I have had this speaker since 2006. . The seller paired it with Primaluna Proloque Two when I audition it. So the next week I also bought this amplifier to drive it. But the sound still so so. After more than one year it begin to sing. Luckily I did not sell it. Now it can easily paired with small amplifier like Jolida JD102B with EL84 tube. I mosly hear vocal jazz, but also pop music. The bass sound is very good for such small speaker. You must be patient with this speaker, it need very long hours to break in.

Because of my modest room size, (11.5' x 18'), I decided to switch back to monitors from my floorstanding Paradigms. There have been mixed reviews of the Haydn Grands regarding imaging, precision and soundstaging. These speakers require a lot of tweaking to provide optimum depth and imaging.In my case, I have them pulled out about 6 feet from the front wall and in order to achieve a deep soundstage, toed in to the EXTREME at 60 degrees and the axis crosses in front of my listening position. The addition of a good quality subwoofer substantialy improved the imaging and center vocals. I listen to mostly classical, jazz, and standard pop or earlier uptown country.

These speakers demand power and an amp with a high damping factor to bring out the best in their excellent low end. Mid range clarity and vocals is a strength with these. Highs are generally smooth. They can be sensitive to cabling. After switching from the MIT AVT-1 speaker cables to Audioquest CV-6, I felt the soundstage improved and highs were smoother. Unlike my previous Paradigms or B&W Nautilus 805s, the Haydn Grands won't sing up to their potential unless paired with quality electronics and cabling. In addition, setup can be a real bear, but with patience and done properly you will be rewarded with speakers that perform well above their price point.

Smooth MIDRANGE, Build Quality, Bass for a speaker this size, excellent imaging, and a 3d soundstage.

Noine at this price

These speakers are very smooth and natural sounding with a great midrange. If you want a bright and overly foward sound these are not for you. You must pair these up with a decent amp or AVR sufficient to drive 4 ohm loads. Their off axis listeng is very good provided you drive them with proper amplification. I listen to everything from House , Trance, Jungle, Underground Hip Hop, Rock, Classical, and R&B.These speakers can do it all! If you like a brighter speaker then look elswhere.I was advised to buy these by a classical syphony conductor because of their pleasant sound. Yes they are warm but that means you won't suffer from listener's fatigue (usually cased by a bright speaker). The bass from a speaker of this size is great due to the front mounted port behind the tweeter. However it's not boomy unless you run the amp to distorting volumes.

Similar Products Used:

Defintive technolgy, Klipsch, Mirage

I bought them because compared to other speakers in the store (and they had some fine speakers there) they sounded so well balanced and sweet, there were no harsh- or sharpness in the sound, also they provided a fantastic spatiality, plus they looked the best (bought them in a cherry-finish).
At home i listened to all the stuff i like - I'm listenening mainly to indie-sounds and singer/sonwriters and was enthusiastic about how all my old records and CDs sound now. Then I tried a underground Hip Hop record. And when I did that the first time with my brand new Haydns I missed a kind of attack in the sound. The voice, the snare-drum - everything sounded just "nice"., I raised the volume to achieve more aggression, but nothing happened (maybe my neighbour felt more aggressive) . Although I really liked the sound with all other musical styles I was really unhappy with the Hip Hop-sound.
But I stayed with the Haydns, changed some things: bought some stands and a new needle for my turntable, and - and that's the main point - gave them speakers some time to develop (don't know if that's the correct english word but I think you know what i mean).
And what can I say, today (almost one year after the purchse) I'm really more than happy with them. Even with Hip Hop and other rhytmic and dancable sounds. They just needed some time... Even though they still don't kick ass like hell you now can dance to them if you like to - there's really a big difference compared to the beginning. But what I like most is the experience with the new indie- or also classical-records I buy: I often sit in front of the Haydn Grands and just be enthusiatic about the spatiality, the warmth, the details.
I guess it's hard to get some speakers in this price-range that sounds, looks, feels better. Strongly recommended for those who like to listen to a wide range of different musical styles. If you are mainly listening to Dance-Music you probably should go for other speakers.

Wide sound stage, the speakers just disappear, enough bass for this speakers size, involving for jazz, chamber music, vocal, also nice for pop and rock music, I think for all type of music. I drive it with several amp eI: Jolida JD 1701 A hybrid amp, Onkyo A9555, Cayin/Spark MT 35, or Primaluna Proloque 2 with good result.

Need long hours break in, more than 300 hours.

This is a good stereo speakers for me until this time. I bought it in June 2006. I pick it after compared with ProAc Studio110 and Epos M12i in the shop. After first month I regret to buy it. I didn't like it very much until 6 months. The sound stage was small and lack of bass or muddy. At that time I thought this speakers need powerful amplifiers. But now after more 300 hours break in, all the problems is gone. Now I also use vibracone as tweaking under the speakers on the speakers stand. If someone review this speakers without enough break in, he will not like it. Stereomojo review this speakers with bad result, I think because they do not break in enough like I did experienced.

