KeithR's "Dream Speaker" Search

[morricab]

I demoed a few songs on an Avantgarde Duo Mezzo at a dealer's last summer. I don't know what the associated equipment was but the source was streamed digital.
Perhaps in the right room with the right equipment I'd enjoy this speaker.
I demoed Trios about 15 years ago and that experience was far better.

Haven’t heard Mezzos but everything else Avantgarde makes and Duos sounded best to me with really good SETs.

 

[morricab]

I demoed a few songs on an Avantgarde Duo Mezzo at a dealer's last summer. I don't know what the associated equipment was but the source was streamed digital.
Perhaps in the right room with the right equipment I'd enjoy this speaker.
I demoed Trios about 15 years ago and that experience was far better.

Btw, you make up your mind on speakers?

 

[Audiophile Bill]

Just making a comment as a brass player myself and having played in brass bands, jazz bands, and orchestras. No hifi system I have heard can reproduce the dynamic contrasts of live brass - the closest are some horn speakers. Even playing very loud passages, my ears never hurt like they often can do with hifi. That is even sitting in front of a trumpet at full tilt playing some Dixieland stuff.

 

[Exlibris]

Btw, you make up your mind on speakers?

I haven't. I'd like to hear some of the ones from the list over on the high efficiency thread.

 

[Exlibris]

I haven't. I'd like to hear some of the ones from the list over on the high efficiency thread.

I

I haven't. I'd like to hear some of the ones from the list over on the high efficiency thread.

I can say that I've ruled out the Cube Audio and that the Odeon 33 is my current first choice if I decided to sell my Mayer 45 and buy a high-powered SET or PSET.
For a while I had pretty much ruled out the Animas based on the reviews from the LA Show but they aren't off my list.

 

[Exlibris]

I haven't. I'd like to hear some of the ones from the list over on the high efficiency thread.

Sorry, the most recent list is over on the Zu thread.

 

[Audiophile Bill]

I

I can say that I've ruled out the Cube Audio and that the Odeon 33 is my current first choice if I decided to sell my Mayer 45 and buy a high-powered SET or PSET.
For a while I had pretty much ruled out the Animas based on the reviews from the LA Show but they aren't off my list.

What was the downside to the Cube speakers? They seem to be getting decent press.

 

[Exlibris]

What was the downside to the Cube speakers? They seem to be getting decent press.

For me they are just a little too 'dry' sounding and not relaxed enough in the upper mids for long term listening. In addition, I'd like a bit more foundation and harmonic richness from the lower mids/upper bass.
Having said that, they really are very impressive speakers.

 

[Audiophile Bill]

For me they are just a little too 'dry' sounding and not relaxed enough in the upper mids for long term listening. In addition, I'd like a bit more foundation and harmonic richness from the lower mids/upper bass.
Having said that, they really are very impressive speakers.

I haven’t heard them yet but looking forward to at some point.

 

[asiufy]

I thought this was interesting, part of the Wilson Audio Sasha DAW review published by Martin Colloms in Hi Fi Critic:

"With a nominal 200W power handling for unclipped speech and music, substantial levels close on 110dBA will be possible from a stereo pair of Sasha DAW speakers in an average room. I donned my ear defenders, and thus confirmed an absence of limiting or audible distortion when the speakers were played at such very high levels with wide bandwidth signals, so clearly driving larger rooms will be within the Wilsons’ compass. In-room spatially averaged sound output showed fine driver integration and system alignment with good room matching: a closely toleranced +/-2.5dB from 40Hz to 11kHz."

This is exactly what I've been saying. You can get high SPL with no distortion, just use the right amplifier for the job. You don't need a horn or a high-efficiency speaker for that.

https://www.absolutesounds.com/pdf/main/press/HFC_June19_WA_SashaDaw.pdf

 

[morricab]

I haven’t heard them yet but looking forward to at some point.

Heard them twice...agree with Ex Libris

 

[morricab]

I thought this was interesting, part of the Wilson Audio Sasha DAW review published by Martin Colloms in Hi Fi Critic:

"With a nominal 200W power handling for unclipped speech and music, substantial levels close on 110dBA will be possible from a stereo pair of Sasha DAW speakers in an average room. I donned my ear defenders, and thus confirmed an absence of limiting or audible distortion when the speakers were played at such very high levels with wide bandwidth signals, so clearly driving larger rooms will be within the Wilsons’ compass. In-room spatially averaged sound output showed fine driver integration and system alignment with good room matching: a closely toleranced +/-2.5dB from 40Hz to 11kHz."

This is exactly what I've been saying. You can get high SPL with no distortion, just use the right amplifier for the job. You don't need a horn or a high-efficiency speaker for that.

https://www.absolutesounds.com/pdf/main/press/HFC_June19_WA_SashaDaw.pdf

It’s not about high SPL it’s about scaling dynamics without compression. The old X1, which had an honest 95db sensitivity and easy load (unlike the watt/puppies) could do credible dynamics. The smaller new Wilson’s, IMO, cannot.

Box speakers with BIG drivers and high sensitivity can get a more realistic dynamic but the drivers need to be sensitive and generally lightweight.

 

[asiufy]

So now you changed your tune. Before, they couldn't play loud at all. Now they can play loud, never distort, but, to your ears, they'll compress. OK then... My ears tell me otherwise.

If you changed "dynamics" for "air displacement", I might agree with you. A Sasha can't compete with an X1 in terms of sheer air displacement in a room.

 

[jeff1225]

I had the Avantgarde Uno's and could never get the bass to integrate properly, I've heard the XD has drastically improved this. Also, you had to stay perfectly still to enjoy the sound stage, they where extremely directional.

My current JBL speaker with 15" ported bass, duel diaphragm compression driver handling 800HZ to 22KHZ, and wave guide (not a true horn) has got me close to perfect sound for the jazz I primarily listen to. But...they are big giant monsters with zero WAF.

 

[Folsom]

Hey guys - I woke up this morning to pages and pages of debate that is leagues away from this thread's original intent (and some of this is my fault). Let's move the topology, listening environments, Zu etc. to their respective other threads.

My next audition is Avantgarde Duo horns. I would enjoy reading other opinions on them vs. speakers I've auditioned to date as that would be more appropriate and helpful.

1. Guilty. The kids come out to play at night...

2. It would be nice to know someone's opinion on how their active bass has evolved/not evolved. I dare say that it's possible changing that part of the speaker might be one of the only ways to get them to sound like what a lot of audiophile want.

 

[morricab]

So now you changed your tune. Before, they couldn't play loud at all. Now they can play loud, never distort, but, to your ears, they'll compress. OK then... My ears tell me otherwise.

If you changed "dynamics" for "air displacement", I might agree with you. A Sasha can't compete with an X1 in terms of sheer air displacement in a room.

You make so many classic mistakes in your understanding...like loudness vs. dynamics.

 

[Al M.]

You make so many classic mistakes in your understanding...like loudness vs. dynamics.

Alex already said he disagrees that they compress.

 

[bonzo75]

Hey guys - I woke up this morning to pages and pages of debate that is leagues away from this thread's original intent (and some of this is my fault). .

You can always go back to sleep

 

[asiufy]

You make so many classic mistakes in your understanding...like loudness vs. dynamics.

So you're proven wrong by a review (with measurements) by a reputable reviewer, and I'm the one making basic mistakes. OK then!

 

[bonzo75]

Hey guys - I woke up this morning to pages and pages of debate that is leagues away from this thread's original intent.

In India, as kids when we wanted to play cricket or soccer, we would play it in any open space. It wouldn't matter who owned the property. And if someone's window broke in the process, it broke.