Wilson Sasha, Magico S series, B&W 800 series

Devialet with Focal doesnt sound synergetic at all to me.

 

Never heard them. Prior to moving to Wilson, I was more of a Electrostatic/Panel guy.

 

I've been fortunate to hear side by side comparisons of many Wilso Audio speakers (including the Sabrina's) and many other brands at my place of employment. I think you should include the Sonus Faber Amati Futura.

They are in my opinion exactly what you're describing.

 

I was completely disappointed in hearing Mr Tooles presentation at Cedia. He flat out said he didn't like stereo. He said the only true musical representation was with 5.1 and up. He said at the very minimum 3.1. I walked out. He is last person who I would choose to listen to about music now.

 

Poor @eb24, by the time he gets through listening to all these recommendations he will be ready to be fitted with hearing aids and be carted off to a retirement home.

 

Haha that is a real risk!

But then...

I have always had an eye out for the Amati Futuras. They are the only really good looking speaking this segment. No other speaker comes even close in my opinion.
I had almost dismissed them because they don't seem to get a lot of attention or love in Hifi / audiophile circles.

Need to see if it all works out but I might be gearing up towards a super Saturday at the end of the month. Listening to ATC100, B&W 802d3, Sasha 2, Magico S5 and the Amati Futuras. At three dealers...

 

Just had a read through the HiFi Critic review of the Amati Futura which isn't all that positive. Unusually so for a hifi review...
"This superbly presented and finely detailed loudspeaker sounds silky smooth, and is an elegant example of Italian design flair and finish, demonstrating Sonus Faber’s exceptional talents in this regard. In my opinion it suits leaner digital music programming better than analogue sources, and has a firmly measured, classically balanced grace and refinement, with low coloration over a wide and very smooth sounding range of frequencies. It proved relatively easy to position, has a clean sounding enclosure, and should prove inherently consistent for different rooms and house constructions thanks to the integral floor decoupling system. A no-touch rule is mandatory to keep those fabulous mirrored metal and lacquered surfaces free of fingerprints. The overall finish is so good that the grille may be omitted resulting in a clearer sound, and do fire up via the upper terminals if you can, and/or take advice on bi-wiring. It presents its music richly balanced on a grand scale with focused deep images, but in my view with significant dynamic and rhythmic restraint, and as such should be auditioned before purchase with a customers preferred music genres."

 

Well that review makes sense from every comment I've ever heard about Sonus Faber. They are usually described as a warmer more laid back presentation. I was originally turned on to them for that reason in comparison to my forward aggressive Focals. But alas my dealer dropped the line just before my interest peaked. He said they weren't selling so he had to move on.

 

I have listened to the Olympica IIIs twice, once on Devialet amplification. To me that was a really good combination actually, because you retained the pleasant sound of the Sonus Faber, but have a lot of added detail and drive...

 

Opposite to popular belief, I find the Devialet a little laid back in the top end, at least in comparison to the lower end Krell and high end Simaudio integrated amps I had prior. It was one of the reasons I moved to it, it actually helped tame some of the harsh top end of my Focals. I certainly could believe the hyper clean Devialet signal would help project the detail out of the Olympica IIIs.

 

@Richard Austen
Richard - just wanted to let you and the others watching this thread know that I will look into Audio Note a bit more. Need to find out if their gear can work as a true all-rounder, as I listen to basically all types of music, from opera to Hip Hop.
But I do like the idea of a full AN set up actually! nice little tube amp, some vinyls, sweet sound, why not.

 

I have CS7.2s myself and they do have excellent bass. I've always felt these speakers are excellent overall performers. I'll be moving soon and will have a larger listening room and am looking forward to seeing what they can do therein. Sorry about briefly hijacking the thread ...

 

Have you ever compared the 3.6 speaker to the 7.2s?

 

No. I'll probably be sticking with the CS7.2s for quite a while longer. Why?

 

One of the forum members here was saying he thought the 3.6s sounded better than the 7.2s. I lived with the Thiel 3.6s for 2 1/2 years before I traded them in for the 7.2s. I think the 7.2s are better across the board. I was just wondering if you had heard the Thiel 3.6s before getting the 7.2s.

 

No. I owned 2.2s and the 7.2s are worlds better in every respect.

 

Hi all - getting ready for the long day of auditions tomorrow.

Quick Q, which pre amp should I try with the ATCs? Choice is a bit limited, my current favourite is the (tubed) Nagra Jazz.
Any major concerns with that?

Thanks

 

What are the other options?

 

Astell and Kern
Burmester
Maybe audio research but not sure

 

These are all going to be run unbalanced to the active ATCs?

Burmester make some pretty good stuff, but I have no experience with their products outside of brief show demos. I would be tempted to start with an uncolored SS amp to be sure you are hearing the speaker as much as possible (though it is hard to make overall comparisons if you are changing rooms, front-ends and amps AS WELL AS speakers!). You could always switch to a tube amp later in the session to see whether that adds/subtracts something.

As you know, I am not a tube fan, but have heard some Audio Research based systems which were definitely pleasant to listen to (usually with Vandersteen speakers). Nagra gear (especially their Pro recorders) is beautifully engineered, but my experience with their Hi-Fi products at shows has not been good.

You could try asking ATC for their thoughts!

 

Why not audition with a range of preamps, that may give you more insight into what the speaker/internal amp are doing, relative to the up-chain gear. Or are you trying to keep the preamp a constant in auditions at different dealers?

 

I wont be able to keep the amps constant unfortunately. Will need to try to abstract from that.

Think with that in mind I will try 2 pre amps with the ATCs, maybe the Nagra Jazz and something nice from Burmester.

thanks guys!

 

Vinnie Rossi LIO (preamp version)

 

I've listened to the Wilson Sasha 2 and Alexia loudspeakers. I've also auditioned the B&W 803D3 and 802D3 speakers. All recently. I heard a Magico pair a couple of years ago, but it's hard to compare something from that long ago, and I don't remember the model. The 802D3s and the Alexia bettered their respective makers' less expensive models, as you might expect. The B&W 802D3 speakers were punchy and authoritative with full and solid bass. Stronger bass, and more forward-sounding (with vocals) than the Wilsons. The Wilsons seeemed a little more refined across the spectrum, but had a more recessed presence in the midrange. It may have been the listening room, which was more 'live" than I am accustomed to, but the Wilsons sounded to me as if a bit of reverb was added to all the recordings I played. Because both B&W and Wilson speakers I auditioned were superb in their own ways, it would be a hard choice. That being said, the B&Ws were about half the price of the Alexias and therefore I consider them to be the better value. They are also a bit less expensive than the Sashas. All of this stuff depends on your room setup, so that has to be considered as well. Plus the Sashas' and the Alexias' individual driver positions and angles can be adjusted for precise time alignment for your particular room and listening position. This is a big advantage for good soundstaging. The B&Ws cannot be so adjusted and are not time-aligned at all. Whether that is an important factor is disputed by some. I give it some importance, because I have owned and used Dahlquist DQ-10 speakers at home for many years, and their time aligned design locks in with my room characteristics and listening position to image very nicely. I'd like to retain that kind of magic when I buy new speakers in the not distant future, and I suspect the Wilsons would do it for me best. I only wish they didn't cost so much. I'm also going to audition Fujitsu Ten Eclipse single-driver speakers, which promise the ultimate precision and depth in soundstaging, at a more modest price. I'll probably end up wanting a subwoofer with them, which increases system cost of course.

 

EB24, have you tried Horns?
something like JBL M2, Jbl Everest, Avant garde, ect.

You really must audition big ass horns with 15 inchers. JBL everest!!!!