Brulee,
Have you heard the new Virgo III's? Those are the ones I've been leaning towards with the Avant Gardes as a consideration. I would hope that my equipment would dictate a somewhat warm sound. Each component was bought to combine detail and warmth which is something I really want. The wait on the Audiophysic will be about three months hope I can hang on till then.
Thanks, |
Piega, Coincident, Avanti III, Merlin can all sound bright. Don't put off any of these very excellent speakers. Each of these speakers are a commitment. Pick any of these and with the right electronics, some work and you will have a wonderful sounding system. Depending on your room, one may work better than another. IMO, you can't go wrong with any of them. If full range is important, check out the Total Eclipse. Has anybody heard a better imaging speaker than the Avanti IIIs? The tonal balance on the Merlin's can be hard to beat. Are you a transparency nut? Piega and Avanti IIIs are two to consider. Are you going to build around you amp? You have to put a lot of thought in what it is you want from a system and don't forget how important the room is. I have yet to hear any Von Schweikert sound right. I don't blame the speaker. Too many reputable people think it is one of the best in it's price range. Good luck, I sincerly mean that. |
email me off line if you want to know more about the 2 setups i heard of the VSMs and the VR5s.
but this much i can say for certain: they are NOT bright. if they sound bright / dull / romantic, its what is upstream.
rhyno |
I second the Piega suggestion. Awesome speakers. Not a lot of dealers, but worth the effort, imho. Great highs, and tight,deep bass. { If you like those kind of things!}
Kale.
Ps- Mark, any word on those Jena PC's? You've got me lusting!! |
I don't know your price point, but I have a similarly sized room and had a pair of Piega P-10's which fit comfortably and unobtrusively, and sonically are one of the best I've heard in their price range and higher. |
My friend uses a Electrocompaniet 120 on the Super Eclipse. I use and change out a EAR 534 tube amp (50wpc) and a McIntosh 6900 integrated (200wpc). Both do a great job of bringing the RX 20's to a full bloom. My CD source is a Krell 30i CD player. I also use a VPI Aries turntable in this setup. |
I'll put in a vote for the Virgos...I'm biased as I use the Avanti III. I like the way these guys make speakers and I like the way they sound when you get them together with the right gear and set-up properly....a very enjoyable musical experience from a relatively small speaker. |
Ljgj,
I called Gershman and talked to a lady that didn't inspire much confidence. I'm noticing that all the new speakers are using ring radiator tweeters i.e. Krell, Audio Physic, Sonus Faber Cremona, and others. I've been told that the midrange is the most important but others place much emphasis on the tweeter. What equipment are these dealers you support using with the AV's? Whats your friend using with the Super Eclipse?
Rhyno,
I'm getting conflicting reports on the Merlin VSM. I've heard from several people that they are overly bright. And looking at the Merlin pictures, it seems many positive reviews are from people who are older. I haven't ruled these out but I want nothing to do with a bright speaker. If I'm not mistaken you said at the Asylum the VR-5's were pretty nice and would benefit from further evaluation. It's hard to understand how now they are much better????
Natalie,
I would like to hear these speakers the frequency response and the efficiency are excellent IMO. Nice web site and they seem very serious about there design. Design appears simular to the new Audio Physic Virgo III which is the front runner at this point based on my equipment and suggestions from others in the industry.
As for the VMPS I may be missing the boat but I'm a little worried about the ribbons. I'm moving from a Martin Logan and I have my mind somewhat set on getting regular speakers this time that I can live with the look and the sound longer than the WOW months.
Thanks to all! |
To clarify.
If you get bright sound out a Super Eclipse,its the source that is bright not the speaker.I have a 4 year old Nak cd player which on my Coincidents with certin source material can be bright.When I play the LP of the same music its not anywhere near bright.It tell's me my Cd player is bright.
The Coincident line will expose your week links.
With the right source and proper cabling the Coincident line is not bright.
They will expose bad sources.
Yes I need a better Source.Looking for the right DAC to mate with it.
