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I hope you don't mind a long response....
I own a Falcon C center channel & Raven C main speakers. They are both 2-way designs that use the same Common Mode Noise Reduction (CMRC) crossover, the same Accuton ceramic tweeter, and the Falcon has ONE of the same 10" woofers (the Ravens have two 10's each, isobarically-mounted facing away from each other inside the chassis). Therefore, the timbre-matching and general sound of these two models is very close.
The Falcon has a front-firing, slot-shaped port that does NOT chuff or make any notable noise, so it is a good candidate for use as a large center channel, as it does not require much room behind to 'breathe' correctly in a small space. The Ravens have a rear-facing slot that requires about 3-4 feet of space (measured to the front of the chassis) behind the speaker to integrate with the room well. They are both quite sensitive to positioning, and the sonics can change dramatically based on toe-in, the rigidity of mounting (spikes, stands, etc) and room acoustics (NOTE: I don't consider this a problem - rather, they just require a little patient experimentation).
I would characterize both Raven and Falcon as having very similar sonic signatures, though the Ravens seem to be able to provide deeper bass due to the twin isobaric 10's, more extensive internal chassis bracing, the inherently stable 'truncated pyramid' shape and floor-standing design. The Ravens also seem to handle slightly larger dynamic impacts - to the limit of the amps I have used to drive them.
The basic characteristics that you can count on from ANY Talon speaker are: incredibly FAST and explosively Dynamic, Neutral and Accurate. They do not favor one type of music over any other or notably falter with any particular category either, which is pretty rare with hi-end speakers. They are also neutral enough to take on the sonic signature of the rest of your gear, so end-to-end system synergy here is important. In my room, they dissapear into the sound field quite effectively.
Though Falcons are an efficient and relatively easy load on an amp (90db, 8-ohm nominal/6-ohm minimum), they respond well to smooth, deep-bass amplification with lots of headroom. IN GENERAL - though Talons work great with many hi-current Solid-State amps (rated up to 1000wpc!), they are equally reknowned to 'come alive' musically with hi-end tube amps, though I doubt I would try to pair them with an 8-watt SET amp.
Though I do not know the character of your Counterpoint equipment or your listening habits, maybe you will find the following info about my system-matching experiences with these speakers useful:
Pass Labs X-250 & X-3 amps - not the best match. The amps did not provide the low-down, deep, sustained bass that these ultra-fast woofers need to sound 'warm'; just a little too restrained to let the speakers work. The dynamic headroom made them sound almost limitless for home theater impacts, but I was left wanting for mid-bass and depth...
Sim Audio Titan amp - a LOVELY match. Though the 5x200Watt Sim does not have quite as much bass punch and control as the Pass, it has that depth and sustain that the Talons need. There is also a notably deeper and more 3-D soundstage, though about the same width as the Pass. Any Sim Audio 'Moon' series amp will work terrifically with Talons - they are a known quantity together. It also runs ultra-cool, even when driven to ridiculous levels.
VAC Standard 220 Monoblocs - we'll see... they are in-route to me as I write this, and will be my first tube amplifiers, so I will hold my comments for later.
VAC Renaissance Tube Preamp - Exceptional! Match the Sim amp and Talon speakers with the VAC, and the punch is back in spades! The macro- and micro-dynamics are awesome, while I have never experienced as much musical detail before.
Pass X2.5/Placette Active Linestage/PSE HL-1 Tube-Hybrid Linestage Preamps - Lumped together because they collectively couldn't hold a candle to the VAC preamp (though they are all 1/2 the VAC's price, as well). They were all surprisingly similar sonically, with the following notable advantages of each - The Pass was punchy, quiet and easy to live with. The Placette was grain-free and transparent. The PSE had that 'tube magic' holographic nature and nice mid-range. But the VAC extended ALL of these advantages beyond expectations, and made the Talon speakers - the one constant in my system through all these changes - sound just fantastic.
I hope that gives you a decent taste of what the Talons are like and what other equipment they would potentially mate well with. Though I am now quite satisfied with my Talons, just remember that I haven't heard everything out there, so YMMV.
