Apex Carl had a pair of Grand Utopias set up in his home a few years back with big Accuphase mono blocks and preamp. Now that was a system that after listening to it would make you go home and want to throw rocks at your system.
SnowmaNick’s speaker shopping notes
- Thread starter SnowmaNick
- Start date
Angsty
Well-Known Member
You best not listen to anything even remotely as good as this. Otherwise, your fantasy will be shattered.At $140K each, before the Accuphase monoblocks, I’m okay with fantasizing that my system is just as good.
It’s a home system only if your home has a listening room the size of a small church.
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TrainFan73
Frothy
I’m pretty sure what’s his face from upscale put Utopias in his bedroom system.
SnowmaNick
Well-Known Member
Listened to the Dynaudio Contour line today, both the 30i and 50i. They’re well made and inoffensive looking, though the 50i is huge.
Overall, the imaging was about par with the Revel’s I own, and not as good as the KEF Reference I auditioned. Bass was there, at times excessively so on the 50i, but I didn’t feel it went as deep as my Revels and it seemed a bit more pronounced at the ~50-80Hz area, like some bookshelves that try to sound like they have more bass than they do. I also felt these, while very good speakers, were a little dark and shaded at times. It might be that I’m used to the Be tweeters. To use a simile, if you can imagine being in a big room or cave with a good flashlight, you can see what the flashlight is pointing at, but there are shadows all around. With the Dyn’s I felt the same way about their sound. As if there was a shadow around the performers.
Overall, these aren’t for me.
Overall, the imaging was about par with the Revel’s I own, and not as good as the KEF Reference I auditioned. Bass was there, at times excessively so on the 50i, but I didn’t feel it went as deep as my Revels and it seemed a bit more pronounced at the ~50-80Hz area, like some bookshelves that try to sound like they have more bass than they do. I also felt these, while very good speakers, were a little dark and shaded at times. It might be that I’m used to the Be tweeters. To use a simile, if you can imagine being in a big room or cave with a good flashlight, you can see what the flashlight is pointing at, but there are shadows all around. With the Dyn’s I felt the same way about their sound. As if there was a shadow around the performers.
Overall, these aren’t for me.
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SnowmaNick
Well-Known Member
I saw the Blade 2 Metas in red today. Beautiful.
I didn’t allow myself to listen. But, oh man, so pretty.
I didn’t allow myself to listen. But, oh man, so pretty.
Angsty
Well-Known Member
Wow - just, wow! 
I’ve been a long-time owner of Thiel speakers and a more recent owner of KEF LS50’s. I’ve been impressed at how close the midrange on the LS50 sounds to that of the Thiel CS6 (they are both coaxial).
If I were in the market, high-end KEFs and time-aligned Vandersteens would top my list. But, that Blade 2 is just stunning to me.
I’ve been a long-time owner of Thiel speakers and a more recent owner of KEF LS50’s. I’ve been impressed at how close the midrange on the LS50 sounds to that of the Thiel CS6 (they are both coaxial).
If I were in the market, high-end KEFs and time-aligned Vandersteens would top my list. But, that Blade 2 is just stunning to me.
Angsty
Well-Known Member
Here’s an interesting comparison of the Salon2 to the F328Be.
Revel’s New F328Be Versus the Old Ultima Salon2 Which is the Better Speaker?
Can Revel's new $16,000/pair F328Be floorstanding speaker actually be better than the brand’s crown jewel, the $22,000/pair Ultima Salon2? Read on to find out.
www.audioholics.com
SnowmaNick
Well-Known Member
Ok, uhm, yeah. So here’s a question for you fine people. I have a chance to get Blade 2 (non-meta) for under $10k, which is less than the Reference 3 Meta’s that I loved. But they would have to be shipped. And they’re used. Normally I love used equipment, I let someone else get the depreciation heartburn, but these are big speakers, and shippers mess things up.
So far, I haven’t heard the YG or the Focal’s, but I loved what I heard with the KEF Reference Meta line. Should I jump at the Blade 2’s, or go with the new Reference Meta line? Or….
So far, I haven’t heard the YG or the Focal’s, but I loved what I heard with the KEF Reference Meta line. Should I jump at the Blade 2’s, or go with the new Reference Meta line? Or….
SnowmaNick
Well-Known Member
Magico A5
Very neutral, leans a bit into analytical. The finish seemed to absorb light, so they feel more imposing than the dimensions would indicate. Great ability to pull music apart, where you can easily focus on any instrument or voice and just follow it. Bass was taut and solid, there when it needs to be, but not as ever present as the Wilson’s. Mids were maybe a degree or two recessed, although that doesn’t show up in their measurements. Image specificity within the sound stage was a bit vague.
