Summary:
I bought the first pair ever made ! they were th
en called tone scout's before the name change to air scouts. I have had the opportunity to try a whole range of different drive units and settled for the SP2's (I think that's the name we are going back 6 years now ...). I have been in and out of love with these speakers and found them challenging to get the best from them, BUT there best is simply leagues ahead of anything else. They are so dynamic and real that boxes or panles afterwards are just 'flat and bland'. When giving their best they are so fluid and beautiful in the mid with NO nasality or Horniness, I did not believe this to be possible until they proved me wrong !

They are dreadfully intolerant of a poor amplifier that you would accuse the speakers of being harsh.

listen to a good vinyl jazz album on good valve amplication and this is true Nirvahna, get the wrong amp and pop on a poor CD an you could be dissapointed. When the system is right (It took me over 12 months to be truly happy) they will play everything you have and more and always amaze. The 'live' sound to 30 year old recordings can be simply breathtaking, these horns really make music and can bring tears to your eyes. Long live eccentric bis of kit !

If your looking for reality, musicality and true dynamic range look no further. there delicacy and dynmics still surprise after all these years.

I also hate to admit it but some of the most enjoyable evenings I have had have been listening to just one horn. Sometimes I think we have evolved very little in terms of musical communication over the last 30 years.....

Strengths:
Transparancy, dyanamics, scale, efficient

Weaknesses:
Price, terribly equipment sensitive, not for the fit and forget community, if you want it's best

Similar Products Used:
None really !

Summary:
This English made speaker is probably the most transparent speaker available annywhere. A well recorded CD or vinyl is reproduced with honesty and integrity. It is one of those speakers that has that extra jaw dropping ability to surprise even the jaded palette. Every ounce of information is extracted and faithfully reproduced. But its not just its honesty, you never listen to a CD, but to a performance that makes the speakers disappear, and surrounds you in the music. You are presented with a huge soundstage that you could step into, a dynamic presentation, mind boggling clarity of pitch and a calmness that makes other speakers sound harsh and artificial by comparison. Strings soar, live performance is just that.....live, and only an amoeba with a sore and ugly boil on its pseudopod could fail to be moved by the emotion that pours out of these speakers by the bucketful!! These speakers feel totally safe and secure reproducing classical, jazz, folk, orchestral and choral, with performances sounding alive and moving. if I were to have one criticism, its that the bass starts rolling off quickly from about 50 cps, so that techno freaks would not find this satisfying despite its almost unbelievable strengths elsewhere. However, add on Definitive Audio's bass-bin or a good musical subwoofer and you have speakers that have everything any audiophile could possibly want.

Built without compromise, these speakers are large and heavy, so they are not for everyone, especially in a restricted domestic environment. The sensitivity of these speakers is exceptional, 105 db/watt, so they are perfect for valve amplification. They demand the best sources available (I use a Wadia 860x and Nottingham Analogue Spacedeck with SME V arm as sources, a Border Patrol WE 300B SE power amp and SJS Arcadia model 2 line level pre-amp (both built without compromise) and providing an absolutely pure 9 watts/channel. The speakers are also bi-wired with Monolith 20/20 flat cable). In return, I get a glimpse of hi-fi paradise.

The other little detail which makes them not for everyone is the cost. In the region of $31,000 is a powerful amount of money to spend on just one component, but hey, if you want a "Rolls-Royce", don't expect to to buy it for the cost of a second hand "Toyota Corolla"

Would be happy to supply further information to interested parties.

Strengths:
total transparency,dynamic, musical integration is world class

Weaknesses:
Being a horn speaker it needs its lowest bass reinforcing

Similar Products Used:
Horning Agathon Gold