Ian V

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 2.00 votes

Price Paid:  $900.00

Summary:
Sounds Great With Entry Level Preamp/Amp or Receiver... I bought the ACI Jaguar 2000 used online. Obviously the speakers are already broken-in, & sounded very impressive with just being driven by a modest Onkyo TX-SR800 Receiver. This is my first time reviewing a speaker system, so I am going to try and capture the speakers' characteristics as best as I can. This is for the fellow audio enthusiasts and audiophiles who are looking for a great set of speakers. The ACI Jaguars are the type of speakers that can reveal minute details or even flaws on CDs and SACDs (recordings). These speakers can perform without sounding too detailed or analytical. Some people call this laid back, but it is actually very sweet sounding & non-fatiguing. It makes solid-state components sound "tube-like". Some people comment that the highs could extend a just a tad bit more, but for me it is adequate. The really extended highs do come out, depending on the recording. The highs are airy that it draws you into the music. The vocals are lush, and with lifelike realism. You can almost picture the person singing in front of you that you can cheer to her/him. Or better yet, it sounds so real that you can imagine smacking the singer or stealing the mic just to mess with them because they sound so real and close to the listener! These speakers gave me goosebumps. I am a music enthusiast, so I can tolerate more mediocre recordings than audiophiles do. I have listened for hours and hours because my whole CD collection sound so much better - with deeper and bigger soundstage, crazy pinpoint imaging, and proper amount of bass for a medium/large room without a subwoofer. Some of the (SA)CDs that I have listened to are: Eagles' Hell Freezes Over, Norah Jones' Come Away With Me, Basia, Sade, some Chesky Recordings with 96/24 resolution, The The, Jim Brickman, David Benoit, and the like. In providing the basis of quality sound, I have listened to other systems received very good to excellent reviews. I have heard many excellent speakers ranging from the cheap ones such as the Paradigm Atoms at $188 (great for the money) all the way to about $22,000 a pair. These $22,000 a pair of speakers were the Sonus Faber Amati Homage being powered by Krell preamp and amp monoblocks at about 450 watts per channel. Now, I am running the ACI's with Musical Fidelity A220 Class A Integrated Amp with Denon dvd2800. I'm going through the process of listening all over again because now it sounds phenomenal. These speakers can sit proudly among the very highly regarded ones, regardless of costs (or at least that 22,000 that I have heard) Happy Listening! And oh, one more thing, I don't work for ACI.

Strengths:
At $2600 per pair, an excellent pair of speakers. For the price that I paid, it's awesome and an outright steal.

Weaknesses:
There isn't any.

Similar Products Used:
Similar Products Used and Listened to: NAD c372, c320bee, Onkyo TX-SR595, Pioneer Elite Receivers, Yamaha rx-z9 Receiver, Definitive Tech BP10, 2006tl, 3000tl (decent vocals, good bass), Axiom m3ti's (a little bright, great bang for the buck), Paradigm Studio S8 ($6,000? get the aci, monitor audio silver and gold lines (silver s2, great speaker).=)

Price Paid:  $1795.00 from ACI as demos

Summary:
Having been an audiophile for many years (over 30) I have been plagued with "audiophilia nervosa", the ongoing fear that something is always lacking in my system and that there is something newer or better out there just waiting to be discovered. I have owned loudspeakers by Klipsch, JBL, PSB, NHT, Dahlquist, Alon and others and am very familiar with the sound of B&W and KEF. After hearing a pair of ACI Jaguars with good quality tube amplification in a friends system...I knew I had to find a pair. About 6 months ago, I came a across a pair of demo's on ACI's website and I bought them before I had sold the Alon's I was listening to. Since they were already broken in, there was little to do but experiment with cables and room placment. Instead of waxing eloquent about imaging, soundstage or tonality...all of which are as good as or better than anything I have had in my home, the best compliment I can give is that I have had no urges whatsoever to replace them. Are they slightly laid back up top? Yes. I am playing with cabling to address this right now and will probably settle with either DH labs or Harmonic Technologies. The MIT's I am using are quite nice also. By laid back, I don't mean dull or closed in...just sweet and warm with just a hint of the very top end being there...but in smaller proportion to the midrange, which is to die for. I am using the ACI 85hz filters and am filling in the bottom octave or so with a subwoofer. Whether I'm listening to classic rock, jazz or orchestral music I'm constantly being drawn into the music. I go away happy and relaxed. Highly recommended! Audio Research VS110 Audio Research SP16 Audio Research CD3 Audio Research and MIT Cables Sumiko table with Grado cartridge.

Strengths:
Pace, timing, imaging and sweet, wonderful tonality.

Weaknesses:
Last octave.

