Best contemporary speaker under $100k for Lamm ML2.x type amplifiers?

[Lagonda]

16'W x 20'L x 8'H ft

~4.9 x ~6.1 x ~2.4 m

big enough although not big enough

Looks nice and spacious, good size for the system. Yes, it is never big enough

 

[AudioHR]

Verdier, your observations are undoubtedly sincere and well articulated. Which day were you there?

I worked in the Von Schweikert at the big show daily and went to HiFi Deluxe to visit Sam and Lukas Fikus in the Destination room on Saturday at around 6:00 pm. We sat for two hours playing some great tracks Sam had on his server. Magical!

So, WBF members, how do two listeners with experience in high-end audio and live music have such wildly varied opinions? Having done dozens of audio shows professionally, my best guess is that the system often sounds terrible the first day or two and settles on the third. It was not the room size since it was sufficient for the Nikas.

Bonzo, I'll contact Sam or Darrin, Destinations US importer, and see if I can obtain a well-executed recording. Darrin has all the elements, including the DA-GM 70 amplifier and Lampizator Posidean DAC, the same bits driving the Nikas in Munich.

Such are the mysteries and differing views of the high-end

I was at the Hi Fi Deluxe show early Saturday afternoon. It was my first time hearing the Nika and Destination Audio amps and I liked what I was hearing. Were they my favourite that week, well no but they were one of the speakers I would place in my top group. I listened to them for about 30 minutes and had a nice chat with Sam so a very nice visit but hard for me to say more than they left a positive impression.

Like @Verdier I did wonder if perhaps the room was a touch small for the Nika. He also commented on the FM Acoustic speakers and they were in the same large room as they were in 2022. I really liked what I heard in 2022 but in 2024 the orientation in the room was reversed and they had the bass module stands, so I was more impressed with the FM in 2012. It seems to me the other speakers like the JMF were in larger rooms too so perhaps this is a sound Verdier prefers. Thus are the mysteries and differing views.

 

[AudioHR]

The Son is a remarkable speaker, regardless of the cost. $30k in special edition "Ultima" version and some $10k less for the standard model. I own a pair and use them to demo our Trafomatic Rhapsody quad 300b integrated amplifier.

I have only heard these at the Munich show but the Son were in my top five speakers in 2022 and 2024. In the larger rooms in 2022 they were special!

 

[AudioHR]

The field-coil woofer/dipole AMT tweeter combo of the Wolf von Langa SON (8 Ohm, 95dB) worked fine with the Lamm ML2.2.

View attachment 143596

Just fine?

 

[tima]

Just fine?

Hi. 'Fine' is meant as a compliment. I suppose I could have said "very well" but that for me is no different. As a reviewer I can be adept at hyperbole but I'm not trying to sell to my reader, so here it's normal talk. The SONs work with low powered and high powered amps. Since we were talking about room size, I have what might be considered a smaller mid-sized room (20'x16'x8'). You may find more information about the SON / Lamm combo in my review:

"For those unable to accommodate large floor standers or who have small to midsize rooms, I can easily suggest considering the SONs with either of the Lamm amps used for this review."

Wolf von Langa WVL 12639 SON LoudspeakerWolf von Langa WVL 12639 SON Loudspeaker System - Positive Feedback

Wolf von Langa WVL 12639 SON Loudspeaker System

positive-feedback.com

 

[Geardaddy]

The best $50-60k speaker on the planet for your amplifiers, IMO, is Destination Audio Nikas from Poland. Of all the big hardware at Munich 2024, the Nikas were my favorite room, period! Sam Wisnewski, Destinations owner, is as dedicated to excellence and as good a man as you will find. This review should give you some insights into this remarkable product.

Destination Audio NiKA – HiFi Knights

Destination Audio NiKA is a low power SET lovers' dream. Read about it @HiFiKnights.com by Marek Dyba

hifiknights.com

View attachment 143589

Hyperbole aside, at one time you had an industry "affiliation" with Destination Audio in the aftermath of the Crane debacle and were actively looking for Asian distribution. What became of that?

 

[Geardaddy]

This is how it can happen: A friend had raved to me about Destination Audio and I was delighted when I discovered them at Hifi Deluxe in Munich. However, the joy quickly gave way to disillusionment.

In my opinion, the sound was unfortunately not right at all. It may have been set up too quickly. The room was probably also a little too small. In any case, some of the mid/high frequencies stung my ears, although the overall sound was not even outstandingly transparent. I couldn't do anything with the sound at all. A few rooms away, FM Acoustic, Ubiq/Wilson and especially JMF sounded much better.

However, the concept is interesting. You should hear it in a well-made installation. But the installation at the Hifi Deluxe was certainly not one of them. At least not to my ears, not to my taste.

That was essentially my perception of the Nikas having owned them. There was a discontinuity with beaming of the upper frequencies coupled with an opaque and bloated bottom end. The Vistas provide a more holistic and musically correct presentation IMO and are one of the best horns on the planet. That being said, they were first generation, were in an office setting, and I never got the chance to hear them with the GM70 integrated amplifier I bought since I allowed Fred and Sam to use it as a demo unit (and it was never returned). Life in the fast lane.

 

[AudioHR]

Hi. 'Fine' is meant as a compliment. I suppose I could have said "very well" but that for me is no different. As a reviewer I can be adept at hyperbole but I'm not trying to sell to my reader, so here it's normal talk. The SONs work with low powered and high powered amps. Since we were talking about room size, I have what might be considered a smaller mid-sized room (20'x16'x8'). You may find more information about the SON / Lamm combo in my review:

"For those unable to accommodate large floor standers or who have small to midsize rooms, I can easily suggest considering the SONs with either of the Lamm amps used for this review."

Wolf von Langa WVL 12639 SON LoudspeakerWolf von Langa WVL 12639 SON Loudspeaker System - Positive Feedback

Wolf von Langa WVL 12639 SON Loudspeaker System

positive-feedback.com

Thank you. I enjoyed the review too, it was interesting, well written and informative!

 

[Slingblade]

Have you heard or heard of Classic Audio Loudspeakers? (sometimes known as Classic Audio Reproduction CAR) Field coil driver. 16Ohm
They are in the state next to me. I don't much about them. They always show with Atma-Sphere.

http://classicaudioloudspeakers.com/cgi-bin/index.pl?fs=2&upper=25&content=26

I heard these at RMAF driven by atma-sphere M-60’s I believe. It was one of my favorite rooms, just stunningly good.