C500P initial impression

[Stillone]

Have not auditioned the EM, are they out yet? I have heard a few JM Labs before with mixed results. At $180k, it better be a great speaker!

I heard the EM's at the RMAF and they were easily as good as anything there. Starting with their Utopia Be series Focal has been making nice product. My local dealer no longer carries the Utopia range (maybe due to the pricing of the Series III) so I have not spent much time with the new ones.

One of the Mc Dealers here in SE Michigan also carries Wilson and Krell. I have heard the WP 7's and 8's with both Mc and Krell gear and I could never understand what the fuss was with these speakers. The Wilson's were nice but even the B&W 800d's sounded more musical. To each his own.

 

[masterlu]

I am not a Wilson fan either.

 

[PHC1]

I am keeping an open mind about Wilsons because I believe it can get better than the combination I heard so far. :scratch2: I actually liked what I heard when I listened to Sophia 2 which was not driven by Krell and I have yet to hear the Maxx3 which I will do shortly. :scratch2:

 

[JSCC]

I am keeping an open mind about Wilsons because I believe it can get better than the combination I heard so far. :scratch2: I actually liked what I heard when I listened to Sophia 2 which was not driven by Krell and I have yet to hear the Maxx3 which I will do shortly. :scratch2:

Maxx 3 .... Really good!:thmbsp: I have heard them with the Goldmund Telos 5000 amps (a cool HK$2m a pair) last weekend when the local dealer had an "open" house. Even with the lesser (but still stratosphere priced Audio Research Reference Tubes), they sounded great!

BUT I will still need to pass them by as they are no longer in my "allowed" territory! Too big for too small homes like mine!

Great as those amps are, somehow, I still crave for McIntosh and I think a pair of MC2Kw would be as good, if not better.

Ok, Ok, I admit - my MC501's are THE Best!

Cheers!

 

[PHC1]

Maxx 3 .... Really good!:thmbsp: I have heard them with the Goldmund Telos 5000 amps (a cool HK$2m a pair) last weekend when the local dealer had an "open" house. Even with the lesser (but still stratosphere priced Audio Research Reference Tubes), they sounded great!

BUT I will still need to pass them by as they are no longer in my "allowed" territory! Too big for too small homes like mine!

Great as those amps are, somehow, I still crave for McIntosh and I think a pair of MC2Kw would be as good, if not better.

Ok, Ok, I admit - my MC501's are THE Best!

Cheers!

Dave Wilson eyes lit up when I mentioned Maxx3, it may be his favorite speaker. :scratch2:

 

[exracer]

I am keeping an open mind about Wilsons because I believe it can get better than the combination I heard so far. :scratch2: I actually liked what I heard when I listened to Sophia 2 which was not driven by Krell and I have yet to hear the Maxx3 which I will do shortly. :scratch2:

Hey Serge you're a bookshelf guy; have you heard the Duettes? I was very impressed with them. The demo I saw of them when they were released a few years ago had them behind an opaque veil; after hearing them they turned on the lights behind the veil and there was not a person there who wasn't shocked by their smallish size after what they heard.

 

[PHC1]

Hey Serge you're a bookshelf guy; have you heard the Duettes? I was very impressed with them. The demo I saw of them when they were released a few years ago had them behind an opaque veil; after hearing them they turned on the lights behind the veil and there was not a person there who wasn't shocked by their smallish size after what they heard.

Bookshelf? No, more like a big monitor guy. I've heard the duettes, they are a great speaker but I am not looking for monitor speakers at this point, just trying to narrow the choices down for my next listening room which will be much bigger.

Dave Wilson actually talked about his Duettes, he mentioned that he specifically designed them to function as a bookshelf speaker because he didn't want to make another monitor speaker that really needs to be on a dedicated stand away from wall boundaries like so many out there, including my own SF GMs which would never work like a true bookshelf speaker.

 

[JSCC]

Bookshelf? No, more like a big monitor guy. I've heard the duettes, they are a great speaker but I am not looking for monitor speakers at this point, just trying to narrow the choices down for my next listening room which will be much bigger.

Dave Wilson actually talked about his Duettes, he mentioned that he specifically designed them to function as a bookshelf speaker because he didn't want to make another monitor speaker that really needs to be on a dedicated stand away from wall boundaries like so many out there, including my own SF GMs which would never work like a true bookshelf speaker.

Wilson killed his "CUB"

 

[JSCC]

Dave Wilson eyes lit up when I mentioned Maxx3, it may be his favorite speaker. :scratch2:

And Serge, its about time your's "light" up too !!!

Bigger room ..... hmmm, its about time !!! Buy, buy, buy !!! :thmbsp:

MAXX3, MAXX 3, MAXX 3 ...... :thmbsp: :thmbsp:

 

[PHC1]

And Serge, its about time your's "light" up too !!!

Bigger room ..... hmmm, its about time !!! Buy, buy, buy !!! :thmbsp:

MAXX3, MAXX 3, MAXX 3 ...... :thmbsp: :thmbsp:

The Maxx3 will work in my new room. I just have to listen to them. I've been offered a great deal on them already but I don't a place to store them until the room is ready.

 

[forzaroma]

Bookshelf? No, more like a big monitor guy. I've heard the duettes, they are a great speaker but I am not looking for monitor speakers at this point, just trying to narrow the choices down for my next listening room which will be much bigger.

Dave Wilson actually talked about his Duettes, he mentioned that he specifically designed them to function as a bookshelf speaker because he didn't want to make another monitor speaker that really needs to be on a dedicated stand away from wall boundaries like so many out there, including my own SF GMs which would never work like a true bookshelf speaker.

I have been thinking about the Duettes. I find most Wilsons a bit too bright for my tastes, but the reviews of the Duette seem to indicate that they are voiced to be warmer and smoother than your "typical" Wilson.

