Vivid Audio Speakers

Giya's are some of my all time favorite speakers. I have heard the whole line with the Spirit's being my top choice. Having stated this, I am always amazed at the SQ that Vivid gets from a) the choice of driver and b) the quality of the internal workings. It really says a lot that these speakers sound as great as they do given a and b! One thing I would suggest, IF you own Vivid's, never open them up to look at the construction..just enjoy their amazing sound.

Vivid and WB are different.  Borg are amazing but distinctly different sound profiles tonally.  Vivid drifts a bit brighter than WB.  It is usually a tougher load to drive in terms of impedance and the bass is stunningly good, as good as most other speakers in it’s class (Magico, Wilson, etc…) but is not quite as tight and refined as WB.  They use driver in opposition with multiple ports and this is clean and very clear.    It is obviously a transmission line design made from fiberglass and Kaya & Giya use different cores.  The drivers are selected and all made from the same material to ensure tonal integration.  They have a relatively complex crossover.  Additionally, criticism of Vivids internals is sort of like saying “you will love that Tesla, just don’t look under the hood at the engine”. The materials they are using don’t work like MDF and can’t be compared to a wood box.  
 

WB is more neutral tonally.  They are hybrid cabinets made of metal and carbon fiber.  The drivers are all carbon fiber or carbon fiber hybrid.  WB uses an isobaric bass system which is incredibly refined.  Some people do not like this because it does not kick you in the chest the way other speakers do but frequency response on my Discover IIIzs was jaw dropping at AXPONA and most people were asking where the subwoofer was. Crossover is insanely simple and WB is a very easy load, typically above 4 ohms.  
 

Technologically, this is the bleeding edge IMO.  WB received huge grants from UK government which helps.  Laurence Dickie is a genius keeping Vivid competitive.
 

they both sound massive in terms of soundstage with incredible levels of detail.  Placement is easier than expected with both.    I like both companies equally in terms of outcome.  System matching and aesthetics are what drive choice to me.  
 

If your preference is warmer SS amplification, (Bricasti, Pass, etc…), Vivid will be perfect.  If you like tubes or less warm SS (I ran Discovery IIIs at AXPONA with 55w triode amps), WB is a better choice.  

@verdantaudio  Your analogy to Tesla in regards to not looking under the hood is a poor one, IMHO. The Vivid speakers are anything but high tech if you look inside the cabinets! For those who want to know what the construction and parts are, feel free to PM me. Having said this, like I stated before, they sound excellent. No one needs to apologize for their SQ. 

@daveyf You are certainly welcome to disagree.  You are stating that they are low tech because you looked inside and I assume did not see the bracing you expect when looking at an expensive speaker made from wood.  And, when you remove the crossover and/or drivers, they are quite lightweight relatively speaking.  

The materials Vivid makes their cabinets out of don't behave like other common materials (MDF, Baltic Birch, etc...)  that are used in speaker production.  The combination of the shape and the materials (fiberglass composites) make them behave very differently.  They are largely hollow though the Nautilus portion of the top of the Giya does have bracing.  

The materials they use are commonly used in the transportation broadly but aerospace industry especially due to the extraordinary strength to weight ratio that they deliver.  That, combined with the circular shape leads to exceptional strength and rigidity.  They also state that they heavy up on the composite in certain parts of the speaker where added strength is required.  These are low mass designs which is very different than almost all manufacturers in the marketplace.  

Let's also remember that these are transmission line designs to clear airflow is essential.  

I use very similar materials in the production of my Nightshade speaker which is fiberglass over a DuPont Nomex core.  My other speaker carbon fiber over a Nomex core which is similar to the panels used in the Wilson Benesch.  Mine are prefabricated and flat, thus my cabinets are rectangular.  This keeps costs down as it allows me to avoid expensive molds that Vivid and WB utilize.  It also means my performance is not quite as exceptional.  

Due to the high cost and difficulty of working with the materials, I use an aerospace company to make my cabinets whose primary business is the interior of private planes and helicopters.  

My opinion is that using these more advanced composites that are allowing for them to deviate from traditional designs is pretty high tech relatively speaking.  As I said, feel free to disagree, but IMO, this is one of the truly unique and tech forward designs in the marketplace.  

@verdantaudio-thanks for the summary. Much appreciated!