Zu must work well with small power SET amps.
But somehow, I had not have chance to listen to Zu speaker yet.
The best 5 speakers that you have had
- Thread starter thomask
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But somehow, I had not have chance to listen to Zu speaker yet.
Have only heard Zu (model unknown) in show conditions to great effect. Constantine Soo's California Audio Show in Oakland, in one of their larger rooms. They were paired w/ Nelson Pass's First Watt SIT 1 monos 10watts. Very impressive especially for the money. They staged like a planar. Good micro dynamics. Of course what they were playing helped a lot. The stand out cut was Lou Reed's Walk on the wild side.Zu must work well with small power SET amps.
But somehow, I had not have chance to listen to Zu speaker yet.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
t will be nice if Zu speaker is in Pacific Audiofest 2023.
1. YG Sonja XVi -- 2022 to present. The new crossover installed last year as part of the "i" upgrade, plus new tweeters installed, makes these a new speaker, they are very different from the Sonja XV. Best speakers I have heard.
2. YG Sonja XV --- 2018 to 2022.
3. Wilson Alexandria XLF -- 2016 to 2018
4. Wilson Alexandria X2 Series 2 -- 2010 to 2016. First speaker I heard that could really play orchestral music, getting the scale.
5 Bowers and Wilkins 802D -- 2005 to 2010.
2. YG Sonja XV --- 2018 to 2022.
3. Wilson Alexandria XLF -- 2016 to 2018
4. Wilson Alexandria X2 Series 2 -- 2010 to 2016. First speaker I heard that could really play orchestral music, getting the scale.
5 Bowers and Wilkins 802D -- 2005 to 2010.
I had a chance to listen to YG Sonja XV three years ago with MSB Select II which sounds very nice and musical
But few people would swich from Wilson Alex XLF to YG Sonja since XLF will give more exciting dynamics.
Chuck, you have courage to appreciate musicality more than excitement.I had a chance to listen to YG Sonja XV three years ago with MSB Select II which sounds very nice and musical
But few people would swich from Wilson Alex XLF to YG Sonja since XLF will give more exciting dynamics.
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I had the YGs in for an extended audition, 3 weeks, before deciding to get them. I was very skeptical that they would be better than the XLF. I told the dealer who wanted me to do the audition that he would be wasting his time, there was no way the YGs would beat the XLFs. To my surprise, the YG play music on recordings that the XLF just don't, music I never knew was there. For example, the "I heard it, I saw it" vocal on The Who, Tommy, 1921 -- it was plainly heard with the YGs. It was a bit jarring hearing that for the first time on a record I had heard hundreds of times before. Then I noticed the same thing on virtually every recording. With the YG I can hear the strings in the string section rather than the string section, the voices in the chorus instead of just the chorus. I have a buddy who has XLFs so I still hear them a lot. Bass with the YGs is deeper and tighter. The XLF sound kind of muddy by comparison. On a track like Springsteen DOTEOT, Garry Tallent's bass is precisely placed and does not seem to stray like it does with the XLF. Of course this was only noticed when compared to the YGs.I had a chance to listen to YG Sonja XV three years ago with MSB Select II which sounds very nice and musical
But few people would swich from Wilson Alex XLF to YG Sonja since XLF will give more exciting dynamics.
For me, the excitement factor was with the YGs. IMO, overall, it was not really close. But others are free to disagree and tell me I am wrong.
Hi Chuck,
I am always interested to read your comments. Two comments and one question:
- I agree with you in my own experience that the big Wilsons were the first speaker that encouraged me to go for symphonic music...until that point (with SF Strads), the collection stopped at concertos where the emphasis on the instrument allowed me to enjoy...but all out pure symphony, very little. Since then the entire collection has been filled in massively with symphonies.
- As for YG Sonja XV, I have always wanted to hear them and like the lithe but super robust 4-tower configuration (in passive as well). The sub tower concept is definitely something we are considering here but for space on both sides of the room...where I 'think' maybe the YG's might just make it.
QUESTION:
- I am curious...when you say the XVi with its new crossover and tweeter is a very different speaker...how so? Would appreciate understanding a bit more about the new XVi. Thank you.
YG Acoustics DC2 Crossover Update in Sonja 2.2i Loudspeaker - The Absolute Sound
YG Acoustics DC2 Crossover Update in Sonja 2.2i Loudspeaker - YG offers its existing customers an upgrade path via a newly designed crossover with state-of-the-art components. Kirk Midtskog has the details.
www.theabsolutesound.com
This is a very good discussion of the new upgrade by reviewer Kirk Midtskog. I agree with his assessment.
