Are SPIRES better than SUMMITS?

[Vassilis]

The answer is no!
This comes as a result from a very interesting review that took place in Greece. Both speakers have been used in the same environment for a long time. They’ ve been tested with many sources and many amplifiers of every possible designing approach. I understand that it is impossible for someone to read the texts, but it is worth registering and logging in to see many interesting pictures and diagrams!

http://www.avsite.gr/vb/showthread.php?t=56952

 

[tonepub]

It's not so much better or worse, but different...

 

[timm]

It's not so much better or worse, but different...

If anyone would like to chime in --- Different in what way? I have not heard the Spires - have heard the Summits. Liked the Summits - but not enough to make me throw away my Odysseys and ker-plunk down the cash. I would say the Odyssey/Summit comparison is similar as well -- they sound different and I am not sure which I would like better unless I had them side by side.

Re: Spire/Summit diffs... I have found in the past that bass has a tendency to 'change' the sound of the panel... The inclusion of extra bass masks the clarity of the panel - in other words. Given the Summit has more bass energy - is it possible that the Spire/Summit comparison and the diffs in their sound could be because of the additional powered woofer?

When someone says the panel sounds different - or better on the Spire - in what way? I'm sure I'll be out listening in the future - but I am betting my local guy is tired of me listening to his speakers......

 

[FISH_MAN]

the spire's have a new crossover and slightly tweeked panel. the summits have an extra 10" speaker in the bottom for the really low stuff.I would prefer the sweetened up panel over an extra sub in the bottom any day plus a couple of thousands cheaper. they are both great! but watch out spire the new Summit X is probably on its way.

 

[robertawillisjr]

My dealer (whose ears I trust) states that the Sprires are the better speaker He does seem to favor small woofers for all of the reasons we have seen in the literature (faster, etc.), but he also comments that the mids and highs are more coherent and somewhat better integrated with the low end.

I haven't made any comparisons, but I do prefer more heft (if it is there) in the bass. I am waiting to see what the X model brings to the table.

 

[CCH]

Well...

I prefer the Summit because of the dual controls for the woofers--that is, not only the additional output but also the setup flexibility, which is helpful in my room. Having said that, I can't imagine being unhappy with either speaker.

 

[Nikos]

I can read the review and I can assure you that the quality of the reviewer and the methodology is quite impressive. I bought my Puritys based in a similar review and I am glad that I did it. The reviewer is a Summit owner so he asked three other people to help him and each one actually wrote about the spires individually. The most important finding (IMHO) is that the midrange is quite different.
Thanks Vassilis

 

[CCH]

Nikos...

Any chance of getting a short summary, if not a translation?

 

[TomDac]

I'd love to get a pair of Spires for a side by side comparison with my Summits...

I heard the Spires recently and they sounded pretty damn nice to my ears.. :music:

 

[FISH_MAN]

does it really matter at this level. I would say at this point its more about what you have them hooked up with and your room acoustics.

 

[User211]

I have to be honest I have been thinking it for a while but never said it - I'd be amazed if the Spire out performed the Summit, with one less bass cone. OK - the Spire's crossover may have been tweaked... but how much difference can that really make, given that I am sure the Summit's one was pretty excellent.

Having heard the Summit with a Krell amp, and the Spire with a Nelson Pass, I know which amp I'd go for... without any shadow of a doubt. And Fish - I'd go with what you are thinkin' about gettin' - but that is just me.

 

[Gordon Gray]

does it really matter at this level. I would say at this point its more about what you have them hooked up with and your room acoustics.

Hi Fish,

Totally agree with you.

In addition to room treatment, add room size / dimensions / constraints, speaker placement / panel tilt, amp, preamp, source(s), cables, PLC's, and the Summit or Spire bass x-over settings.

A well defined low end is the foundation for a well balanced musical presentation. Too much and the sound will be bloated, undefined, and very two dimensionsal. Too little and the sound may appear to be more transparent but will lack body, warmth, emotional involvement, and ultimately cause listening fatigue.

IMHO, it's all about balancing the above variables allowing one to focus on the music and not the reproduced artifacts thereof.

I'm confident that the Spire is a great addition to the ML line. Having said that, I'm also confident that the Summit will provide, all other things equal, a more balanced bass foundation given the fact that the Summit has two bass drivers per speaker versus the Spire's one driver.

Doesn't make it better or worse. That's a judgement that each individual has to decide in their own listening room.

GG

 

[tonepub]

I think it really depends on if you can go with one (or two) subs or not.

I found the Spire with a descent to go down a bit deeper than a pair of Summits without, but in my room I got smoother bass with the summits because of where my room anomalies are.

I could dial my slight bass hump out better with 25 and 50hz controls than I could the one 35hz one in the spire.

Using the summit and descent was a pretty impressive combination and if I didn't have the CLX would be perfectly happy with it. Thanks to the Summit going down so far, it was easy to get by with just one descent. The CLX really requires a pair to get things sounding seamless.

So the question is do you want Spire, Summit and a combination of Subwoofer? It will depend on your room and placement options...

Both speakers are excellent....

 

[twich54]

I heard the Spires recently and they sounded pretty damn nice to my ears.. :music:

As did I Tom, thus my purchase.

As has been stated so far, upstream componetry, room size, accoustic configuration ALL have a bearing.............hmmm, seems as if I said this before relative Vantage vs. Summitt ! But with Spire vs. Summitt it is much closer.

Even though I do not have my Spire's in the house yet my gut tells me I'm going to be very happy with them.

 

[Gordon Gray]

Hi Dave,

I'm sure you will be very happy with your decision.

Looking forward to your observations.

GG

 

[RichTeer]

I'm kinda surprised that noone's really mentioned the Summit X in this thread. That should theoretically give one the best of both worlds: the more powerful bass from the Summit's dual-10" woofers, and the Spires better midrange due to panel and crossover improvements.

As for Summit vs Spire: well, I ordered a pair of Spires recently, but that decision was helped by the Summit being canned. If both had been available I probably would have evaluated both (if my dealer had been game).

 

[twich54]

I'm kinda surprised that noone's really mentioned the Summit X in this thread.

Rich that's because at this point it's only conjecture. Regardless, when / if the "X's" materialize it will probably be like the Vantage / Summitt comparison......80 % of the higher priced speaker at half the cost.

 

[Nikos]

does it really matter at this level. I would say at this point its more about what you have them hooked up with and your room acoustics.

room and equipment during the review...

 

[Nikos]

In my opinion is very important that the reviewer had both spires and summits at the same time in a room with sound treatments and plenty of gear to try with them.

 

[DTB300]

Are SPIRES better than SUMMITS? The answer is no!

There are just too many variables (room, equipment, cables, power, source, hearing ability, etc. etc.) along with subjective opinions, to state one model speaker is better than another, especially at this level with ML.

Now if one were comparing Fresco's to Statements, then I might have to agree :devil:

Stating these two models are different (and how they are different) and then each person will need to decide which they like better would be a more accurate statement.