2. speakers
  3. 1300099158

Verity Audio Amadis Owners, Listener Impressions?

I was wondering if anyone who owns these speakers or who has spent some time with them could chime in about them. I'm waiting to hear a pair and it will probably be another couple of weeks at least before they will be available. The demo pair I will get to hear is currently being built by Verity, hence the delay. In the meantime, I was curious to get feedback from any owners out there or folks who have spent some time with them. I've done a good bit of searching on various forums and come across a couple of folks who have heard them but not a single owner. This is still a relatively new model from a pretty small manufacturer and at a significant price point, so I guess that's not surprising.

My local dealer has the Finn, Rienzi and the Leonore at a on display and I thought they had some very impressive qualities about them. In a second demo I had with the Leonore, I began to understand the view that I had seen various folks comment about Verity in general which is that while they may not necessarily grab you right away, spending time with them substantially increases appreciation for them. That was my experience and II am very much looking forward to hearing what the Amadis brings to the table in the way of additional bass output and overall sound refinement. I had been interested in hearing the Parsifal Ovation as a next step up from the Leonore, but there are no demos available from the distributor or from Verity directly because of the age of that model. So, the Amadis was suggested as an alternate. In speaking with Julien Pelchat, he had high praise for the Amadis (as you would expect) and takes the position that the ring radiator tweeter it employs is very close to the ribbon used on the Sarastro II. I haven't heard the latter, but it seems that there is quite a bit of good sentiment out there for the Sarastros so if the Amadis is close, I should be in for a real treat. I'm certainly interested to hear how the Amadis improves upon what I've already heard from the Leonore.

Since I know folks will ask if I have looked into or suggest alternatives, note that I am indeed looking at a variety of choices (as we all should be when considering new speakers, especially at this price point where so many good choices exist). My interest in this thread was to get some feedback on this specific model while I wait. Patience has never been my strong suit, but this seems like a good way t pass the time. Thanks in advance for any thoughts or feedback.

Jeff
rgbyhkr
rugby1
27 posts
 
I had a listen to the Verity Leonore this past week for comparison to my Devore Silverbacks.The Devore sounded deeper,fuller,smoother and less analytical to me. The value to me is in the silverbacks compared to the Leonore for the same price.
4musica44107
520 posts
 
Rugby1 - I reached the same conclusion as you about the Silverbacks versus the Leonore. I use a pair of Verity Fidelio Encore in a secondary system and I was expecting a lot more from the Leonore, which replaced the Fidelio Encore.
soniqmike
140 posts
 
Full disclosure: I have not yet heard the Amadis – but have heard every single product in Verity's their current line (and past) and have owned two Verity products over a 12 year span. So take my comments for what they are, just an opinion!

Ever since the Parsifal back in around 1996 or so, Verity has been pretty conservative and guardian of their ''sound'', which is refined, with strong qualities in the low-end region, an articulated and maybe ''soft'' midrange, and a slightly limited top-end extension. Fit and finish are first rate for every speaker.

Their coherence within their product line is remarkable and is for many (and surely for the company owners) their greatest strength.
I feel this coherence may be their weakness also.
I believe that the incremental gains in sound quality between their speakers are smaller than in the days when they had fewer models to choose from of course. But the ‘’laws of diminishing returns’’ kick-in on a larger scale, unfortunately, than with the competition at the prices these Verity’s are going for.
They make nice speakers that sound good and that will grace any decor, in a polite and conservative way, staying in line with conformity. This also applies to their sound if this is what you are looking for, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It can be a very good and secure thing, but I for one prefer a bit more ‘’life’’ out of life. And hell, we only live once – I’d like Verity to surprise us for a change instead of giving us a tiny bit more or a tiny bit less taste of the same dish.
Both coherence and spice can be achieved – for example – one could point (in electronics) Naim Audio for being conservative – and yet, their recent products are quite innovative – yet in-line with their own party politics.
rgbyhkr OP
32 posts
 
Those additional responses and impressions are interesting.  Hopefully, I'm only a couple of weeks out from the Amadis arriving here and at this point I'm not quite sure how it will play out.  My expectations are high, as they should be for this price category, so we'll see how they measure up to what hasbuiltup in my head over time.  Since the pair will be new, there's also the break-in period.  I'm going to give them a serious listen and likely more than one because of that factor but I won't get them if I don't love what I hear after a few sessions.  I hope I do love them because at that point I can stop looking and just enjoy a great choice.  That being said, I have this small but persistent feeling that given how the wait has served to further build up the anticipation, a let down might not be put of the realm of possibility. 

Soniqmike's comments do hit home to a certain degree as I kind of felt that way during the progression upward from Finn to Rienzi to Leonore.  The big jump in reaction to the sound never happened and the ROI on the Leonore compared to the Finn just didn't seem as good.  It was to me as if the sonic improvements just did glee pace with the price.  I certainly understand diminishing returns but to me this seemed magnified with those 3 models.  With the Amadis, I'm certainly expecting a very noticeable improvement and again, for good reason. If that doesn't happen, then I'll know for sure that Verity is just not for me.  It wouldn't be the end of the world but certainly would be disappointing to have waited just to get that result.  The good news is that I have a very strong alternate choice in the Burmesters and there's still listening to be done on the Silverbacks, Nolas, Focal Scalas and MBL 120 and 101 (those last 3 are new additions that I will get to hear at next week's AXPONA show here in Atlanta).  So, wait may have side benefits to either confirm the Amadis choice or perhaps instead offer up very good alternatives. 

Jeff
soniqmike
140 posts
 
Jeff, I think you are right on the money with the Verity break-in period, and since you already like the Verity sound, you should be very pleased with the Amadis- it all depends by how much ''more'' there is of the good stuff you already like!
More to discover