Acuujim: Did you buy your Khorus new? How did they sound right out of the box. I've heard a friend's, and they are constricted and wooly in the midrange. I'm told this goes away after an extensive break-in. I also own VR6s, and right now they are not even close to their equal. I also own Magnepan 1.6QRs, which are much faster than the Talons. So what's up? |
Thanks Acuujim! That's been my experience so far. I now have a pair, and the upper mids are murky. Sound staging is very good, though. I traded the VSRs for them. I hope I won't be disappointed, but a phone call to the designer convinced me he knows what he's talking about. |
Bookner: I am amazed that the imaging was a problem for you. That's the one thing these things do well with no break in. Having just trade VR6s and having owned many of the speakers you mentioned (Dunlavy IVas included), I'm surprised that was your take on them. These image very well even compared to the VR6s, which were better than the Dunlavys. My sticking point is the the midrange murkyness that the designer says disappears with break-in. Lots of break-in. Jeff Rowland bought these things for his system, as did other equipment manufacturers and well known audiophiles. I am at this point waiting for miracle to happen, but am hearing improvements everyday. Anyway, thanks for sharing your views. |
Acuujim and Philfreak: Are you guys playing them loud? According to the designer, the surrounds of the Scanspeak midrange are an accordian type. He has been using this driver for 8 years, and knew that break-in was a very long time before they sounded good. On the other hand, they'll last forever. I have been playing them for 24 hours for a couple of weeks now at low volume to wear-in the crossover electronics, but haven't figured out how I'm going to break-in the drivers at higher volumes without driving everyone crazy. I once read a Stereophile article that suggested facing the speakers towards each other so that the drivers fired into each other. This supposedly causes them to break in faster. Right now, they sound constricted, murky, and have a midrange glare at high volumes. When I talked to the designer, he told ME what I was hearing, so I know he knows what he's talking about. On the other hand, this speaker is very fast, detailed, and images like crazy. My buddy just bought a pair also. He auditioned them at Jeff Rowland's place. He described them as "stunning", and sold his ESP Concert Grands for them. Rowland told him that the crossover in this speaker was the best he had ever seen. My buddy is breaking his in now. This probably should be done at the factory to some extent to avoid all the uncertainty of new owners during break-in. Thanks for the comments. I'll let you know how it goes. |
Acuujim and Philefreak! The Talons are now breaking in and sounding really good. I left them on while diving out of the country for two weeks. That was enough to break-in the mid-range drivers. The soundstaging and imaging of these speakers is better than my VR6s. The bass is very fast and the detail is amazing. They are truly world class. Thanks for the feedback. |
I'm using an Electrocompaniet AW120 right now. It sounds really good. I was always a tube guy, so I need that richness in the midrange, which EC stuff has. I almost bought the EVo, but was discouraged by a Talon / Bel Canto dealer who said that the EVo has the typical solid state thin midrange (by a tube lover's standards anyway). I might try a low watt SET. These things are very efficient. I use a PS Audio 600, and it hardly shows any current at all to drive these speakers. I hear that they are very good with SETs. Any experinece with that, Philefreak or Acuujim? |
Hey James! Thanks for the response about SETs and the Talons. I am going to try an Art Audio Jota with them to see what happens. Not a exactly a three watter, but I am looking forward to the hearing the strengths of these type of amplifiers through the Talons. Your info is much appreciated. |
Thanks Mike! I forgot about Bel Canto. Let me know what your feeling are about it after you audition it. I had Cary 805Cs at one time. They use the 845. I think these amps are either highly over-rated or just didn't work in my system. What speakers are you using with the Bel Canto? |
Hi James and Mike! One thing I've noticed about the Talons is that they do seem to be more efficient than the 90.5 rating they are given. My amplifier runs off of a PS Audio P600. When I was driving the VR6s with the same amp, the output voltage of the P600 was reading 210. When driving the Talons, the output voltage is 170. Yet my VR6 speakers were rated more efficient than the Talons at 96db efficiency. I spoke to Mike at Talon about this, and he said that in the real world, the Khorus is more efficient than the specs indicate because the speaker has no compression. Clement Perry mentions this in his review of the Khorus. I am receiving an Art Audio Jota at 20 watts per channel later this week, so this will give me some example of how well these speakers work with lower powered amps. But I don't doubt that these speakers will do things not normally associated with current mainstream technology. I would love to try them with a 3 watt SET. Just don't have one to do it. Maybe I can borrow one from Welbourne Labs, which is just down the street from where I live. I'll let you know. |
I was talking to Joe Fratus of Art Audio today about the amp I bought. He asked what speakers I was using. When I told him I own the Khorus, he said he heard them two weeks ago and "it was unbelievable what those speakers can do. They're great." He said that he heard them driven with a 12 watt SET, and thinks his 6 watt 300b amp just coming out would easily drive them. |
Hi James! I got my Jota today and it drives the piss out of the Talons using the VV32B at 20watts per channel. It plays as loud as the Electrocompaniet AW120, which is what I was using previously. The Jota takes 310 volts from my P600, where as the Electrocompaniet took only 170 to drive the Talons. I agree! SET amps sound very good on the Talons. |
That is an interesting comparison. The Jota actually has a less lush midrange than the Electrocompaniet. Both work extremely well with these speakers. I obviously like the Jota more, but I'm a tube guy. What is amazing is that the bass with this SET is awesome! It rattles the floor on some CDs. The solid state obviously is better to some degree, but not as much as you would think. The Jota gets the nod for inner detail, mid-range purity, and soundstaging. My tube biases probably come through with this comparison. I've never kept a solid state amp very long, but the Electrocompaniet is the best I've had. My room is 14 by 8 by 26. It is opens to another room on one side where the speakers are, and a huge, thick drape. I listen to just about everything except rap and country. I like new age, light jazz, easy listening, rock, musicals, classical....like I said, about everything else. I just got the new spikes for the Talons from Mike. They are much better than the ones that came with the speakers. I don't know if you are familar with the concept, but they aren't your normal spikes. Tierry has designed 3 made of a softer material then the forth. He says that this directs the mechanical energy to one spike or point source for dispersion into the floor instead of spreading it out into all four corners of the speaker. Creative, huh? I also just put multi-wave into my P300 and P600. Too many changes, too little time to listen. |
I think you're right about the tube break-in, but I wouldn't describe the sound as lean. If anything, I think the Electrocompaniet has a tad too much bloom for my taste. It was a great match with the Maggies, which is what I bought it for. The Jota is already starting to flesh out more, with the soundstage getting wider and deeper. I am very happy with it, and if it gets better, great! |
Hi James! It sounds great! Bass is as solid and powerful as the solid state amp I had before, but with more detail. It can rock, or play delicate passages equally well. The sound is harmonically rich and natural, and the soundstaging is wider and deeper than anything I've experienced before. I'm using the VV32B, but I will buy the 52Bs and try them just for kicks. My Jota has the bigger transformers and electronics designed for the 52B, so both can be used. |
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