Need help to select a pair of towers for Stereo

[edjamesx]

In fact, it'd be a good change i think. Since you're used to what may be considered as bright speakers (focals are usually considered very bright from what I've seen amongst FMs, never polk though but since you consider them bright...), the Evos are very different i.e. laid-back with a very neutral inoffensive-under-all-circumstances top end and it'll be a good change of pace. Instead of going with the familiar, sample something different this time?

Audio is subjective to personal preference . Also i have not used those speakers..so cannot comment more on them.
I am just telling this based on my auditions of these speakers. It also depends on how the setup is tuned in the showrooms and other factors.

I did audition of polk and KEF at proFX , I found their tuning of system is more brighter/ also speakers sounded very bright.
i told them to adjust Bass settings , even after that settings also . these speakers sounded bright. But for some music with more vocals it sounds great as well , for some ( like rock) it's not. I am allergic to High frequency sound that's one of the reason it did not impress.

I find these Sonus faber , Evo speakers sound balanced with mids and highs on sweet spot.

 

[jarneevan]

Which version? I had the original Ford Fiesta (the first that got launched in India), the top end diesel variant. The speakers/music system it came were sublime - very natural and engaging. I used to stay back in the parking lot listening to songs or even go to vantage points where I/we could park and listen.

Oh..my. This post brought back some nostalgic memories.

I had somewhat similar experiences with the old Mondeo I owned for many years. The OEM head-unit failed early and replaced with a Blaupunkt unit. It blended well with the OEM speakers and the whole system sounded quite musical and enjoyable. I still miss it sometimes when I listen to the OEM system in the car I own now. Me and my close friend, we traveled a lot those days with our favorite tracks always playing whether we drove or parked.

Those were good old days - a great car to drive with good music playing and a trusted friend giving you company in whatever you did. Both are long gone. The friend moved to greener pastures across seas, he still remains a good friend though. Years later the car was sold for peanuts with a heavy heart when my better half started believing I loved the Mondeo more than her.

 

[jarneevan]

I find these Sonus faber , Evo speakers sound balanced with mids and highs on sweet spot.

Based on the audition you did and your own assessment, do you think Sonus Faber Venere 3.0 is worth the extra money over the Evos.

 

[edjamesx]

Based on the audition you did and your own assessment, do you think Sonus Faber Venere 3.0 is worth the extra money over the Evos.

I could not judge much . Sonus fabre sounded slightly more vibrant and had little more mid punch .
By looks , Sonus faber also looked elegant than evos .

 

[DB1989]

Which version? I had the original Ford Fiesta (the first that got launched in India), the top end diesel variant. The speakers/music system it came were sublime - very natural and engaging. I used to stay back in the parking lot listening to songs or even go to vantage points where I/we could park and listen.

Yes sachin. I can totally relate. I’d be remiss if i said i’ve never done that. The fiesta has a fantastic stock stereo. I have the top model of the new (well, not so new anymore) ford fiesta diesel 1.5 which came out originally in 2010 with the electrical power steering. Purists may snub at it but its a hoot to drive and has the best implementation of an electrical power steering i’ve seen till date. the damn thing corners like its on rails. I don’t intend to sell it ever, simply because they don’t make such driver focussed cars anymore. However, i can’t keep it in delhi post summer 2022 as it would have completed 10 years so i’ll be shipping it off to Assam. There are quite a few decent roads which are a corner carvers dream and theres no better tool for the job.

i got myself an ecosport with the ecoboost engine a couple of years later and though it was based on the same platform as the fiesta, it just did not drive as well (and neither was the stereo as good cuz it didn’t come with tweeters despite being the range topper )

coming to the stereo, i recall this recent stint with a Jaguar XF which i’d taken for an elaborate test drive and properly revved its nuts off. First off, the steering and handling was nowhere close to the fiesta (incidentally, the guy who owned the Jag had the exact model of the fiesta earlier and he agrees).It also came equipped with a nice Meridian system which obviously meant i had to check it out. There was no doubt that objectively, it was better than the Fiestas by a long shot in every single aspect. When i stepped back into the fiesta and played the same songs, it became even more evident how much better the Meridian system was. But then, i didnt find myself enjoying the songs any less in the Fiesta. I can’t exactly pin point it but it has such a well rounded sound with an incredible sense of timing and rhythm that it has become my reference for what the SQ of a stock speaker system should be. I tried to build a stereo on my swift and though i’ve blown a decent amount of dough on it and objectively one might say its the better system, i still find myself preferring the Fiesta.

