March Audio Sointuva

[Holmz]

My dilemma is what finish to get...

Where in Los Angeles are you?

 

[n1rvana]

Where in Los Angeles are you?

I'm near Westwood

 

[n1rvana]

How many pairs you buying? Get a pair in every finish- March might give you a discount!

Just 1 pair

For context, my search for a high-fidelity system started at the beginning of COVID with the intent to purchase Triangle Borea BR03 and NAD 316BEE V2 based on subjective reviews from several YouTubers (whom I don't follow anymore).

After discovering this forum and due to several moves since then, as well as several anticipated speaker releases (e.g. Kef Meta line), I have held off purchasing and just settled with my Sony 1000mx4.

So aside from the bookshelf Denon I purchased back in college (1995), this will be my first set of hifi speakers. I already have an Okto8 Pro (sitting in the box) and I plan to pick up an Apollon Hypex Ncore stereo amp (as soon as I decide what color case...). I have Dirac Live w/ DBM purchased and will add 2 Rythmik FV18s down the line.

Maybe 1 day I will be able to afford a 5 channel setup with the Sonituvas. But for now, I am pushing the limit of my budget for my first setup.

 

[restorer-john]

Maybe 1 day I will be able to afford a 5 channel setup with the Sonituvas. But for now, I am pushing the limit of my budget for my first setup.

I was kidding with the quantity discount thing, but seriously, pick a finish you can live with for decades and isn't too polarizing in your room. Just in case you ever want to sell them, you don't want your buyers being turned off by pea-green gloss or bright red timbers etc.

 

[Holmz]

I was kidding with the quantity discount thing, but seriously, pick a finish you can live with for decades and isn't too polarizing in your room. Just in case you ever want to sell them, you don't want your buyers being turned off by pea-green gloss or bright red timbers etc.

Or just get which ever finish one wants, red, green, or brindle.
But I usually do not have the empathy and courteously to spend a lot of time thinking about the next person I am selling them to.

I would not even get a set of them if I was thinking about selling them. What is the f~in point of that?
Is if like talking to a wall, as the person who would have been standing there is not present. It make no sense to think of these empty set scenarios..

 

[restorer-john]

Or just get which ever finish one wants, red, green, or brindle.
But I usually do not have the empathy and courteously to spend a lot of time thinking about the next person I am selling them to.

I would not even get a set of them if I was thinking about selling them. What is the f~in point of that?
Is if like talking to a wall, as the person who would have been standing there is not present. It make no sense to think of these empty set scenarios.

Having a bad day are we?

 

[Penelinfi]

There's also whether the owner will still like that rad colour they picked after a year or two

 

[YSC]

Having a bad day are we?

but I do agree that just consider what you like would be a better option, it's all about enjoyment isn't it? I would rather I personally have a better time with it say, in shocking pink and a hello kitty painted on it than compromise in a more general finish where potentially more people will be interested in second hand market. And who knows what will happen in the years to come to the speaker itself or myself? maybe it will break in accident and become junkyard material, or maybe another buyer who really enjoy the "special" finish will come?

Even not with those extreme assumptions I would say better offer a bigger discount when the speaker eventually need to be sold, than not enjoying it fully by myself

 

[Holmz]

Having a bad day are we?

Not really, the week has been good.

But I do not waste a great deal of time thinking about some future buyer... they can buy their own system or not.

I don’t really think too much about them, as they do not exist in my world; and I usually do not buy excess gear, and hence I do not sell gear that I did not buy… so there is no buyer to worry about.

 

[Penelinfi]

Not really, the week has been good.

But I do not waste a great deal of time thinking about some future buyer... they can buy their own system or not.

I don’t really think too much about them, as they do not exist in my world; and I usually do not buy excess gear, and hence I do not sell gear that I did not buy… so there is no buyer to worry about.

