I listened to a pair of Vivid Audio Giya G3's and they sounded SO REAL!! If I ever hit the Lottery.. these are the speakers I will buy and keep for LIFE!! These Giya G3's might just be one of the very best speakers "money can buy"!! "AT ANY PRICE"!!... |
Hi Karelfd
I aim sure your correct about the Giya's- Honestly in this economy I aim afraid to demo them!
Like your system!
Kodg |
I own a pair of SF Guarneri speakers, and these speakers are in my shortlist if I ever change them. I heard them with Halcro amps at CES and really liked them. |
I heard their standmounted at a dealer's showroom once and the Giya at a show. The standmounted was good, but considering the price, I'd want the bottom end to go lower. The Giya was eyeopening with the detail and dynamics. Front end was DCS and cablings were Nordost. The sonic signature did not float my boat as I am not a detail seeker, but I have to agree that the wow factor was very very high and a lot of friends loved it. |
Heard them at the LA show several years back. They made an impression as a very dynamic system that sounded MAYBE a touch on the bright side in that particular room. Overall, though, I thought they sounded very good, off a brief audio show type audition...FWIW
Marty |
Hi Kodg, if you found Yg Anat to be superior to Vivid K1, try to get the opportunity to listen to Giya, the hierarchy changes again (and quite drastically imo).
I liked your reference to "sweat spot", sometimes it does indeed take a lot of sweat before it will turn sweet ;^) I fully agree when you point out that Vivid is quite forgiving in that respect. At the HighEnd, listening to the Giyas, I changed seats from front to back, center to aisles several times, there were shifts but the presentation just remained wonderful.
Enjoy your K1, I'm sure you will! |
Vivid: fast, un-real resolution, dynamic & not as picky in room placement-your sweat spot is much larger than any other - high resolution speaker I have heard, no 1/4' this way or that!
I purchased the B1 & up-grading to the K1 on Monday. The finish is "top of line" just like Wilson. The Vivid speakers are more dynamic & faster than the Wilsons Sasha's with better clarity/resolution/dynamics. Sasha's have a little more bass (maybe), but Wilson lacks the midrange & tweeter clarity & overall resolution of the Vivids. (I aim not bashing Wilson in anyway I aim only commenting on what I have personally owned & feel justified in my impressions because I have owned them)
Wilson & Vivid go about eliminating cabinet resonance in opposite ways-Wilson relies on there cabinet materail used in critical locations, were as the Vivids use the speaker's shape & tapered tube loaded mid/tweets & opposing forces in the bass units & a fully open air port to eliminate any un-wanted cabinet resonance, basically the bass & air ports cancel each other out. There are just no sharp angles or corners & the X-overs are mounted in the speaker base.
The only speaker I have heard that best the sound of the Vivids is the Yg Acoustic Anats II Main Module's.
If your a resolution nut like me I would give YG's 1st. place followed closely by the Vivids & third Wilson.
The Sasha & K1 & (Yg main Modules @ $33,000.00(higher)) are basically @ the same price point. The Vivids sound as good as speakers in the "ubber Market" area.
Both Vivid & Wilson speakers are finished flawlessly in your choice of automotive paint. The Yg's are more of a Military grade build w/"ballistic grade Titanium baffles & 3/4" aircraft grade aluminum.(truly bullet proof)
IMO once you here the YG's or Vivids all other speakers sound veiled & muddy.
Vivid B1 & k1 are not as radical as the Giya & don't really stand out. The look of speakers is purely personal. I like the slim look of the B1 & K1 & not so much the Giya, but from what I read about the Giya the sound will trump the looks.
Vivid main engineer Larwence Dickie of B&W Natilus/matrix fame has taken the Vivids to the next level, the tapered tubes are no doubt directly born from the B&W, but perfected!
Sound is subjective & I always recommend trusting your own ears-it's your $$ after all. For my $$ Yg/Vivid give me the sound I prefer.
