Alsyvox vs. Clarisys - What are the Sonic Differences? Anyone Understand Design Differences?

[allvinyl]

In another thread (https://www.whatsbestforum.com/thre...syvox-visits-rhapsody-audio.29601/post-948259) Robert Harley does a brief interview with Daneile Coen of Alsyvox and details some design aspects of the Alsyvox speakers wrt ribbon design, magnets, efficiency, etc.

I represent Rhapsody.Audio in the Pacific NW, so is my opinion only, I find aesthetically the Alsyvox are far more appealing having seen the big Clarysis seems like a linebacker vs ballerina. (A ballerina that can ROCK!) Sonically I won’t comment my words would be discounted due to my affiliation . When I heard the smaller Clarysis last year @ Axpona I thought they were good, but very small room and too loud volume.

I was initially going to just hit the 'like' for my reply but then paused...

I have very little (1 exposure) experience listening to any Alsyvox model. The heard the small Clarisys in 2 rooms at Axpona 2023. I heard each room 3 times over the course of the show. Overall, the speakers were better represented in one of the rooms than in the other room, IMHO.

That said, I came away from both rooms with a lingering impression of the bottom octaves not integrating well. In one room, I agree with Bobvin's too much volume comment.

I listen to large panels in my own main system and can't escape the integration issue I heard with the small Clarisys. Still, I'd like to hear them again to help sort out if they suffered from show room issues or if something else is going on.

 

[andromedaaudio]

Clarysis claims the impedance is 6 ohm flat. Should be very easy to drive.

Claims OK .( any impedance graphs available ?)
Proof is in plunking the stuff down and hooking them up to something like a JADIS 30 .

Ceasar dismisses private set ups but thats where usually the best info comes from , hence audio forums being usefull.
Reviewer/ " expert " info is half of the time no more then them projecting their preference on somebody else .

Ceasar i did hear many MBL set ups over past couple of years , some quit good , but i d still take the mentioned panels over the latest MBLs , but thats just me

 

[rad]

Dear Sir, where did you get to audition each? For Alsyvox, my understanding is that the dealer showroom in the Pacific NW of USA is outstanding. All other Alsyvox installations are meh at best, most worse. Just rich guys buying expensive audio jewelry boxes for the "pride of ownership" instead of good sound.

Is there any place to hear the Clarysis outside of the Audioshark dealer / importer's place? Is his room any good thanks

I don't care to get into what I feel are the differences in the speakers on the forum. It just opens up to many objective opinions from some who have never actually spent time with them in a proper setting. If you would like to PM me I would be more than happy to discuss.
In my opinion both speakers are beautiful, but there are sonic differences.

 

[Audiohertz2]

What a snobby nonsense ceasar .

I heard alsyvox at a show in holland too , where i also got the impression alsyvox projects behind the speakers

Further from back wall sounds projects rearward, closer loses depth mostly forward projection. This distance from wall you play with for the balance you are looking ...


Regards

 

[Doc76]

I’d chose Alsyvox out of the two. The sound of Alsyvox is second to none, IMO. Don’t get me wrong Clarysis is very good, but just doesn’t make the top of the heap, IMO. Alsyvox is wonderful to listen to, and also to observe. They have it all IMO.

 

[Audiohertz2]

The Winner ..?

 

[Bbock]

The Winner ..?

The winner will be the one that sounds best in your room with your electronics.

 

[rad]

The winner will be the one that sounds best in your room with your electronics.

I totally AGREE with your statement!

I really didn't want to go down this road but hell, I might as well!
Don't get me wrong as I listen to both of these speaker in good rooms before I made my decision.
They were both good but different.

My decision to go with Clarisys over Alsyvox was exactly for this reason ( bass). I found the Alsyvox very hifi sounding, thin, lacking bass. Yes, very open, transparent but lacking over all bass & less dynamic. It was in a persons home, nice big room, very good electronics. We moved the speaker in, out, forward, back. We even played with the crossover settings, could not get them right. I felt deflated after I left, a day of wasted time IMHO.
Hell, I heard them sound somewhat better at a show, thus the reason I went the extra mile to hear them in a home audition. I read all the reviews, accolades ect..... Maybe with different electronics & a well treated room they might sound better, even subs would help,, don't know!
I don't mean to dis the speaker brand, but they just didn't do it for me. Thus the reason I went off line on this. But now on.

