if you can listen to them the piega c-10 ltds are,imo,better the ones you mentioned at about the same price point. |
Pipe Dreams or Dali ... the big ones. |
You should include the Revel Salon and Sonus Faber Amati in your price range. I haven't listen to the Watt/Puppy 7s. But have listened to the Watt/Puppy 6s, and I liked the Salon and Amati much better. |
My favorites are the Avalon Eidolon's. The Sonus Faber Amati's are also very good. I second the Revel Salon vote as well. (I have the Revel Studio, the little brother to the Salon and really like them. I doubt I will be upgrading them for many years to come.)
Good Luck in your search!
PS I can't remember how powerful the Lamm amp is, but you will need lots of power for either the Eidolons or the Salons. Make sure you have at least 300-400W/ch with either speaker. |
I like ATC active 100's better than Verity Audio Parsifal Encores or Wilson Sofias (give these a listen before buying the WATT/Puppy 7's if you can). Real bass but tight and fast. One of the most transparent midrange drivers in the world. You will see plenty of raves here by the people who have heard them and the British press. They are $15,000 and come with 6 amps built in along with external crossover. |
i listened to the watt puppy 7 and sophia speakers at he2003 and they sounded very good. I also think that the Revel salons sound better than the watt puppy 7's and most other speakers for larger rooms. |
The Eidolon is a great speaker and will go wherever the rest of the system takes them. You need to hear the Eidolons in an excellent system to get a complete impression of what they can do - I had the misfortune of attending more than one poor demos during which I wondered whether they were the same speaker that I am used to.
Depending on the SPL you crave, the Lamm may just be powerful enough or not. You can get by with less than 300 to 400 Watts unless you want to fill a truly huge room with sound. My Pass X350 practically never moves its Ampere meter even when I crank it up. A friend of mine runs Eidolon Diamonds on Pass XA160 monos and they are plenty powerful enough at 160 Watts.
Whether the Eidolon would match the Lamm sonicwise is best tried out. The Eidolons have a reputation for not being the easiest speakers to drive.
The Eidolon Diamond, despite sharing the name and looks with the Eidolon, is not the same speaker (except for the midrange driver). Give it a listen too. |
Merlin VSM-M.....you can save some money and still get a world beater. |
I second the Revel Salons as well. If you have the room and money for them, they'll excel at all musical genre. Not just vocal and strings like most top notch systems. The Salons do require top-notch electronics as they're very revealing. The best I heard is the big Halcros, even better than the Levinson monos. |
W/P 7's. I have listened to the Revel Salons and Studios and they sound lifeless in comparison. |
If you have the room and scratch for them, the Dynaudio Temptations would be worth an audition, very compatible with your equipment. |
The Lamm M2.1 will put out nearly 400W with the high-impedance tap at 8 ohms. I don't think power is a problem with a Lamm amplifier.
I would check out the Sonus Faber Amati too. I feel the Wilson's are too cold - especially the Sophias. I heard the Dynaudio C4 in Finland last week and was amazed at its performance capability. Haven't heard the Eidolon yet but want to. |
Wvick, do you own the W/P 7s, if so what kind of setup are you running? What was the rest of the setup that you audition the Salons with? I have audition the W/P 5, 6, and 7. I really tried to like them, as I like the aesthetics. The only spectrum that has improved in the 7 is in the bass, and it's still not as clean/fast as say the Avalon Eidolon and Revel Salon . The mid is still not as clean as other speakers in it's price range, the highs are still very bright, just as all Watt/Puppies I listen to are. They might impress in an audition with exagerate details. But in long term listening, they are very fatiguing. |
I see you are getting lots of advice, much of it contradictory though, so here is a practical suggestion:
You should tell us where you live (approximately).
Then ask for any Audiogoners (Is that a word?) who would not mind letting you listen to there systems, which have the speakers you are interested in, and who happen to live within a couple of driving hours of your residence.
I know most Audiogoners (there is that word again!) usually don't mind showing off their systems. (Especially if the guest brings along a nice bottle of wine, or a nice 6 pack of beer, import or microbrews only. No Bud or Coors thank you very much!) You could even bring along your cd player to hook up to see what you think, as that is a easy hook up.
Just a thought! Good Luck in your search! |
Pootie, I do own a pair of WP 7's but before I purchased them, I auditioned several speakers to include Revel Salons and Studio's. First of all let me say that all of the above mentioned speakers are among the best available anywhere and they all have their strengths and weaknesses. I listened to the Revel's with the best that Levinson has to offer and again with Musical Fidelity. They sounded great but they were not for me. I listened to B&W N800's on the same Levinson system in the same room and really liked them. I almost went with those but I had recenlty sold a pair of N802's and I wanted to move away from B&W. Also, the N800's are rather large and I am tired of behemoth speakers. I had also been listening to WP 6's and Sophia's. And although I loved the quickness, speed and bottom end of the 6's, I was never really satisfied with the top end (a little to hot for me). The Sophia's sound great but do not have the WP bottom end. Then came the 7's with all the WP 6 bottom end and a tamer top end. I love the sound and as a bonus, the WP's offer a package that few high end speakers can. (1) exceptional build quality and finish, (2) small foot print/big sound, (3) perform exceptionally well with top notch tube or SS gear, (4) elegant and beautiful to look at, (5) not a major pain in the ass to move if needed (6) excellent resale value. To sum it up, for me and my lifestyle, my ears and eyes, the WP 7's are the best that I have encountered. In the end, it all boils down to personal preference (and cash). Regards |
i wouldn't call any of the revel speakers "lifeless". i would have to agre with Wvick that what matters most is how the owner likes them (personal preference). The best thing to do is see if you can bring a pair of each speaker home and audition them in your room and using your electronics to see which one you prefer. |
With your amps I would go with Kharma in small to medium rooms and Wilson in medium to large rooms. The Avalons need power and the more the better. You don't have to use it (cranked) they just need it. Peace and Good Listening, Pat. |
is the verity persifal better than the wilson sofia |
