Hello Rhythmace (Darrin/Darrilton) and A'goNers.
Darrin, Thanks for making the trip over and I'm glad it was worth your time. Hope you get to make it again and, with your lovely Wife next time. (Note to Wife: Your Husband is very grateful for you!) Always enjoy when folks come visit.
Steve and I are still as excited about the Sason project as when we first intro'd it. It really is a world class transducer.
Perhaps a couple of points of interest:
The amps we use a lot of the time here are Pass Aleph 3 which are pretty tricked out. Not the Aleph 30. We use two of these - one for each speaker. Simple circuit, Class A single Ended throughout it's output - great little amp. The Sasons don't need a lot of power to do their magic, just good power. Steve's (McCormack) DNA-2 w/ SMC rev.A is a special amp and the Sasons did beautifully revealing that. Thanks for bringing that along Darrin.
The Sason Ltd. is not only made here in the USA, they're also made in our humble facility here. On top of that, no one touches these except Steve or I. We personally build every set. Wouldn't have it any other way. Which brings up this that I think is worth noting: As with virtually all dynamic loudspeakers, there's no real new "breakthrough" technology in the Sasons. We've simply re-analyzed ALL the engineering required to design a great loudspeaker and, by thinking outside the box so to speak, we've refined and optimized everything about it. (Where Steve provides the science or engineerical (What!?) prowess, I provide the side that makes loudspeaker design an art. Together, some would say we're scary.) This requires some pretty specialized attention for parts selection and during build. We have our own little tricks we do that no one else is doing. That's why we don't foresee jobbing these out or even hiring someone in house to build these. I suppose if there's a down side to this, it would be that we'll never sell 25 - 50 sets of these a month. The up side I think is that those folks who own and enjoy the Sason Ltd can be confident that their speakers are not another "highly regarded" "me too" offering.
Our music room here: It's almost too small for the Sason. That is to say, as well as they impress in our room here, they will perform even better in a room where they have more room to breath. There is one Gent who has a pair in a dedicated environment that's way bigger than I would imagine the Sasons to work in but, they perform all the better. Great story behind that. If requested, I'll post it here. And, though he has a sub he could use, he doesn't.
On the other hand, I can think of another Gent that has a pair in a smaller room than ours and is thrilled with how they're performing. In that room, the Sason replaced a well regarded five figure pair of monitor speakers. If I understand correctly, he also changed his amps to some low powered tube SETs.
Finally, Thank You Darrin for taking the time and effort to post your impressions. I think commentary like this is worth more for the true music enthusiast than all the slick ad campaigns a company might come up with...that somebody pays for (That'd be the consumer.). I would personally like ya'll to know too that Darrin is a well seasoned audio enthusiast and musician who's not given to writing a commentary unless it's well earned (good musicians are hard to impress) - a feather in our cap I suppose but still good for you to know...
Finally finally, (like, for real) whether you're in the market for better speakers (or cabling) or not, Steve and I would love to have any of you visit. Bring your music, your gear, or both. The new Alethias cabling is in the rig and the Sasons are singing. It would be fun.
Cheers to all of you and Happy Thanksgiving! Much to be grateful for, No?
Robert RSAD |
Hello Drubin.
Don't really have a picture of it that shows what's going on so I'll try to explain it without giving away exactly what we do.
The platform for this arrangement uses Cardas Patented Binding Posts that we modify for our purposes. The modification allows the leads from the X-over to come out of the cab. and connect directly to spade ends on speaker cables. The Sason Ltd uses two sets of these per speaker for bi-wiring option.
One can't use speaker cables with banana connectors with this arrangement which, by our standards, I'm not particularly fond of anyway.
The Sason uses a custom built Poiema!!! Signature wire harness. Aside from the performance benefits, this harness works beautifully for what we wanted to achieve with the Pure Direct Connect design. Other cabling or simple hook up wire would compromise the design objective of the Pure Direct Connect arrangement.
While any speaker cable with spades will work as intended with the Pure Direct Connect, our MSE Gen II, Poiema series and Alethias speaker cables compliment this particularly well since the spades on the cables are not terminations but are milled into the ends of the speaker cable's conductors.
Not actually seeing the Pure Direct Connect arrangement, I can imagine one concern that might arise. That being good intimate contact pressure between the speaker cable spades to the X-over leads. No need for concern here. The X-over leads have enough surface area to fully accommodate the "footprint" of any spade up to a half inch wide. Most binding posts don't have that kind of flat surface area for spades to tighten against.
