 Speaker shopping
March 25, 2009
Editor,
I read your review of the
Thiel CS2.4SE with interest. I currently own Thiel CS2.4s in my ARC Reference 110,
Reference 3, and Reference CD7 system, with Nordost Heimdall interconnects and speaker
cables, and a Shunyata Hydra Model-8 power conditioner. I am considering a speaker
upgrade, with the Rockport Miras as a serious option. I am also considering Verity Audio's
Leonore, Magico's V2, and Thiel's CS2.4SE and CS3.7. I can't hear the Thiel offerings with
my ARC gear because the Thiel dealer is not an ARC dealer. The Miras, Leonore and V2 I can
audition from my main dealer, who also carries ARC gear.
I guess my question is how would you compare the Miras to
the CS 2.4SEs (and '3.7s if you have heard them) and generally how would you describe the
overall sound and strengths and weaknesses of the Rockport vs. the Thiel house sound? And,
to the extent you have a view on this, which of these offerings do you think is a better
fit with ARC's Reference gear (at least to your ears)?
Cyril
There is a considerable price difference between the
Thiel CS2.4SE and the Rockport Mira. The better comparison would be the Mira versus the
CS3.7, which I have not heard in my room. To generalize a bit, which is always somewhat
dangerous, I’d say this: The Thiels are more open-sounding than most speakers you’ll
hear and possess great clarity, particularly in the high frequencies. They are neutral,
precise speakers, which I do think would mate well with your electronics. The Miras,
specifically, have greater bass extension than most any speaker their size that I've
heard, and have a meaty, warmish, yet revealing sound. They sound far bigger than they
are, too. I also think they would mate well with your electronics. The Magicos and the
Veritys are also contenders, as you say, and are certainly worth an audition. I suspect
you are going to hear the Magicos, Rockports, and Veritys, along with the ARC gear, at
Goodwin’s High End in Boston, the only dealer I know of in North America that carries
all these brands. They have terrific rooms where you’ll be able to suss out the
differences quite easily. They also have a knowledgeable staff -- do take advantage of
their considerable experience....Jeff Fritz
The VSA VR5 HSE journey
March 18, 2009
To Garrett Hongo,
I wanted to commend you for a fine review
of the new VSA UniField loudspeaker. The most interesting thing (for me), however, was
how it compared to your VR5 HSE. I, too, have these speakers and lived with them for seven
years. Buying direct from VSA, I did not have the dealer support of mating with the right
gear. Getting simply adequate results from the likes of Musical Fidelity NuVista M3 and
then various amps from Parasound Halo JC1 then Hovland gear, I just did not find that
magic. I eventually went on to Coincident Total Eclipses and mainly OTL tube gear, and
then Zu Druids and Yamamoto SET gear. The VR5 HSE were kept in my home-theater setup with
VSA center, surrounds and rears. I was always under the false impression that these
speakers needed high-powered solid-state amplification, or some hybrid topology.
The other day I decided to try something different and
hooked up the VR5 HSE to a newly re-tubed PrimaLuna Prologue II Integrated -- magic!
I have now come full circle in my audio journey back to the VR5 HSE. The question for me
at this point was how good is the old design compared to the current driver and crossover
topology implemented by Albert? Your review gave me some insight.
I have ordered some Manley Neo Classic 250 monoblock amps
to give the VR5 HSE sufficient (tube) power to sing. These were chosen based on my
listening to them at a local dealer and their known synergy with Coincident speakers. I am
hoping they are just the tonic for the old VR5 as well.
You mentioned that you have your VR5s on Vibrapods/floor
shelf? Was this preferable to spikes into the carpet or were you protecting your floors?
I would love to hear about your experiences/tweaks with the
VR5. As you know, this speaker never received critical attention or review. It is
heartening to hear that a reviewer such as yourself has chosen these speakers. After all,
$15,000 is lot of cash -- too much to waste on home theater.
P.K. Das
Thank you for your kind remarks reference my review of
the UniField 3. Superb new speakers, especially with the new VSA Master-Built cables.
