Very helpful feedback!
I currently have a Arcam A32, which will find a different home. Can't imagine that would marry well with these. There will be a new amp in my future, just wanted to get the speakers 1st then find an amp that works with the speakers.
Good to know about the loss of bass paired with the VSI .I can discount a bit of bass loss during the audition if I can recover it with a better amp.
If I end up with the Elipsa I'll sure consider the Ref 110. Was thinking about the Ps-audio BHK 250 as an option. Heard great things about the BHK pre-amp as well. Have thought about just a really nice amp like the Ref or BHK and using the Directsteam for volume control which would allow going without a pre-amp. |
Great feedback
I got my new DAC today and in love! Although I should be in bed resting, we're up listening to music and wow the changes the DAC brought to my tired old system.
Off to Seattle in a few hours.
Love the look of the violin red, but right now the graphite is whats on the market and might be what I end up with.
I'll post after returning. Might end up spending the night and heading up to the Canadian border to hear the Daedalus speakers. Talked with Lou and they also sound promising and are works of wood art as well |
Update, my little voice told me to read my own post. Made an offer on an other pair of Elipsa SE.
Hopeful, but then if it doesn't work out might be a red pair come up. |
Back from the trip and now awake.
There was good and bad about the SE's. Very attractive, although red would be so much nicer, and the tone or maybe the quality of the sound was towards the nicest I've heard. It like when I heard a cello solo, it really sounded like a cello. The bad was the soundstage, I really wanted to love these. It was hardly there, didn't give that feeling I could close my eyes and picture the instruments and vocal in place. Flat forward to rear as well.
@lostbears,
I believe that you are getting the things on yours that I was seeking out of these. Although I was told what a great match the amp was to these speakers I've been disappointed with the sound stage with the same model at a different audition. Cables were also minimal and was told cables would make the stage pop!. They were also not demos but trade in. I thought this was an SF deal. Can't pay a premium price for this.
But...
I did hear some other options at some dealers. All used Mac intergrated amps. Cable deal was an eye opener, I've never heard the difference when I tried stuff 10 years ago. During an audition, changed the speaker cables and the game changed. Real wow moment for me. Part of what makes me think the SE's weren't the problem,
@lostbears, what speaker cables might you recommend for SE's?
The stand outs from all the listening were
Wilson Sasha 3. Nice tight, sound stage nice, but couldn't put my finger on it. Sort of felt like the music was standing at attention. Not sure and gonna chew on that
B&W 803, good where the Wilson was good yet had a "warmth" that carried. I was told that what I was hearing I should expect to hear in everything I play though them. Wouldn't argue if my wife gave me a pair, but think a pass for me
Sonus Faber guarneri-tradition - Great sound stage, great everything except it lacks the presence that comes from a floor standing full range. After a long discussion. The Wilson loving, owns a pair, dealer is telling me yea, you would love the full size SF and would be everything I want, except, they are gonna be way out of my range, recommended maybe an Olympia 2 or 3 but I'd be in love with the higher model. For my budget pointed back to the Wilsons.
I'm thinking if the guarneri-tradition had what the SE's were missing, it was a specific problem with that particular pair or the audition system.
Right now I'm thinking I need to find different pair of Elipsa SE that are priced fair and just call it done. Then upgradet the right stuff going on around it
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lostbears,
I hear you on the freight trauma. I would much prefer to hand carry myself, but this would be about a 4000 mile round trip.
They will be insured and its a Sonus Faber dealer shipping. Its about as good as I can get it |
OK, I'm in the club now. I'm pretty jazzed
Buyer accepted my offer on the SE's, sadly not in red, but at a great price as compared to $12K lostbears quoted.
Also getting a new pair of Cartas cables shipped along with the speakers |
@pkelly1504
Glad to hear you have the BHK preamp running on these. I've been considering this after reading so much great about it.
Toying with the the following 3 options
Get the BHK 250 and use the Ps audio directstream dac without a preamp, All digital now and don't listen to headphones much and may never again
Get the 250 and BHK pre-amp now, monoblocks will never happen
Or get the monoblocks now , run without the preamp and hope for the money fairy to rain down on me years from now to get the pre-amp.
Knowing what the pre-amp gave you with your SE's how might you divide the pie?
Dealer was like, thats a tough call, believes the monoblock will really fill out the speakers but I'd also be really happy with the 250
Thanks to everyone's feedback , it really help me to believe the potential these speakers can have. |
David,
These are discontinued speakers and you have to go where they are. Either trade in or private seller.
They did have Olympia and the bookshelf, but don't have SF other than that.
As for a local, like less than 300 miles away. Talked to that dealer and if I wanted ELAC or similar, they could help me. Nice talk about the brands they used to have and no longer carry. Other then that shop, which sells cookware and vacuums, best buy is the only other option.
