Speaker Oasis...Bionor

ALF

ALF

Well-Known Member
Mar 15, 2012
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Greetings, All!

I have been fortunate to visit several audio friend's systems over the last several years. My travels have taken me, near and wide...visiting with Albert in Dallas, Mike in the Pacific Northwest, Syntax in the Bavarian Alps, and a "roomplay" session with wild-man Jim in Atlanta. All of these visitis were with congenial and gracious hosts; therefore, they were very enjoyable listening audio excursions. I may say these were good times lisitening to both familiar and new music presented by wonderful systems along with nice personal vists!

This summer I followed trail blazed by our friend Steve when making my way to visit with David in the Utah desert. Over the years, I have been intriqued with the possibilities of finding and listening to hi-efficientcy transducers with nominal impeadance curves that allow the speaker's chassis to get simply out of the way of an uninteruped flow of energy. At one time, in my own audio journey, I had a reference Shindo system with the WE Hommage Latours...flat, hi-impeadance machines themselves; this was really a fun system. Today I still enjoy my Wilson Alexandrias, they are a different in-kind presentation that I find to be super in their own way.

Ah, back to David; his unique set of Bionors, simply the best of transducers that I have heard, hands down, not even close to any other room that I have been in, next to a real live event.

I am familiar with his upstream electronics, so I could sit; well, sometimes the happy feet took me on trip of their own making and I would find myself gliding around the room. You may ask yourslf, "how did I get here?" Where did the sweet spot go; well, it was everywhere...even fine while laying flat on by back, who knew that there was an ottoman placed in the middle of the room?

Cheers!
Alan
 
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ALF said:
Greetings, All!

I have been fortunate to visit several audio friend's systems over the last several years. My travels have taken me, near and wide...visiting with Albert in Dallas, Mike in the Pacific Northwest, Syntax in the Bavarian Alps, and a "roomplay" session with wild-man Jim in Atlanta. All of these visitis were with congenial and gracious hosts; therefore, they were very enjoyable listening audio excursions. I may say these were good times lisitening to both familiar and new music presented by wonderful systems along with nice personal vists!

This summer I followed trail blazed by our friend Steve when making my way to visit with David in the Utah desert. Over the years, I have been intriqued with the possibilities of finding and listening to hi-efficientcy transducers with nominal impeadance curves that allow the speaker's chassis to get simply out of the way of an uninteruped flow of energy. At one time, in my own audio journey, I had a reference Shindo system with the WE Hommage Latours...flat, hi-impeadance machines themselves; this was really a fun system. Today I still enjoy my Wilson Alexandrias, they are a different in-kind presentation that I find to be super in their own way.

Ah, back to David; his unique set of Bionars, simply the best of transducers that I have heard, hands down, not even close to any other room that I have been in next to a real live event.

I am familiar with his upstream electronics, so I could sit; well, sometimes the happy feet took me on trip of their own making and would find myself gliding around the room. You may ask yourslf, "how did I get here?" Where did the sweet spot go; well, it was everywhere...even fine while laying flat on by back, who knew that there was an ottoman placed in the middle of the room?
Click to expand...

Hi Alan

I'm glad you had the same revelation as I did. Simply put David's system has become my new reference. I have never heard sound as good as his anywhere or with any other gear. It is something one can only dream of attaining as those drivers etc are long gone. David was very wise to buy up all the parts he could find. Anyone who wants to hear truly the ultimate in aural experience a visit to Cedar City Utah is indicated to hear Davids system.
 
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Ditto Steve, simply a wonderful experience with one-of-a-kind transducers, these Bionors. David, he is a genuine, humble and very gracious host! Additionally, his knowledge regarding setup and system synergies is beyond peer...you've got to love his williness to share his experiences.

Cheers!
Alan
 
Alan,

Thanks for reporting. It is a pity that the Siemens Bionors were manufactured in Germany and we do not know of a comparable system in Europe. :(
 
microstrip said:
Alan,

Thanks for reporting. It is a pity that the Siemens Bionors were manufactured in Germany and we do not know of a comparable system in Europe. :(
Click to expand...

Hello Microstrip,

Many thanks!

Yes, the Germans, generally they are exporters; I am not sure about finding a nice examples the Seimens Bionors in Europe; however, I suspect that there are some gems available.

David's Bionors escaped, they were found resting and waiting patiently for him in custody of a fine gentleman in Japan; fate was kind enough to allow them to find each other.

