Brian: You are correct. I purchased from Audio Insight, although I dealt with Michael. I am planning on going in today to audition the Anthem D1 with the Vantages to get an idea of it's abilities. I will try to talk to John and get his opinions while I am there.
John knows his stuff and will steer you right. I wish all
high-end dealers were like him: a ML enthusiast with his
own store. I can't recall if Anthem was used in that room
or not. If it was Anthem, I doubt he would encourage that
line because he was also unhappy with the sound. That's
why they tore down the room. I can't recall what speakers
they replaced it with, but they're not my cup of tea. I never
go back there any more except to look at the 1080p front
projector.
I never heard the Prodigies at AI, but I heard them a few years ago at Accurate Audio (now defunct) and they sounded incredible, but I don't remember what was driving them.
Accurate Audio's big system was (then) top-shelf Krell
and Transparent: FPB 600 monos, Reference XL interconnects
and cables, etc. He also had big M&K subs in the corners
for LFE.
That system used Monoliths until the Prodigy release and
it sounded awesome. In some ways the system was more
fun because the Monoliths got a little cartoony if the
volume was cranked a bit too high. At low volume, you
were in the back row of the venue. As you bumped up the
gain, the aural illusion was like slowly zooming a camera
lens until you were in the front row and Holly Cole was
practically spitting on you. But you didn't get any closer
by exceeding that "correct" volume. Instead, you began
shrinking until eventually Holly's mouth was 6-feet wide
and 4-feet tall centered between the Monoliths. There was
no person there, just this huge, floating mouth singing.
Not harsh, but very unnatural. It was a bizzare (and fun)
illusion that I've never experienced since. But I've heard
that the Statement 2 would do the same when the volume
was too loud.
Anyway, Accurate also carried BAT, but those demos were
of course stereo-only and the systems changed a lot. In
mid-fi, I recall Scott carrying Integra receivers, but he
seldom pared them anything except the Ascent in a small
room with Sunfire cubes.
My favorite "budget" system (relatively speaking) they
demoed used a Krell KAV-300i integrated amp, a Krell
CD player, Transparent Super Bi-wire, and SL3s in a large
room treated with... fiberglass A/C duct panels covered
in cloth. I was always shocked at the bass slam from the
SL3s given the KAV-300i's tiny size. The imaging was also
excellent. All that stuff can be picked up in AGon for less
than half retail. If I was starting from scratch, that's what
I'd choose.
Rich, PM me. We need to meet and swap recipes. I have a
used BAT VK-D5SE CD player and Krell 280p preamp
upgrade en-route. I can also introduce you to some more
H-Ville audio buddies. Super-nice people.