So yes, people are different. Not everyone is the same as you and vice versa

 

[Matias]

Erin is about to test a pair of Sointuva AWG, and hopefully someone can buy the pair in the US so they don't have to ship back to Australia. And the lucky buyer will have a NFS measured speaker to brag, how cool is that??

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

 

[Penelinfi]

Ship them back to Australia is good, you can ship them to my house ;-)

 

[BossBunos]

On the picture it looks like the radiator is also the aluminium version of the driver. But the website shows "Dual Purifi PTT6.5PR-NF1-01 passive radiators are used to on the rear of the speaker to extend the low frequency response".
Can you tell us what it is @Matias?

 

[Matias]

On the picture it looks like the radiator is also the aluminium version of the driver. But the website shows "Dual Purifi PTT6.5PR-NF1-01 passive radiators are used to on the rear of the speaker to extend the low frequency response".
Can you tell us what it is @Matias?

All aluminum, see here:

March Audio Sointuva

More pics from mine assembling and measurements of (very low) distortion.

www.audiosciencereview.com

Edit: a random white background picture I took and edit for no reason.

 

[Holmz]

On the picture it looks like the radiator is also the aluminium version of the driver. But the website shows "Dual Purifi PTT6.5PR-NF1-01 passive radiators are used to on the rear of the speaker to extend the low frequency response".
Can you tell us what it is @Matias?

I have seen them, and there were 2 purify passives on the back.

 

[SundayDiver]

I am in the unfortunate position of not being able to fit any form of subwoofer in my listening space (small living room nook), and only space for book shelves on entertainment unit (currently have Kef XQ20). I like listening to music, but in truth it is mostly used for movies.

I am getting the itch for 'more' and have been looking up actives. But given cost of genelecs/sigbergs etc this march audio speaker seems like almost a bargain for what you get? Especially as I live in Aus too. Would this have the kind of dynamic headroom of those other active speakers, to make it suitable for movies too? At least for 90-95db peaks?

I had also read somewhere about a teardown of the previous version which found a lot of build/qc issues. Any sign of that with new version?

 

[Matias]

@SundayDiver I am sure both of you being in Australia you can arrange with Alan done sorry of deposit and loan for you too try them yourself. Or buy after arranging a return period and restocking fee, etc.

 

[Holmz]

I am in the unfortunate position of not being able to fit any form of subwoofer in my listening space (small living room nook), and only space for book shelves on entertainment unit (currently have Kef XQ20). I like listening to music, but in truth it is mostly used for movies.

^good luck^
a mixed 2ch/HT has challenges.
(ask me how I know)

I am getting the itch for 'more' and have been looking up actives. But given cost of genelecs/sigbergs etc this march audio speaker seems like almost a bargain for what you get? Especially as I live in Aus too.

Where in Aus are you?
I am about 20km west of Alan’s MA/HQ… as the kookaburra flies… in Albany.

Would this have the kind of dynamic headroom of those other active speakers, to make it suitable for movies too? At least for 90-95db peaks?

The bass was surprisingly strong on the set I heard a couple of years ago.
(That was in a relatively larger room than what it sounds like your room is.)

Alan was to the right - out of frame.
I had the NIOSH (SPL) app running, when we could not hold a conversation.
it was north of 100 dB(A).
… ad they sounded somewhat quiet !

To me finding a speaker/system, that sounds quiet, when it is loud, is somewhat rare… and a good sign.
We usually crank up the sound until we hear distortion, and distortion makes the content sound loud.
and we often crank it until that point.

When one is seeing the lips move, and cannot hear the other person, it is pretty loud. Way louder than it needs to be.
We were at >100 dB, and peaks in the 105-110 db range… so I don’t think you would have any problem, especially in a room that could be a touch smaller.
(and it was not shy on bass.)

I had also read somewhere about a teardown of the previous version which found a lot of build/qc issues. Any sign of that with new version?

I think that the fellow from South Korea somewhat “walked back” his review.
the only thing I took away from that was that the resonance was the purify basket, and having a bracket holding the motor takes care of that.
(I did not hear it at the time, and it is a high-Q (narrow) resonance.)

