No love for Legacy Audio


Hello all. I have been on a few discussions here and read many more. I have not seen many of the posters here talk much about Legacy Audio speakers. I am referring to the Signature SE model and the Focus SE model. I am curious why people don’t seem to like them as much as several other brands that get talked about much more here. What is it you like better about the ones you are consistently raving about. Thank you. 

backdoor

I too have a pair of Legacy Focus XD's, which I have only had for about 2 weeks. So still breaking in, I also have a Wavelet II on order to get some control over the bass, but these are very good speakers. I am using a VAC Renaissance 70/70 Signature amp for mid/high.

Back when I was brand new to 2ch audio, I heard a friend’s Legacy Signature III setup. It was one of my first exposures to "real" hifi with turntable source and quality separates (BAT 6H30 tube preamp, Parasound Halo JC1 amps). I really loved it - such a fun, engaging listen!

A year later I got my opportunity to buy those same Signature III’s - and having NO idea what I was doing, pieced together my first "serious" 2ch system, including a Sunfire 600 Signature amp and BAT VK5i pre. Wow, was I excited to fire it up! Then (drumroll)...wow, it sounded pretty awful! I significantly improved things by ditching the Sunfire (eventually landing on my friend’s JC-1’s), but it never surpassed "mediocre" enough to justify its expense.

Chalked the experience up to a bad room / apartment, and listed the Signature III’s for sale. A local fellow contacted me, wanting to hear them first. Damn! They were already boxed up, and I knew he’d lose interest upon demo - but I obliged and set them on the long wall (the very wall I’d avoided due to "conventional" acoustic wisdom). Upon setup, my jaw dropped! All the fun sound from that first listen at my friend’s was back...and then some. I was genuinely impressed, the buyer was very impressed (of course he bought them immediately), and then I was sad I’d unlocked their potential literally 5 minutes before they walked out the door forever :(

But I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for Legacy! The rosewood finish was truly gorgeous, too. I’d seen a lot of wood veneers that don’t hold a candle to Legacy’s work.

I agree on Legacy's veneering. I was once able compare the finish on a pair of entry level Legacy HD Studio monitors to a $41k pair of speakers I will not name. The Legacy finish was much nicer.

@mikekollar 

I have the Focus XD for eight months now.  They are great speakers  Very live and dynamic sounding.  I owned quite a few speakers in the past and they were all floor standing.  None of them can compete with the XD on dynamics and bass.  Music just sounds live through the XD.  Transient speed is unbelievably fast.

I have only heard the Legacy speakers at Audio shows but it has never been good.