Goodbye Sonus Faber Guaneri Evolutions...hello?????

tboooe

tboooe

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Joined
Jun 16, 2013
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66
Location
San Clemente CA
The upgrade bug has bitten me yet again so its time to succumb to its power and look for new speakers. I currently have the SF Guaneri Evolution standmount speakers. I have no actual complaints about these speakers. After adding 2 small subs to my system, I am very satisfied with the sound. However, I am interested in exploring different and unique technical solutions to speaker design. For example, the different approaches taken by YG, TAD, and Magico has me curious about what more I can get out of my system.

I listen to a lot of female vocals (jazz, folk, etc) and favor acoustic music. I like my music to sound organic and "human" if that makes sense. Ultimate resolution, speed and dynamics is not as important to me as the whole presentation of the music and the emotional connection I feel with the musicians. I also dont listen at very high volumes (rarely above 72db) and my listening room is rather small so I am in an almost nearfield setup.

Any way, I would really appreciate input on standmount speakers I should consider. My budget is anything south of $25K (retail price).
 
walesi said:
Magico S1 mk 2, or even S3 mk 2s. I don't know how firm the Magico pricing is in US.
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Thank you! So why the S1 over the Q1 standmount? I typically prefer standmounts for their imaging and size (though the S1 is pretty slim).

BTW, I just got back from Vantaa and Joensuu! Beautiful country!
 
The new Sonus faber Guarnieri Tradition are excellent and sound like a logical choice.
 
They might be too cheap for you, but TAD Micro Evolution 1’s are great.


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tboooe.......You may want to consider the Focal Sopra No.3 floor standing speakers. The are well reviewed and liked by many owners. Retail is $20K a pair.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/focal-sopra-no3-loudspeaker


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tboooe said:
I listen to a lot of female vocals (jazz, folk, etc) and favor acoustic music. I like my music to sound organic and "human" if that makes sense. Ultimate resolution, speed and dynamics is not as important to me as the whole presentation of the music and the emotional connection I feel with the musicians. I also dont listen at very high volumes (rarely above 72db) and my listening room is rather small so I am in an almost nearfield setup.

.
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According to your statement. I highly recommend you to listen to Tannoy speakers ,Harbeth or Living Voice speakers. They might not attractive looking but with your requirement. I think they are perfect for you. Just my 2 cents.
 
I'd like to recommend the gem from another Italian speaker builder, Rosso Fiorentino that falls well below your budget at $7500 with stands - the Fiesole. This was the speaker that completely won me over and convinced me to be their distributor and continues to win over everyone I demo them for.

Here is a review from LSAF:

Joining Skip for a late night listen he DJ'ed showing how the Fiesole anchored system was basically able to do it all. Loud, deep, transparent, 3D imaging pull out your favorite audiophile adjectives and this system delivered. Then he played Elvis' "Jailhouse Rock". It is a cliché to claim a HiFi takes us back to the event while Elvis and his buddies rocked out. What I really think we are getting at claiming such time travel is describing those sought after moments when a piece of music we have known for decades becomes totally present in our consciousness and you are acutely aware of the music making by the artists involved. The beat remains but time slows as we become hyperaware. That song made me a believer that the Rosso Fiorentino Fiesole belongs on any short list of A-class monitors. The Fiesole's impeccable Italian styling, fit, and finish are a tasty bonus.
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If interested, I'll be showcasing either these or the floor-standing version, the Volterra, at RMAF in a few weeks in room 7032.
 
Another vote for Focal Sopra 1, 2, or 3. Outstanding and beautiful speaker. Love the beryllium tweeter and life-like midrange.
 
The new Sopra range from Focal is really nice, but I'm not sure it falls into the requested "organic and human sounding" category.

+1 to the lil Raidho - D1 is may be the best speaker from the whole Raidho family. Best to buy them used though, as all Raidhos suffer HUGE price depreciation.
 
Tboooe if I think about organic and human, I think about Boenicke Audio, if you feel the need to upgrade I would upgrade to small floorstanders (given your listening room dimensions) such as the Boenicke W8 or the Vivid Audio Giya 4, which might bring a bit more to the table than a monitor. If you must go down the monitor path the Boenicke W5 or Trenner & Friedl Arts would be worth a listen but I´m not sure if they´d be an upgrade.
 
Vapor Audio? Great value, best drivers on market

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blueoak said:
Another vote for Focal Sopra 1, 2, or 3. Outstanding and beautiful speaker. Love the beryllium tweeter and life-like midrange.
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+1 on the Sopra 1. They do everything right.

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Thank you for the replies everyone. Even though I got the upgrade bug I want to make sure the next speaker I get is truly an improvement over what I currently have, which I am very happy with. I am constrained by a small room so I would prefer either a standmount or floorstanding speakers that is not too large.

I know "improvement" is very subjective in our whacky hobby so my main goal is to seek out speakers that technically push the envelope of standard speaker design. A couple of things I have been zeroing in on is phase and time coherence, single source drivers, and cabinet design. At this point I am still researching and trying to learn about the merits of each design concept. Pls keep the recommendations coming. I am learning a lot!

So far the speakers that have caught my attention are:
Boenicke W8
Gryphon Mojo S
Raidho D1
TAD Compact or Micro Evolution
 
tboooe said:
The upgrade bug has bitten me yet again so its time to succumb to its power and look for new speakers. I currently have the SF Guaneri Evolution standmount speakers. I have no actual complaints about these speakers. After adding 2 small subs to my system, I am very satisfied with the sound. However, I am interested in exploring different and unique technical solutions to speaker design. For example, the different approaches taken by YG, TAD, and Magico has me curious about what more I can get out of my system.

I listen to a lot of female vocals (jazz, folk, etc) and favor acoustic music. I like my music to sound organic and "human" if that makes sense. Ultimate resolution, speed and dynamics is not as important to me as the whole presentation of the music and the emotional connection I feel with the musicians. I also dont listen at very high volumes (rarely above 72db) and my listening room is rather small so I am in an almost nearfield setup.

Any way, I would really appreciate input on standmount speakers I should consider. My budget is anything south of $25K (retail price).
Click to expand...

IMHO you would gain more by implementing a good tube line stage or source into the audio chain.


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Dynaudio Special 40
Dali Epicon 2

Keep in mind that a small, slim floorstader will have the same footprint as a monitor+stand so don't rule out this option; I'm sure a Magico S1 Mk2 would not overload the room.
 
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