Cheers!
Alan
 
Alan

For the record they are Bionor speakers not Bionar

IIRC David is aware of only a few more in existence and I think they were bigger versions called Eurodyn (I think)

I also agree with you about the sweet spot or lack thereof as the imaging is perfect anywhere in the room
 
Steve Williams said:
Alan

For the record they are Bionor speakers not Bionar

IIRC David is aware of only a few more in existence and I think they were bigger versions called Eurodyn (I think)

I also agree with you about the sweet spot or lack thereof as the imaging is perfect anywhere in the room
Click to expand...

Darn, that slippery "a."

Yes, there are few additional Bionors out there, for sure; definitely, and as the youngsters say, "awesome!"

Eurodyns, there are a few versions of that one, even field-coil options. The baffle dimensions for the Eurodyn can be different than the Bionar; however, the actual drivers utilized are larger with the Bionor.

Sweet spots, they are everywhere :)!

Cheers!
Alan
 
Steve Williams said:
Alan

For the record they are Bionor speakers not Bionar

IIRC David is aware of only a few more in existence and I think they were bigger versions called Eurodyn (I think)

I also agree with you about the sweet spot or lack thereof as the imaging is perfect anywhere in the room
Click to expand...

Judging on the lack of reaction on my heads up for the Siemens speakers for sale in another section ,I doubt anybody here cares but for the sake of completeness:

Klangfilm was formed in the 1920s by Siemens and AEG in Germany to manufacture cinema equipment. In the early 40s Siemens became the sole owner with the exception of a division stuck in East Germany called Eckmiller. Thus these speakers are Siemens Klangfilm.

There is a complete,lovingly created French(!) forum/site on these German marvels

http://www.klangfilm.org/index.php?lng=0&music=&type=0&frame=0&item=&title=&dir=&num=
 
ALF said:
Greetings, All!

I have been fortunate to visit several audio friend's systems over the last several years. My travels have taken me, near and wide...visiting with Albert in Dallas, Mike in the Pacific Northwest, Syntax in the Bavarian Alps, and a "roomplay" session with wild-man Jim in Atlanta. All of these visitis were with congenial and gracious hosts; therefore, they were very enjoyable listening audio excursions. I may say these were good times lisitening to both familiar and new music presented by wonderful systems along with nice personal vists!

This summer I followed trail blazed by our friend Steve when making my way to visit with David in the Utah desert. Over the years, I have been intriqued with the possibilities of finding and listening to hi-efficientcy transducers with nominal impeadance curves that allow the speaker's chassis to get simply out of the way of an uninteruped flow of energy. At one time, in my own audio journey, I had a reference Shindo system with the WE Hommage Latours...flat, hi-impeadance machines themselves; this was really a fun system. Today I still enjoy my Wilson Alexandrias, they are a different in-kind presentation that I find to be super in their own way.

Ah, back to David; his unique set of Bionors, simply the best of transducers that I have heard, hands down, not even close to any other room that I have been in, next to a real live event.

I am familiar with his upstream electronics, so I could sit; well, sometimes the happy feet took me on trip of their own making and I would find myself gliding around the room. You may ask yourslf, "how did I get here?" Where did the sweet spot go; well, it was everywhere...even fine while laying flat on by back, who knew that there was an ottoman placed in the middle of the room?

Cheers!
Alan
Click to expand...

Another incredible endorsement of DDK's system. I know the Taj Mahal is high on the 'must see' list for the family...i wonder if there is any way to 'swing by' Utah on the way? :)
 
jdza said:
Judging on the lack of reaction on my heads up for the Siemens speakers for sale in another section ,I doubt anybody here cares but for the sake of completeness:

Klangfilm was formed in the 1920s by Siemens and AEG in Germany to manufacture cinema equipment. In the early 40s Siemens became the sole owner with the exception of a division stuck in East Germany called Eckmiller. Thus these speakers are Siemens Klangfilm.

There is a complete,lovingly created French(!) forum/site on these German marvels

http://www.klangfilm.org/index.php?lng=0&music=&type=0&frame=0&item=&title=&dir=&num=
Click to expand...


jdza,

Unfortunately in the US there's a lack of appreciation/knowledge for the Klangfilms or most other vintage speakers for that matter, only a small niche group have limited interest when the price is low enough. Honestly I don't think there's much awareness for them in Europe either, its something people just started noticing when we first started doing shows 12 years ago and more recently Silbatone and their vintage horns but I'm not sure how many actually get them with limited exposure.

david
 
Sadly, i think one of the reasons that many of us do not follow these more is because these magnificent horns are not only rare to be able to hear...they are also so big that many of us cannot even come close to fitting them in a domestic environment...well, not and live to tell about it anyway if our spouses have anything to say about it! ;)

We are struggling to contemplate the floor space for the 4-tower Genesis 2.3s, let alone a magnificent Bionor!

