One of the most striking things you demonstrated to me was the difference between an of the shelf or typical horn, with a 1 inch or less throat compared to the two inch used in my Razz, was the lifelike and natural sound. Speaking in a normal voice, about 15 feet away, the difference was massive. Greg spoke through both and hands down there was no mistaking why the Volti mids sound just right.
Volti does it again!
For anyone at the Florida Audio Expo I hope you took the time to check in on what Greg of Volti audio brought. A new model, right between the Razz and Rival. It’s called Lucera and it sounds sublime! Everything I love about my Razz but better in all ways. I am literally sitting in my hotel room trying to negotiate with my better half on how to order a pair.
PS, everything I’ve read about visiting the “Three Amigos” at the show is correct. Volti, Border Patrol, and Triode labs make a heavenly combination. I can’t wait to go back and listen again tomorrow.
Showing 10 responses by doyle3433
@2psyop my current set up. Volti Razz, Cary SLI80HS integrated, MoFi ultra deck with Hana ML, Parasound Jc3 jr phono pre, Line Magnetic LM 24 disc player. When I talked with Greg the sensitivity of the new model was higher than the Razz, 98db I believe… As for the comparison to Klipsch, yes there’s no denying the similarities. The Volti website has a pretty decent compare and contrast write up. As for me I did own a pair of Heresy lV which I enjoyed. Don’t tell anyone but my usual is to pull out drivers and look inside my speakers. The Heresy was constructed well, but no where near the level of the Volti. When I picked up my Razz from the shop I was able to see all models in various stages of build. In all Volti the cabinets are made of thick marine grade wood, heavily braced throughout. I’m no expert, but the drivers appear of excellent quality. And the real gem to me was the 2” throats on the mid horn. Unreal to me how much more realistic the human voice sounded with only a minor difference in throat size. |
@wolf_garcia I agree completely, especially given the amount of money involved. For me it was a leap of sorts to take the pretty long drive down to Volti to listen and make my decision. No doubt some psychology was involved on my part, “ well I’m here, they look soo pretty, I made the drive etc..” to Greg’s credit he had me listen for hours, well into the night, pretty much anything I wanted to hear that I normally would. Perhaps the planets were all aligned, or just call it luck because the Razz exceeded all of my expectations, I was sold! If you are in the NE Ohio area or close enough, I’d be happy to have you come, anyone on AG too for that matter…
@speedthrills right there with you, bought a nice pair of DH labs bi-wire speaker cable and locking bananas. Not because I needed them, but wanted them. 😁😁 |
@hilde45 Agreed, 0 flexibility is not ideal. Not sure if that’s due to being burned in the past. When I worked at the only real HiFi shop in my town, my boss similarly was a bit rigid after the sale. I can say for sure his reasoning was getting burned. We also dealt in pro audio, and that was sometimes nightmarish. @bigkidz you didn’t hijack at all my friend, discussion is why we’re here right? Also the Vandersteen were also at the top of my list. I will own a pair someday. |
@whoopycat now that’s what I’m talking about! Is there anything better than a speaker that makes you jump up and get excited? When I brought mine home that house was shaking for days, just couldn’t help it. |
Like my dad used to say. It’s more fun to drive a slower car quickly than a fast car slowly. |
Greg has some pretty epic roads all around him, I got to experience them first hand, I'm a bit envious. Here in NE Ohio one has to drive a bit to get to them. They are great especially in the southern part of the state. For those considering a visit to Greg's shop for an audition, do it! You will not be disappointed for several reasons. 1. The experience of an extended listening session with these speaker gems. 2. Excellent Mexican food literally across the street. 3. The roads are indeed epic. 4. The bed in the shop is super comfortable. (I slept like a baby) |
@larryi I have a recovered single horn and folded cab that I pulled out of an old theater. It was made and installed by International Projector Corp. The drivers from what I understand were actually made by Jensen. The horn compression driver weighs like 60lbs by itself. The horn array is multi-celled a is quite large, it's coated on the outside by some sort of spray or paint on dampening material. When I cleaned it all up and sanded/sealed the bass cab. (also some fresh wire and a thorough clean of the Altec Xover), the darn thing sounds amazing! Too big for the living room so it lives in my second garage playing anything I want, sometimes at warp factor 12. When I listened to the new Lucera at FLAX there was a jump in midrange smoothness and coherence for sure compared to my RAZZ. (Hence my burning desire to bring a pair home). What I understood from Greg on this new model was some mid driver xover work along with a larger woofer. It sure sold me! |
You pose a very good question and point Greg. For instance the pizza I grew up on in my side of town is known to be not that popular among people who claim to know better, or “Foodies”… but for me, it’s a must have once a week. Many others too as the pizzeria always seems to be busy. The same could be true for what people want in a sound signature, or aesthetic. What we’re used to, we grew up with. Or what was an important sound experience in our lives. For instance when I open a new record I get a slight smell that takes me back to opening my dads record cabinet.. |