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off topic
david,
I’d love to support local dealers. I traveled to see one of 2 pairs of SE’s that I found for sale in the US. Went to see a demo pair and was prepared to come home with them. I thought I was going to the SF dealer, turned out was not the SF dealer, and were 2nd hand. The addition didn’t go well for me and I left disappointed and had written of the SE as a fit
Wanted to make the most of the trip so visited so other dealers. Turned out I did make it to the SF dealer and heard the SF bookshelf speakers only. Great sound but not the right fit. Story ends with me believing in the potential of the SF line although I had lost the belief in the ones I heard.
The other set were trade ins with an SF dealer that knew the product well. In the end an SF dealer got my business and I feel like although way far away, he’ll be my go to guy for all my future needs. The guy with the original pair had the chance to lose my business and that’s what happened.
The local SF dealer gets gold stars from me, yet they didn’t have what I wanted.They are 1st rate and if I wanted new models of Wilson or a few other lines, I’d be doing business there.They offer value to their clients.
I get the push pull of the struggle with local support vs long distance purchases. as consumers things are hard now and I think we have to balance the value a local dealer brings with everything.
On my trip I also wanted to audition a particular amp. Lucky for me I called the dealer before wasting another 4 hours of travel. Although they are the dealer in this part of the country, they had nothing of this brand. No inventory, no stock, no demo gear, nothing, they could order what I wanted. So as a consumer, where is the value and why should I take my business there?
Now that I have a connection with the dealer in a far away city. He knows my desires, has the knowledge of the lines, and I feel like I’m going to be taken care of.
Not local, but for me, I’m gonna get my guy on the phone and take my business there 1st.
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Had hoped to get a tracking number today. Guessing 7-10 days to get them.
For now no decisions until I get them hooked up. Will run without sub and original cables, then roll in the new cables and enable the sub in steps and see how it all fits.
The Arcam A32 integrated will drive these for now and we just see what makes sense. At that time I can dig into the T+A option as well as others
Thanks again for all the input and advice, it is a fun journey |
The speakers arrived in wonderful shaped. OK, not so much arrived, but rather retrieved. They quickly made they way to Spokane, then began transfers between shippers and lots of delay. Finally, hey can I just will call these? Picked them up the next day, so glad I took the truck.
Happy is an understatement. These have exceeded my expectations and Lise described them as "beautiful". Between travelling and a nasty cold she hasn't been able to listen yet, but I'm hopeful.
Some friends came over the 1st night to listen. We did a quick A/B against the Maggies and then there were unplugged and stored. He felt they sounded 10x better than the Maggies yet he loves the Maggies. Currently trying to talk his wife into a way to get those into his home. She had a nice smile too and wanted me to turn the Elispsa up to see what they could really do. LOL
Still waiting for the PS audio bridge to arrive so I can stream high res, for now, just running through CDs and hearing so much that I was missing
Several neighbors are interested in the Maggies, very confident they will be enjoyed in a new home shortly.
Thanks for all the input.
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4 months later.
I'm loving the Elipsa Se even with my old Arcam integrated. Got my old M+K sub in the mix and it really adds. Set the sub on the B speaker output so easy to take it in and out. Everyone can hear the difference, its night and day
Added a DirectSteam DAC as my source and the speakers came alive even more. Hugh sound stage and they are very forgiving of my room. Stream Tidal almost 100% now, the CD player is collecting dust unless the internet goes down which happens a lot here.
Just ordering a new amp and pre today. The extra current to these speakers should make a monumental difference. Also expect going from single ended to balanced should help also.
Gave my Maggies to my best friend and he is in his own heaven. Friends should let friends do soundbars!
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The old Maggies were the 2 way intro deal from 20 years ago. Gifted them to a friend who loves them |
Hard to believe its been a year since this journey started.
Ended up going with a full BHK stack. The mono blocks are a hybrid design with tubes on the input stage, solid state on the back side.
Finished off the electronics with P15 regenerator. Wow took everything to a new level.
Speaker and interconnects are Cardas sky.
Power cords are a mix. Have a Cerious Marix from the wall to regenerator, dedicated 20A, High Fidelity Reveal to the Dac, Cerious graphite for the mono blocks, Forget whats feeding the pre.
Some GIK acoustics for room treatments. Still have yo put the ceiling panels up.
I'm in love with the system and sound. Spent the winter hold up listening to music and watching the fire. Without exaggerating I've listened to more music this year than I have in my entire life.
Lise loves the system as well and right now is playing 2 Cellos selections and telling me wow listen to that. In fact she bought the GIK as a gift.
Thanks for asking and happy listening |