 

[Deleted member 15865]

Yes sachin. I can totally relate. I’d be remiss if i said i’ve never done that. The fiesta has a fantastic stock stereo. I have the top model of the new (well, not so new anymore) ford fiesta diesel 1.5 which came out originally in 2010 with the electrical power steering. Purists may snub at it but its a hoot to drive and has the best implementation of an electrical power steering i’ve seen till date. the damn thing corners like its on rails. I don’t intend to sell it ever, simply because they don’t make such driver focussed cars anymore. However, i can’t keep it in delhi post summer 2022 as it would have completed 10 years so i’ll be shipping it off to Assam. There are quite a few decent roads which are a corner carvers dream and theres no better tool for the job.

i got myself an ecosport with the ecoboost engine a couple of years later and though it was based on the same platform as the fiesta, it just did not drive as well (and neither was the stereo as good cuz it didn’t come with tweeters despite being the range topper )

coming to the stereo, i recall this recent stint with a Jaguar XF which i’d taken for an elaborate test drive and properly revved its nuts off. First off, the steering and handling was nowhere close to the fiesta (incidentally, the guy who owned the Jag had the exact model of the fiesta earlier and he agrees).It also came equipped with a nice Meridian system which obviously meant i had to check it out. There was no doubt that objectively, it was better than the Fiestas by a long shot in every single aspect. When i stepped back into the fiesta and played the same songs, it became even more evident how much better the Meridian system was. But then, i didnt find myself enjoying the songs any less in the Fiesta. I can’t exactly pin point it but it has such a well rounded sound with an incredible sense of timing and rhythm that it has become my reference for what the SQ of a stock speaker system should be. I tried to build a stereo on my swift and though i’ve blown a decent amount of dough on it and objectively one might say its the better system, i still find myself preferring the Fiesta.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I too auditioned the Ecosport when it was time to move on from the Fiesta some six years ago. But it didn’t feel anywhere close. Finally I found what I was looking for in VW Polo GT TSi and went for it. Though I am happy with it, I still miss the hydraulic steering and the audio system of the Fiesta.

 

[firearm12]

Very interesting experiences coming forth. No two persons perception of a speaker is the same. I think it's a testament to the fact that audition is the way to go.

Thats so true. Individual perceptions matter. But one thing i noted . Quads need time with them to appreciate them, someone listening to that speaker for first time may find them boring, they dont have any excitement factor.

 

[DB1989]

Thats so true. Individual perceptions matter. But one thing i noted . Quads need time with them to appreciate them, someone listening to that speaker for first time may find them boring, they dont have any excitement factor.

True. They don't. My feelings exactly when i got them. I was disappointed with them out of the box.

 

[firearm12]

True. They don't. My feelings exactly when i got them. I was disappointed with them out of the box.

Those tweeters are truly exceptional. Once you feed them clean signals, they will do somethings that a normal tweeter just cannot come close to. This is ome drawback of quads i noted they need extremely clean signal otherwise they show noise, those tweeters are so revealing and clean sounding yet so not in your face. One realises this when they are fed a clean signal.

 

[DB1989]

Those tweeters are truly exceptional. Once you feed them clean signals, they will do somethings that a normal tweeter just cannot come close to. This is ome drawback of quads i noted they need extremely clean signal otherwise they show noise, those tweeters are so revealing and clean sounding yet so not in your face. One realises this when they are fed a clean signal.

I believe you’ve heard (or owned) a pair at length? The ribbons are indeed exceptionally sensitive and theres plenty of hissing and spitting from them if the signal being fed is not clean. Ergo, its very easy to identify whether your speaker cables/interconnects are suffering from EM interference or even if the power being supplied through the wall socket is clean and generally also, perceive how high the noise floor on your amp is.

 

[firearm12]

I believe you’ve heard (or owned) a pair at length? The ribbons are indeed exceptionally sensitive and theres plenty of hissing and spitting from them if the signal being fed is not clean. Ergo, its very easy to identify whether your speaker cables/interconnects are suffering from EM interference or even if the power being supplied through the wall socket is clean and generally also, perceive how high the noise floor on your amp is.

