I now own the Sarastro Loudspeakers. I will post more detailed info later. But for now, with hundresd of hours on these ladies:
Re tweeter integration/harshness. As I ABed some front end components I heard some harshness with certain components, and with certain recordings. This is a complete non-issue now with Sim Audio Moon Andromeda front end. If you hear harshness (other than a very loud piccolo playing it's high C note), check your front end as it is, imo, likely your cd player or your DAC....it is NOT these speakers.
And re: Integration problems.....NOT. Not with Chesky discs, not with Jazz, not with Opus3 discs, not with old Mercury Living Presence ("Howard Hanson the Composer and His Orchestra"), not with simple material, and given that I am now enjoying orchestral work where I didn't before because it was not integrated and was smeared, not a problem here either: I now enjoy musical integration as well as great soundstaging fore-aft and laterally -- also in choral works which before were intolerable.
Timbre -- great. Guitars sounds like guitars. Bowed double bases sound bowed even amidst competing bassoons. The timbre of Johhny Frigos violin is different when he is instrument face on the mike vs lateral....like it is supposed to be. Want to be able to distinguish clearly the different timbre and location of the oboe vs the base clarinet in an orchestra? The Sarastro will do it for you with the right upstream stuff. Snares sound like snares, field drums like field drums, and cymbals......I won't tell you because you will immediately drain your bank account to buy these. I dare say one could distinguish a Steinway from a Baldwin on a well-miked recording.
And all the rest: dynamics--fantastic. Base extension...they are rated to 25 Hz but I get substantial base down to 22Hz.....prepare to get blown away by any recording of a classical piece called "The Vikings".
Female vocals ....sweet, full, round and so musical.
And one "pro" reviewer wrote something about "boomy" base. I am no pro reviewer, but if he comes to my room he will with humility have to retract his comments and probably move to a new listening room or invest in some sound treatments or perhaps reevaluate his choice of preamp or speaker placement. These are low and tight even with Daniel Lanois' production and mixing of a hugely boom-risky wall of sound on "Wrecking Ball". Low. Tight.
Nice.
I am a happy camper.
Re tweeter integration/harshness. As I ABed some front end components I heard some harshness with certain components, and with certain recordings. This is a complete non-issue now with Sim Audio Moon Andromeda front end. If you hear harshness (other than a very loud piccolo playing it's high C note), check your front end as it is, imo, likely your cd player or your DAC....it is NOT these speakers.
And re: Integration problems.....NOT. Not with Chesky discs, not with Jazz, not with Opus3 discs, not with old Mercury Living Presence ("Howard Hanson the Composer and His Orchestra"), not with simple material, and given that I am now enjoying orchestral work where I didn't before because it was not integrated and was smeared, not a problem here either: I now enjoy musical integration as well as great soundstaging fore-aft and laterally -- also in choral works which before were intolerable.
Timbre -- great. Guitars sounds like guitars. Bowed double bases sound bowed even amidst competing bassoons. The timbre of Johhny Frigos violin is different when he is instrument face on the mike vs lateral....like it is supposed to be. Want to be able to distinguish clearly the different timbre and location of the oboe vs the base clarinet in an orchestra? The Sarastro will do it for you with the right upstream stuff. Snares sound like snares, field drums like field drums, and cymbals......I won't tell you because you will immediately drain your bank account to buy these. I dare say one could distinguish a Steinway from a Baldwin on a well-miked recording.
And all the rest: dynamics--fantastic. Base extension...they are rated to 25 Hz but I get substantial base down to 22Hz.....prepare to get blown away by any recording of a classical piece called "The Vikings".
Female vocals ....sweet, full, round and so musical.
And one "pro" reviewer wrote something about "boomy" base. I am no pro reviewer, but if he comes to my room he will with humility have to retract his comments and probably move to a new listening room or invest in some sound treatments or perhaps reevaluate his choice of preamp or speaker placement. These are low and tight even with Daniel Lanois' production and mixing of a hugely boom-risky wall of sound on "Wrecking Ball". Low. Tight.
Nice.
I am a happy camper.