Howdy folks. Just thought I would mention something that may be of interest. I own a pair of original Andra 1's (circa 2007). Just an FYI for some folks out there, a friend of mine who had borrowed my Andras for an extended period of time (secondary to my divorce and apartment move) owned and used a Cary tube amp with them and, using a spectral analyzer, discovered a suckout at around 40hz in his room. I brought my Spectral DMA90 over and, voila!, no more suckout and damn near flat frequency response in his room; presence in the very low 30's/high 20k (and the best his system had ever sounded, IMHO). Point: room and associated equipment are always going to be a factor. And, many times, I wonder if some have EVER heard real (ie; live) music. I used to practically live at Cincinnati Music Hall, and studied violin at CCM. I make no claim to *expert power* here, I simply point out the importance of one becoming personally acquainted with live music as a basis for comparison in the pursuit of the "hi-end". In short, I am not sure that some have much understanding about such elements as pitch coherence and associated transient speed, and the true "weight" (if you will) of the lower octaves, especially with acoustic instruments. An acoustic bass (or bass drum, for that matter), for example, is not like Hemmingway trying to knock you out....not like a shot in the gut. With my equipment and my room, the Andra 1's are not in any way lacking in the bass (two 12" Dynaudio's can, and should DO the trick. I can literally hear the skin of the bass drum "settle" after it is percussed in naturally rythmic waves on a good recording). I have suspicion that the controversy about the oft mentioned lack of bass response in the Andra 1's (w/no crossover in the mid-range, which I think was crucial for the Andra 1's rave when they were initially released and a design flaw in the 2's. Afterall, the music "lives" in the mid-band) is related to room and associated equipment. Just my two cents, for what it is worth. FYI: I am running a PS Audio PW Transport, matching PS audio PW DAC (via HDMI interface), Spectral DMA90, MIT MH 770's bi-wire twin CVT's, and MIT MI-350 reference interconnects, with Townshend Audio seismic sinks and Chang Lightspeed powerline filters. And, one last FYI, I do listen to other music that has electronic/amplfied bass, everything from well recorded rock, to the insanity of Massive attack, Radiohead, PJ Harvey, and Portishead, to name a few. Thanks for reading and happy listening.
Egglestonworks Andra original versus Andra-II
I just recently purchased a pair of Andra-II's after having owned original Andra's for about 8 years and I was wondering what other owners of both versions opinion are in regards to the sound quality in between the speakers. I loved my original Andra's and got frustated at times due to the lack of mid-bass/bass response but loved the midrange and top end. I impressed with the improved bass performance of the Andra-II but feel that something of the magic in the midrange is lost. Any thoughts on this ?