In truth, that is where i give credit to David Wilson, who design a SOTA speaker in 1994 that was 6 feet tall (short enough for any home even with a 7.5' ceiling), and a footprint of 16" x 24", and that further was adjustable to the room with changes to each resistor for adjusting the frequency response, as well as adjustments to each of the 3 mid/treble cones. And yet gave an extremely good reproduction of full-scale sound.

Back to horns, i admit i still have a lot to learn about them and would love to hear even one of these big Siemens well setup someday.
 
LL21 said:
Sadly, i think one of the reasons that many of us do not follow these more is because these magnificent horns are not only rare to be able to hear...they are also so big that many of us cannot even come close to fitting them in a domestic environment...well, not and live to tell about it anyway if our spouses have anything to say about it! ;)

We are struggling to contemplate the floor space for the 4-tower Genesis 2.3s, let alone a magnificent Bionor!

In truth, that is where i give credit to David Wilson, who design a SOTA speaker in 1994 that was 6 feet tall (short enough for any home even with a 7.5' ceiling), and a footprint of 16" x 24", and that further was adjustable to the room with changes to each resistor for adjusting the frequency response, as well as adjustments to each of the 3 mid/treble cones. And yet gave an extremely good reproduction of full-scale sound.

Back to horns, i admit i still have a lot to learn about them and would love to hear even one of these big Siemens well setup someday.
Click to expand...

There are other vintage speakers besides theater horns made for domestic environments too, but the best ones are rare and hard to find. Major issue is that due to their age many have been modified by unqualified people and don't sound right. They're really like collectible cars, you have to know what you're doing and prices vary according to the condition and rarity. As far as space and practicality goes, when has that ever stopped an audiophile :D Lloyd?

david
 
ddk said:
There are other vintage speakers besides theater horns made for domestic environments too, but the best ones are rare and hard to find. Major issue is that due to their age many have been modified by unqualified people and don't sound right. They're really like collectible cars, you have to know what you're doing and prices vary according to the condition and rarity. As far as space and practicality goes, when has that ever stopped an audiophile :D Lloyd?

david
Click to expand...

David,

T-R-U-S-T M-E!!! ;) I have fought hard for the ideal audio setup and my lovely wife has been wonderful all the way...but a pair of Bionors blocking the way into our living room would test even my own limits let alone hers! ;)

I have enjoyed reading about your magnificent system, and enjoyed looking at your photos.

Perhaps i should do more reading and see if there is a pair of Siemens/older horns that might actually work in our place...15' x 38' x11'.

Any suggestions along the Wilson X1-size range or perhaps a bit taller/deeper but hopefully not much fatter?
 
As David knows, me too Lloyd, I am fighting that battle on the home front...hope, it always dies last, sigh...
 
ALF said:
As David knows, me too Lloyd, I am fighting that battle on the home front...hope, it always dies last, sigh...
Click to expand...

Actually, we dont battle about audio at all...its literally the laws of physics (and economics!) that are the battle. That said, I consider myself blessed not only to have X1s but to be able to fit them as well! That, along with a big Velodyne, provides quite a lot of musical entertainment. No doubt you have quite set up yourself if you are using Alexandrias.

If you do decide to change your speakers, do let us know...always interested to see where people go from big Xs. Of the owners i know, most of them still own them. If i think about it, maybe all of them but 1-2. One went to The Sonus Faber...and i cannot remember if there is another just off hand.
 
ALF said:
As David knows, me too Lloyd, I am fighting that battle on the home front...hope, it always dies last, sigh...
Click to expand...

If you put a pair of Bionors in your living room I guarantee hardly anybody would notice.

This is a photo of my living room. it has been like this for more than 10 years. Hardly any casual visitors ever said a word about it. Recently I stuck some skyline diffusors on the ceiling. Now every one of those same visitors suddenly comment how they never knew that I was serious about music !

aaaa222.jpg
 
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jdza said:
If you put a pair of Bionors in your living room I guarantee hardly anybody would notice.

This is a photo of my living room. it has been like this for more than 10 years. Hardly any casual visitors ever said a word about it. Recently I stuck some skyline diffusors on the ceiling. Now every one of those same visitors suddenly comment how they never knew that I was serious about music !

View attachment 22419
Click to expand...

Trust me, they would notice those Bioor speakers. Each one is 8' x 6'
 
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