Similar Products Used:

JMLab Chorus 707S, Klipsch RB61

strong presentation, beautifully put together. solid and heavy. well constructed. no one will mistake these for cheap speakers.

unnatural coloration in the midrange. probably due to very strong base for this size speaker. highs too harsh. female vocals hard to listen to. (couldn't listen to aretha franklin, anita baker, cassandra wilson, billy holiday, or even roberta flack for extended periods of time.)

i purchased these in addition to the theatro center channel speaker. i was in the process of auditioning new speaker and they sounded great... ...in the store. when i got them home, i felt like something was missing - or rather too much was there.
originally, i had a pair of mirage omnisat fs with the accompanying cc speaker up front so i guess i got used to that "non-direct" sound. the problem i had with these speakers was that i could always tell exactly where the sound was coming from. i.e. directly out of the box. toe in, toe out, eyes wide shut and ears at dog crooket positions; it didn't matter. the sound quality was good enough but they just didn't do it for me. i think it may have had more to do with my particular room than anything, so no slight on the speakers. they just didn't work in my room for my tastes.
also, there seemed to be something missing in the midrange. voices didn't have the same presence that i'm accustomed to.

since i listen to mostly jazz, blues and classical and attend live venues frequently, i've been spoiled by the real thing. i know how it's "supposed" to sound. my aural memory kept refrencing live venues throughout the united states, from the village vanguard to the saenger theater to yohi's.

the center channel, however, was fantastic.

Customer Service

never had an issue.

Similar Products Used:

sonus faber. boston accoustics klipsch.

they do everthing "right" - fantastic value!

none for what I am asking them to do

The Haydn Grand’s are probably my most favorite speaker that I have owned. About six months ago I purchased a 900 sq. ft condo that provides a panoramic view of downtown San Diego all the way up to Balboa Park; the negative is that the living room is oddly shaped and small (not stereo friendly). Because of this, I sold off my VAC Super Avatar and Magnepan 3.6’s. Over the last ten years in this hobby I have owned Sonus Faber Concertos, Guarneri’s and JMR Offrandes and enjoyed each of them.

When looking for a smaller system for this condo I purchased a Prima Luna Prologue 2 (excellent value for the money), and the Magnepans MG 12’s (a very good speaker, but still to big and needed valuable space to work properly). I then tried the Spendor S3/5se (they were the right size, easy to place, however to my ears they were dry sounding, lacked bass and definitely needed a sub woofer, which would have taken up valuable space). In defense of the Spendors, which are only 84db efficient “even less than the magnapans”, the Prima Luna was probably not the right amp for them work properly.

In choosing the next set of speakers for this room, I decided to speak with a good audiophile friend who is in the business and has access and experience with a variety of many well known high end products. He said that of all the monitors under $2K, the Hayden Grands “were among his favorite, easy to set-up and forgiving in acoustically challenged spaces”. I followed his advice and have not been happier.

In my opening statement I say that the Haydn Grands are probably my most favorite speaker, I say this because to my ears - they just plain do everything “right”, and do it being positioned 8” from the back wall in a sonically challenged room. It seems that no matter what kind of music I play through them, they never fail in providing a wonderfully smooth/silky, yet very detailed presentation Also, the bass is realistic, never exaggerated or boomy. I have found that they also cast the proper amount of depth, width and height of the source material being played through them as well.

In closing, some of other speakers that I have owned were certainly better, but they also demanded careful set up and plenty of space to be at there “best” and therefore would have never worked properly in my new condo (in my opinion, it would have been like having a Porsche and only using it the city kind of thing). In closing, if any of you are looking for a small monitor, are limited by a space situation and on a budget like me, then give the Haydn Grands a try for I have found that regardless of price these are a very, very fine speakers “keepers, if you will”. Please note, there are many other speakers out there at this price range which I have not heard, which could be better and maybe/probably are, so let your ears be the final judge.

Customer Service

Excellent

Similar Products Used:

Sonus Faber, Spendor, JMR, Magnapan

Warm overall Seductive mid-range Excellent soundstage Tubeful bass Bass slam

None at this price

The Haydn Grand is the successor to the Haydn. The key differences between the two are: a) bigger mid-woofer (6" vs 5.5") b) front ported vs rear ported c) bigger dimension all round d) 4 ohm vs 6 ohm impedance The front port is camouflaged very neatly by the tweeter which is mounted right at the center of the port. I would have thought the Haydn Grand is a sealed box if I had not read the specs and run my fingers across the front baffle. Build quality is excellent. The rosewood finish makes the package even more attractive. I ordered a pair and I look forward to have them in my setup. I auditioned the Haydn Grand using a pair of 100W/ch Flying Mole Class D digital monoblock amplifier with excellent results. I have a pair of the Flying Mole at home too. It is good to have a feel of Haydn Grand's performance driven by the amplifier I will be using at home. I am also keen to hook them up to my other amplifier - a Conrad Johnson tube integrated CAV-50.

Similar Products Used:

Tannoy Profile Plus 609, Monitor Audio Monitor 2.