This post is mainly for Brad.
The speakers really are heavy. I haven't got them spiked yet because I can't actually tilt the speakers and get the spikes in single handedly. I could do that with ease with the last pair.
Getting them downstairs was close to the limits of two six foot plus men WITHOUT the stands and the MRT assembly. There is a top tip - if you need to move the Divas upstairs take the MID/TREBLE assemblies out first. We had the front covers on but taking that off would obviously help with Divas. It just depends on what you do with the frames/how much weight you add to the speaker.
With my tube amps I can state with certainty that these are somehow easier to drive. I can get higher volume than previously, not that I want it really, but it is there. What this is due to I am uncertain. It may be due to the beefed up construction but the extent of the "driveability" change seems more pronounced than that could account for. The magnets are rated the same - just standard Duetta magnets from an old pair of Duettas.
The MRT ribbon length is now about an inch longer. They are using the ribbon clamps Graz talks about on the Apogee forum. Get some - they clamp the ribbon ends down properly. You might be able to see the difference with shots of the new and old Duettas I have posted. They not only look smarter, but they provide the ribbon with a stable base and better electrical contact I think I was told.
Geometry is important and the geometry of original Duettas/Divas may not have been that great when they left the factory. The steel bars that supported the MRT magnets on my old pair were not completely straight. Lay you mid/HF assembles on a flat surface to see if they are straight. You may well find they aren't!!!
One of the things I asked Jon to take care of was geometry. Everything looks fabulously aligned. The built-in aluminium frame bracing should ensure they stay that way.
I spent about 8 hours in front of them yesterday, and 3-4 hours a night during the week. My advice is to try and implement as many of the design improvements I have listed in the thread. It is impossible with so many changes to know exactly what has had what effect, but the sum of the whole definitely works with the Duetta. It is just a shame Apogee could never build them as well as these have been made. But then again they would have cost a lot more money had they done so.
Subjectively, the speaker sounds like a more accurate affair across the frequency range. Image placement is more precise, especially at volume. Post #286 above is good. I wouldn't want to change anything I have said in it now.
The mid range is somehow less forensic than the last pair. I think it sounds quite notably more natural and refined. This is probably due to a combination of factors not the least being the x-over upgrades, better frames, ribbon terminators, and indeed the current KLM5. It looks somehow better/more consistently crimpled than the last pair. I don't think I have any issues with it i.e. we are not going to have to play with inductors to "get it right". It sounds largely broken in but I think more hours will help to resolve a slightly overly crisp sound at HF. They certainly don't sound like a new ribbon install, which is just plain mad in the first 100 hours IMHO. When they loose a bit of tension I believe they'll be excellent at HF. They are moving visibly less than the broken in pair I had that someone in London now owns. Destined for a Devialet so I hear - which may not be a bad thing. Class D amps I tried with them did OK.
Kedar will determine if they are better than Analysis Omegas. As I told him, they make the Analysis look as though they were built in a junk shop, LOL. I think they are better by a margin, but I'm not sure he'll agree. That said I preferred the old pair to AA as they sounded notably more dynamic/punchy, but I do understand a classical listener preferring the AA to my old pair.
Bass control has entered a different dimension with the beefed up frames at very high volume, but I need to spike the things before I'll really know what is going on here. I'm sure I can hear some "resting on carpet" issues at the moment.