KeithR's "Dream Speaker" Search

KeithR

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I’ve had Gibbon X , Wilson Sasha v1, Acoustic Zen Cresendo, Joesph Audio Prespective, Focal Sopra 2, B&W 802 ,Magico V3 , Joesph Audio Pulsar , Evoltion Acoustic MicroOne , Tannoy GRF90 in my 16x15 room and the Uno XD’s represent the best of all of them. Superb deep bass tailorable to a challenged space while presenting glorious mids and highs. Sweet yet detailed. I prefer the Uno in looks to the Duo but wonder what another 100db in midrange extension would sound like. I’ve never listened to a recording and noticed a gap from 250 down.

Thanks, that is quite a journey. what made you move on from the Gibbons?
 

Folsom

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Exactly what I said... sensitivity can't create efficiency. You could be 117db sensitivity and be so inefficient it takes 1000w to correctly power the speaker. The ohm rating holds no real bearing on that. High ohm needs voltage, low needs current, both create heat, both use crossovers...
 

jeff1225

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Exactly what I said... sensitivity can't create efficiency. You could be 117db sensitivity and be so inefficient it takes 1000w to correctly power the speaker. The ohm rating holds no real bearing on that. High ohm needs voltage, low needs current, both create heat, both use crossovers...


this is a ridiculous troll. You know what I'm talking about...move on and mess with someone else. Jesus Christ this forum attracts some strange people.
 

Folsom

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No, I'm not really sure what you're talking about unless you're mixing up sensitivity and efficiency. Which still makes it slightly confusing.

Keith isn't short on watts at any sensitivity (that's common), so long as they're efficient. An efficient 85db speaker will play pretty loud on 15w.
 

DaveC

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I'm not sure about pricing or availability but I was impressed with Verity at RMAF 2017. Didn't make '18...

I felt the drivers really worked well together and sounded very cohesive.

http://www.verityaudio.com/en/loudspeakers
 
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Ron Resnick

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Keith, I am glad you started this thread! I will be very interested and curious to watch how this speaker research journey unfolds!
 
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Ron Resnick

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I tried to steer Keith in the direction of ARC 160Ms so he would have more power to drive YGs or Rockports.

Because Keith has no interest in jazz I think that horns are not the right answer.
 
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Ron Resnick

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Keith,

To help us planar people triangulate better on what you’re looking for, please explain as fully as you can what you don’t like about planer loudspeakers.
 
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bonzo75

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Ron Resnick

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I like Verity too.
 

bonzo75

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Zellaton stage and Gauder are excellent. I heard only big Zellaton but stage are supposed to have the same mids, which were the best I heard, like pure ribbon apogee
 

microstrip

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Speaker criteria:

I don't like bright sound or anything with "hifi fireworks" that unnaturally presents detail as a red herring. Metal tweeters and ceramic drivers have usually bothered me in prior speaker hunts. I require excellent dynamics and hence have always had an interest in horns - but concerned their negatives may outweigh this area. I don't crave "ultimate transparency" or detail. Basically I'm looking for a big soundstage with excellent dynamics and good tone. I also need adequate bass as I listen to electronica/trip hop/downtempo for a third of my listening. The other two thirds of my listening includes rock/americana and classical - I don't really listen to jazz at all. Tone, immediacy, and presence are somewhat related and one thing Devore does really well. One last thing, as a former Zu owner - coherency is more apparent to me than others. It bothers me when I can hear different instruments out of different drivers or can point to the bass, etc.
(...)

Considering your music and sound preferences I would seriously consider an used Wilson Alexia - IMHO currently they are the best speaker bargain of anytime. It is the one of the few pieces that makes me feel really guilty of spending too much on speakers ...
 

DaveyF

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Micro, the older Alexia would be a very tough speaker for the ARC Ref 75 to drive.
Agree with Ron, horns wouldn’t be my first choice, even if Keith liked jazz, lol.
 

the sound of Tao

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I tried to steer Keith in the direction of ARC 160Ms so he would have more power to drive YGs or Rockports.

Because Keith has no interest in jazz I think that horns are not the right answer.
Ron, I had also thought the same about an intermediate step with upgrading to Audio Research 160Ms and something like Harbeth 40.2s which have fantastic tone and bass and will easily play towards Keith’s music preferences... and then if there is room (or need) for a further destination speaker upgrade later the 160Ms would then open up a lot more options wrt to speakers choices. That said the 40.2s may well suit as a destination on their own... the big Harbys will do all the things you enjoyed in the Devores Keith and then some... as well as definitely do proper big boys bass.
 
