VAC amps and Focal Grand Utopias at $195k a pair

11-01-14: Mribob
Dev,
Did you really sell your beloved MBL's? What will you listen to replace them? Your friend I am sure got great deal and wonderful speakers. What amp will he power them?
Thanks for sharing your personal experience, I have enjoyed your prior posts. Albert however is loving his focal grands, and I respect his posts as well. Two opposing conclusions, each true, but our hobby is only obtaining sound quality we prefer and enjoy...not one size fits all...many paths to get us to enjoy the music.

Yes I did, I have owned them for 9 years and learned allot along the way - absolutely amazing speakers, hard to let them go. :(

My postings are just that, as you know my own thoughts which have assisted many over the years along with yourself - some saving them the time and allot of added expense, Albert is a great guy whom I like and respect but we just differ on these speakers offerings and that's okay.

I already own Vac Statements prior to anyone in this forum so I have a good handle on their sonic capabilities so when I heard was very disappointed.

As mentioned above I went to the RMAF Show prepared to purchase a pair myself mainly because of the glowing reports. I thought for sure it would totally change my past not so favorable listening experiences. In the back of my mind I thought for sure it must have been the gear but at the same time I had already heard them also with ARC Ref250's and 40th Aniv so I was kinda scratching my head wondering - I NOW have a good handle over all of their strengths and weaknesses.

It would have to be an absolute miracle, night and day from what I have heard.

I spoke with the man behind the speakers and he felt the two rooms at the RMAF were demonstrating his speakers capabilities outstandingly and was very satisfied with lots of smiles while I was talking privately with him. I spoke with Brent and he mentioned in the past they did sound better but it was not a night and day difference.

I have already wrote above and there is no sense of repeating, anyone can read but after hearing them recently in a well designed room and to date the best sounding I was still hearing the similarities clearly, what can I say. It is what it is.

We have a local show going on called TAVES, no Grands but had Stella's which were paired up with those crazy priced Naim mono blocks - same as I wrote of above in my other posts. I was sitting at a table with three others, one absolutely loved is, third kinda and remaining thumbs down.

I have now to date heard these with so many amplifications and set-ups this is a speaker that I would have no desire to own.

If we all liked the same it would be pretty boring, as I wrote back to Fplanner.

I also own a pair of Evolution Acoustics MM3 speakers now going on two years so not too shabby of a second speaker to own - I haven't to date put in the same time as I did with the MBL's so I will do such and see.

We have a local show happening called the TAVES Show, no Grands present but the Stella's were paired up with the Naim outrageously priced mono blocks "fugly". To date the sound compares to the DEVIALET I heard driving the Grands a few years back, just not sure which one I preferred less.

Dev- To each their own. I am very happy with my Grandes, which exhibit none of the negative characteristics you describe. Best speakers I have ever heard for delivering the "you are there' experience, regardless of performance scale. You seem to have seized upon a few negative characteristics, real or imaginary, and are attributing them to all the Grande's you have heard. While that is your right, it certainly doesn't mean you ARE right. Myself and a whole lot of Focal Grande Utopia EM owners as well as reviewers around the world feel otherwise. As I said, to each their own.

11-03-14: Fplanner2000
Dev- To each their own. I am very happy with my Grandes, which exhibit none of the negative characteristics you describe. Best speakers I have ever heard for delivering the "you are there' experience, regardless of performance scale. You seem to have seized upon a few negative characteristics, real or imaginary, and are attributing them to all the Grande's you have heard. While that is your right, it certainly doesn't mean you ARE right. Myself and a whole lot of Focal Grande Utopia EM owners as well as reviewers around the world feel otherwise. As I said, to each their own.

That's great that you are, you seem to be reading and taking this a little personal and you shouldn't but please take the time to read that I wrote it's good that you are happy with them.

I was looking at getting a pair myself, that's why I flew to another country to hear, wasn't expecting it to be perfect.

I am LOL when you write they don't exhibit any of the negative characteristics I have described - well unfortunately every pair I have heard to date clearly does demonstrate these and I'm not nit picking.

I understand it's your opinion, when you wrote;"Best speakers I have ever heard for delivering the "you are there' experience, regardless of performance scale."

I most defiantly don't agree with that statement and have yet to experience.

If you can't hear those differences well that's great, just enjoy! It's only my opinion so it shouldn't matter.

Please share with us some details outlining the differences your system is portraying in comparison to the one at RMAF.

In what areas is your system outperforming what was being heard.

Peter Breuninger gave a GOLD star for best sound to Vac and Focal Grand Utopias room at RMAF so I guess he heard it at the RIGHT time.