OK! Esoteric K1 is the winner. ==• now we need to move to the speaker!!!!!}{[]>

I seriously rate these for rock, local pub venue sized gigs. They just sound fab

Finally got to a/b 800 diamonds to the rockport aviors today. Last time I could not listen to the 800 since they were not hooked up.

I can't say anything bad about either speaker. At this level, they all sound good.

I just wish I could have the Strads here too.

Joey_V said:

Finally got to a/b 800 diamonds to the rockport aviors today. Last time I could not listen to the 800 since they were not hooked up.

I can't say anything bad about either speaker. At this level, they all sound good.

I just wish I could have the Strads here too.

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Hey Joey. Are u still in the Chicago area? My brother went to audio consultants and listened to the Maggie 20.7 and was gaga over them. They were in Evanston. I know u thought the 3.7 was thin. The 20.7 by all accounts sounds better than the 20.1. If u have a shot - go listen. I asked him to go listen to them since I don't have a dealer that carries them. I thought he would be underwhelmed. He was not. He talked for 40 minutes and then we talked more the following day. So.... If u have a shot go listen.

timm said:

Hey Joey. Are u still in the Chicago area? My brother went to audio consultants and listened to the Maggie 20.7 and was gaga over them. They were in Evanston. I know u thought the 3.7 was thin. The 20.7 by all accounts sounds better than the 20.1. If u have a shot - go listen. I asked him to go listen to them since I don't have a dealer that carries them. I thought he would be underwhelmed. He was not. He talked for 40 minutes and then we talked more the following day. So.... If u have a shot go listen.

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Won't be in Chicago until Christmas or the beginning of 2015. I have heard the 20 in the past, but it's been a while. It was when I still owned Summits.

I prefer the 800 Diamonds to the Rockport Avior in certain aspects, and vice versa. I also enjoy the Strads.

And you can probably toss all of your previous "dealer" listening experiences because they will ultimately change once you install the "complete" system in your room.

Thought about getting everything else set up in your home and bringing the final contenders for an "in home" audition?

Just a thought.

GG

Gordon Gray said:

And you can probably toss all of your previous "dealer" listening experiences because they will ultimately change once you install the "complete" system in your room.

Thought about getting everything else set up in your home and bringing the final contenders for an "in home" audition?

Just a thought.

GG

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I think you can get a flavor of the system but I don't think you can completely predict how they will be in your room.

I have thought about getting the 800s to my media room, but it is very difficult to audition this way. They need to get extra people who are insured to lift furniture up the stairs, he told me today (my media room is 2nd floor).

A single 800 diamond speaker is 275lb.

At this point, I have a pretty good idea of what I can expect from either the 800 Diamond and the Strads. But I would really like to hear the Strads once more before I pull the trigger. Rockports are very nice, but I don't think it's what I'm really looking for. I will say, however, that the Rockport Aviors are very good at center fill and staging.

Sometimes when I sit there and audition, I think to myself - this is somewhat pointless since all these speakers sound good. But there are variances to be heard and those are really just what I'm trying to figure out for myself.

Yes Joey.

But also put this into the "to be resolved" category.

You'll also have speaker / equipment synergy, your room and room acoustics / treatments, speaker placement, speaker and interconnect cables, AC conditioner, equipment rack, and vibration isolation to name the other main variables.

Challenging but hopefully fun in the end.

GG

Joey_V said:

Sometimes when I sit there and audition, I think to myself - this is somewhat pointless since all these speakers sound good. But there are variances to be heard and those are really just what I'm trying to figure out for myself.

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I think you've got it.

For the past several decades I have been attending CES (have not missed a show since 2001). Every time I'm walking the halls I make a point of saying "So many great sounding systems and so few rooms to put them in". I have noticed that the SQ of the high end speakers converge and you are looking for the more modest variations. The number of high end speakers that I dislike is very few. I just like some better than others. You need to find the ones "you" like best. My comments are of course my opinion and I'm ignoring the spatial differences between planars and cones. For me CLX's are supreme.

