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Volti Audio is a pretty small company that you don't hear a lot about but I wanted to sing some praises here after living with my Rivals for 3 months now.
For a few years I lusted terribly after the Vittoras (owning a pair of La Scala IIs) and figured those would someday be my end-game speakers. But in November I had the opportunity to grab the fully-loaded Rival show demos from Capital Audio Fest. Greg Roberts of Volti was an absolute star for personally delivering them to my home in Southwest Virginia and assisting with placement/setup etc.
I can honestly say (probably to Greg's disappointment) after 3 months of living with these speakers, through several different amps and electronics, that I now have no desire to eventually move onto the Vittoras, because the Rivals have pretty much proven to be my perfect match speaker. I have always been a big fan of the "live sound" of horn speakers (own Heresy IIIs, have owned Forte IIIs in addition to the LS IIs) and the Rivals are the perfectly refined combination of butter-smooth midrange and highs with fast, linear bass and that "live" energy and dispersion that I've chased with the Klipsch line.
It did take some working with amps to find the perfect match here - I've posted before about my experience with the Luxman tube amps, and experimenting with mono-strapped MQ-88uSEs. The refinement in these beautiful amps was there in spades, but they always seemed a little too polite with the Rivals, perhaps not the greatest impedance match for the Rivals and a little underpowered.
However with the Naim Uniti Nova, these speakers are firing on all cylinders. They eat up every bit of the 80wpc and deliver smooth, refined, lively sound that the Rivals seem to be made for. I know Greg typically shows with the lower watt Border Patrol amps but I'd love to see a direct comparison between a very refined solid state and the finesse of the BP integrateds he shows with. I do regret that I parted with my L509-X before I got the Rivals, because I've since wondered how the Rivals would pair with the Luxman's sweeter top end and dynamics. But the Uniti Nova seems to be made for these speakers.
The Rivals reach down to a very musical 32Hz, and only recently have I added subs to the mix. Currently using a pair of JL Audio e112s with the crossover set at 60Hz (and the Rivals playing full range) and the system even more like the "audiophile" version of a live concert - tactile, meaty bass that with proper setting is seamless and replicates the kind of house sound from a well-tuned concert hall - where the JBL bass cabinets hit you in the groin but the top end seems to float over the room in a golden halo of sound.
I only recently began using the Rivals as part of my surround HT as well thanks to the AV Bypass input of the Nova. They have a massive, dynamic sound that is larger than life and has put the home theater on steroids (put my Monitor Audio Golds out of a job). Just startling sound, is the best way to put it. Thanks to Anthem AVM 60's ARC Genesis, the sound is cohesively blended with total control over the surround soundstage and the Rivals are scary dynamic.
I know the Volti brand is a bit of a niche but I think they definitely deserve more visibility... Greg showed a new "Rival SE" at the FL Expo last weekend which I haven't heard yet but from the pics are the most stunning speakers he's built yet.
I highly recommend checking out the Volti speakers, and can definitively say that the Rivals are in no way a compromise from the much pricier Vittoras. The Vittoras definitely have their place in the right system, but the Rivals have proven to be the perfect fit for mine.
For a few years I lusted terribly after the Vittoras (owning a pair of La Scala IIs) and figured those would someday be my end-game speakers. But in November I had the opportunity to grab the fully-loaded Rival show demos from Capital Audio Fest. Greg Roberts of Volti was an absolute star for personally delivering them to my home in Southwest Virginia and assisting with placement/setup etc.
I can honestly say (probably to Greg's disappointment) after 3 months of living with these speakers, through several different amps and electronics, that I now have no desire to eventually move onto the Vittoras, because the Rivals have pretty much proven to be my perfect match speaker. I have always been a big fan of the "live sound" of horn speakers (own Heresy IIIs, have owned Forte IIIs in addition to the LS IIs) and the Rivals are the perfectly refined combination of butter-smooth midrange and highs with fast, linear bass and that "live" energy and dispersion that I've chased with the Klipsch line.
It did take some working with amps to find the perfect match here - I've posted before about my experience with the Luxman tube amps, and experimenting with mono-strapped MQ-88uSEs. The refinement in these beautiful amps was there in spades, but they always seemed a little too polite with the Rivals, perhaps not the greatest impedance match for the Rivals and a little underpowered.
However with the Naim Uniti Nova, these speakers are firing on all cylinders. They eat up every bit of the 80wpc and deliver smooth, refined, lively sound that the Rivals seem to be made for. I know Greg typically shows with the lower watt Border Patrol amps but I'd love to see a direct comparison between a very refined solid state and the finesse of the BP integrateds he shows with. I do regret that I parted with my L509-X before I got the Rivals, because I've since wondered how the Rivals would pair with the Luxman's sweeter top end and dynamics. But the Uniti Nova seems to be made for these speakers.
The Rivals reach down to a very musical 32Hz, and only recently have I added subs to the mix. Currently using a pair of JL Audio e112s with the crossover set at 60Hz (and the Rivals playing full range) and the system even more like the "audiophile" version of a live concert - tactile, meaty bass that with proper setting is seamless and replicates the kind of house sound from a well-tuned concert hall - where the JBL bass cabinets hit you in the groin but the top end seems to float over the room in a golden halo of sound.
I only recently began using the Rivals as part of my surround HT as well thanks to the AV Bypass input of the Nova. They have a massive, dynamic sound that is larger than life and has put the home theater on steroids (put my Monitor Audio Golds out of a job). Just startling sound, is the best way to put it. Thanks to Anthem AVM 60's ARC Genesis, the sound is cohesively blended with total control over the surround soundstage and the Rivals are scary dynamic.
I know the Volti brand is a bit of a niche but I think they definitely deserve more visibility... Greg showed a new "Rival SE" at the FL Expo last weekend which I haven't heard yet but from the pics are the most stunning speakers he's built yet.
I highly recommend checking out the Volti speakers, and can definitively say that the Rivals are in no way a compromise from the much pricier Vittoras. The Vittoras definitely have their place in the right system, but the Rivals have proven to be the perfect fit for mine.
