Thanks all. I read a pro review of the M2’s and the reviewer had what sounded like a very, very similar room to what I have - larger, open concept with the room extending out, with an open staircase. While the reviewer LOVED the speakers, he said that his 16’ x 30’ room was not ideal for these speakers and said if you have such a room, they are not ideal. They have less cabinet size and bass driver surface area vs the A5’s, so I think that alone rules them out. And, the reviewer struggled to get them to sound good, with setup. The A5’s are known to be dead easy to set up.
I also read in another article how different a sealed enclosure design sounds from a ported design. They present the philosophy that ported designs only give the illusion of more “oomph” in the bass around 60Hz, while sacrificing a lot of other things. They claimed people often first ask where the bass is with the sealed design even though the actual bass extension is very, very low. But, after spending time with it, it’s hard to ever go back to a ported design once you start hearing all the benefits.
This dealer I had auditioned the A5’s at sold them, amd won’t have any for months. Another dealer has them and I think I will give them another chance. The store said they have well over 500 hours on them. Hopefully it’s in a bigger, more open room as I think that is also more to my tastes.
@larryi , It’s not easy for me to simply go listen with existing electronics first - these dealers are not local to me. Requires half day of travel, and a hotel to not be rushed. Also listening with other electronics first, which I considered, I’d be afraid of ruling them out but not knowing if it was the speakers or electronics fault. Truth is, I actually really don’t love the sound of most speakers and amps, so finding gear I like is hard. Took me forever before I found an amp I liked; many home demos and there was not a single other amplifier I tested in my price range that I would have been happy living with.
Regarding A5 breakin: I’ve seen more than a few posts, I think on audio aficionado, where they say it was like a light switch turning on after 500 hours. One said he was considering parting with them. But after the bass showed up he had zero complaints and loved them. Several A5 owners were advising a guy to hang on to them as he was 250 hours in and wasn’t hearing the bass. Because of this, I’m hoping that my next audition of these speakers will go better…
@fastfreight thanks for reminding me of the Revel Salon 2’s. This model has been around for a LONG time, but whatever. There is actually a dealer who has these, and they also sell Wilson. Less interested in Wilson as even with my large room, due to the layout I can only have about 30” from the rear of the speaker to the wall - not sure if this is enough.
So this weekend I think I will be travelling with my amp to test the A5’s, the Salon 2’s, and the Wilson’s (Sasha DAW and Yvette).
If I have no luck, I think I’ve tested all the options available in my area and price range: B&W, Sonus Faber, Magico, Audiovector, Wilson, Revel. The only other option is the Monitor Audio PL500 but another Goner who owns these told me he thinks they need 4.5 ft behind them!
