@waltersalas thanks for the recommendation on Tekton. How would you describe your experience with the Encores and how does it differ from the Double Impact? No issues with power from the LM? |
Thanks everyone for your recommendations so far! Some of these, including Falcon, ProAc, Piega and Tekton, I had not even considered so far.
@jperry which of the ProAc's did you hear with the Line Magnetic? No issues with power? That is one area of concern given the 805ia isn't the most powerful of amps and don't compare to Solid State amps in this regard. |
I listened to the Magico A3's today. They look much better in person than through photos (they basically look like a black box in photos). Build quality is superb - as you would expect of a $9,800 speaker. The speakers could be driven HARD and yet the sparkle and twang in the highs continued to shine without being harsh in the least. The lower end was good but not as good as impactful as I had heard from the Sonus Faber Olympica 3's. The speakers were driven by Hegel equipment. A great combo but I wonder if it is really 3x better than my current Ascend Acoustics setup...
Something to think about. Perhaps it is the components, but the listening experience was impressive without being jaw dropping - if you know what I mean. |
@sciencecop I'm not sure I understand your post. Care to elaborate a little more? |
@shkong78 I gotta vito the Berlin's simply because of aesthetics. Not a fan given that they will be literally the loudest item in the living room. Appreciate the response though! I bet they sound great but without being able to pass on looks, it doesn't get past my Wife haha |
@soundsrealaudio Care to elaborate? |
@firstnot Agreed. I'm in no rush. As I said, the Ascend Acoustics sound fantastic, especially for the investment so I can hold off for a while :) |
@jperry ah, just saw your posting about the audiogon ad. I'll check that out. Have you compared the ProAc to some of the other speakers that I mentioned in the opening message? Curious to hear your thoughts in comparison. |
@jperry I like what I see from the ProAc D48. Unfortunately, not going to be easy to find any place near me for a listening session. How did you get yours?
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Thanks @shkong78 I appreciate the offer! Always good to meet someone local that is so willing to help out. I'm ok for the demo for now as I continue to consider some of these other speakers out there right now. I don't think I will go for a Vaughn at this point. |
With my Ascend’s, they are being powered by the 805’s with no issues. I rarely go above the 9 o clock mark in volume. I don’t play at anywhere near concert levels. I haven’t heard the A3’s with my LM but I am curious about them. The shop seems to think there is no problem with the LM and its power specs being able to drive the A3’s. |
So still a lot of choices out there but these are the ones that interest me most at this time: - Magico A3 - Demo'd
- Salk Soundscape 8 - Have not demo'd but am familiar with the RAAL tweeters from my Ascend's
- Joseph Audio Perspective - Have not demo'd
- Proac D48R - Have not demo'd
- Devore Super 9 - Have not demo'd
Problem is, most of these speakers are not available for demo anywhere in Seattle where I am. The ones that I have taken off the interest list are: - Focal Sopra 2 - Focal's forwardness and the reproduction of highs does present to me as being a little harsh. Not what I would want in a $10k speaker.
- Tekton Encore - Not the most appealing speaker visually (for me) and it is enormous. A small sample of bad reviews of customer service also turned me away.
- Dynaudio Contour 60 - Would still love to listen to these but have heard that they are power hungry and my amp may not be a good match there.
- Sonus Faber Olympica 3 - During a demo, the high's of a particular song by Jocelyn Brown - Somebody Else's Guy was a bit harsh. I don't get that from my current Ascend's.
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@markmendenhall I was initially quite impressed with the pace and dynamic quality of the low end but it was the high's which were somewhat piercing (I am fairly sensitive to high harshness). The Sonus was being powered by McIntosh and Hegel gear. |
@facten I should give them a try. They are about 2 hours from me but I do travel in that direction once a month or so. Is there a particular speaker that you would recommend? |
I would love to hear Tannoy's. Haven't heard them before but have to admit that they are not my aesthetic.
