My top speakers to hear at AXPONA 2019

[TitaniumTroy]

TitaniumTroyMember
Thread Starter

1. Magnepan 30.7, mid bass and soundstage for full orchestra is supposed to world class. Unfortunately this is offsite, even though they have an after hours party Friday.

2. GT Audio's hybrid ribbon tweeter with open baffle conventional woofers, should be cool.

3. PMC fenistria this is their statement speaker, lots of different technologies went into this. Should make for an interesting listen.

4. Von Schweikert Ultra 9's, last years over the top Ultra 11's were awesome but overwhelming in size. I want to see how this more room friendly, sized model sounds.

5. YG Acoustics 21" subwoofer Invincible, plus a new speaker called the Vantage will be there.

Gauder Akustik because I liked their speakers so much last year, even if in a tiny room. Magico has a couple of new speakers to demo, Wilson Audio to see if I can finally hear one of their large speakers in a room that matches their hype. Gobel's Bending Wave Speaker, Legacy Audio always has a big room with some demo CD's to give away. I've never heard their speakers sound really great, maybe they just set them up wrong in those big rooms they usually get. Wonder if King Sound (electrostatic) will make it, they sound good to me but never loud enough. Now it seems they have a four column stereo set up, so maybe they fixed that.

 

[Flint]

I want to hear the PMC model you mentioned.

 

[TitaniumTroy]

I'll listen extra carefully to the PMC's just for you Flint, just teasing you. Too bad they are not fully active, but that is not the Audiophile way unfortunately .

 

[Dentman]

I'll listen extra carefully to the PMC's just for you Flint, just teasing you. Too bad they are not fully active, but that is not the Audiophile way unfortunately .

I'd be interested in your thoughts on 1-4. Nothing against the sub, they just bore me.

 

[TitaniumTroy]

Post AXPONA trip show report, the fenistria speaker wasn't not even there. I must have been using alternative facts in thinking it would be. The Magnepan 30.7s were there at Audio Consultants in Evansville, sounded like a wall of sound coming at you. Imaging was diffuse however I was told by Wendell of Magnepan. That the ribbon tweeter was placed toward the outer edge of the panel, for a wider sweet spot for the two rows of six across. So I might have to go back and change them around some day.

I did hear there new entry level speaker the LRS for $650.00, imaging was the best I heard at AXPONA regardless of price. Even better than my 3.6s in my acoustically treated room.

The GT Audio hybrids were okay, I needed to hear them in a bigger room to give them a proper listening session.

A pair of the old Quad ESL 57's were there, had the best midrange of any speakers at the show. Just super clear and clean. I asked them to play something with more bass, they played Elvis's Fever, bass was extremely quick. Just like the old reviewer saying "I heard things I had never heard on that track" and I believe I did literally.

I did hear YG Acoustics new loudspeaker, but was so bored with the un-dynamic music they were playing. I have heard elevator music with more dynamics, how are you supposed to judge a speaker playing crap like that. I could have asked them to play something else, like I did last year. But it was at the end of the day, and I was getting tired so it was just easier to move onto another room.

 

[CMonster]

Did you hear these? If so, do you know what they are? A couple friends raved about them but somehow managed to not take note of the brand/model...

 

[CMonster]

Hmmm, this design (sans magnet gimmick) looks somewhat familiar:

 

[Randy]

Did you hear these? If so, do you know what they are? A couple friends raved about them but somehow managed to not take note of the brand/model...

I tired blowing the pic up to see if I could pick out the brand but wasn't even close to being able to read it.

 

[bmwuk]

Did you hear these? If so, do you know what they are? A couple friends raved about them but somehow managed to not take note of the brand/model...

@Randy Vimberg Speakers. The Vimberg Tonda

 

[TitaniumTroy]

I don't remember hearing those speakers, but I do recall seeing that brand at the show. On a banner or sign I believe.

 

[TitaniumTroy]

Well here is a really overdue update to this thread, I finally heard Legacy Audio and Wilson Audio. Sound pretty good at a show I would have liked to played around with toe in both sets of speakers, in case they were set up for a large audience especially the Wilsons. Also the Legacy's I heard were not their SOTA, they rotate among 3 different sets of speakers and I didn't want to wait.
The PMC fernistria was not even at the show, though I looked all over. I really goofed up thinking they would be there.
I heard a couple of hybrids (GT Audio being one)
planer types but the rooms were too tiny for me to get a read on their sound, good or bad.

