After a month of listening to the Vista's

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Mrjb

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Let me first say I recieved the first 2 in the world. I checked the serial numbers and my rep came down to see them when they came in. I have owned the Clarity, Aeon i, Ascent, Ascent i, and now the vantage.

It is the most underpriced speaker in ML history. It has the same panel as the Vantage with a bigger non powered enclosure. They have 99% of the imaging -1% because the cabinet block a inch or two of the rear sound dispersion.The vantage has a advantage with straight 2 channel equipment because the built in sub is more cohearant than a seperate one. But in a home theater I dont think you could tell the difference. This really suprised me because in the past there was a big diffference between the Aeon and the Ascent. Vantastic speaker(pun intended).
 
However, what is the value of a sub whose coherence matches the Vistas as opposed to the $1250 upgrade to the Vantages?

I'm considering either the depth+Vista or Vantages...but the WAF of a sub, even the good looking depth, is pretty low. It would be interesting to do a comparison of these...even though the Depth is around $1900 new, you can find em for $1500 on a pretty regular basis.

I'd say the Vista+depth is better for HT, while the Vantage is better for music?

Thoughts?
 
I suspect the issue will be the quality of the sub woofer (distiguisnig between Vista and Vantage in a HT set up).

joel
 
Personally for me, a sub would still be a must with the vantages. The bass is very good, the panel and woofer integration is seamless, but that little 8” woofer just can’t compete with a good high-powered subwoofer. I have not auditioned the Vista yet but I am expecting the bass to be comparable to the Aeons, and for me a sub with the Aeons is a requirement.
 
Zip3kx07 said:
Personally for me, a sub would still be a must with the vantages. The bass is very good, the panel and woofer integration is seamless, but that little 8” woofer just can’t compete with a good high-powered subwoofer. I have not auditioned the Vista yet but I am expecting the bass to be comparable to the Aeons, and for me a sub with the Aeons is a requirement.

Yeah, I run the vantages in a ht with the descent but for 2 channel I don't use a sub.
 
Mrjb, I dont want to "hijack" the thread (I think a Vista/Depth setup would be a fun one to compare to the Vantage...I think the Depth would outperform the Vantage woofers when setup properly).

Do you still own the Ref 3? What is your review of that speaker? I have only listened to one set briefly and was thoroughly impressed. But I didnt get a chance to really listen to them. I have been considering a set, because I can get them at a good discount, and they are unique and different. How would you compare them with the Vista or Vantage?
 
The ref 3. In the under 3k catagory is a contender for the best in class. Nice range, good for low volume, and a focused and revealing image. I personally liked it better than the aeon i I tested it with but it in no way compares to the Vista or Vantage. It doesn't sound open like the esl. When I switch back and forth between the ref3 and the vista the image shrinks and looses its 3 dimentional feel. Remember I am spoiled and I am not knocking the ref 3. It is a great speaker and I enjoyed it and used it as my 2 channel system until the vantage arrived.
 
Audiophiliac said:
Mrjb, I dont want to "hijack" the thread (I think a Vista/Depth setup would be a fun one to compare to the Vantage...I think the Depth would outperform the Vantage woofers when setup properly).

Do you still own the Ref 3? What is your review of that speaker? I have only listened to one set briefly and was thoroughly impressed. But I didnt get a chance to really listen to them. I have been considering a set, because I can get them at a good discount, and they are unique and different. How would you compare them with the Vista or Vantage?

I am going to test the Vista+ $899 Abyss vs. the vantage on 2 channel.
 
The Abyss should do fairly well. I own the Dynamo paired with my B&W M1 on my PC and its spot on. Post your findings.
 
Regarding your Onix Ref 3 versus Vista/Vantage

Mrjb said:
The ref 3. In the under 3k catagory is a contender for the best in class. Nice range, good for low volume, and a focused and revealing image. I personally liked it better than the aeon i I tested it with but it in no way compares to the Vista or Vantage. It doesn't sound open like the esl. When I switch back and forth between the ref3 and the vista the image shrinks and looses its 3 dimentional feel. Remember I am spoiled and I am not knocking the ref 3. It is a great speaker and I enjoyed it and used it as my 2 channel system until the vantage arrived.

Hi, I saw your comments about the sound difference between the Onix Ref 3 and the Vista/Vantage. Since you have heard both speakers, your thoughts are of great interest to me. I have been in a quandry about upgrading my aging ML Aerius i's (Cinema Center, McCormack MAP1 preamp, McCormack DNA 0.5 Special
Edition front amp). About 6 months ago, I bought some Rocket 250 MkII's for another system. I wanted to sample the Vifa tweeter. I have been impressed with the way the Vifa renders cymbals. I listen to a lot of jazz/classical from the German ECM label. After listening to the Rockets, I find I am dissastisfied with my Aerius treble response. I don't know if my 8 year old Aerius's are suffering from panel fatigue even though they appear to be working properly and generally sound pretty good. I also don't know if my hearing is going and I need the punch of the Vifa tweeter to get me going?

As someone who has heard both companies spearkers do you feel the new Vista/Vantage treble response is as good as the treble on the Ref series with the Vifa tweeter?

Any thoughts would be most helpful.

Thanks.

-CB
 
You need to hear new logans before you think of other brands. Onix is a nice brand but not in the same league with the new logans. You have one driver going from 400 to 20khz. The clarity and "oneness" of the sound far outclasses any box speaker I have heard. Thiel and Revel get close and maybe a bit better in some areas, but I like the Logans. I upgraded from Aerius i (5 yrs old) to Aeon i about two months ago, and they were substantially better than my Aerius and mine were much newer than yours. Keep in mind you will also need to replace your center speaker if you go to Onix or another brand. Joey has had experience with the Onix speakers and he can give you his insight.
 

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