Hard to believe that the "I heard it, I saw it" vocal on The Who, 1921, isn't reproduced on the XLF. I don't have that album (I have other The Who albums), but I just checked on YouTube with $30 headphones on my laptop, and it's clear as a bell in the left channel. I would be surprised if my detailed sounding speaker system couldn't reproduce that.
When you heard the difference with the YGs, was everything else in the system the same?
Big diff between Wilson and YG (Driver Wise ) Those paper cones on the XLF aren't pistonic, no matter how "Musical" it may be it certainly loses resolution as a result compared to the YG.
A truly pistonic driver would be defined as a driver that has no deformation, deflection, or alteration to condensation of air that it's been asked to move. Like a piston in a car, if the piston changes shape or buckles under pressure, the compression ratio you are seeking is partially lost or altered. Likewise, if a speaker cone or dome is distorted in shape it changes the leading edge attack of the music is "decompressed" or in sonic terms the leading edge of attack is rounded off. In a cone driver, if the cone bends, it suddenly become a smaller driver that moves less condensed air. This changes the pure parameters of the speaker as a whole.
A truly pistonic driver would be defined as a driver that has no deformation, deflection, or alteration to condensation of air that it's been asked to move. Like a piston in a car, if the piston changes shape or buckles under pressure, the compression ratio you are seeking is partially lost or altered. Likewise, if a speaker cone or dome is distorted in shape it changes the leading edge attack of the music is "decompressed" or in sonic terms the leading edge of attack is rounded off. In a cone driver, if the cone bends, it suddenly become a smaller driver that moves less condensed air. This changes the pure parameters of the speaker as a whole.
I could sort of hear it with XLF after I knew it was there and listened very carefully for it. With the YGs it was plainly there without the need to specifically listen for it. At the time, I inquired of YG what was the reason for this. In addition to the driver differences, essentially, they said it was partly due to diffraction effects caused by the separate, square, driver housings that Wilson uses, the fact the MTM drivers are further apart on the Wilsons, the YG's narrower, smooth front MTM baffle which is about the same width as the human head. None of those factors come into play with headphones.
Thank you!YG Acoustics DC2 Crossover Update in Sonja 2.2i Loudspeaker - The Absolute Sound
YG Acoustics DC2 Crossover Update in Sonja 2.2i Loudspeaker - YG offers its existing customers an upgrade path via a newly designed crossover with state-of-the-art components. Kirk Midtskog has the details.
This is a very good discussion of the new upgrade by reviewer Kirk Midtskog. I agree with his assessment.
If we get a Devialet we immediately start hearing things in rock recordings that we do not listen with other electronics - a good friend who is a rock knowledgeable listener was surprised when we compared the Devialet with Audio Research and Dartzeel. But I stayed with Audio Research.
The vintage Quad ESL63 properly fed will show us detail and spacial information that not other speakers can supply - listening to Paniagua La Folia details is fascinating - we can almost identify the type of bumblebees in the recording. However I still preferred overall the XLFs. The XLFs are not the most detailed speaker you will find, however as referred by Lloyd, they are a speaker with a soul for a classical music or jazz listener - they carry us to the concert , suggesting the whole orchestra and performance like few others can. I parted with them, as they will not fit the sloped ceiling and looks of my new large listening space, and although I appreciate a lot the big SoundLab's I know that there is something I am missing without them. I found that the equilibrium of excellent features and compromises of the XLF were perfect for my listening.
BTW, I am mainly an acoustic music listener and surely MHO, YMMV.
The vintage Quad ESL63 properly fed will show us detail and spacial information that not other speakers can supply - listening to Paniagua La Folia details is fascinating - we can almost identify the type of bumblebees in the recording. However I still preferred overall the XLFs. The XLFs are not the most detailed speaker you will find, however as referred by Lloyd, they are a speaker with a soul for a classical music or jazz listener - they carry us to the concert , suggesting the whole orchestra and performance like few others can. I parted with them, as they will not fit the sloped ceiling and looks of my new large listening space, and although I appreciate a lot the big SoundLab's I know that there is something I am missing without them. I found that the equilibrium of excellent features and compromises of the XLF were perfect for my listening.
BTW, I am mainly an acoustic music listener and surely MHO, YMMV.
Thanks for letting us know your anti-preference. At less a few hundred happy users disagree with you ...
People don’t believe this when I tell them that my Stax 009S rig can be as compelling as most big rigs. It’s a unique sound and not a usual headphone one. I bought it due to a newborn, but continue to use it a year later by preference at times.
Better thread is what top 5 speakers you've heard vs owned. Otherwise, mostly a boomer exercise
Then create a thread with such tittle. Some of us are happy with the current thread but will also be happy to participate in the new thread - we also like dreaming!
I disagree with you.
As you have speakers at home for sustained period, you may get more correct idea.
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