The Clarisys are a total different beast in my opinion....extremely musical, natural tonality, spacious, coherent, & the bass is the best I've ever heard with a ribbon speaker. Killer soundstage as well, front to back, side to side.
I don't want to sound over the top on anything, there is nothing perfect. Electronics play a roll in all of these scenarios as well.

You need to hear for yourself & decide

 

[LL21]

I totally AGREE with your statement!

I really didn't want to go down this road but hell, I might as well!
Don't get me wrong as I listen to both of these speaker in good rooms before I made my decision.
They were both good but different.

My decision to go with Clarisys over Alsyvox was exactly for this reason ( bass). I found the Alsyvox very hifi sounding, thin, lacking bass. Yes, very open, transparent but lacking over all bass & less dynamic. It was in a persons home, nice big room, very good electronics. We moved the speaker in, out, forward, back. We even played with the crossover settings, could not get them right. I felt deflated after I left, a day of wasted time IMHO.
Hell, I heard them sound somewhat better at a show, thus the reason I went the extra mile to hear them in a home audition. I read all the reviews, accolades ect..... Maybe with different electronics & a well treated room they might sound better, even subs would help,, don't know!
I don't mean to dis the speaker brand, but they just didn't do it for me. Thus the reason I went off line on this. But now on.

The Clarisys are a total different beast in my opinion....extremely musical, natural tonality, spacious, coherent, & the bass is the best I've ever heard with a ribbon speaker. Killer soundstage as well, front to back, side to side.
I don't want to sound over the top on anything, there is nothing perfect. Electronics play a roll in all of these scenarios as well.

You need to hear for yourself & decide

interesting observations and good to keep that one in mind for future listening.

 

[christoph]

I totally AGREE with your statement!

I really didn't want to go down this road but hell, I might as well!
Don't get me wrong as I listen to both of these speaker in good rooms before I made my decision.
They were both good but different.

My decision to go with Clarisys over Alsyvox was exactly for this reason ( bass). I found the Alsyvox very hifi sounding, thin, lacking bass. Yes, very open, transparent but lacking over all bass & less dynamic. It was in a persons home, nice big room, very good electronics. We moved the speaker in, out, forward, back. We even played with the crossover settings, could not get them right. I felt deflated after I left, a day of wasted time IMHO.
Hell, I heard them sound somewhat better at a show, thus the reason I went the extra mile to hear them in a home audition. I read all the reviews, accolades ect..... Maybe with different electronics & a well treated room they might sound better, even subs would help,, don't know!
I don't mean to dis the speaker brand, but they just didn't do it for me. Thus the reason I went off line on this. But now on.

The Clarisys are a total different beast in my opinion....extremely musical, natural tonality, spacious, coherent, & the bass is the best I've ever heard with a ribbon speaker. Killer soundstage as well, front to back, side to side.
I don't want to sound over the top on anything, there is nothing perfect. Electronics play a roll in all of these scenarios as well.

You need to hear for yourself & decide

Which models did you audition and which model did you buy in the end?

 

[Golum]

...extremely musical, natural tonality, spacious, coherent, & the bass is the best I've ever heard with a ribbon speaker. Killer soundstage as well, front to back, side to side.
I don't want to sound over the top on anything, there is nothing perfect. Electronics play a roll in all of these scenarios as well.

I have to totally agree on above sonics description of Clarysis - I heard Minuete and Auditorium and oh boy they ticked all the boxes for me...

 

[Bbock]

I have to totally agree on above sonics description of Clarysis - I heard Minuete and Auditorium and oh boy they ticked all the boxes for me...

And that’s why I purchased the Studio Plus! Absolutely ticked all of the boxes.

 

[Zero000]

I don't personally think the Auditorium's are even vaguely close to the Rafaello based on Munich 2023 show conditions.

I wouldn't swap my souped up Duettas for the Auditorium. However, I would swap my Duettas for the Raffaello plus a lot of cash, though not enough to reach the asking price.

