CTT, those Charney Concertos look the real deal, w the highly regarded AER drivers option at $28k.
That’s a v good price for a potentially super excellent sound.
That’s a v good price for a potentially super excellent sound.
What's best in highly sensitive/efficient speakers.
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Empirical Audio
Industry Expert
There is only one full-range high-efficiency speaker that does not use strange drivers or horns, Vapor Audio Nimbus. Nothing like it. Images almost as well as ribbons. Breaks windows with 30W.
Steve N.
Empirical Audio
Steve N.
Empirical Audio
Hi Toad,
Does the bass of the Concerto fire backwards? I have seen schematics that show air coming forwards off that split rear baffle thing but doesn’t seem correct.
Hello Viking. So you gonna do a new DB? LOL They worked well down to Keith's (Nephilim) 45 tube amps.
Ryan (owner) lost his wife in a fire at a hotel. As you may imagine... things have not been the best after that. It's hard to say what the future holds. I'd hoped that Vapor would really become a better more mature company prior to that. Who knows what happens now...
At least there are some very happy owners out there. Doug Schroeder has a pair as well.
Hi Bill,
I wouldn't say the bass fires backwards, but all of Charney's rear loaded horns couple with the room to produce bass. They are designed to be placed close to the front wall or in room corners. You can adjust the bass to your liking by moving them closer to or further out from the front wall. Since my first post I have picked up a pair of Maestro's with the Omega RS7 Driver. More than one friend has commented on the depth and quality of bass as well as imaging with the 3D soundstage they produce in my 11'x15'x8' room. I have known Brian Charney for about 11 years. For some time he was talking about building a high eff horn based on the tractrix theory. He has owned many high eff speakers (Avant Guard, Carfrae Little Big Horn, etc...) and knew he could build something better. In my opinion he has done it! A truly amazing sound experience to be had. If you live relatively near to Somerset NJ I highly recommend setting up an audition with Charney. If you live far away its a 20 minute drive from Newark Liberty Airport to his place. Brian will gladly pick you up and spend the afternoon spinning tunes.
About a month ago he called and asked me to stop by and check out the newest AER driver offering for the Concerto. I was gobsmacked at what I listened to. He kept asking "What do you think?" I replied "I don't have to think! It's all there!" I checked my mind at the door and was taken away by the music. No need to "listen" for certain things or make mental trade offs, just pure unadulterated music enveloping the room. I'm not much of an Opera fan but on the AER Concerto I couldn't get enough of it! Emotions dripping from the throat of the female soprano that moved me sung in a language I don't understand! I could go on but, hey all you wanted to know about was the direction the bass fires from.
Chris
That is some very tragic news. I hope he will be able to recover from such a devastating loss.
Thanks, Chris. Yes the Concerto looks really very interesting especially coupled with an AER BD4! Alas I am in UK so it would be really far to visit. That said I sometimes come to Princeton with work so never know.
Empirical Audio
Industry Expert
Last time I spoke with Ryan he was planning to hire more help so that he could deliver better customer service and shorter lead-times.
Steve N.
Empirical Audio
I cannot help noticing in this thread people mixing sensitivity with efficiency a common confusion
They are not really the same thing but have similarities
Most speakers are very inefficient about 1% or so ie conversion of electrical energy into acoustic energy.
This is often the reason people wonder why an amplifier based on sensitivity won’t actually drive a speaker adequately, because although sensitivity across a speaker remains normalised, efficiency of various components of a speaker vary considerably, due to current draw.
Sensitivity measurements has a fundamental assumption that the amplifier will always be able to provide sufficient current, for some difficult impedance speakers this may not actually hold true despite the sensitivity of its rating, a recent discussion about the Tannoy Westminster a case in point elsewhere on WBF
Conversely Devore 0/96 is both higher Sensitivity than average and a very benign load also, making it very easy to drive
Note also that electrostatic bass panels are often very efficient but the speaker may have relatively low sensitivity but very little current is required as the bass panel is of such high impedance eg CLX, which is why tube amplifiers with low current capability often drive electrostatics easily despite their sensitivity.
I provide an explanatory link
https://www.stereophile.com/content/measuring-loudspeakers-part-one-page-3
They are not really the same thing but have similarities
Most speakers are very inefficient about 1% or so ie conversion of electrical energy into acoustic energy.
This is often the reason people wonder why an amplifier based on sensitivity won’t actually drive a speaker adequately, because although sensitivity across a speaker remains normalised, efficiency of various components of a speaker vary considerably, due to current draw.
Sensitivity measurements has a fundamental assumption that the amplifier will always be able to provide sufficient current, for some difficult impedance speakers this may not actually hold true despite the sensitivity of its rating, a recent discussion about the Tannoy Westminster a case in point elsewhere on WBF
Conversely Devore 0/96 is both higher Sensitivity than average and a very benign load also, making it very easy to drive
Note also that electrostatic bass panels are often very efficient but the speaker may have relatively low sensitivity but very little current is required as the bass panel is of such high impedance eg CLX, which is why tube amplifiers with low current capability often drive electrostatics easily despite their sensitivity.
I provide an explanatory link
https://www.stereophile.com/content/measuring-loudspeakers-part-one-page-3
Bill, Charney Audio is about a 30min drive from Princeton. If your without transportation I'm sure Brian would have no problem arranging a pick up and return.
Chris
Very helpful
You sound (sorry for the pun) as if you have tried quite a lot.
I think I recall a very good article in HiFi World, and it was interesting insofar as the conclusion was that the speaker is the most inherently coloured part of an audio chain, and with all designs there are significant compromises that when faced off against another topology they are found wanting elsewhere.
The first speaker to absolutely blow my mind with imaging were, as it happens, some Avantgarde Unos (or was it Solos) I thought it was utterly magical. I wonder if it is my ears romanticising the past, or if they truly were the best speakers I have heard. I am always drawn to the idea of horns, but alas, I now have a very small room with monitor style set up, and but for Rethms smallest speakers I think horns are out of the question
You sound (sorry for the pun) as if you have tried quite a lot.
I think I recall a very good article in HiFi World, and it was interesting insofar as the conclusion was that the speaker is the most inherently coloured part of an audio chain, and with all designs there are significant compromises that when faced off against another topology they are found wanting elsewhere.
The first speaker to absolutely blow my mind with imaging were, as it happens, some Avantgarde Unos (or was it Solos) I thought it was utterly magical. I wonder if it is my ears romanticising the past, or if they truly were the best speakers I have heard. I am always drawn to the idea of horns, but alas, I now have a very small room with monitor style set up, and but for Rethms smallest speakers I think horns are out of the question
If the topic starter would have said minimum 20 Watts i d say my designs off course., And i mean really drive from house to jazz to orchestra
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