Gary

The only way to do it is this way. The room makes such a contribution that at this level the final decision must be made on a home audition. Of course then he'll actually have to decide and the search will end.

Honestly, I think there's a good chance I will not be able to decide between the two in the end.

Joey_V said:

Honestly, I think there's a good chance I will not be able to decide between the two in the end.

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That reminds of the hit song from 1966 and it went something like this "Did you ever have to make up your mind. Pick up on one and leave the other behind". Your dilemma is not new. What I suggest is that you up your value on "value". By this I mean look at the $$$ side and give it a higher priority. What is the cost new? What is the resale price? List for Strads is $40k and 800 Diamonds is $25K. You saw a pair of Strads on Gon for $20,000, half price, and declined because you wanted them for less. You saw a pair of 800 Diamonds for $14,500 and were tempted to pull the trigger. Ask yourself the following question: If the 800 diamonds came back at $14,500 with your increased knowledge would you pull the trigger? One thing is for certain if you pay new prices you will take a significantly larger depreciation hit on the Strads. I'm sure you already have price in your equation and you have a tie. Up value in your equation and break the tie.

Gary

Thanks Gary!

I guess both are SOTA that you're right, perhaps placing a higher value on "value" would help delineate the two.

Joey_V said:

Thanks Gary!

I guess both are SOTA that you're right, perhaps placing a higher value on "value" would help delineate the two.

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At this level the sound differences are "nitpicks" though ones preferred "nits" are important. Since the choices are both SOTA, I think you're right, factor in value, if such a thing can be said at these price points, and go with the better value speaker.

Joey_V said:

Thanks Gary!

I guess both are SOTA that you're right, perhaps placing a higher value on "value" would help delineate the two.

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So you mentioned liking the meatiness of the Strads. What about the 800d?
The Strads to me sounded like buttuh. But I like that. Did the 800 bring that or was it cleaner?
Which one made you FEEL better? To me- I think your upstream synergy and room will solve the coin toss. Screw value!!

timm said:

So you mentioned liking the meatiness of the Strads. What about the 800d?
The Strads to me sounded like buttuh. But I like that. Did the 800 bring that or was it cleaner?
Which one made you FEEL better? To me- I think your upstream synergy and room will solve the coin toss. Screw value!!

Click to expand...

Honestly I only heard the Strads once and it made me feel good. The 800 Diamonds sound great to me too... Bit more resolving I think. The overall presentation goes to the Strads but overall tech goes to the Diamonds.

It's very difficult for me to pull the trigger. Logans will occupy the main floor. But I can't decide on which occupies my stereo room.

timm said:

So you mentioned liking the meatiness of the Strads. What about the 800d?
The Strads to me sounded like buttuh. But I like that. Did the 800 bring that or was it cleaner?
Which one made you FEEL better? To me- I think your upstream synergy and room will solve the coin toss. Screw value!!

Click to expand...

Plus you're right. I think the room will be nice enough though not near perfect and the upstreams will play well into the hands of the 800 diamonds. We are talking high end Esoteric K01 for source and a full set of Cary tubes for the rest. It should take that resolving nature of the Diamonds and lend it a more natural feel.

Though that's not to say that a pair of Strads won't sound even better as it could very well be FANTASTIC!

After all, the Strads are Serblin's life achievement while the Diamonds will get a version 3 sometime down the line and be replaced with a better top shelf version.

Oh and about value... Strads had such killer bass that it just wiped the floor with the 800 Diamonds. The diamonds might need me to augment with 2 subs somewhere down the line and that costs money.

I rarely hear bass that good coming out of floorstanders. Summits didn't have that impact nor did the sasha2 or Alexia's from Wilson.

One other thing to think about is pride of ownership. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but quite frankly, the Strad's beat the B&W's hands down in the looks department. It's not even close. I mean, just look at them.

the SFs were listed at 11k USD last month - mmight still be available - is this the same model
http://www.audioasylumtrader.com/ca...Standing/Sonus-Faber/Stradivari-Homage/121129

SFs and CLX are my favorite looking speakers. The Estelons also look good if you like that look, but not stunning like these two.