Apogee Duetta Signature or Mini Grand?

Dave, thanks for all of your information in this thread.

I have been waiting for the right pair of Apogees to try for a while, and was conversing over the weekend with someone who seemed to know a good deal about the brand. In fact, he said the Duetta Signature might be a good option for me in the room I would place them in, as well as the Stage or Mini Grand.

However, after talking to me, in his opinion, while he loved the speakers, he felt that they were quite possibly not right for me, as these models were limited in terms of volume output. He felt to get the volume I was looking for, one needed the larger Apogees (Diva, etc.). Is this also your experience? Will these smaller models do 95 - 100 dB?

Thanks for the responses guys!

Well, the listening room these would be in is 15' X 13', definitely on the small side for dipole speakers. If I were to commit to a pair of Apogees, I would have to commit fully to them. That means purchase the right type of amplifier, whatever that is, Henry Ho's, Krells, big Jadis monos - whatever. The Divas were never really an option due to the room size, and I am not 100% sure that the smaller speakers are still not too large for me in this application.

The dancing mid/treble ribbons of the Duetta Signatures would definitely be dancing for me, I am afraid...

OK, Sogood51 and Muralman1 - THE Apogee gurus here - what do you guys think about the Apogee Caliper Signature for my room and loudness preferences?

If it's a go, I'd probably contact Henry Ho about moving on one of his creative amplifiers. At that point, it would make sense to pay him a visit at his convenience down in Virginia.

Thank you very much for your sage advice,
Joe

Thank you for the advice, gentlemen. You both are the most knowledgeable people here on Audiogon regarding Apogees, by far.

Dave, the dimensions you worked out are just about right. I have pretty much placed all of my speakers about 3.5' - 4' out into the room, with about 6' - 7' between them. Though they seem closer to the walls, one of the walls is actually an opening into another room. I have always preferred to listen in the nearfield, with the speakers toed in considerably - aiming right at me. And, yes, this is, for all intents and purposes, a dedicated listening room (in the guise of a "sitting room").

I have heard that both placement, and vertical angle were keys to getting most Apogees, these Calipers Signatures included. 48" tall is probably ideal for me. While Divas are obviously out, it sounds like the Duetta Signatures also fall into that category - unfortunate!

It sounds like volume will be no problem. One thing I have always heard from people quite in tune with Apogees is that, despite what most think, the bass is absolutely concussive. That's exactly how I like mine.

Vince, I will definitely see if Henry will have me over. If I am lucky enough to end up with this pair, his amps are already on my shortlist. Partly from following you in these threads over time. Tonya Harding and Tara Lipinski?!? I'd be more than a little happier with things if the Stages and Caliper Signatures were Surya Bonaly and Kristi Yamguchi. Dorothy Hamil sure is good enough, however.

Wish me luck!