I had a hard time with this one. It may have been the Boulder 866 they were hooked up to (I always find Boulder amps a bit dry and uninvolving) but my attention kept wandering. If I go back for a second audition I’ll ask to listen to them with a different front end.
Very neutral, leans a bit into analytical. The finish seemed to absorb light, so they feel more imposing than the dimensions would indicate. Great ability to pull music apart, where you can easily focus on any instrument or voice and just follow it. Bass was taut and solid, there when it needs to be, but not as ever present as the Wilson’s. Mids were maybe a degree or two recessed, although that doesn’t show up in their measurements. Image specificity within the sound stage was a bit vague.
I had a hard time with this one. It may have been the Boulder 866 they were hooked up to (I always find Boulder amps a bit dry and uninvolving) but my attention kept wandering. If I go back for a second audition I’ll ask to listen to them with a different front end.
SnowmaNick
Well-Known Member
Wilson Sabrina X
My wife doesn’t like their shape, and I have heard people echo her thoughts, but I dig it. Especially in some of the more fun colors. Those colors cost a grand or more, but you can make them very much your own.
As for the sound, at moderate to average levels they were great. They had solid bass providing a great foundation, and the mids were well integrated. The bass really did sound full and lifelike, especially on drums. At higher output, where all the Wilson’s I’ve heard before shined, the treble got a little grainy and grating. After about 25-30 minutes, I had a little ear fatigue. These were being paired with the current Luxman L-509z, and I doubt it was the cause of the grain and fatigue.
Overall, not the right fit for my room, where I’d have to give them a goose on volume just due to the rooms volume and my seating distance. Great if you were in an apartment or condo. Or a small listening room.
My wife doesn’t like their shape, and I have heard people echo her thoughts, but I dig it. Especially in some of the more fun colors. Those colors cost a grand or more, but you can make them very much your own.
As for the sound, at moderate to average levels they were great. They had solid bass providing a great foundation, and the mids were well integrated. The bass really did sound full and lifelike, especially on drums. At higher output, where all the Wilson’s I’ve heard before shined, the treble got a little grainy and grating. After about 25-30 minutes, I had a little ear fatigue. These were being paired with the current Luxman L-509z, and I doubt it was the cause of the grain and fatigue.
Overall, not the right fit for my room, where I’d have to give them a goose on volume just due to the rooms volume and my seating distance. Great if you were in an apartment or condo. Or a small listening room.
SnowmaNick
Well-Known Member
Dynaudio Confidence 30
This speaker lost points from the jump. IMHO, they’re ugly. I’ve loved Dyn’s style for years, their current design though looks like the speaker equivalent of Mercedes EQ line, melted amorphous blob as opposed to the MCM rectilinear shapes of the past.
Ok, past the looks. Did I mention I think they’re ugly? I did? Well they are.
As for sound, the price delta between the Contour line and these isn’t justified by the improved resolution. I didn’t get the same sense of shadows obscuring things, but I also got nowhere near the soundstage of the KEF Reference line. The bass was outstanding, but the treble didn’t have the air/shimmer/sparkle/detail of my Revels.
I kept thinking they should be listed at half what they cost. I wasn’t impressed.
This speaker lost points from the jump. IMHO, they’re ugly. I’ve loved Dyn’s style for years, their current design though looks like the speaker equivalent of Mercedes EQ line, melted amorphous blob as opposed to the MCM rectilinear shapes of the past.
Ok, past the looks. Did I mention I think they’re ugly? I did? Well they are.
As for sound, the price delta between the Contour line and these isn’t justified by the improved resolution. I didn’t get the same sense of shadows obscuring things, but I also got nowhere near the soundstage of the KEF Reference line. The bass was outstanding, but the treble didn’t have the air/shimmer/sparkle/detail of my Revels.
I kept thinking they should be listed at half what they cost. I wasn’t impressed.
I thought your wife immediately veto'd the blade no?
SnowmaNick
Well-Known Member
She originally did. Two things changed, they are in her favorite color (or close enough) and I took a picture of me standing next to a set at a dealer and they aren’t as tall as she thought. And are narrower than she thought. And stop reminding her.
It’s funny I quite like the form, even though they look like a kooky alien or robot from later day Star Wars, but I couldn’t get on board with the bold primary colours which are nice in isolation but might need the Jetson’s house to fit into the decor. Now something that sleek with a real wood veneer…
What color are they?
SnowmaNick
Well-Known Member
Frosted Blue
