Has anyone imported expensive speakers to India from Abroad recently?

[Desire]

So did you buy the Jamo/ Planning to buy?

 

[Radni14]

For bringing the electronics as passenger baggage , please also note that it is not only the weight restrictions that one has to consider : the present ceiling for exemption ( for duty free import ) for accompanied baggage is Rs. 35,000 , as I remember . So one cannot simply import speakers worth say US $ 6,000 and hope to just pay normal 30 percent duty on value of import ( after deduction of Rs.35000) .
I guess, some penalty and higher rate of duty are applicable for such cases.

 

[john_k_antony]

So did you buy the Jamo/ Planning to buy?

Not yet. One issue with D600 is that the LCR are rated 4Ohms. I could only find Onkyo and Pioneer to be rated for 4Ohms. I dont want to get Onkyo because I used only once and I dont prefer the Onkyo sound. Next option is to go for Pioneer LX56 AVR.

Jamo D600 + Pioneed LX56 will go way over my budget! So I started looking alternatives.

I liked the new Yamaha AVENTAGE 1010 AVR. Since D600 will have issues with playing with Yamaha, I am considering Paradigm/MA/Kef speakers as well. I will buy the speakers and Amp only in Jan/Feb next year.

However I think Jamo D600 beat all the above speakers for HT usage!.

-John.

 

[Desire]

Not yet. One issue with D600 is that the LCR are rated 4Ohms. I could only find Onkyo and Pioneer to be rated for 4Ohms. I dont want to get Onkyo because I used only once and I dont prefer the Onkyo sound. Next option is to go for Pioneer LX56 AVR.

Jamo D600 + Pioneed LX56 will go way over my budget! So I started looking alternatives.

I liked the new Yamaha AVENTAGE 1010 AVR. Since D600 will have issues with playing with Yamaha, I am considering Paradigm/MA/Kef speakers as well. I will buy the speakers and Amp only in Jan/Feb next year.

However I think Jamo D600 beat all the above speakers for HT usage!.

-John.

I demoed the Jamo D600 a few days back. It was brilliant! It was paired with a pioneer sc-lx86 recevier which IMHO is the best receiver ever made. The sound was warm and the movie experience was just complete. I will be buying this system by the end of november. As far as music goes, it did the job pretty well, and the movie soundtracks played with clarity and warmth. This setup does cross my budget quite a bit, but i decided to buy a cheaper projector. Oh, and the subwoofer is mind blowing!!

 

[Kittu]

I demoed the Jamo D600 a few days back. It was brilliant! It was paired with a pioneer sc-lx86 recevier which IMHO is the best receiver ever made. The sound was warm and the movie experience was just complete. I will be buying this system by the end of november. As far as music goes, it did the job pretty well, and the movie soundtracks played with clarity and warmth. This setup does cross my budget quite a bit, but i decided to buy a cheaper projector. Oh, and the subwoofer is mind blowing!!

Where did you demo this setup ? and what Sub was it?

 

[john_k_antony]

Hey Desire,

Even I would like to know where did you audition D600 with Pioneer. I know in Cinebels D600 is paired with Marantz SR5006.

There is no doubt that D600 is the best setup for the movies. Even D500 I heard was very good. However D500 is for smaller rooms.

I am doing lots of math now to get the D600 with LX56 . How ever I might not take the D600 SUB. I might go in for Velodyne EQ Max15. D600 Sub iteself is around 1.2L and Velodyne is 60K.

-John.

 

[Desire]

I had visited New York a few days back. I was staying in my cousins house. Little did i know he had the Jamo D600 with the pioneer. When i came to know, i literally spent a total of 20 hours, watching movies, playing on the Xbox, over the course of 10 days . The Sub costs nearly 1.2 Lakhs on its own. I guess thats why the system is expensive, but its worth it. He had the Sc-68 which is equivalent to the Sc-LX86 sold in India.

 

[john_k_antony]

Hey Desire.

Thats great to know. BTW, did your cousin has a 5.1 / 7.1 setup? How big was the listening room.

I think for my needs, LX-56 is more than enough. LX-56 can make around 170W @4ohm.

I think I have to borrow money from my 2ch stereo budget to get LX-56 + Jamo D600 .

-John.

 

[Desire]

The motional feedback feature on the D600 Sub is amazing. Instead of the velodyne, why dont you go for the D6Sub, which is around 65-70k i guess. After all this i must say THX is not all a gimmick.

