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Tis a sad, sad day...

...for today I sold my beloved Alon I Mk IIs, because they would be very difficult, expensive, and dangerous to ship to Hong Kong, where I am moving to in a few weeks.

I had this wonderful pair of speakers for almost three years and enjoyed their amazing musicality - tuneful bass, silky vocals, and crystal clear highs. They just sounded so open with their unusual open-baffle design.

I auditioned a couple of replacements (that I could have exchanged for) - Spendor's S3/5SE and a pair of Sonus Faber Concertinos - but I still longed for the Alon sound.

For those familiar with it: Is there anything out there that sounds similar? I tried looking up Acarian Systems' current catalog, but their website seems down. My initial thought is B&W's Nautilus 805, which I remember sounds quite open, but I've heard they prefer solid state.

I will be driving them with a 40wpc EL34 tubed Jolida JD202A, modified by Parts Connexion. A Musical Fidelity A3 CD Player and A3.24 DAC will be my source.

Any help in cheering up a mourning Alon lover would be tremendously appreciated.

Best Regards,

Leonard
lennychen
tobias
1,534 posts
 
I sympathize, Leonard. I have had to say goodbye to speakers I loved. My experience tells me that it is very possible you will find new ones to care for, though--I did--and don't forget that you have made a buyer very happy too.

My lost speaker love was a pair of ESS AMT-1s back in the mid-seventies. They had a wonderfully open upper range, and I mention it because you might enjoy speakers with the Heil tweeter that made it possible. ELAC and Oskar are the modern manufacturers that come to mind.

I hope you will remember your Alons warmly, and never feel the need to compare your memory of their sound with the sound of your new ones, to the disadvantage of the new.
jaybo
4,478 posts
 
wait until you get to hong kong before doing anything. they have lots of audio/video stores.
s23chang
617 posts
 
I still prefer the 805s with vintage MC240 amps. They're still the best sounding combo to me.
woodman's avatar
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woodman
152 posts
 
While I have never owned the N 805s, the best I ever heard them sound was in a store in Ft. Worth being driven by McIntosh, but sorry I do not remember model. I do remember they had a pair of 802 in the same room being driven by.....opps, not sure. But I do remember on female vocals the 805s sounded better to my taste. Good luck in your move and happy listening.
sbank's avatar
sbank
3,378 posts
 
Len,

You might want to post another thread inquiring into the typical pricing & sales tax rates in Hong Kong. If equivalent gear there costs more than at home, you might be better off bringing something with you.
I beg to differ with your original assumptions. It's not that expensive to ship overseas, and if you have original packing, & insurance, you are unlikely to have a problem w/damage. Sure, it happens sometimes, but a small % of the time. I've sold speakers and shipped them to Korea by Fedex and BAX Global with reasonable cost and no trouble.
That being said, there's a pr of Alon IIs on A-gon for $925. A big improvement over the Is, and would be fine w/your amp. Make it an upgrade day, not a sad day! Cheers,
Spencer
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