated above, I have high expectations for the Amadis. I expect to get better bass output as well as overall sound refinement. I don't think I would be going too far by saying that I need to really be wowed to justify them at their price point. If they do, I know full well that they may not for others and the reverse might wind up being true. It's all subjective as different listeners have different preferences. I fully expect to find a very good choice at the end of this journey, whatever that final choice might be.
Jeff
Jeff |
Edorr,
Thanks for your very detailed response. I've been a guy who long prefers fuller range floorstanders over sub integration. I know I could achieve sime incredible results, but I just prefer to listen to music without them. Part of that is a sub integration issue that I have played with at various times and never been able to get quite right and part of it is a room location issue so that my wife doesn't feel like the room is overrun. It's just a preference, though I have admittedly heard some excellent music setups using 2-way monitors plus a sub.
Jeff |
Countingbackwards,
As for the differences between Verity models I will say one last thing. Had I had the chance to hear the Parsifal Ovation, I would have gone that route instead of jumping to the Amadis. My expectation for them would have been similar to the Amadis based on specs, comments from reviewers and owners as well as the price step up. There's still the question to be answered for me about value for the Amadis. As in, even if I like it, do I like it at that price? That will be one I'll have to answer myself and compare that listening impression and associated price with others, including the Burmester B30 at about half the price.
Speaking of the B30, your comments on the differences between Parsifal and Sarastro are interesting. I absolutely found theB30 to be a "fun" speaker to listen to. It was perhaps less adept at critical listening than its B80 big brother, but that fun aspect made for an appeal all its own. I wonder how the Amadis will sound in that regard? I expect that the Sarastro would be more on the critical listening end for me than a fun speaker. If the Amadis is somewhere in between, that could make for a very good mix.
Jeff |
Well, there's been an interesting development. The Amadis pair that was being built had some cabinet imperfections. I don't know if Verity will hold those back or still have them produced given that they were intended as a distributor demo pair. Either way though, I was not going to buy that particular pair because the finish color was not black (I would evaluate the Amadis and then, if I liked them, would order a pair in black). Therefore, that particular pair was going to have ot be shipped again after a period of time at my dealer's shop. An alternative was offered up which was the black pair of Sarastro IIs that were shown at the SSI show a couple of weeks ago. The thinking here is that if I like them, I could buy that pair and not have to wait on a new set to be produced, etc.
So, that pair are on the way to my dealer's shop and should likely be received next week. It's funny how a quest to originally try and hear Parsifal Ovations has now evolved into a listening session with the Sarastro II... :)
Jeff |