Yes i presently own quad z4 and earlier owned quad s2 so i am well aware of that ribbon tweeter. These speakers forced me to change my entire chain of equipment. These are so sensitive that i can sense anything from mecahincal vibration isolation to anything in power chain. Nothing escapes them.

 

[DB1989]

Yes i presently own quad z4 and earlier owned quad s2 so i am well aware of that ribbon tweeter. These speakers forced me to change my entire chain of equipment. These are so sensitive that i can sense anything from mecahincal vibration isolation to anything in power chain. Nothing escapes them.

How's you experience with the Z4 so far? there are next to no user reviews for them and even fewer professional reviews...

 

[firearm12]

How's you experience with the Z4 so far? there are next to no user reviews for them and even fewer professional reviews...

The Z4 are big speakers seeing them one would think they would be thundering speakers but they are not. General sound character is little laid back, not much but with bulby bass. Bass is there but not relative to the size of speaker. The speaker shines when it is provided clean signal. As i said highlight is the tweeter, so all effort has gone there. High frequencies are dispersed off in luxurious fashion. It has a very natural sound and no frequency is exaggerated and speaker is very transparent to changes. Piano sounds very authentic on this speaker. The tweeter and speaker has a distinct sound that makes the speaker different from any other. Infact it doesnt sound like a normal boxed speaker at all. It will not attact at first listen and it doesnt throw frequencies away, only if its in the music they will come, naturally and subtly. Needless to say vocals are excellent and clean. Once it starts playing your ears cannot escape the sound and it will attract your attention. My wife says it has a royal sound unlike other speakers. She loves its sound too much she wont let it go even if i decide so.

It needs lot of time to be setup. Its very transparent to changes and need to be setup according to tastes, it can sound bright and it can sound dark too depending on the other equipments or cables used.

Anyone wanting to get this speaker, i would recommend a little forward sounding amp.

 

[RRR]

These speakers forced me to change my entire chain of equipment. These are so sensitive that i can sense anything from mecahincal vibration isolation to anything in power chain. Nothing escapes them.

Thats the quality of a high end speaker compared to lesser range ones.

there are next to no user reviews for them and even fewer professional reviews...

Simply because the company does not feel the need to resort to marketing by sending them to all the magazines and reviewers.
I have heard them extensively. They are detailed, relaxed and refined.

 

[RRR]

My wife says it has a royal sound unlike other speakers

Very apt description by her....

 

[DB1989]

The Z4 are big speakers seeing them one would think they would be thundering speakers but they are not. General sound character is little laid back, not much but with bulby bass. Bass is there but not relative to the size of speaker. The speaker shines when it is provided clean signal. As i said highlight is the tweeter, so all effort has gone there. High frequencies are dispersed off in luxurious fashion. It has a very natural sound and no frequency is exaggerated and speaker is very transparent to changes. Piano sounds very authentic on this speaker. The tweeter and speaker has a distinct sound that makes the speaker different from any other. Infact it doesnt sound like a normal boxed speaker at all. It will not attact at first listen and it doesnt throw frequencies away, only if its in the music they will come, naturally and subtly. Needless to say vocals are excellent and clean. Once it starts playing your ears cannot escape the sound and it will attract your attention. My wife says it has a royal sound unlike other speakers. She loves its sound too much she wont let it go even if i decide so.

It needs lot of time to be setup. Its very transparent to changes and need to be setup according to tastes, it can sound bright and it can sound dark too depending on the other equipments or cables used.

Anyone wanting to get this speaker, i would recommend a little forward sounding amp.

As soon as it has WAF, all other pros/cons of a speaker take a backseat.

 

[DB1989]

Simply because the company does not feel the need to resort to marketing by sending them to all the magazines and reviewers.

That may not be entirely accurate. the company is IAG and if you’ve seen its track record recently, they’ve flooded the internet with reviews of their products.

 

[RRR]

Yes i may not be completely right on that.

 

[syednizamudeen]

Include Paradigm premier 800f which produces surreal vocals.

I've too ordered a pair of 800F and 600C based on your experiences...

 

[jarneevan]

I've too ordered a pair of 800F and 600C based on your experiences...

May I know what other speakers did you consider and what are your impressions of them?