Another issue less obvious is that virtually all binding posts, whether the cheaper brass alloy, or better copper or silver posts, are not best for audio purposes. While the better posts are massively impressive and instill confidence when installing speaker cables, they are too massy for audio and are actually a bottleneck in that they introduce too much signal reflection because of their mass. We're not trying to weld here, just get the music from point A to point B as efficiently as possible. The Pure Direct Connect design instills installation confidence by making as intimate and tight contact pressure as anyone could possible want and is appropriately low mass well suited for audio.
So, there you have it. That's it.
On a personal recommendation for what it's worth, (and I have no vested interest in making this recommendation) my favorite 5 way binding post is the Eichmann Cable Pod. I've installed these on our amps and like them very much compared to other highly regarded posts.
Cheers!
Robert RSAD |
Drubin wrote: "...is the Pure Connect Direct™ speaker connection your own design?" Ooops, see how I go. I get all wrapped up in an explanation and forget to answer your simple question. Yes. It's exclusive to RSAD. Cheers! Robert RSAD |
Drubin wrote: "...There are some very serious weaknesses in audiophiledome" Amen Brother! Man, some of the ideas I have that I hope I get to do before I kick the bucket. Time's short! I think what happens many times is that well intentioned engineers come up with adequate solutions (i.e. read "convenient") to problems and then the big outfits buy into these solutions and they become the excepted standard. The unsuspecting audio/music enthusiast doesn't know better from worse and it simply becomes the norm. Then, not wanting to pour more money into a better solution, bigger "call the shots" companies devise clever little twists on the same half-assed mouse trap and come up with clever ways to say their mouse trap is the best bestest and on it goes. Big companies have to chase the dollar to maintain themselves so, like I said, a lot of this stuff is more a matter of function follows form rather than form follows function. Much easier and faster to slap on a set of binding posts on the back of a speaker than what we're doing for example. If this is going to change, it's going to come from companies that follow a passion instead of the dollar. Unfortunately we're typically the small guys that have little influence. I do believe us smaller companies do what we can within our product lines which are more specialized to alleviate what I perceive as dumb. We're following a passion. Companies like Rockport Technologies, Peak Consult, Purist Audio, Virtual Dynamics, Prana Wire and Eichmann as well as a few others are companies I personally admire for their passionate efforts. Obviously this isn't a condemnation on other well regarded audio products. There's certainly great stuff out there even if I disagree with certain things about those products. Gees, I probably didn't make any friends here. Maybe I'm all screwy. Maybe another manufacture will chime in here and agree or present another view. Regardless, I think most of us have much to enjoy about our music playback and, however slow or not, I believe it will continue to get better on some of the levels you bring up Drubin, as some of us obsess more, No? Anyway, Cheers! Robert RSAD |
Hey Larry! My personal best wishes for a great Holiday Season to you. You're a deserving Gent of nothing less.
The Alethias is our new top drawer cabling. If I may say so, it's awesome stuff and our most ambitious effort. Currently, there is the Alethias S/Cs and AC Power Delivery Cords. The I/Cs are still on the board. I haven't completely figured out the materials application yet to make the I/Cs practical. As it is, they won't bend and, maybe it's just me but, I'm thinking this isn't good. My goal is to come up with a solution that doesn't compromise the design premise. Not a problem with the S/Cs or P/Cs and those designs are done and available.
There's some of the Alethias out in the field already and those folks are very pleased. This taken from one of our feedbacks here on A'goN regarding the S/Cs: "The speaker cables are outstanding. I have had lots cables including Valhalla, Nirvana, and others. To date the Alethias are the best that I have had. Robert is a bright, innovative guy, that is out to please". Thanks Ron.
I'm probably most excited about the Alethias power cords. Mainly 'cause one doesn't typically expect as much from a "stupid" power cord as you would from signal carrying cables. I understand it intellectually but music impacts the emotion, not so much the intellect. So, upon evaluation of the cord, I was simply left shaking my head for the emotional connection to the music....because of a "stupid" power cord.
Sonic wise, in a nut shell without going into a whole bunch of tired but I suppose applicable audioclichés, more expansive but not out of proportion, ability to hear way deeper into the recording venue, expressively nuanced, better extension at the extremes without being exaggerated, and....floaty. I really don't know what that means but maybe it will become a new audio term. There ya go, LOL!
Maybe this gives some insight: Aside from busier music like Big Band stuff (right now I have Big Phat Band, XXL playing recommended to me by Tvad - great stuff), I particularly enjoy music with lots of space in it. The space on a good recording is very instructive when evaluating stuff. MA Recordings "Further Attempts" by Todd Garfinkle and Water Lily Acoustics "Saudades" (hard to find) are excellent in this regard and, it's great music to boot. With the Alethias doing transmission duties, there are places where you get the sense a musician is preparing for the next measures. Darrin knows what I'm saying. That's what I mean by being able to hear much deeper into the recording venue for example. Floaty - I don't know. Maybe Andreas Vollenweider's "Down To The Moon, Dancing With the Lion Behind the Gardens-Behind the Wall-Under the Tree, Caverna Magica" CD.