Did you hear these? If so, do you know what they are? A couple friends raved about them but somehow managed to not take note of the brand/model...

Not this year, and not that particular model but I have heard Tidal speakers, they are like the Maybach of speakers. Diamond tweeter and 5" diamond woofer they are in the if you have to ask how much, you can't afford them category $$$$$ And yes they sound incredible, but not for what they are asking IMHO.

https://www.tidal-audio.com/akira/

These Gobel speakers had way too much high frequency, Linda Ronstandt was hurting my ears.

 

[TitaniumTroy]

Didn't really get a chance to hear the YG Acoustics subwoofer or the Von Schwiekart's.

For me that sound of not being a speaker and the performer being in the room with you. Went to two planer speakers, an old mostly original pair of electrostatic Quad 57's just so clear and pure sounding, First time I have heard that model of Quad, later models haven't done much for me. I asked the sales rep if he could play something with more bass, he put on an LP of Elvis's version of Fever, sounded just perfect to me.

The other speaker was not advertised as being at the show, reviewer's were granted first access and civilian's could wait in line for an opening To know the room number you had to be part of the Planer Asylum. This was where Magnepan was debuting it's LRS, Little Ribbon Speaker. Wendell Diller likes to do things marketing wise that are a little strange, however I was able to hear them a couple of times with only two other people in the room, so nice and quiet. Opposite of other rooms with hordes of people talking sometimes, anyway those speakers just sounded so alive, better imaging than I've ever heard a Magnepan before even in my own heavily treated room with True Ribbon Tweeters. Instead of all quasi ribbon, the LRS is only $650 a pair.

Of course both speakers are only suitable for smaller rooms, limited volume and not for bass heavy music. But what they did they did better than anything else I heard at the show. Some people call that the Absolute Sound (well marketing people) or the "breath of life" I got a friend over at the Audio Video Nirvana site, who reviews speakers for his forum. Into hear the LRS speaker, he ended up putting in an order for a pair.

Magnepan can't keep up with production for the waiting list, I think they can crank out like 30 pairs a week. Almost all of their speakers are made with human labor, so if you want one be prepared to wait about eight weeks or more for now anyway.

 

[TitaniumTroy]

Finally I heard the Huge Magnepan 30.7s, soundstage was very big. It's mid bass is supposed to be the gold standard or such was said about their older discontinued model the Tympani. I wasn't feeling it, I was missing the impact of my JBL's 15" woofer. I liked the soundstage of the LRS better, still trying to figure out why? Room acoustics, smaller panel vs huge 4 piece set up, some kind of secret sauce in the LRS, not sure?

 

[TitaniumTroy]

https://www.stereophile.com/content/tidal-audio-akira-loudspeaker
https://www.soundstageultra.com/ind...854-jeff-buys-loudspeakers-the-vimberg-tondas


Well CMonster if you don't have the pocket change for Tidal's $215k Akira speaker in your pic you can, you can always move on to their budget line under the Vimberg brand at $40k for the Tonda's which look almost exactly the same. Soundstage Ultra reviewer Jeff Fritz who was doing some downsizing from monster speakers like Rockport's Arrakis, bought a pair.

 

[CMonster]

https://www.stereophile.com/content/tidal-audio-akira-loudspeaker
https://www.soundstageultra.com/ind...854-jeff-buys-loudspeakers-the-vimberg-tondas


Well CMonster if you don't have the pocket change for Tidal's $215k Akira speaker in your pic you can, you can always move on to their budget line under the Vimberg brand at $40k for the Tonda's which look almost exactly the same. Soundstage Ultra reviewer Jeff Fritz who was doing some downsizing from monster speakers like Rockport's Arrakis, bought a pair.

Thanks for the info but I think I'll just continue to put up with my Dynaudio C2s...

 

[Zing]

Thanks for the info but I think I'll just continue to put up with my Dynaudio C2s...

"Slumming it with Dynaudio Speakers" - we should make that a signature.

 

[Razz]

Hmmm, this design (sans magnet gimmick) looks somewhat familiar:
View attachment 9092

OMG...
that is so lame...