Price Paid:  $2100.00 from direct from manufact

Summary:
I have owned these speakers for about a year and half and recently got to compare my ACI Jaguars to the well reviewed Newform 645 speakers. The Jags won in every area other than higher treble, which was more extended and resolved with the 4' ribbon of the Newforms. When I first got the Jags my system consisted of a Denon 3300 reciever and sony 300 disk changer. I thought they were a nice improvement over the Klipsch that preceded them but somehow expected more. Over a year later I am finally able to appreciate just how sweet these speakers can be. Upgrading to seperate amps(Odyessy Stratos) helped the Jags get a better sense of pace and increased the dynamic range. Addind a Titan sub (then another) certainly helped made even the smallest detail come through and added a solid foundation of bass that no 7" woofer could match. Surprisingly, changing the speaker cable made a huge difference for me in the sound of these speakers. I had been using some braided CAT5 from a DIY recipe in an effort to get more high end response. The Jags seemed a bit "too polite" in the high end so I tried to use components that would not restrict the treble. After inserting a set of silver foil cables I had made, I was shocked to hear how much bass I had been missing! These speakers are capable of producing a healthy amount of clean bass if you let them. My desire for clean clear treble was fully met as well. As one would expect from quality speakers, they will accurately present what precedes them. Once I was able to fix the real problems in my system, the Jaguars rewarded me with beautiful music. They do an especially fantastic job with vocals. Tom Waits gravely burbon soaked voice comes through perfectly as does the somewhat sweeter tones of Diana Krall. They throw a broadstage while still being able to image remarkably well. On some solo discs, it can sound like my center channel is on. These speakers, when properly fed, just making listening to music feel like it should, a great joy.

Strengths:
midrange, clarity, imaging

Weaknesses:
high end not as extended enough for those that want the starkest resolution. To get the best from these speakers you need to make them 3-way with a high pass filter and subs. A shame since they can put out a lot of bass on their own.

Price Paid:  $2100.00 from Through Audiogon Charity Auction

Summary:
Associated Equipment:

Amps: Audio Valve Challenger 150
Preamp: Kora Eclipse
CDP: Metronome CD-2V
Power: Balanced Power Technologies BPT-2
AC Cords: BPT and Harmonic Technologies
Interconnects: DH Labs Air Matrix
Speaker Cable: DH Labs
Isolation: DH Squares and Polychrystal cones
Sub: ACI Titan IISE (1 at this time)

I received the Jags about 2 weeks, before the Titan sub arrived. I connected them right away. Right out of the box they were very detailed, neutral, and presented a decent image. The image was a bit recessed and compacted, however. I let then break in continuously for the next 2-3 weeks.

When the Sub and High Pass filters arrived, I placed them in the system. The speakers opened up in a major way. The soundstage widened. The bass tightened and the midrange and highs became airy and clear. The imaging is now 3-dimensional. These speakers are detailed yet musical. Not analytical in a negative way.

I am hearing details in the music I never heard before. On the Abbey Road album I am now able to hear Paul move closer and farther away from the mike. I hear bass runs I didn't know were there. Michael Hedges sounds like he is sitting in the room with me. On Orchestral peices I hear the bow on the string. I have actually been moved to tears

I will post a follow-up when I add the second Titan.

Strengths:
Imaging, Detail, Balance, Clarity, Value

Weaknesses:
Need the Titan Sub and High pass filters to really make them sing

Similar Products Used:
Paradigm, Mirage, Monitor Audio, B&W, Theil

Price Paid:  $2500.00 from ACI

Summary:
Deciding to try the Jaguars was a simple choice for me. I have owned a number of ACI systems over the years and always been completely pleased with the quality/sound and customer service. It was time to "move up" and the Jaguars were well within my budget. I also considered the Norhs but frankly coulnd't get excited about something that would cost me something like $500-700 to send back if I didn't like it. I'm sure they're a great speaker, I just didn't want to take that chance.
Am I glad I got the Jaguars! I could go on about every sonic nuance and detail. Instead, let me just say that I believe these will be my system for a LONG time. They just continue to bring the music into the room in the way we usually just dream about.
I planned on using a sub with the Jaguars from day one. Glad I did, because in my room, without a sub, there is actually too much midbass. I tried them in a larger room and the bass was perfect. However, in my smaller room, a tad too much bass. Using ACI's Titan II sub completely takes care of that problem. BTW, this is the most articulate sub I've ever heard. A WATT-PUPPY owner who heard my setup just about went home crying, then he got happy when he realized he can sell his WATT-PUPPY and have money left over after getting the JAgs and Titan!
I just wish they were better known so they'd have more audiophile-snob-status. They need to advertise!

Strengths:
Imaging, dynamics, articulation, overall clarity, bass power, reality

Weaknesses:
Bass can be "too much" in some rooms

Similar Products Used:
B&W, Sonus Faber, Wilson, Dynaudio, Totem,