Well, here it is, finally, my impressions after the first audition trip …
It was quite the whirlwind, I am exhausted (two days, six dealers), but one of the funnest and most delightful experiences of my life. Of course it was all the more special as two of my adult sons accompanied me on the trip, mainly to keep their old fart dad from doing anything stupid and to keep my ears “honest”. I will say that maybe it is genetics, but for the most part they had the exact same impressions/opinions as I did on the auditions, so was good to have that extra confirmation on what I was hearing via their much younger ears.
If you want to know which dealers I visited and my impressions of them, please DM me, I do not want to make this about the dealers. I will say most of the dealers were outstanding and truly great human beings. There was one however that was the very definition of all that is wrong with high end audiophilia. If you can think of a negative stereotype in this hobby, I am certain this dealer had it covered.
I should also add that I auditioned several speakers not on my short list simply because I had the opportunity to do so, why not? Extra data points.
With the exception of one session that was vinyl, all sessions were with one of the high resolution streaming services/devices (Roon, Tidal, Qobuz, etc). Although some dealers had a lot of digital source silliness going on (several different megabuck DACs were in use, fully overkill and you can do just as well for a lot less money). I should also mentioned zero EQ on any of the speakers I auditioned (per my request to the dealers, I wanted to hear as “raw” a sound as possible with no “cheating”). Also no subwoofers were used for any audition, mains only.
Finally, please remember these are my SUBJECTIVE opinions, hearing speakers in all kinds of different environments and with all kinds of different gear. Please don’t poo poo on me about what I heard vs what you heard if you own or have heard these speakers yourself (and don’t get all butt hurt if I say something negative about your favorite speaker … you like what you like, I like what I like and heard what I heard, and we can all still be friends). It would be a fully pointless and waste of time discussion.
Without further ado, in alphabetical order …
Acora Acoustics SRC2
Never heard of this speaker manufacturer before visiting this particular dealer. Driven by $260k Boulder 3050 pure class A monos (truly a sight to behold), each amp had its own dedicated 220v circuit. Crazy. These speakers were magnificent, and with granite cabinets even! Where the low frequencies were coming from I have no idea given the (small) driver complement, but truly world class. Massive soundstage, dynamics, very neutral and accurate, but with no fatigue whatsoever. I am 100% certain the Boulder monos were fully unnecessary, a much more reasonable and well measuring amp would have certainly sufficed, but cool to see/hear those monos regardless. True excess at its finest. These speakers would go on the short list, but over my budget ($37k retail if I recall)
B&W 801 D4
Driven by Simaudio Moon mono blocks. Very recessed mid-range, sizzling top end, decent LF, nice imaging, incredible detail that is tolerable for about 10 min before I couldn’t take it any longer. Same experience I have had with every B&W I have heard over the years. I just don’t get it. Absolutely not flat response (I don’t even want to look at the spins for this thing, must be horrendous).
Devore Fidelity Orangutan O/96
Driven by small tube amps. Heard these only due to convenience, not because I sought them out. Overall a nice presentation, but definitely not flat FR. Lack of detail, but nice Mid-range and soundstage. LF response surprisingly good given the size of the speakers. I would never own these speakers, not my cup of tea, but I can see why some like them (they have a cult following to be sure)
Dynaudio Confidence 30
Ok, nothing seriously wrong, but meh, that’s about all I can say. Didn’t listen to these for more than a couple tracks.
Focal Sopra 3
Driven by Simaudio moon. These were actually quite good. Well balanced presentation, albeit a bit harsh on the top end. If not for other overall better speakers on my short list, these could be a contender. Beautiful to look at, outstanding build quality.
KEF Reference 1 Meta
Driven by a Master Sound integrated. Very good. This is a speaker you could sit and listen to for hours with zero fatigue. Well balanced, mostly flat response but tipped down a bit in the HF, excellent LF for the size of the speaker. But, smaller soundstage, image a little blurred, and a little too polite for me. If I were in market for stand mounts, they would be on the short list for sure. Note I was not able to audition any of the other big KEFs on my list, simply ran out of time (and sadly this dealer had just sold his Blade 1 demos). But given this same uniQ used in the other speakers, my suspicion is these would drop from the short list. While I will still try to hear the Blades, won’t go out of my way to do so before making final decision. I fully realize cabinet of blades takes things to another level, but per conversation I had with this particular dealer on the Blades and KEF in general, and my reaction to the Ref 1s, he was very confident I would in the end rank the Blades below few others on my short list.
