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Yes, plus the Legacy AerisSounds to me like the A5 and the Revel Salon 2 are the top contenders?
Yes, plus the Legacy AerisSounds to me like the A5 and the Revel Salon 2 are the top contenders?
Can‘t speak for the A3, but I would certainly not describe the A5 as a speaker that lacked dynamics. It was outstanding in this regard, right up there with the Acora, Legacy, Salon 2s, and Zellaton.Very fun read. Thanks. And, wow, what a list! That must have been fun.
A lot of your impressions match what I've heard from others, or what I heard myself from some of those speakers (like your description matches what most people describe about the Acora Acoustics speakers).
I also wasn't very moved by the Kii 3 even after having heard them a number of times. I found the Magico A3 to sound a bit too "audiophile" in the sense of sort of controlled to a fault - they sounded sort of dry and lacking in dynamics and drive with lots of tracks I knew well. The A5 are supposed to be better though.
I'm a fan of the Devore O/96. I like that meaty sound!
Your review makes me want to hear the Revel Salon 2 again some day. I only heard them briefly at an audio show.
Looks like Revel are your first choice at this point?
Sadly no M2s. Dealer where I auditioned the Salons had a pair but recently sold them, could have compared side by side with the Salon 2s! … and strangely in the area I was at, aside from this dealer, not a single JBL dealerSounds like a great trip... And that was a fun read! Thanks for the writeup and letting us all follow you vicariously.
Of the speakers I've heard on the list, your impressions mostly mirror my own (particularly Kef being a bit too polite, and the 228be having 'nothing to complain about'). I also enjoyed Wilson's (can't remember the exact model) when I heard them, but didn't feel them particularly special. I heard Magico (M3 I believe) speakers and thought they sounded refined.
I can only conclude I didn't have a worthy demo of the Salon 2 either of the times I heard them; they didn't sound much different to me than the 228be in the same room (both were nice but didn't blow me away); maybe I need to revisit the Salons somehow/someday?
Did you not get to hear the JBL M2? Or was it just REALLY not to your liking (haha if can't say something nice, don't say amything)?
My thoughts exactly, please do not take my comments as a dig on the KEFs, quite the opposite. Those Ref 1 metas were very, very good. Just lacked the dynamics and “liveliness” that I prefer. I am certain he Blade would be more to my taste, but i just can’t imagine I would prefer them to others I really liked on this trip. Hopefully I get a chance to hear them, but will not go out of my way to do so.Oh they are very nice speakers, indeed! I have recurring thoughts about buying Kef or Revel bookshelf speakers for a secondary system to get a different listening experience compared to my more 'lively' system.
My comment was purely a personal preference for a more lively presentation, not a judgement on their quality... They're technically outstanding speakers.
Planning another trip soon … would still like to hear JBL and VividLoved reading your impressions! Sounds like a great trip you had with your boys.
About you 3 having the same taste, might be that they learned to listen to music with you? I am finding myself having the same taste than my dad and sure learned to listen to music on his system.
I didn't know the existence of boulder amplifier. What a thing! Those Acura Acoustics have an intense looks too.
I love the looks of those Salon2. You get me interested again in trying out a couple of passive speakers as 'end game' system... Not a worry for a few more years here.
Have you another trip in mind? More speakers you want to listen to before making the final decision?
Billie Eilish track -> “when the part’s over”Plenty of overlap with my impressions. What was the Billie Eilish track you listened to on the Salon 2s?
A few comments- The Kef Uni-Q tweeter has consistently underwhelmed me but the Blades have been noticeably better. I'd put them around the Kii 3s for solid competent performance that's not top tier exciting.
I haven't heard the Magico A5s and S3/5 Mk II back to back but liked the latter better. They're up there in my top 5 or so, exceptional speakers that don't sweeten things but are more matter of fact in a way that the complaints about them being flat or clinical totally make sense to me- not that I agree.
To my ears the Salon 2s were midway between something like the Blade (competence, not getting things wrong) and the Magico A5 (starting to get more exciting/exotic).
I'm very interested to see how you feel about Vivid Audio
I am a “cranker” to be sure … just ask my sons who asked me multiple times during the trip to “turn it down a little” … of course they have much younger ears than I, so that was part of the issueI don't know if MKR likes to crank things, but the Vivid Audio speakers respond well to volume. They go surprisingly loud/clean and feel pretty powerful for their size.
Maybe Genelec, but not D&DNice write up.
Of the many you auditioned, the only ones I've heard were the Kii Three (and had similar impressions to you). Out of interest, will you audition the Genelec setup and Dutch & Dutch 8C?
No interest in Barefoot, but thanks for the recommendation!Since I didn't see them in the thread and since you're in US I was wondering if you ever consider to have a listen to Barefoots.
I mean,apart from SQ and the rest,they can mimic other monitors according to their manufacturer.
I have listened to them and it's fun!
Barefoot Sound » MasterStack12
barefootsound.com
I was wrong anyway,it's 30K per speaker,so way out of designated.No interest in Barefoot, but thanks for the recommendation!
Yes, I am a bass head to be sure. As to wide dispersion and soundstage, yes, very critical for me. But I put it differently…. Want to be transported to the live performance venue! Only way to achieve that as far as I know is wide dispersion and big soundstage.Great write-up, thank you for sharing. A few things stand out to me based on the above impressions;
- Bass quality (again) seem to really matter for subjective impressions.
- You seem to enjoy wide dispersion and/or soundstage qualities.
The Salon2s have very extended bass, several woofers in different heights giving less SBIR problems in the mid/upper bass and very wide and even dispersion. No wonder it sounds really good, if space allows for it. Extended and powerful bass is, in my opinion, very important for the sense of scale, realism and size of the soundstage and shouldn't be under-estimated.
In my eyes the bass is a simple thing when designing a system, several subs and bass towers will provide world-class capability in that area. Then it simply becomes a question of preferred dispersion and power capability above that. I must say I've been curious whether or not you'd find the 4367 worthy of consideration, any plans on listening to that? Looking at the spin of the Magico A5 there's a chance you would find the M2 likeable too as it's quite similar in the (commercial) spins;
You can do better for the money anyway per my researchI was wrong anyway,it's 30K per speaker,so way out of designated.
In my experience you can reach that much closer (especially with your large budget) with a good multichannel setup.But I put it differently…. Want to be transported to the live performance venue!
Indeed, agree … this system will be double duty theater also, so multichannel by defaultIn my experience you can reach that much closer (especially with your large budget) with a good multichannel setup.
And the by far best $30 (not $30K) you will can is to get to Toole's book first.
Yes and he uses them as part of his excellent multichannel listening systemIndeed, agree … this system will be double duty theater also, so multichannel by default
And that book is definitely on my reading list. Fun trivia … Toole has Salon 2s in his listening room, but he suspends them upside down from ceiling, with tweeters at ear level at MLP!
Legacy Focus SE
Speaking of JBL's, I'm curious how a lot of these speakers stacked up to your 590's.And yes, will still try to audition the JBLs