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Verity Audio Amadis Owners, Listener Impressions?

I was wondering if anyone who owns these speakers or who has spent some time with them could chime in about them. I'm waiting to hear a pair and it will probably be another couple of weeks at least before they will be available. The demo pair I will get to hear is currently being built by Verity, hence the delay. In the meantime, I was curious to get feedback from any owners out there or folks who have spent some time with them. I've done a good bit of searching on various forums and come across a couple of folks who have heard them but not a single owner. This is still a relatively new model from a pretty small manufacturer and at a significant price point, so I guess that's not surprising.

My local dealer has the Finn, Rienzi and the Leonore at a on display and I thought they had some very impressive qualities about them. In a second demo I had with the Leonore, I began to understand the view that I had seen various folks comment about Verity in general which is that while they may not necessarily grab you right away, spending time with them substantially increases appreciation for them. That was my experience and II am very much looking forward to hearing what the Amadis brings to the table in the way of additional bass output and overall sound refinement. I had been interested in hearing the Parsifal Ovation as a next step up from the Leonore, but there are no demos available from the distributor or from Verity directly because of the age of that model. So, the Amadis was suggested as an alternate. In speaking with Julien Pelchat, he had high praise for the Amadis (as you would expect) and takes the position that the ring radiator tweeter it employs is very close to the ribbon used on the Sarastro II. I haven't heard the latter, but it seems that there is quite a bit of good sentiment out there for the Sarastros so if the Amadis is close, I should be in for a real treat. I'm certainly interested to hear how the Amadis improves upon what I've already heard from the Leonore.

Since I know folks will ask if I have looked into or suggest alternatives, note that I am indeed looking at a variety of choices (as we all should be when considering new speakers, especially at this price point where so many good choices exist). My interest in this thread was to get some feedback on this specific model while I wait. Patience has never been my strong suit, but this seems like a good way t pass the time. Thanks in advance for any thoughts or feedback.

Jeff
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Showing 3 responses by soniqmike

soniqmike
140 posts
 
Full disclosure: I have not yet heard the Amadis – but have heard every single product in Verity's their current line (and past) and have owned two Verity products over a 12 year span. So take my comments for what they are, just an opinion!

Ever since the Parsifal back in around 1996 or so, Verity has been pretty conservative and guardian of their ''sound'', which is refined, with strong qualities in the low-end region, an articulated and maybe ''soft'' midrange, and a slightly limited top-end extension. Fit and finish are first rate for every speaker.

Their coherence within their product line is remarkable and is for many (and surely for the company owners) their greatest strength.
I feel this coherence may be their weakness also.
I believe that the incremental gains in sound quality between their speakers are smaller than in the days when they had fewer models to choose from of course. But the ‘’laws of diminishing returns’’ kick-in on a larger scale, unfortunately, than with the competition at the prices these Verity’s are going for.
They make nice speakers that sound good and that will grace any decor, in a polite and conservative way, staying in line with conformity. This also applies to their sound if this is what you are looking for, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It can be a very good and secure thing, but I for one prefer a bit more ‘’life’’ out of life. And hell, we only live once – I’d like Verity to surprise us for a change instead of giving us a tiny bit more or a tiny bit less taste of the same dish.
Both coherence and spice can be achieved – for example – one could point (in electronics) Naim Audio for being conservative – and yet, their recent products are quite innovative – yet in-line with their own party politics.
soniqmike
140 posts
 
Jeff, I think you are right on the money with the Verity break-in period, and since you already like the Verity sound, you should be very pleased with the Amadis- it all depends by how much ''more'' there is of the good stuff you already like!
soniqmike
140 posts
 
Counting backwards, you wrote that ''But, I would disagree that the differences are insignificant.''

Who ever wrote that this was the case? I wish you would read the whole thing before jumping to quick conclusions. Insignificant or not is not for me to judge, I was meaning that the incremental benefits are not great, and that diminishing returns kick-in rapidly - but it is by no means ''insignificant'' and even if it was, for a lot of folks in this crazy hobby - ''insignificant'' improvements is good enough to warrant shelling out a lot of cash for. It is what drove me away from this hobby on to more sensibly-priced gear, with not as big a loss in overall quality. But that's a different topic altogether....
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