Questions for Soliloquy fans


I was about to buy a pair of Monitor Audio Silver S6($1000 MSRP) which is pretty good for me for now, but then I thought that it'll be a while before I get a speaker upgrde, so that I decided to go extra at this time.

I hear only great things about Soliloquy speakers, so I'm doing some more reasearch on it.

I'm particulary interested in 5.3 that matching size mid/bass woofer center and satllite speakers available

Here are questions
so, how's 5.3 vs 6.2 vs 6.3?
is double 5.25" mid/bass woofer on 5.3 'big' enough?
also, I see some variations on the model naming, ie 5.3, 5.3i, 6.2s, etc..., what are the latest? what are the differences?

Looks like their website is not even up to date.

Also, what are the alternatives worth comparing to Soliloquy

Thanks



eandylee
I asked Dave Berman at Soliloquy the difference between the 5.0 and the 5.01 and this is what he sent me:

First the cabinet is better built, more durable and better looking. It is comprised of 1” thick medite compressed at 11,000lbs per sq. inch, this compared to our old cabinet made from HDF. We then use a darker stain formulation and top coat with polyurethane. The old cabinet had a nitro-cellulose lacquer.

The new cabinet also has the front three edges radiused at ¼” for better imaging.

We have improved the driver to be slightly lighter and faster, as well as more rigid.

We now use analysis plus wiring and better sound dampening compounds. We also have improved the mounting layout and the capacitance in our networks.

All of this translates into slightly better imaging, more body in the midrange, greater durability, faster break-in time and a more open top end.

Hello - I have owned both the Soliloquy 5.3 and 6.3.
Their build quality is 2nd to none. Beautiful furniture quality cabinets made in North Carolina with very heavy internal bracing. They are rear ported, so you need to have them at least 3 feet from the back wall. They both sound great with both acoustic and electric musical sources.
The 5.3's even with their smaller woofers have good bass extension, but the 6.3's have even better bass and I think a more distinct mid-range, a larger room filling presentation. I have heard many speakers, some of them many times the price that did not sound as good. You can't go wrong with either one.
I hope this helps.
mescabo
I have not heard the 6.2 or 6.3's to compare, but do have and love the
5.3's. According to, I think it was the Stereophile review (which is online
if you do a bit a searching), the 6.2's occured to the reviewer as a bit
more musical sounding at the expense of some low-end extension,
while the 5.3's offered the extension at the slight expense of musicality.
Having owned the 5.3's for while I do not find them lacking in any way.
They mate very well with tubes and are pretty efficient at 90db. I'm
currently driving them with 10wpc PP amps and they are plenty full and
rich for a smallish room.

No, their website is not up to date. The 'i' versions of the speakers are
the newer versions of each of the models. They went from hard corners
on their cabinets to rounded corners. They also changed the drivers and
the 'i' version drivers seem to be aluminum or some metalic material.
The new drivers look very similar to those used in their sister line of
speakers AAD's E-series, but appearence may be where the similarity
ends.

On the new market, I don't think you'll find as good a speaker at the
closeout prices that still seem to linger here and there on the Soliloquy
older models and B-stock. Competitive sounding speakers may be
Vandersteins, or Vienna Acoustics floor standers.

The Soliloquys do take a substantial amount of hours to break-in, but it
is worth your patience in my experience. Fit and finish is indeed
outstanding!

Marco
Let me start this by saying In haven't listened to alot of speakers. BMW 808's come to mind. My room is 35 x 15 x 8 with the speakers placed 58" from the wall and 32" from the side. These are the Solioquy 6.3's. Bought in Sept. of "03. These are fantantistic speakers!!! These little 6.5" drivers really give you alot of emotion in bass, mid-range and upper's with this room. I'm using a 1970's JVC 30 watt dual mono class A amp with a Krell pre that is wonderful with this system. Give the Soliloquy a listen.
Greg
Howdy from Texas. I own the Soliloquy 5.3s ( no i) and really enjoy them. I have never heard the 6.3s or 6.2s, but my "HT Room" is only about 11 x 15 or so, so the 5.3s are best for me. Since owning these, I have no desire to upgrade at all. I listened to TONs of speakers over months before I purchased these and other Soliloquy models. As far as bass, its really good. The way they employ the two 5" drivers and cross em works suprisingly well. Bass is NOT a problem, but I can envision the 6.3s giving more, simply based on their driver sizing. It is a must to put the 5.3s 3 feet from the wall, otherwise bass can get muddy due to reflection from the rear port. The longer they play, the better they sound. The soundstage is par excellence. You can be anywhere in the room and still enjoy the stage. Also, you dont need huge upgrades elsewhere in the system to get a great result. The cabinets are awesome and look great. AS far as comparing brands, I have the following comments; Vandersteen is a totally different sound. Thats all I will say. I would compare Linn Speakers, Meadowlarks, maybe Joseph Audio and if you can drive a 4 ohm speaker, Magnepan 1.6s. Of course there are a gizillion speaker brands out there, but these are my suggestions.
This may be too late to be helpful, but here's my two cents on the issue. I owned a pair of Soliloquy 5.3's, and now have a pair of 6.2's. I have enjoyed both sets immensely. They are one of the most natural and accurate sounding speakers I've ever heard. Placement is key, as is break-in. You will find that for several hundred (yes, hundred) hours, they will sound bright and perhaps even unbalanced. You might even wonder what this bass response is that people have been talking about. You will notice this even more if you bi-wire them. But once they have broken in, you will be stunned at how engaging they are. They simply disappear into the room. I can listen to these all day long, and they don't seem to be coloring the music at all. The 6.2 has noticeably more bass presence than the 5.3, though not a huge difference. I have played a number of amps through the Soliloquy's, and all have been quite satisfying. Currently running Quicksilver Mini-Mono's (25WPC), and they just sound perfect to my (and my wife's) ear. I cannot recommend these speakers enough. From vocals to jazz to rap, they cover a lot of ground with an honest, warm sound.
Good luck with your search!