aforcer

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Price Paid:  $180.00 from private buyer

Summary:
although i have only had the talismans a very short time ,i am growing to love them with each passing day.i have replaced my nordost flatline speaker cable with Naim nac a5 ,on the advice of a friend (former talisman owner) and found this a perfect match. the ruark's work a treat with my beard valve amps , giving an informative ,polite , yet exciting sound. i enjoyed my last 'speakers (dali) for 12 years and i hope i get the same'mileage' from the talismans

Strengths:
dynamic , good soundstage , plenty of bass

Weaknesses:
at this price !! you must be joking

Similar Products Used:
ruark templars

Cashie

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Price Paid:  $720.00 from Sevenoaks Hi-Fi Berk

Summary:
I have owned these tallys for a few years now & i would never part with them, they are just awesome with acoustic guitar & vocals, The bass is a little light but only in large rooms with rock And classical music, my system is Audiolab 8000Q & two 8000P amps Arcam CD92T CD player linked up with Chord company Chorus x3 & QED silver anniversary I might change This for some Chord company odyssey. I have heard it gives better seperation.

Strengths:
Excellent With Jazz, Vocals, & Strings. you would Have to spend 2000 plus to get a speaker that sounds this good.

Weaknesses:
Tunful bass but not too deep. You cant have every thing

Similar Products Used:
monitor audio, B&W, Castle,

audiolab1

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $450.00 from secondhand from deal

Summary:
As with all the other reviews here, it is the amazing ability with vocals (any) that win you over. So simple and uncomplicated is the delivery that you sit and stare, Not at the speakers but the vast space that they are projected in. These speakers can image very well (although not with ultimate precision), including outside the boundaries of the room. Almost seamless integration from top to bottom leave no obvious holes in this well accomplished all round performer. It is a speaker that appears to have a knowledge of just what is important. Again as with the other reviews here, deep bass reproduction is under question. However I feel that the speaker does reach down quite well, it is hampered (?) by being crisp clean and very articulate. Choosing a trade off with your room boundaries for quantity and weight versus precision and dexterity are the only difficulty in setting this speaker up. Do load the lower chamber to add weight to the bass. These are a small floorstanding loudspeaker (especially for you in the USA). With just two modest drive units per cabinet ultimate volume levels are limited. I have yet to exceed their ability under normal listening conditions. Do not under-estimate their ability, they will catch you out time and time again. I have since listened to other speakers in the Ruark range and they too have this quality I desire. It is unfortunate that like a lot of people I cannot afford the £4500.00 for the smaller reference model 'Solstice'. If vocals, acoustic instuments are you bag, then this is your speaker.

Strengths:
Neutral, Vocal ability, Engaging, All round ability.

Weaknesses:
Slighty light in the deep bass

Similar Products Used:
mission 782

Price Paid:  $1100.00 from Thomas Eletronics

Summary:
These are by far the most musical speakers I have ever owned. As far as vocal accuracy and clean precise reproduction, I have never heard a speaker in my home sound quite like these. I had had a Dialogue one in the front to match these and for speech, vocals, and any detail-oriented listening, they are in a class of their own. The only lacking characteristic I can mention is that they do not reproduce mid-range bass and lower end frequencies well. They claim a 46hz frequency response depth but I found myself cutting off my subwoofer much higher to compensate. For someone listening to Krall, Jones, and anything with immense vocal detail, these speakers are fantastic. If however, you're looking for something with a bit more slam, I would look into the B&W 704/703's. They are a much more well rounded speaker and mated to a Carver m-1.5t, they reproduce "more" of the music with only slightly less vocal accuracy. In summary, this was a great pair of speakers while they were in my home but I traded them even for what I believe to be a much nicer speaker for me. The ultra-low price I paid was due to a very minor chip in the wood near the rear right corner which is barely visible.

Strengths:
Fantastic vocal clarity and string reproduction.

Weaknesses:
Weak mid-range and low frequency response.

Similar Products Used:
B&W 704, Paradigm Reference Series.

Price Paid:  $390.00 from Private sale

Summary:
Marantz CD67SE, Cyrus 3+ PSX-R, Pro-ject RPM4 turntable. The marantz and cyrus can give a lot of slam and bang. The ruarks are fully capable of keeping up, with good tempo, and enough dynamics to potray the character of the electronics. Best of all, it tames the inherent 'edge' of my Cd67SE. Not just the CD player. CD's I couldn't listen too in the past because they were just too draining to the ears playing thru the 67se are just right on the ruarks. With vinyl, they bring out the realism of voices, and instruments inherent in the medium without a hitch. It makes the music so listenable, and enjoyable, you can listen to it all day. Great for the music, and easily likeable.

Strengths:
clean, mellow across the range. Treble is sweet and bass is tuneful. Overall balance is very good. Easily likeable. Built like your great aunts furniture. Solid, and beautiful.

Weaknesses:
Sounds a little forward, in my setup anyways. Lacks outright detail, which can be cured with careful cable selection. May look old-fashioned to some. Drivers look cheap just on physical appearance alone.

Similar Products Used:
none - my 1st floorstander