I love my Sonus Fabers and, as good looking as the Duettes might be, they don't even come close to the looks of the Homage IMO. But now that my focus has shifted to the room (and room-speaker) interaction, I must admit that I am intrigued by the idea of a speaker designed for smaller rooms and less than ideal conditions.

The idea of x-over that can be tuned based on speaker positioning (i.e., near wall, on shelf, etc.) makes sense, but I don't know how well it actually works.

I would not put the speakers on a shelf, but I'd like to have them closer to the back wall (right now the Guarneri are way in the room) and, if the horizontal dispersion is narrower, I should also be able to have them separated a bit more.

Any more thoughs/experiences on the McIntosh/Duettes?

Alberto

 

[PHC1]

I have been thinking about the Duettes. I find most Wilsons a bit too bright for my tastes, but the reviews of the Duette seem to indicate that they are voiced to be warmer and smoother than your "typical" Wilson.

I love my Sonus Fabers and, as good looking as the Duettes might be, they don't even come close to the looks of the Homage IMO. But now that my focus has shifted to the room (and room-speaker) interaction, I must admit that I am intrigued by the idea of a speaker designed for smaller rooms and less than ideal conditions.

The idea of x-over that can be tuned based on speaker positioning (i.e., near wall, on shelf, etc.) makes sense, but I don't know how well it actually works.

I would not put the speakers on a shelf, but I'd like to have them closer to the back wall (right now the Guarneri are way in the room) and, if the horizontal dispersion is narrower, I should also be able to have them separated a bit more.

Any more thoughs/experiences on the McIntosh/Duettes?

Alberto

McIntosh and Duettes? No...

I have heard them literally on a bookshelf though. They are not Sonus Faber warm but they are more intimate sounding and a bit warmer then the rest of the line up. Since your room is now treated, you should be ok with that tonal balance. :yes: It's just that they are so close in price to the Sophia 2s which I personally like a bit more... but if your space dictates the Duettes, I don't think you will be disappointed.

 

[forzaroma]

McIntosh and Duettes? No...

I have heard them literally on a bookshelf though. They are not Sonus Faber warm but they are more intimate sounding and a bit warmer then the rest of the line up. Since your room is now treated, you should be ok with that tonal balance. :yes: It's just that they are so close in price to the Sophia 2s which I personally like a bit more... but if your space dictates the Duettes, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Hi Serge,

Thanks for chiming in, you know I value your opinion and, based on it, I might give the Duettes a listen. But I am puzzled by your first sentence:

"McIntosh and Duettes? No... "

Are you saying that the Duettes may not be a good match for Mc? I don't think so. Just want to clarify.

Alberto

P.S. I hear you about the Sophia (I also heard that they are voiced more warmly than the rest of the line), but my main concern is the room 11x14x9 and the fact that the way the door and rest of the furniture is placed makes proper placement a bit of a challenge. I don't like having the speakers in the "middle" of the room and close together (about 5' now), that's the only reason I am considering switching from the Guarneri which, otherwise, I love both sonically and aesthetically.

 

[PHC1]

Hi Serge,

Thanks for chiming in, you know I value your opinion and, based on it, I might give the Duettes a listen. But I am puzzled by your first sentence:

"McIntosh and Duettes? No... "

Are you saying that the Duettes may not be a good match for Mc? I don't think so. Just want to clarify.

Alberto

P.S. I hear you about the Sophia (I also heard that they are voiced more warmly than the rest of the line), but my main concern is the room 11x14x9 and the fact that the way the door and rest of the furniture is placed makes proper placement a bit of a challenge. I don't like having the speakers in the "middle" of the room and close together (about 5' now), that's the only reason I am considering switching from the Guarneri which, otherwise, I love both sonically and aesthetically.

I meant I have not heard the Duettes with McIntosh. I don't see why 501s wouldn't drive the Duettes better than what I have heard them with... In fact it will probably be a combination that is a lot more synergistic than what many others have heard them with considering not too many would use a 500w amp and as nice as the 501s to drive them.

I was blown away yesterday having heard $60k worth of amps driving a pair of $5500 speakers (MBL amps and KingSound electrostats).... Very unlikely combination but couldn't argue with the results.

The 501s would be perfect for those Duettes, they will squeeze every ounce of performance from them. :yes:

 

[exracer]

If I recall correctly part of the reason for the near rear wall design of the Duettes is for the home theater crowd who do not want to sacrifice quality music. They can be integrated in custom built in applications on either side of a projector screen, possibly behind grill cloth, so that wives are happy also yet still sound decent enough for serious 2 channel. The adjustments they offer sure don't hurt either.

 

[PHC1]

Spent some time listening to the Wilson Alexandria X2s with Krell Evo 900 amps. While I appreciated the eye flinching dynamics and purity of tone, just couldn't get into the music. The source was analog turntable too...

Spent some time listening to Sonus Faber Elipsas with Krell EVO 402 amp and that was a whole different story. :thmbsp:

It's all about synergy guys. :yes:

 

[2uberoller]

The sonus faber elipsa are my favorite speakers right now

 

[PHC1]

The sonus faber elipsa are my favorite speakers right now

And the 501s will drive them to perfection. :thmbsp:

 

[PHC1]

I know a guy who has a pair of Elipsa, they are paired with the following, C1000/C1000P/MCD1000/MDA1000/MC1.2KW/SME 20/2.

Sounds pretty good if I do say so.

The picture below is for Serge, I added it yesterday just to try and see if there is any difference between using it and the MCD500 as a tranport. I can't really tell, but it does look better with the other 1000 stuff.

I never argue with a man with 2 .45s.

 

[masterlu]

I never argue with a man with 2 .45s.

That can hit a moving target!