 

[Desire]

He had a 5.2. The HT room is 320 sq ft, rectangular in shape, with proper acoustics , etc.
It was capable of reaching quite high volumes with ease and no noticeable distortion

 

[john_k_antony]

Sure I will take a look at D6 sub. The only store in Bangalore that keep them is Cinebels. I think they have the D600 sub.

Also FM coreElement recommended me to look for Jamo D7, if I can get it for a discounted rate.

-John

 

[Desire]

And can you tell me about your 2 channel setup? Im considering one, as if im already not spending enough

 

[john_k_antony]

I have 4 choices in mind

1. EL-34 SET tube integrated amp (10w/ch) + Rethm Maarga speakers.
2. Acoustic Portrait Pre + Power + Acoustic Portrait Speakers.
3. Acoustic Portrait Pre + 2 Power + Emerald Physics CS 2.3 MKII active speakers.
4. EL-34 SET tube integrated amp (10w/ch) + Zu Audio Omen Def MK 1-B speakers.

My digital source will be either of the following

1. Oppo 93 + Wyred4Sound DAC1 with SuperCap upgrade
2. Oppo 105

My analog source would either of the following

1. VPI Scout + Grado Sonata cart.
2. Clearaudio Concept MC.
3. Music Hall mmf 9.1 + Goldring Eroica LX cart.

I am planning to use Virenji's Lyrita phono stage.


The Emerald Physics setup is the most expensive of the lot and I started this thread because I got a good deal from Emerald Physics owner in US. But he said I have to take care of the customs duty.

-John.

 

[john_k_antony]

Desire..

You are tempting me to go for D600 sub ....

 

[Desire]

Desire..

You are tempting me to go for D600 sub ....

You wont regret it. If i were you id save up and buy the sub, no matter how long it takes.

 

[john_k_antony]

You wont regret it. If i were you id save up and buy the sub, no matter how long it takes.

I understand it totally man. For me the center channel and the sub are the one that matters the most for movie listening.

I think I will get D600 sub

-John.

 

[square_wave]

Do audition the Blumenhofer fun 17 too before you decide. Among speakers available in India at these price points I like the Fun 17 apart from the emerald physics and Rethm Sadhana. All of them give you a slightly different perspective to the music.

 

[john_k_antony]

Do audition the Blumenhofer fun 17 too before you decide. Among speakers available in India at these price points I like the Fun 17 apart from the emerald physics and Rethm Sadhana. All of them give you a slightly different perspective to the music.

Sure I will. I already took an appointment with Jochen in December. My only worry is about its ability to go deep down in the frequency spectrum and ability to work with a 10W SET tube amp. I do listen to music that are bass heavy and I need tight deep bass. The rated efficiency of fun 17 is 91dB and freq range is 40-20kHz. The other speakers in my list have minimum efficiency of 97dB and can go all the way down to 25Hz and less.

Again, I don't go by the specs on the paper. I let my ears decide . I still wanted to know will fun 17 can be driven by a 10W SET tube amp.

Thanks,
John.

 

[square_wave]

What 10 watt SET amp do you own John ?

Apart from the rethm, i doubt if you can listen to very loud levels with either the EP or the FUN 17 with a 10 watt SET.

The Fun is an extremely amplifier friendly speaker and goes down to approximately into the 30s if you have the room size and an amp which can do it justice. Due to the horn design, the bass is extremely accurate, detailed and fast. This is one of the reasons why I chose them over normal box speakers which gives the impression of louder bass which is actually an anomaly of typical box designs that are available in these price points. You can check this out by playing the piano or standing bass on these speakers. With the Funs and EPs you can differentiate the various bass notes clearly as they travel up and down the frequency spectrum.

With rock and heavy metal, these attributes are mostly glossed over and you are presented with a wall of sound.

You will have to check them out with the 10 watt set amp to see if it works for you.

 

[metalmickey]

@john-how much are the Rethm Maarga speakers?
@square wave- how much are the Blumenhofer fun 17?anyway i dont see them on their site?is it the big fun 17?
our musical preference seems to match going by your signature!.i have an el34/6n1 52!watt tube integerated which right now is paired with an b&w 602 s2...looking for an upgrade...any suggestions?someone suggested 20 year old quad at 50k!!!!!!quite skeptical there....