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Review 2 of 2
Price Paid:
$0.00 Summary: These extremely heavy monitors are visually impressive. The golden horn tweeter and the front metallic grill really make them stand out from the crowd. However they are like a beatiful girl that turns out to be a disappointment when we get to know her.
They follow a 2.5 way d'appolito configuration - both woofers get into the low bass region. The top woofer is crossed-over at 2.5KHz and the lower woofer at 500Hz. The second woofer gives them a more dynamical character.
They are rear ported and placement makes a differencent on bass response. For the deepest bass, they must be placed closer to the wall, altough they lost some clarity.
Construction is average. Indeed they are heavy (they use lead internally, including covering the drivers, to become magnetically shielded), but the building technique is characteristic of low-price speakers. For instance, drivers are directly screwd to the wood; rear ports are exageratedly big (which is bad for matching connections and for the sound).
Finding a right stand is an impossible mission. Better use the AAD stand, probably the only one that works. Have tried several other acclaimed stands, but sound got detriorated, especially bass loss. Maybe this results from the extra weight of these speakers.
More limitations - they like big listening rooms, lots of power driving them, and to be played loud. If your room is small, forget them. If you don't play loud, forget them. If you don't have a powerful amplifier, forget them.
The treble is extended and has resolution, but has a metallic nature, which is unpleasant for most musical types. Other speakers in same price range have much more natural tweeters.
Midrange is not liquid. Mid-bass also seems artifical and compressed.
Bass is exceptional for a monitor, but they don't get into a sub-woofer region like some good floorstandings.
I actually use them to replace my TV-set bundled speakers, as they don't excel in any type of music. Can't sell because no one would buy them. The explosions and comercials sound great through them. I am using a 250W amplifier.
In conclusion, they look like $5000 monitors, but they sound like $500 floorstanding speakers. Notice that I am not exagerating - they really look and sound like this.
The good news is that the brand seems to be totally unkown - not too many people making the mistake of buying them.
Strengths: Superb looks.
Excellent bass punch for a monitor, altough does not reach the scale of a typical floorstanding.
Weaknesses: Artificial and poor sound.
Must be played loud.
Power angry. I recommend at least 200W/ch.
Overpricedddd!!! $3000 priced monitors soundIng like $500 floorstanding speakers.
Similar Products Used: Quad esl63, Monitor Audio GR60, Cabasse Iroise 500, Revel 50, several B&W, JMLab mini Utopia, triangle celius.
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