Kii Three
This was without BXT, but no need, was in medium size room. Nice sound, very good bass from such small speakers. Good imaging and soundstage, but not world class or the best I have heard. If someone had a need for a small footprint all in one solution with great DSP/EQ capability, I could maybe see the attraction. Otherwise, meh. Was really happy I got to hear these as I have been very curious given the hype, nice to drop them from the short list. And by the way, that Kii control is goofy.
Legacy Focus SE
Driven by a Goldmund integrated. Another speaker I did not specifically try to audition, nor on my list. Given the very polarized opinion of Legacy, I had low expectations. Well, how do I say it, these things were outstanding! I was shocked. This was one of the surprises I mentioned previously. Very, very good speakers. Really did nothing wrong, except overpowering the room a bit in the low frequencies (incredible bass, true full range). Outstanding soundstage, incredible dynamics. Maybe not the last word in detail or pinpoint imaging, but still very good. Again, shocked. No idea how they measure, need to research, but they sounded excellent. I expect they are tipped down a bit HF, maybe a bump in the LF, but again still very good. I may be adding the Legacy Aeris to the short list.
Magico A5
Driven by a Boulder integrated. These were phenomenal. They deserve the accolades. Very good detail, imaging, soundstage. Balanced and neutral, some of the best mid bass I have ever heard. Low bass was incredible for a sealed design. World class.
Magico S5 MK II
Driven by Boulder 2ch amp and preamp. Larger soundstage/presence than the A5 (should be, they are a much larger speaker), and overall very good. But I preferred the A5! No matter, S5 over my budget anyway.
Rockport Cygnus
Driven by Boulder. Way over my budget, but no way I would pass up a chance to audition these. Unfortunately, dealer had just received them, really not even setup or dialed in. But still he was gracious enough to let me listen. Very good, but I was certainly not “wowed”. I expect much of this due to setup, but hard to say. Only spent about 10 min max with these.
Perlisten S7t
Driven by ATI 6000. These deserve the accolades. Very nice indeed. Pinpoint imaging, LF on point, smooth and detailed mids. Zero harshness, but great detail in the highs. Two nit picks … Smaller soundstage and narrow sweat spot, and due to the height of the tweeter (too low!), all the musicians appeared to be the height of hobbits. But overall, very, very good.
Revel 228Be
Driven by Simaudio Moon. Excellent, nothing really to complain about at all. Very flat response, neutral, smooth, excellent detail and soundstage, very good LF. Outstanding.
Revel 328Be
Driven by ATI 6000. Similar to the 228, just everything bigger. A bit better imaging. Low freq was incredible, true full range. Excellent.
Revel Salon 2
Driven by ATI 6000. I had VERY high expectations of this speaker given all of my research and the hype. Well, my expectations were completely surpassed. Unbelievable. I am a bit lost for words. Have never heard anything like that in all my years in this crazy hobby. The most realistic rendition of female voice, strings, snare drum, brass, and piano I have ever heard. One track I played of Billie Eilish actually had a few folks in the room in tears, including me, no kidding. She was right there in the room with us. It was goosebump central. Soundstage was immense, crystal clear highs. Extremely fast/tight mid bass. And the lowest freq? These things were hitting 25Hz easy. Wow, just wow. No EQ, no subwoofer, nothing. Just the Salon 2s. Miraculous. And for those that say the 328 equals or betters the Salon 2, I heard them right next to each other with exact same electronics. Sorry for the 328 owners/lovers here, but for my ears, it was not.even.close. Salon 2 in a different league.
Sonus faber Il Cremonese
Driven by McIntosh monos. Horrendous. $65k of a mushy soupy mess. But, they were gorgeous to look at! But that’s all I would do if I owned them, just look at them. Nice furniture is about all I can say.
Wilson Sasha DAW
Can’t recall the amplification on this one. Low expectations compared to my previous Wilson experience (yuck). But to be fair, these actually sounded very nice. Beautiful cabinet. Nothing really to complain about expect the ridiculous asking price. You can do same or better for much less money.
Zellaton Plural Evo
Driven by Goldmund monos. Never heard of this brand before until seeing them at this dealer. Apparently a German brand that has been around since the 30s. All of their drivers made by hand in house. Gorgeous speakers. Immense soundstage, pinpoint imaging, smooth liquid midrange. Excellent low freq, true full range. But expensive, this model $65k/pair. Not sure what the measurements would be, but I suspect very good.
There ya have it, hope this is helpful/entertaining for y’all.
Very interesting results. The Revel Salon 2 must be exquisite to listen to because everybody that hears them seems to be impressed. 
