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Not me. Nada. Nothing. Which is pathetic, really.
You? Anything worth mentioning?
Cheers,
Presto
Follow Ups:
I was in my local audio boutique browsing; one of the guys set up a pair of the 8's for me to hear. I was dubious; they seemed to be from the Sonab/Shahinian/Bose camp, drivers firing up at odd angles, etc. Goofy-looking white finish, in a '70s kind of way.
But they sounded *fantastic* ... Deep bass, effortless/natural mids, airy non-fatiguing treble. Great PRaT. And a stereo image that hung in the air like a 70 mm film ... Only drawback (for me)? $7k.
But: they make a more entry model for $2k I hope to audition soon, better for my small room anyways.
bill s.: I agree with you about the wilsons and b and w's. I can respect them and the effort that goes into making them, but I can't love them. I heard the bigger Sony AR at a show and was mightily impressed, but they are not in my budget. I picked up a pair of Devore 8s earlier this year that have that "human" quality to them. They disappear like monitors but are actually small floor standers.
Tom Collins
My friend just picked up a mint pair of Nola KO's. Only heard them briefly, but they sounded superb. Driven by a modest Van Alstine ST70 to boot.
My current home system: Rogers Studio 7, Audion Sterling and Sony XA-5400 gives me goose-bumps...I am often startled and surprised that recordings (played back here) can sound so close to live music.
Edits: 06/24/15
I haven't been doing any auditioning lately. However, every time I here Aretha sing "Chain of Fools," when she comes to the line "My Doctor said take it easy..." and really stretches out that eeeee, I get goosebumps. Doesn't seem to be system dependent.
They were a pleasure to read!
Cheers,
Presto
The "new" 80 or so year old Kashan carpet and pad we put down in the living room last month.
I want to audition Verity Audio loudspeakers?
Anyone want to mention their fave dealer/retailer ?
I get Goosebumps daily when listening to my reference system.
"Far away across the field
The tolling of the iron bell
Calls the faithful to their knees
To hear the softly spoken magic spells."
Lots of them...
1. B&W 802D S2 driven by Audio Research REF 250 monoblocks, REF 5SE preamplifier, Reference DAC feed by Sonos streamer
2. JM Labs Focal La Scala driven by Rega Osiris Integrated and the Isis reference cd player
3. Martin Logan CLX driven by Krell Foundation system
4. B&W 802D S2 driven by Krell Evolution system via cast
4. Wilson MAXX2 driven by Krell 250 MCX monoblocks, Karan KA L Reference preamplifier and EMM Labs CDSA CD player
5. YGA ANAT Studio driven by Cayin 860 Mono Block Vacuum Tube Amplifier
6. Last but not least B&W Matrix 801 S3 driven by Krell Evolution system via cast
If a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing well
(Proverb)
Zu Audio Omen Definition MKII with Melody 101D (or 2688) Platinum series preamp into my Line Magnetic 219IA integrated amp (serving as dual mono power amp) was rather outstanding. First Zu Audio Speaker I have liked and what seems very good value for the dollar - full range tactile can layer sound and plenty of drive. The Melody took my amp up several levels in terms of tone and foundation. Really nice - handled rock well and female vocals well. CD player was Line Magnetic 515 which is very good at around $2500 and also handles computer audio (serves as a DAC).
I thought the sound in the Gamut Audio room at the SHOW was truly outstanding. When LR's "Walk on the Wild Side" was cued up on the TT, it was as if I was hearing the song for the first time, not the 9,999th...
The speakers ran around $15K, not cheap for stand mounts, but my, oh my.
Also, thought the Spendor D7s were stellar at the SHOW. Neil Young was playing and I could have sat all day and listened to that system as well, hotel room acoustics nothwithstanding.
GLR
Agreed,every Gamut system I've ever heard has been very dynamic, way more than most systems mot audiophiles think are dynamic.
playing Europa live.
Quad 2805 ! 2815? 28 something 5. With naim gear..music server etc ( I drove to my house 45 min each way to get my blue circle and ancient Jadis 30) . Room 23 by 30 or so, very high vaulted ceilings.
He stated that The sub (rhythmic) was crossed at 40 Hz. Turned on and off.
Speakers set up on the narrow wall firing down the length of the room.
Room pretty live but thick curtains on windows (25%) of area, and pretty thick wool Tibetan rug. No other treatments. Stunning interior design.
WOW!!! I was not prepared for the sound . Far, near, etc. wide, insane imaging, mids to die for, and very delicate treble. Bass with sub off was excellent ( large long rooms seem to do that to my Magnepan 1.6
Best sound: with Jadis . But could not play loud.
Excellent excellent excellent
Second time: went back home rearranged my living room similar to the other) , repositioned my mag 1.6.... Not quite the quads...but oh boy....!
Can't read what I wrote in this damn iPad mini....
Bryston floorstanders. I'm still in shock and denial. Simply outstanding.
Plus the Spendor D7..gorgeous sounding.
An arc of fire jumped out from an electrostatic speaker and hit me on the forehead the other day. Spine-tingling.Actually, if a speaker gave me goose-bumps I'd probably become afraid of it.
Edits: 06/19/15
Try ATC speakers, especially the active versions.
Sanders 10D, if you were exactly in the sweet spot in the center.
How about auditioning something you thought was gonna give you goosebumps but didn't? My bride & I were staying a few days with friends in Ohio when I remembered there was an audio shop nearby I had read about. After convincing everyone that they would be SO impressed with the Magico speakers they would hear, and giving them a short rundown on the history, engineering, blah blah blah of these SOTA speakers which, btw I had never personally heard (you already know what's coming don'tcha), we sat down & listened for 2 or 3 cuts of something unfamiliar, but EXTREMELY loud, and came away underwhelmed. No goosebumps. I will give the benefit of the doubt to the equipment since it could have been the room/position of spkrs/assoc. equipment, so forth. But my friends were politely cool about it all, especially after finding out the prices of all the stuff. I failed on my effort to turn on some friends to my hobby. Oh well.
Everyone thinks I'm strange except my friends deep inside the earth
About a year ago the Mrs and I were out for a walk and passed by our local hi end audio salon. For kicks we went in and they had a pair of Devore Fidelity Orangutan O/96 playing in one of the many rooms. The Mrs. fell in love with the beautiful veneer on these- they are stunningly beautiful. I was astounded at how good they sounded.
If I wasn't so cheap, they might have had an impulse purchase. Maybe someday I'll get these....and maybe the Mrs. will surprise me with them for my birthday....not.....but I can still hope.
I get goosebumps when the performers sound like they are right "there" if you get my drift. Like I could walk over and we could shake hands. This first happened to me in the 1960s when AR did a live vs. recording demo at an outdoor park in Cambridge, MA. The speakers at the time were AR 3as and the amps were Dyanaco MKIIIs. Nothing special then or now really. From that experience I concluded that a lot of the impact of a reproduction system is controlled by the presentation and the environment. The equipment is frankly secondary, which as an audiophile is somewhat counter intuitive. Anyway, as time has passed it has proven to be rare that the goosebumps happen. The last time was last summer when I heard a pair of Sony SS AR2s and honest to God it seemed like Maria Muldaur was with us in the room. Uncanny. Later we hooked up a pair of Wilsons, and then on another day a pair of 801Ds, neither of which could do the goosebump thing. I am sure, though, that Wilsons and B&Ws can do the goosebumps in the right room with the right presentation. Anyway, I drank the Kool-Aide and now own a pair SS-AR2s that work nicely for me.
SS AR2's Sounds like a fantastic speaker measures well too , much surprise at their 100watts max input rating...
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