@milpai I didn't get to hear the ProAC D30S. Thanks for the report. I did listen to several speakers that I listed earlier on this thread, which I now re-list below with my abbreviated report on each:
PSB T3 (The PSB room didn't have T3s, but was playing T2s. It didn't sound very good to me. I previously heard T3s at a dealer and enjoyed their overall presentation. More about the T2s at AXPONA later)
Spendor D7/D9 (These were not at the show--I'm trying to head to San Antonio to hear the D7s later this week.)
Endeavor 3 MkII (I was expecting a lot here and I was underwhelmed. The first time I walked in the room it was straight up 10am, music was blaring out of other rooms and this room was changing a turntable cartridge--for 15 minutes. Once the music started, the sound was, um, non-dynamic. I chalk part of this up to the music selected, a jazz sax number that felt lazy as it wound its way through the middle register. I went back later and listened again. This session provided partial redemption of these speakers. Now the music was dynamic and revealed more of what the Endeavor E-3MKIIs could do. I can see how others would like them; but they did not layer the music in a way I found satisfying. The overall system seemed to lack speed; maybe it was the Jolida tubes driving these things, but it felt like the speakers had a regulator on them that kept them from opening up.)
Joseph Audio Perspectives (Wow. These speakers are smooth....There was a line to get a seat. Both times I visited, I stood in line. I first had to stand in the hallway, then I advanced to standing by the seats. Finally, I graduated to sitting down in the seats--and even got to sit in the favored middle chair on my second visit. And...I didn't want to give that chair up. The mid range and upper range were both captivating, detail without brightness, clarity with warmth. Hard to be too superlative on the sound coming out of a 36" high tower speaker that is 8.5" wide and 13" deep. The bass... it is sufficiently present and overall blends well, but it is these speakers weak point IMO. Specs say 35Hz on the bottom; my Imagine Ts are 38Hz on the bottom and have more bass presence, but admittedly are not as tight in the bass as the Perspectives. I should note here that Jeff Joseph told me he had the plug in the rear port to provide a tighter more focused bass delivery. So, that could explain some of the bass "leanness." However, if you have twin REL subwoofers (like I do) this is not an overwhelming concern. And, if you haven't already guessed, I really enjoy the bass cleft! For folks who focus intently on voices, the upper register and detail, these speakers should rank high on their list. Driven by Rowland Daemon Integrated (1500W @ 8 ohms--no that's not a typo!). Overkill? Yes! Enjoyable? Unquestionably. Doubting D Class amps have the ability to allow extremely musical presentations after listening to that amplifier with these speakers seems hard to fathom IMO. This was my favorite room. BTW I walked into the PSB room playing the T2s right after hearing the JA/Rowland room; that's probably why I was a bit hard on the PSB T2s. I presently own Imagine Ts and I still like the sound for the price. But one of these is clearer way ahead of the other. It stands to reason looking at the disparity in price points, although that is not always the case, I have come to learn.
Marten Django XL (These were not at the show; the Marten Coltranes were. I briefly listened to the Coltranes--$80K MSRP. They seemed terrific--but not $80K terrific. I got up and left without trying to critically evaluate them because, hey, I'm trying to find speakers I'm willing to buy and the clock is ticking.)
Monitor Audio PL300 II (These are great speakers. I listened to them twice and really enjoyed it both times. It is a complete package--presents a very complete soundstage and layers upper, mids and lower registers with seeming ease. I consider them a fast speaker with the PASS amps pushing them. I heard several different kinds of music through them and they excelled at handling each genre I heard: country, blues, rock, orchestral. The MA sales guys were taking all comers--if you had a CD they would play it. Unfortunately I had a USB and nobody in the rooms I visited was taking USB music. These speakers are pretty bulky relative to others I'm interested in (44"x16"x18.5") and, for me, are not as pleasing to look at as some of the other speakers I saw. But, they are not overpriced relative to the overall sound they deliver. They were driven by PASS XA monos and an XP-30 preamp. This is an excellent match. I could happily live with these speakers. Big time bass, direct, tight, not boomy, well integrated into the overall musical presentation.)
I will post some thoughts later about my visits to the Magico rooms and the Modwright/Daedalus rooms. And @milpai as promised, when I return from San Antonio, I will post my thoughts on the Spendor D7 listening session. Most importantly, I had fun at AXPONA! I told my friends that it was Disneyland for guys who like to take electrical stuff apart; men who, as kids, stuck screwdrivers into wall sockets. (I did see a few women at the show who were clearly as into it as the fellows.)
Sorry for the overall length of this report.
Peace
Al