Anysuggestion's.The NAk has a Digital out. |
the coincidents are great if you're an SET fan, otherwise i'd steer clear.
b/w the VR5s and the VSM-ms, i've heard both...and thought the VSMs were much better. your room is ideally sized...but i wonder about the liberties you'll have to place them. if you're limited w/ what you can do in placement, you may just want to save your $$ and get something mid-fi.
the speakers you're talking about are great speakers if you'll give them what they need...bad placement isn't what they need. if you can't place them properly, why not some standmount ACIs Jags or Sapphire 3s w/ a very small footprint?
rhyno |
There was a treble switch put in recently to help tame room conditions and the speaker binding posts were upgraded. I am not sure in the driver category. Talk to Steve at SoundVideo.com - they are his personal choice in his own system. Joe at JC Audio thinks they sound better than the Karma. Of all the recommendations in this group who actually owns the speaker they are talking about - I do! The Super Eclipse is a bit on the bright side but tubes should warm them up. A friend of mine would probably sell you his pair. |
The Avant Garde is nice but not in the Same league as the Super Eclipse.There is a pair on this site for 3800.00 you wont do better and will do worse for as much as double the money. |
I STRONGLY recommend the AV Reality Studios. Absolute top of the line drivers with the Scan Speak 7" revelator woofer (If I remeber correctly this woofer has the fastest impulse response of any woofer made in the world).
The Studios have same exact drivers as the Krell $9500 monitors, but with even better crossovers and a unique diffraction baffle. The best part is that this speaker is priced at $2000 new! I have nothing but accolades for this remarkable speaker company. |
I'm a little worried that the Gershman Avant Garde RX 20's haven't had an update in technology for some time it seems.
Is there any information on the drivers and X-overs used. |
Check out the Gershman Avant Garde RX 20's - it is 36 inches high with a 12 inch footprint and delivers bass down to 24 HZ. It is a phenomenal speaker for a room your size - you will not believe the sound they put out. They are beautiful to add to the delight. Check comments on audioreview.com. I have two systems - one with the Odyssey and the other with the RX 20's. They retail for 4400 but can be gotten at a better price new from JC Audio or Sound and Video in Minnesota. |
I'd would go for the VMPS. You won't need a sub with those and the ribbons used with those speakers have no match in its class. |
Avivey, I know there not on your list but i would definetly give a listen to the dunlavy aletha's, I have a room that's similar to yours and i'm getting great results. If you set them up exactly like the manual shows they dissapear completely, I've owned Dunlavy SC4a's, mirge m3si's, schnell B minors; and areial 10 T's; and find the alethas to be best sounding overall. Whatever you do listen to all the speakers you can before you buy.
Best Regards, Chuck, |
I may be mistaken, but I thought that the Super Eclipse had a rather large (deep) foot print. Sorry to be negative about Bobby's Merlin VSM-M's but I heard 'em (two different rooms) at the C.E.S. Can't figure out what all the hoopla is about. Yeah, the Esotar tweeter sounded great, but the mids and lows didn't integrate well into a seamless presentation. A shame, because these speakers ARE NOT CHEAP and the build quality and parts are all top notch and expensive. Another speaker (small) that really impressed was Legend Audio's "The Legend". Very quick sound, almost electrostatic. Great soundstage, very deep, and unusual because it was well behind the speakers. Bass seemed to be a little thin, and these are 4 ohm impedence. Happy Tunes! |
I have a Rogue 99 Magnum, A Rega Jupiter 2OOO, A Llano A-100 trinity Hybrid Amp, Final Labs Darumas, Silvercat IC's, and vibrapods.
Speakerwire is TBD, and the room is carpet. |
What type of music do you listen to, and at what type of volume levels? Is your room carpet or hard flooring? What is the rest of your gear?
Not wanting to pry...but these things have impact on what might be a good match....and I believe many will suggest to you speakers they feel would be a good choice....or that they own or have had experience with. This said, many of the Alon speakers have small footprints and have the open dipole sound/impact of speakers like ML and Maggies. |