@djfst agreed. I was just surprised given the gear was primarily McIntosh. Given I was also thinking I would go McIntosh integrated or hybrids, I was surprised at the performance in the high range. |
@riaa_award_collectors_on_facebook
I wish I could post an emoticon of my jaw dropping right now. Salk SS8's and they haven't been listened to! I would be so excited to hear them if I had them in front of me :) I'm not sure what the Tobacco Sunburst looks like. What price would you sell them for? Please feel free to PM me. |
@riaa_award_collectors_on_facebook
How do you compare the Salk SS8's to the Audio Note and the Devore's that you recommended? I have the Ascend's with the RAAL ribbons so I am somewhat accustomed to that sound.
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@chrisg1000 Awesome to see another member local to me. I am based out in Issaquah (not too far away from Seattle). I purchased the Line Magnetic 805ia from Erik in Gig Harbor Audio. The shop is so nice and welcoming and they always have great music playing. Erik is as standout a guy as I have ever met. I wish they had some of the speakers I was looking for to listen to though!
Your speakers look "Neat" ;) Sorry that was a horrible pun. I am surprised by the level of sensitivity and the ability for your LM to drive it though. This process of hearing what people can drive with their amps has led me to believe that power ratings really depend on their amp type and even then, the numbers are not always "equal". My Ascend's at about 9-10 o'clock on the volume knob is always very loud. No issues with powering these speakers whatsoever. I have not heard the Spendor A7's before but they are a handsome pair of speakers.
I'm thinking of heading down to Pearl Audio and listening to a few sets. They carry Magico, Dynaudio, Sonus Faber and Devore. |
@bradf Yeah, I was just on the phone with John. He mentioned that he only had the O/96. With all the suggestions on this speaker, I am interested to listen to them. No Magico A3's unfortunately due to backorder. |
@twoleftears I am about an hour and a half away. I'll try to get out there. I wonder though, does Daedalus sound more like a Harbeth vs a Focal? If it is more Harbeth like, I'm not sure I will like it but I will want to give it a try anyway.
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I am going to try and listen to the Wilson Sabrina's and the Sonus Faber Olympica's again tomorrow. I'll see if I can bring my LM along with me. |
Hi @facten no worries at all. Thanks for the response. I'll try to get up to Ferndale and have a listen. With several people recommending them, I'll have to give Lou a visit! Have you heard any of the other speakers mentioned in this thread and how would you compare them against your Argos? |
@grk I may drive down to Portland and bring my amp with me. A shop has the O/96 in stock and it would be neat to have a listen - even though the Super Nine's would fit in better with the room they would go into. |
Had a terrible experience at Definitive Audio in Bellevue, WA today. Walked out before I even got to listen to the Sonus Fabers and the Wilson's. Will not be going back.
I'll have to find another way to audition these speakers elsewhere. |
Three other speakers that have come up on the interest list are the:
Legacy Audio Aeris
Acoustic Zen Crescendo II
Daedalus Ulysses II
Anyone have thoughts on these? I am going to hopefully have a listen to #1 and #3 sometime in the next week.
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@avanti1960 I tend to agree with you on the looks of the Tekton's. Not my cup of tea.
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Brought my LM 805ia to test on the Magico A3's today and wow. It sounded (to my ears) so much better than with the Hegel gear that the Magico's were being demo'd with. No issues with driving the A3's on the 805ia at all. Even the shop owner acknowledged that he was a bit taken back because he did not expect the pairing to sound so good. He remarked at how he didn't think the A3's sounded as good with any other amp pairing he had in store and proceeded to ask where I got my Line Magnetic from. More dynamic and warmth - both were very present characteristics that I heard today. Also heard some surprisingly deep, low end bass that I don't know that I expected with this pairing - considering the specs on paper recommended 50W minimum to drive these speakers. I would be very happy with this combo.
Tomorrow, I test the Daedalus speakers. Hoping to audition both the Argos V2 and the Athena V2. |
Thanks all - I ended up auditioning a few speakers and resulted up with the Spendor D9's at home. Pairs beautifully with the Line Magnetic. It's still a brand new speaker so it will likely open up a bit more over the next few months but it sounds fantastic out of the box.
The A3 was very impressive, I had no concerns about the Line Magnetic not being powerful enough to drive those speakers. I might have if I only read specs on paper but no such concerns after the audition.
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