.
I hope you don't mind a long response....
I own a Falcon C center channel & Raven C main speakers. They are both 2-way designs that use the same Common Mode Noise Reduction (CMRC) crossover, the same Accuton ceramic tweeter, and the Falcon has ONE of the same 10" woofers (the Ravens have two 10's each, isobarically-mounted facing away from each other inside the chassis). Therefore, the timbre-matching and general sound of these two models is very close.
The Falcon has a front-firing, slot-shaped port that does NOT chuff or make any notable noise, so it is a good candidate for use as a large center channel, as it does not require much room behind to 'breathe' correctly in a small space. The Ravens have a rear-facing slot that requires about 3-4 feet of space (measured to the front of the chassis) behind the speaker to integrate with the room well. They are both quite sensitive to positioning, and the sonics can change dramatically based on toe-in, the rigidity of mounting (spikes, stands, etc) and room acoustics (NOTE: I don't consider this a problem - rather, they just require a little patient experimentation).
I would characterize both Raven and Falcon as having very similar sonic signatures, though the Ravens seem to be able to provide deeper bass due to the twin isobaric 10's, more extensive internal chassis bracing, the inherently stable 'truncated pyramid' shape and floor-standing design. The Ravens also seem to handle slightly larger dynamic impacts - to the limit of the amps I have used to drive them.
The basic characteristics that you can count on from ANY Talon speaker are: incredibly FAST and explosively Dynamic, Neutral and Accurate. They do not favor one type of music over any other or notably falter with any particular category either, which is pretty rare with hi-end speakers. They are also neutral enough to take on the sonic signature of the rest of your gear, so end-to-end system synergy here is important. In my room, they dissapear into the sound field quite effectively.
Though Falcons are an efficient and relatively easy load on an amp (90db, 8-ohm nominal/6-ohm minimum), they respond well to smooth, deep-bass amplification with lots of headroom. IN GENERAL - though Talons work great with many hi-current Solid-State amps (rated up to 1000wpc!), they are equally reknowned to 'come alive' musically with hi-end tube amps, though I doubt I would try to pair them with an 8-watt SET amp.
Though I do not know the character of your Counterpoint equipment or your listening habits, maybe you will find the following info about my system-matching experiences with these speakers useful:
Pass Labs X-250 & X-3 amps - not the best match. The amps did not provide the low-down, deep, sustained bass that these ultra-fast woofers need to sound 'warm'; just a little too restrained to let the speakers work. The dynamic headroom made them sound almost limitless for home theater impacts, but I was left wanting for mid-bass and depth...
Sim Audio Titan amp - a LOVELY match. Though the 5x200Watt Sim does not have quite as much bass punch and control as the Pass, it has that depth and sustain that the Talons need. There is also a notably deeper and more 3-D soundstage, though about the same width as the Pass. Any Sim Audio 'Moon' series amp will work terrifically with Talons - they are a known quantity together. It also runs ultra-cool, even when driven to ridiculous levels.
VAC Standard 220 Monoblocs - we'll see... they are in-route to me as I write this, and will be my first tube amplifiers, so I will hold my comments for later.
VAC Renaissance Tube Preamp - Exceptional! Match the Sim amp and Talon speakers with the VAC, and the punch is back in spades! The macro- and micro-dynamics are awesome, while I have never experienced as much musical detail before.
Pass X2.5/Placette Active Linestage/PSE HL-1 Tube-Hybrid Linestage Preamps - Lumped together because they collectively couldn't hold a candle to the VAC preamp (though they are all 1/2 the VAC's price, as well). They were all surprisingly similar sonically, with the following notable advantages of each - The Pass was punchy, quiet and easy to live with. The Placette was grain-free and transparent. The PSE had that 'tube magic' holographic nature and nice mid-range. But the VAC extended ALL of these advantages beyond expectations, and made the Talon speakers - the one constant in my system through all these changes - sound just fantastic.
I hope that gives you a decent taste of what the Talons are like and what other equipment they would potentially mate well with. Though I am now quite satisfied with my Talons, just remember that I haven't heard everything out there, so YMMV.
.