Anyway, both Steve and I are very pleased with the Alethias cabling.
One of these days I'll get all the support materials (URLs, images, sorely needed website update) done so it can be formally introduced. Owners Manuals are done - this is good.
Does that help a bit Larry?
My Best to you. Robert RSAD |
Hi Drubin.
We're about an hour East of Chicago, maybe an hour and a half if one is comming from O'Hare Airport which is a little N/W of Chicago.
Whether one comes from the East or West, it's a pretty easy shot here when taking I-80/90. We're not far from that toll road at all.
Further, there's a guest room here so we're happy to house and host anyone who comes from further out for a weekend.
CHeers!
Robert, RSAD
|
Hey Drubin. Yes, well be showing the Sason Ltd along with RSAD's Alethias! and Poiema!!! R-v3 cabling at RMAF. We'll likely be partnering with either UltraFi and / or Atma-Sphere. We're confident we'll have at least an exceptional room and we're looking forward to seeing many of you there! Cheers! Robert RSAD |
Albert... is the Deer Urine™ tweak thrown in... You ever tried throwing dear urine? It doesn't work. We did try using a DU™ filled fogger (like you see at concerts) with a strobe light in our music room to create an enhanced listening experience. With the strobe and DU fog it was just freaky wrong. I had to get the heck out of the room. Well, I tried this a while back and it got dumped so... I'll try it again. This is private - moderator review is forbidden. ;) DU™ BlogBTW, a CD I'm really enjoying the heck out of: Vaghissimo RitrattoCheers! Robert RSAD |
"...Changing hardcore LBD folk to Right Brained Dominated one at a time since 1782!"
Okay, so maybe that's not too good a slogan for RSAD.
Regardless, Steve and I want to say Thanks Jordan! for the kind words. We enjoyed your visit and I'm glad you did too.
I gotta say too that to have impacted you as you describe and you being an LBD type, this brings great satisfaction. Music certainly isn't an intellectual exercise even when we try and make it that sometimes. Since hearing one of Steve's early designs back in '88, I've come to expect more than excellent hi-fi from a playback system.
Also, being a musician, I trust I have a pretty good clue as to what it takes and what it is to connect with music on an emotional level and for me....hi-fi ain't it.
Both Steve and I are very satisfied that the Sason Ltd can set a new bar and change enthusiasts expectations of what is possible from a music system. For you and our other clients to affirm that lets us know that we're not as goofy as I wonder about us sometimes.
Meow!
Robert RSAD |
Hello Rgs92. Thanks to anyone out there who has any experience with the Sasons for taking the time to reply. I have some experience with the Sasons ;) so I hope it's appropriate for me to help. As written in our Owner's Manual, the Sasons require a minimum of 18" form the back wall. We like to recommend 36" or more from the side walls but one can get away very nicely with less depending on the toe in. Whether close or out from the back wall, the Sasons will get out of the way and disappear with the image predominately behind the plane of the Sasons. This is fairly subjective but, as with any speaker, the closer to the back wall the more "compressed" the front to back layering will be. Still, in comparison to other speakers, better than most - all that I've heard. Can the bass-port adjustment feature compensate for bass anomalies from non-ideal placement? Yes and it can be quite dramatic but it will not thoroughly compensate for all the benefits good room treatment will provide for a room that needs room treatment - i.e. most if not all rooms. Again, by comparison, I think you'll find the Sason much more fixable with it's bass tuning feature given the constraints of many domestic listening environments. ...how easy is it to move them around (with the sliders in place) to adjust their position with the speakers on the sand-filled stands? Very easy! We play Curling with our set sometimes - loads of fun that gives the Sasons that unexpected extra value! Just kidding. Seriously, they can be moved with one hand for fine tune adjustments. To move greater distances they move very easily with both hands directing. ...I understand that they reflect upstream components, would they be characterized as bright or etched or fatiguing to any degree (assuming that they are driven by good equipment that is not inherently bright or aggressive)? In my experience, speakers that become fatiguing suffer from a lack of cohesiveness. They tend to highlight one area or another in one way or another. Lots of things that can contribute to this. Among the many hallmarks of the Sason is it's cohesive presentation. It has one voice - not a chorus. If you've spoken to some of our owners, they've probably mentioned this. Hope that helps Rg. I think we've talked on the phone but if you'd like, post me an email and I'll post you the Owner's Manual for you to review. Cheers! Robert RSAD |