The Auditorium sounded a bit weird to me at Munich, lacking life and dynamics. I didn't think the build quality was commensurate with the asking price. Over and over again I tried to like them. But nope, didn't work for me.

Another 500 hours on the panels and radically different driving electronics could sway my opinion but I'm unlikely to hear such a set up. I'd remove all the aluminium spars. Imagine them all stacked up at the bottom in the speaker and think about the loss of radiating area they represent.

I love the company for trying, though. I really do. Plus they provide Apogee replacement ribbons which is really cool and a good sign of respect for their forefathers.

 

[jbrrp1]

I don't personally think the Auditorium's are even vaguely close to the Rafaello based on Munich 2023 show conditions.

I wouldn't swap my souped up Duettas for the Auditorium. However, I would swap my Duettas for the Raffaello plus a lot of cash, though not enough to reach the asking price.

The Auditorium sounded a bit weird to me at Munich, lacking life and dynamics. I didn't think the build quality was commensurate with the asking price. Over and over again I tried to like them. But nope, didn't work for me.

Another 500 hours on the panels and radically different driving electronics could sway my opinion but I'm unlikely to hear such a set up. I'd remove all the aluminium spars. Imagine them all stacked up at the bottom in the speaker and think about the loss of radiating area they represent.

I love the company for trying, though. I really do. Plus they provide Apogee replacement ribbons which is really cool and a good sign of respect for their forefathers.

While I certainly shared your take on these two at the Munich 2023 show, my greatest "take away" from that show was how little you actually can learn at them. There just are so many variables in play at once, and in a tough environment. That said, I concluded that if something sounds really good at a show, it likely IS really good. But if it sounds bad, you really cannot be sure what you learned, as there are so many factors that can undermine the SQ at the show. I would love to hear the Clarisys speakers in a well-sorted situation in order to get to know them. Munich clearly wasn't that.

 

[Al M.]

While I certainly shared your take on these two at the Munich 2023 show, my greatest "take away" from that show was how little you actually can learn at them. There just are so many variables in play at once, and in a tough environment. That said, I concluded that if something sounds really good at a show, it likely IS really good. But if it sounds bad, you really cannot be sure what you learned, as there are so many factors that can undermine the SQ at the show.

+ 1000

 

[rad]

If your making your assumptions' on show conditions ... Cardinal mistake #1!

 

[Audiohertz2]

I don't personally think the Auditorium's are even vaguely close to the Rafaello based on Munich 2023 show conditions.

I wouldn't swap my souped up Duettas for the Auditorium. However, I would swap my Duettas for the Raffaello plus a lot of cash, though not enough to reach the asking price.

The Auditorium sounded a bit weird to me at Munich, lacking life and dynamics. I didn't think the build quality was commensurate with the asking price. Over and over again I tried to like them. But nope, didn't work for me.

Another 500 hours on the panels and radically different driving electronics could sway my opinion but I'm unlikely to hear such a set up. I'd remove all the aluminium spars. Imagine them all stacked up at the bottom in the speaker and think about the loss of radiating area they represent.

I love the company for trying, though. I really do. Plus they provide Apogee replacement ribbons which is really cool and a good sign of respect for their forefathers.

Strange the most impressive thing about Clarysis is its build quality , about as good as a panel can get ..

Regards

 

[Zero000]

While I certainly shared your take on these two at the Munich 2023 show, my greatest "take away" from that show was how little you actually can learn at them. There just are so many variables in play at once, and in a tough environment. That said, I concluded that if something sounds really good at a show, it likely IS really good. But if it sounds bad, you really cannot be sure what you learned, as there are so many factors that can undermine the SQ at the show. I would love to hear the Clarisys speakers in a well-sorted situation in order to get to know them. Munich clearly wasn't that.

Strange the most impressive thing about Clarysis is its build quality , about as good as a panel can get ..

Regards

You simply cannot be serious.

I took some mega close ups. I will post them and explain what I meant.

 

[Gregadd]

ribbons vs mainplanes.. (I forget the generic name for Magne planar.)

 

[Audiohertz2]

You simply cannot be serious.

I took some mega close ups. I will post them and explain what I meant.

Very serious , so please do ...!