Kodg |
stereophile just reviewed 'em--wes phillips called em the best speakers he's ever heard. quite an endorsement--they're now atop my must-hear list. |
Since they are designed by a x-B&W head designer, I wonder if the apple has fallen close to the tree? |
I've heard the Vivid Audio K1. My impression is that it's a very decent speaker in terms of throwing a deep holographic image and believable soundstage, and sonically the highs and mids are very refined. What it lacks, however, is an engrossing bottom end.
The K1 actually has four 6" woofers per speaker, with two on the front baffle and two in the rear. I'm not sure how much the speaker placement in my audition affected the sound, but these speakers were placed at least 10 feet in front of the back wall. I asked the dealer if that would affect the bass negatively, but he said no. I tend to believe, however, that the low-end performance would have improved with more realistic and practical speaker placement closer to the wall, particularly since two of its woofer are firing from the rear.
In this demo room, there was actually a pair of Eggleston Savoy nearer the back wall, so it wasn't possible for me to ask that the K1's got moved back, and of course, any room set-up for more than one pair of speakers are generally not ideal. One positive thing about the K1's bass performance, however, is that the bass that it did have was tight and fast.
Overall, I think this is a very good speaker if you can accept that its bass ouput is on the lean side, which can be addressed with a sub, of course. The mids and highs are impressive, however, and to be honest, this speaker to me is more about looks and design. It has high WAF factor and if you have a "modern" looking room/home, this will fit right in. Really, it's a blend of luxury hi-fi and a showcase piece for the room. From what I understand, you can also choose any color for it like the Wilsons.
Haven't heard the Giya yet, but would love to. If it's like or better in the mids and highs than the K1, but provides substantial bass, then I think it would be a winner. |
If you are seriously considering them as a speaker, you may be able to obtain an audition with the US distributor. Otherwise, I believe they will probably be at this year's RMAF, and next year's CES.
I first heard the Vivid lineup with the B1, and was hooked. I had to have the line. Yes, I am a dealer. I have the B1's and v1.5's in my demo space. I Can't afford the Giyas in this economy. |
Thanks for putting that right. The Giya is one of a rare breed indeed. |
Karelfd,
I do not feel they are too revealing at all. My point was they are on the "revealing and detailed" side of what I might find perfectly neutral and no speaker I have ever heard fits on that pin-head...
Put another way, let's say the Vivid name is very aptly chosen and that they will not fool blind listeners into thinking that they are listening to a pair of Sonus Faber Amati Homage's :o)
Fast, clean, detailed, transparent and dynamic are words I'd use along with SOTA pitch definition and never-heard-it-before bass response....
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Hi, I heard the Giya with Luxman's top of the range electronics in Munich last year, and they were one of the best presentations imho (in spite of a far from ideal room). It is not a secret that I personally am "hooked" on other speakers, but I do not hesitate one moment to put Vivid Giya in the champion's league. Contrary to Grant, I did not have the impression that they were too revealing (certainly not in the sense of too "technical" as opposed to "musical"), which may have been exactly on account of the electronics used. |
The Vivid Giya's are in a small class of the best speakers I have experienced based on their incendiary dynamic capability--ie, speed, timing, coherence, precision, pitch articulation and gravity-challenging bass response.
They have a narrow front baffle which means w-i-d-e sound-stage and small visual footprint. The word pistonic keeps coming to mind to describe their accuracy and perceived driver efficiency. They are definitely not what I would describe to be warm, rich, dull or slow sounding. They are all about accuracy and dynamics from micro to macro. Better depend on electronics, source and cable choices as voicing tools as the speakers do not do that--they are very neutral if maybe a hair on the revealing side of my idea of perfectly neutral.
They are unapologetically um, modern in appearance. I read the Audio Beat review as well and felt they nailed the general voice, value and character of the speakers. Like many other top speaker designs they will need careful attention to every set up and system choice made. I have heard them sound like a revelation in some set ups and very pedestrian in others so audition in careful circumstances is a must.
Regards,
Grant
Shunyata
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Hifisoundguy, I have not personally heard them, but on the website, The Audio Beat, they recently published a well done review that you might find interesting and informative. The reviewer compares the Vivid speakers to his Wilson Maxx 3's. |