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etunes

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Thanks, that is quite a journey. what made you move on from the Gibbons?
Inability to dial in the bass. My room is difficult at best.
 

KeithR

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Rockport audition:

Spent several hours with a wonderful demo from local dealer, Cake Audio in Orange County, CA. The Rockport Altair IIs were setup on a Brinkmann/Esoteric --> Vitus rig. We (Ron was with me) were told the Rockports really scale down depending on room size. In fact, the dealer preferred the "lowly" Atria in his own room.

I found the Rockport sound quite beguiling but at the same time frustrating. Tonality was quite nice and just warm of center in a good way (on analog - Esoteric digital seemed bland to me). Soundstage was excellent! Height and depth were superb on my variety of recordings, including electronica. I could definitely tell transparency was a notch above what I have at home (and confirmed later that evening). I don't really focus on imaging, but it certainly wasn't fuzzy or distracting.

Bass was perhaps the *best* i've heard from a ported loudspeaker in the sense that articulation, extension, etc. were pretty much as good as a sealed bass loudspeaker. I did feel ultimate amplitude was a bit light, but I'd much rather hear that than the opposite.

As to constructive criticism, I felt that the 50W Class A Vitus was simply underpowered. Music just didn't clear the speakers and feel as effortless as I have at home. There was somewhat of a "dead" feeling and not alive as I"m used to at home. I also thought that coherency wasn't quite as good - but I suspect this was from the Altair being in a room that was a bit small. Piano kind of "scaled the speaker." Remember, the dealer thought the Atria was the perfect speaker for this space. Finally, Ron mentioned that the bass push he's typically heard before wasn't quite there - from dual big area woofers- and I would agree, though like I said I prefer articulation and extension vs output.

So where does that leave the Rockport? I learned that my ARC definitely won't work with a Rockport and I'd prefer to see a 300-400 wpc SS amp behind them. Looking back at prior LA show reports, the Rockport on BAT high powered SS was perhaps my favorite so maybe today's Rockport needs the same. I might consider them in the New Year if the dealer can provide a higher power, Class A/B amplifier.




IMG_3433.jpg
 

Ron Resnick

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I think any listening room with an angled front wall or an angled rear wall (non-parallel front wall and rear wall) makes for a very difficult room situation.
 

Ron Resnick

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Rockport audition:

Spent several hours with a wonderful demo from local dealer, Cake Audio in Orange County, CA. The Rockport Altair IIs were setup on a Brinkmann/Esoteric --> Vitus rig. We (Ron was with me) were told the Rockports really scale down depending on room size. In fact, the dealer preferred the "lowly" Atria in his own room.

I found the Rockport sound quite beguiling but at the same time frustrating. Tonality was quite nice and just warm of center in a good way (on analog - Esoteric digital seemed bland to me). Soundstage was excellent! Height and depth were superb on my variety of recordings, including electronica. I could definitely tell transparency was a notch above what I have at home (and confirmed later that evening). I don't really focus on imaging, but it certainly wasn't fuzzy or distracting.

Bass was perhaps the *best* i've heard from a ported loudspeaker in the sense that articulation, extension, etc. were pretty much as good as a sealed bass loudspeaker. I did feel ultimate amplitude was a bit light, but I'd much rather hear that than the opposite.

As to constructive criticism, I felt that the 50W Class A Vitus was simply underpowered. Music just didn't clear the speakers and feel as effortless as I have at home. There was somewhat of a "dead" feeling and not alive as I"m used to at home. I also thought that coherency wasn't quite as good - but I suspect this was from the Altair being in a room that was a bit small. Piano kind of "scaled the speaker." Remember, the dealer thought the Atria was the perfect speaker for this space. Finally, Ron mentioned that the bass push he's typically heard before wasn't quite there - from dual big area woofers- and I would agree, though like I said I prefer articulation and extension vs output.

So where does that leave the Rockport? I learned that my ARC definitely won't work with a Rockport and I'd prefer to see a 300-400 wpc SS amp behind them. Looking back at prior LA show reports, the Rockport on BAT high powered SS was perhaps my favorite so maybe today's Rockport needs the same. I might consider them in the New Year if the dealer can provide a higher power, Class A/B amplifier.




View attachment 46976


I agree with almost everything in this thoughtful report! I will demur on the coherency comment — I just am not as sensitive to or as good at detecting that sonic attribute as you are.

I agree that the Altair IIs needed more power; I would even agree a lot more power. I would not agree that only solid-state will make them come to life. I think VAC 450s or VTL Siegfrieds or ARC 750s, or Absolare or Lamm or Aesthetix hybrid amplifiers, would be wonderful on the Altair IIs.
 

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