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Preference for speakers that are half the price. Has this ever happened to you?

Hello everyone,

A retailer near my home has some ex-demo Sonus Faber Aida 2 speakers for sale. I went to listen to them, and to my surprise, I preferred the sound of the Sonus Faber Il Cremonese Ex3me, which cost half the price of the Aida 2 when new. The amplifiers were the same (The Gryphon), which cost much more than the speakers themselves, and the location was basically the same (I even listened to them in two different locations).

I wonder how it's possible that I prefer the sound of speakers that are so much cheaper (even if they're not cheap!). Could it be that the amplifier isn't right for me? Or something else?

Is this something you've experienced before? Have you ever heard very high-end speakers that you found inferior to cheaper speakers? I'm hesitating to ask to go back and listen to them again.

Thank you for sharing your experiences.

audiozx
ghdprentice's avatar
ghdprentice
9,502 posts
 

Yes. But not within a company like Sonus Faber. Certainly between different manufacturers. But when I have walked up the product lines, I have never found the lower levels superior to upper levels if properly fed. 

 

ronboco
1,118 posts
 

@audiozx 

I heard the Aida (probably not 2) at Listen Up in Boulder Colo maybe 5  years ago. Not sure if they had rear firing drivers. They sounded fantastic and I think they had McIntosh or Simaudio electronics driving them. I’m guessing the room is 20’x30’. 

dynacohum
842 posts
 

Il Cremonese are stupendous and if you like them better it should come as no surprise. More than enough is not always better!

mapman's avatar
mapman
23,630 posts
 

Using price alone as the determining factor in a purchase is a recipe for disaster. 
 

For the consumer that is.   The vendor will be very happy!

audiokinesis
2,800 posts
 

@audiozx , you said that maybe you would "ask to listen to them a second time to be sure."

In my opinion:

IF you would be able to position them in your home listening room at least 5 feet in front of the wall behind them; and

IF the wall(s) that the rear-firing "Sound Field Shaper" drivers would be firing into in your room are either reflective or diffusive instead of absorptive; and

IF neither of these conditions describe how they were set-up for your audition,

THEN imo it is worthwhile asking for a second audition under more favorable set-up conditions.  And either ask the dealer to adjust the level of the rear-firing drivers (assuming that’s possible), or ask if you can do so yourself.  There will be a level at which they just barely begin to degrade clarity, and turn them down to just below that level. 

Even if they did have them positioned a favorable distance in front of a wall that wasn’t absorptive, it is still possible they had the rear-firing drivers poorly adjusted, so it might still be worth the trouble to ask for a second audition. 

You see, I suspect that the Aida might be a really good speaker when set up correctly, and if you have the opportunity for a really good deal on a pair, it would be a shame to miss out on them because they were handicapped by unfavorable setup conditions during your only audition.

Imo.

Duke

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