Have you heard Rockport speakers?

Bill, i just made that same move. i went with the Kharma Exquisite 1D. they arrived last thursday after a 5 month wait. i am simply overwhelmed at the performance and build quality of these speakers.

they are a work of art; 565 pounds with stands, and gorgeous. they mate perfectly with my 12 foot wide room and my 75 watt Tenor 75Wi OTL amplifiers.

i left behind 6 happy years with Levinson/Wilson (#33, #32, WP6). i was looking to step up to the top level and wanted to have the OTL tube magic. what i got has been beyond my high expectations. this speaker nails every audiophile perameter there is. read Jonathan Valins review in Absolute Sound from last Sept.(?) if you want the details. if anything, it is better than he describes. he reviewed the 1B, after that there was a 1C.

i have the first 1Ds that have been built. the 1D is bi-ampable and has cryo'd internal wiring and crossover components.

if you have the room for the Sound Labs they are really great. the Rockports are also as good as they come. but the Exquisites have a certain refinement that i think is unique among the "mega-speakers". with the Kharma it is not about the parts but about the whole....music comes first...the most seamless and coherent top to bottom presentation you can imagine. and any real world amp can easily drive them.

today i had 2 friends over to make sure i wasn't deluding myself about these speakers. they left profundly affected. this is my first post regarding the performance of the Exquisites and maybe with time i'll find a weakness....but so far these are the best speakers i have ever heard.

I've had the pleasure of speaking with Andy already and plan on going to visit next month, when my 20 year old ee student son gets done with the semester. I am intrigued by both what Andy says and his design dynamics. However, I am interested in the Sound Labs as well. Clearly more economic if I really like them.

What I don't want to do is spend year after year longing for what I'll do next rather than simply love what I got. I think this year I need to sort this out and get it done.

Bill E.

Hey Bill - I'm 20, and I'm a EE student too! Mind if I tag along? :) Cheers!

Bill for your last paragraph: hear! hear! I believe that you will have only pleasant surprises and enjoyment. Worth living for!

(Off topic, sorry, but enthused by your approach.)
Cheers!

Bill - I own the Rockport Antares and concur with the comments by "Mes". For me, this was a last purchase. I think you will enjoy your time with Andy, regardless of what you think of the speakers. The Hyperions will be at CES this year. They were there last year, but, as I understand it, in a bad room with an amp that was not broken in at all. This year I believe they will be used with the Tenor OTLs. You might also want to talk to Transparent Audio, as I'm aware that they have heard both the Wilsons and Rockports in their room. Good luck. Feel free to email me as well, if you have questions.