And thank you for telling me of your journey with your
own pair of VR5 HSEs. I got them on the recommendation of Paul Garner, former national
sales manager for VSA and owner of Verbatim Cable, who built my speaker cables and
interconnects. He designed them on VSA speakers, so, naturally.... I needed something that
would work in my smallish room, with tube gear, and give me exceptional resolving power
and extension at the extremes, as I listen to so much choral, opera, and classical music.
He was confident that I'd find the VR5 HSEs very congenial to my needs. He was right.
I know the PrimaLuna Pro II and think highly of it. I
had the Pro I for a while and it was gorgeous with Renaissance choral music, but not near
enough power for opera. I think your Manley Neo Classic 250 monos (EL34 output tubes,
right?) should do very well. I heard them a couple of times at shows and was very
impressed. Here's a link to one of my write ups of them -- with Daedalus speakers.
I've since eliminated the Vibrapods under the VR5 HSEs.
I found that the MDF boards were enough to isolate the speakers from acoustic feedback,
which was a problem with the spikes. I've a suspended floor that's very, very springy. In
fact, I've had to re-brace the joists under it, further stiffening the floor. That
combined with the MDF boards seems very good. I also tried birch plywood, but that was too
energetic and made the upper mids and highs bleachy. It works fine in other systems.
Others recommend Symposium Svelte plinths and I've considered them, but have no
experience.
The VR5s are now in a system with an HRS SXR rack
(review forthcoming) and completely different speaker wires and interconnects. They've
responded well to this retuning of the system. The amps I'm using are now the deHavilland
Fisher 50As (40 watts each, in for review), and the speakers love them. I'm going to try a
pair of Electrocompaniet AW220 monos with them soon too -- 220 class-A watts per
channel....Garrett Hongo
Thiel, Paradigm, or Legacy?
March 13, 2009
Editor,
I read your review of
Thiel's 2.4SE loudspeakers. I need help. Have you heard the Paradigm Signature S8? How
about Legacy’s Focus HDs? If it were your money and you were starting a system, what
loudspeakers would you start your system with? Any help would be great.
Rob
The Paradigms and Thiels would both be at the top of my
list. As to which one I’d choose if I were you, I think it depends on the exact
application and your preferences. I have not heard the newest Signature S8 v.2, but I did
review the S6 v.2. I do believe the S8 v.2 would deliver a punchier, higher-SPL sound that
would be suited to larger rooms and home theater. That’s not to say the Paradigms
aren’t fine music reproducers as well. They are, but they have a distinct advantage
over the Thiels with their multiple bass drivers when it comes to output capability. The
Thiels are simply fantastic all around, too, but produce a more wraparound soundstage. If
you value three-dimensional music reproduction, the Thiels are the champs. In the end,
both speakers would be on my shortlist. You will be thrilled with either I’m sure. I
don’t have any experience with the Legacy speakers....Jeff Fritz
Behold questions
March 10, 2009
Editor,
I read your piece on TWBAS
2009 and have a question or two that you might be able to answer for me. I cannot
figure out from your description if the Behold BPA768 amplifier is digital or analog. I
assume digital since it has a switch-mode power supply and evidently only one digital
input. Also, is the APU768 preamplifier able to be used with amplifiers other than the
BPA768? This should be quite a sound. I’d relish the opportunity to hear such a
system!
Franco
I had the same confusion on the Behold BPA768
amplifier, so you’re not alone. My understanding is that although it does accept a
digital input only, and although it does use a switch-mode power supply, it is an analog
amplifier. This makes sense when you consider that the digital-to-analog conversion is
done in the amplifier, and the signal is only amplified after this D-to-A stage. And yes,
the APU768 can be ordered with an analog output module, making it compatible with
traditional amplifiers that accept analog input....Jeff Fritz
Enjoying TWBAS 2009
March 4, 2009
Editor,
I think you’ve done a great job on the “TWBAS
2009” issue of Ultra Audio. The photos are really what I like seeing because
I sometimes wonder if these mega systems are really set up by the reviewers or if they
simply hear them at dealers. I’m not sure I would have picked exactly the same
components you picked, but there is no question that you have assembled a system that
could be called the best. I look forward to reading more next month.
Michael Steele
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