Coming back to the topic, yesterday Capt. Rajesh was over, while I don't have a preamp, I still played music using the w4s's pre amp section. I think e enjoyed his time here. More from him...
George, an active crossover, if implemented well, WILL kill it. There is no comparison at all.
Not the right time to write the review but I had a job to do. Actually I was to write about this long back. I did make a partial draft but work and settling down took a higher priority and then, it got out of mind.
I was going on Holiday with my family to Srinagar to which Amarnath also got added by the wifey later. I was sitting at Trivandrum Airport and checking out my schedule. I realized that I had a couple of hours spare time on my way back and thought of putting it to some better use. I pinged Malvai and he was kind enough to accommodate my rather tight schedule. I was to also meet a family friend, Col. Saikat; so when I was returning from Srinagar, I asked my friend to pick me from Delhi Airport and we drove to Malvais place at Gurgaon under his able guidance as my friend was unfamiliar with routes of Gurgaon.
After a warm welcome and exchanging pleasantries, we quickly got down to business. We listened to the following tracks over some Beer: -
Hugh Masekela Stimela (Coal Train): My personal reference to check out the macro dynamics of the speakers.
Dire Straits Brothers in Arms: My personal reference to check out the micro dynamics of the speakers.
Diana Krall Case in you: Suggested by Malvai to check out how the female vocals are presented.
O-Zone Percussion Group Suggested by Malvai to check out the capabilities of the speakers.
The macro dynamics of the speakers displayed while playing the first track Stimela were so good, that they are comparable to any of the good single driver speakers in business.
I wanted to check out how the speaker would present the micro dynamics, the itsy bitsy nuances which I had experienced auditioning FM Rajiv's Altecs and Virens Horn Grande (albeit they have Eminence compression driver and woofer. That's a different experience altogether. The song played nicely but I havent got what I expected.
I wanted to to check out the female vocals so Malvai played Case in you. I was not familiar with this particular track so I had no reference to compare but I was glad at the way the song was played.
I was keeping an eye on the watch as I had a flight to catch and my wife and Daughter were waiting for us at Airport. But there was more to come and Malvai had suggested that I listen to this O-Zone Percussion Group as a parting shot. As the track started to play, my jaw started to drop. The low end grunt that the speaker presented in an effortless way is phenomenal. I never knew Altecs could be played like that.
At the end of the day, if someone asks which Avatar of Altec is better, I would say: It depends on what ones musical tastes are. Manav is happy with the way his Altecs sound and thats what matters.
:lol: --- but, really, the extent of the rat infestation in online selling still amazes me!
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