I was there for an hour or more, and listened to a mix of what I liked and what Alan listens to.
There was nothing not to like IME, other than perhaps if one likes the purity of phase and time correct systems… of which there are few of these days…
and something that is not normally discussed, other than Olive and Toole saying it does not matter… and everyone else repeating like scripture.

 

[SundayDiver]

^good luck^
a mixed 2ch/HT has challenges.
(ask me how I know)



Where in Aus are you?
I am about 20km west of Alan’s MA/HQ… as the kookaburra flies… in Albany.



The bass was surprisingly strong on the set I heard a couple of years ago.
(That was in a relatively larger room than what it sounds like your room is.)

Alan was to the right - out of frame.
I had the NIOSH (SPL) app running, when we could not hold a conversation.
it was north of 100 dB(A).
… ad they sounded somewhat quiet !

To me finding a speaker/system, that sounds quiet, when it is loud, is somewhat rare… and a good sign.
We usually crank up the sound until we hear distortion, and distortion makes the content sound loud.
and we often crank it until that point.

When one is seeing the lips move, and cannot hear the other person, it is pretty loud. Way louder than it needs to be.
We were at >100 dB, and peaks in the 105-110 db range… so I don’t think you would have any problem, especially in a room that could be a touch smaller.
(and it was not shy on bass.)



I think that the fellow from South Korea somewhat “walked back” his review.
the only thing I took away from that was that the resonance was the purify basket, and having a bracket holding the motor takes care of that.
(I did not hear it at the time, and it is a high-Q (narrow) resonance.)

I was there for an hour or more, and listened to a mix of what I liked and what Alan listens to.
There was nothing not to like IME, other than perhaps if one likes the purity of phase and time correct systems… of which there are few of these days…
and something that is not normally discussed, other than Olive and Toole saying it does not matter… and everyone else repeating like scripture.

great, thanks for the extra details.

I am a Sydney-sider, so almost may as well be in a different country anyway.
As it happens, we did go to Albany as part of our honeymoon though. I recall beautiful ocean water and whaling museum as the highlights. Would of been nice for March Audio to be around 15 years ago for a convenient listen.

Sounds like their capabilities should exceed the current KEFs, and I shouldn't be concerned about build quality. I had a nagging doubt about a one-man band in remote Australia.
Kind of worried about that exposed tweeter dome though, with young hands about. I would definitely need some form of covering.

Thanks for responses, and they are definitely on my consideration list.

 

[Holmz]

great, thanks for the extra details.

I am a Sydney-sider, so almost may as well be in a different country anyway.

certainly during Covid it was locked down.

As it happens, we did go to Albany as part of our honeymoon though. I recall beautiful ocean water and whaling museum as the highlights. Would of been nice for March Audio to be around 15 years ago for a convenient listen.

The Mrs has a POHM friend over, and Tuesday did a whale boat tour out of Bremer Bay.
1st time in a couple of years a pod of Orca slaughtered a beaker whale.
I think AM was in the UK then? Or not in Albany at least.

The national ANZAC centre is here now too.

Sounds like their capabilities should exceed the current KEFs, and I shouldn't be concerned about build quality. I had a nagging doubt about a one-man band in remote Australia.
Kind of worried about that exposed tweeter dome though, with young hands about. I would definitely need some form of covering.

Thanks for responses, and they are definitely on my consideration list.

A friend in Sydney always is raving on about Duntechs... That his mother disposed of when he was at Uni.
i would not fret too much about the tweeters. The passive radiators and the Purify woofers are where a lot of the cost is at.
The kids can be trained, and/or the tweeters replaced.

there is a show soon in Melbourne, or somewhere towards the east.
Why not just get them there, and save Alan from having to ship them back?
(and one can drive to Melbourne in a day.)
I would suggest making a call… you can hear them at a show and compare to other things at the show… and if they are to you liking, then you are set.