I switched, after one year of ownership, for reasons I'm not going to discuss on a public forum. I owned a pair of SP Tech Continuum A.D. monitors a couple of years ago when SP Tech was first starting out, so I'm familiar with the SP Tech sound. They weren't perfect back then, but some of the things they did were amazing and still burned in my aural memory. With some of he recent changes in drivers and crossover components, I have no doubt the current crop will be world beaters. Can they compare to the MM3? Time will tell.
We have a Winner -- Major "MINI" monitors
I just have to point out that I am one of the first recipients of the new Model SPTECH Mini speakers. To call these 40 pound each beautiful finished loudspeakers Minis is an OxyMoron. They actually cross over at 800hz so most pf the midrange is handled by one driver! But I have to tell you that after only 5 hours of use, these speakers can beat just about anything on the market today. In some ways, there really isn't anything that at much much higher prices can sound as good as the trade offs begin piling up. I exposed them to some ungodly power barrage usinga 1000wpc amplifier and they did not even blink. The sound coming out are what I call the epitome of a speaker design in that they sound both life like and musical at the same time. This is no small feat. Instruments are so well defined that the umpteen speakers I have owned can't hold a candle to them. Bob the designer and engineer is a terrific guy and very knowledgeable. These speakers destroy anything in their range and most audiophiles would be well served to try and listen to these or anything in the line above the Minis I assume. I just had to pass this on, because I am one of the lucky owners. I want to point out that I have zero affiliation with SP, but am in love wit this product. I believe you can buy them on Audiogon? They are worth several times the current asking price. Don't take my word, try and hear for yourself! There is several review on the net and what I had noticed is that none of them had anything negative to say about this line.
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I still own the first pair of Timepiece 2.0s Bob Smith sold outside a 50-mile radius of La Porte, IN, and I believe Duke's analysis of Bob is spot on - He's a very humble yet extremely enthusiastic man, and does his homework with extreme diligence and precision and tenacity and competence. I have a great deal of respect for the man and for his loudspeakers.I've been dealing with Bob for years, and yes, he is all those things, as well as being a brilliant designer. His smaller speakers are world-class IMHO, and the top-of-the-line Revelations are the best top-to-bottom (especially bottom!) I've ever heard, bar none. The super low crossover point is seamless to my ears, a fact that will only become more evident as one compares them to other speakers. It took Bob years to tune the waveguide by hand to find the exact dimensions necessary to (1) allow the desired crossover point and (2) exhibit the dispersion characteristics he wanted. Bass is tight and tuneful in every SP Technology speaker I've heard (all but the Timepiece Mini), but the proprietary T-line used in the Revelations and (presumably) in the coming Revelation Grand Master and Infra-Wave subwoofer is unlike any I've ever heard. It represents the only time in my music-loving life that my jaw literally went slack the first time I heard it. I'm not sufficiently articulate to describe it; it's one of those things you must hear to understand and believe, which is precisely what happened during a listening session at Steve Chang's Denver home (Chang Audio Network - [email protected]) during October's RMAF. After all, a speaker capable of replacing Sound Lab A-1s and convincing enough to bring tears to the eyes of renowned speaker-hater Jim Merod must have something going for them, eh? Here's the feedback Jim offered SP Tech after hearing the Revelation MR-1 MKII's at T.H.E. SHOW 2006 - "I despise speakers. I love microphones ... all microphones, because -- if you know what you're doing -- each microphone, The "tears" comment is supported by Greg Weaver's coverage in Positive Feedback Online. See the comments beneath the next to last picture here. Though I did list the Timepieces in the "best all around monitor" thread a few years ago, I don't often post here, and I realize credibility is earned. As SP Technology speakers continue to find their way into the hands of new owners, I'm confident my credibility and that of other happy SP Technology owners will realize a commensurate boost. FWIW, my classically-trained wife (piano & trumpet) has asked that I bring no other brand of speaker into the home, a request to which I have unhesitatingly - and happily - acquiesced. And finally, aside from being a longstanding customer and vocal supporter of Bob Smith and of SP Technology, I have no affiliation with or investment in this or any other audio-related company. Regards, |
If you're serious, Tarsando, you may have to wait. Response to the Mini has been overwhelmingly positive, so much so that Bob said he needs to stop answering the phone until after the first of the year in order to meet current demand. He's essentially a 2-man shop, though I see that changing in the not-too-distant future. I said back in 2004 that things were sure to break at some point. It seems the Timepiece Mini has taken SP Technology to the brink, and with more speakers going out to new owners every day, I believe it's just a matter of time. |
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