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03/28/24 at 10:53:35 




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Recommendations (Read 6371 times)
lightftl
Ex Member



Recommendations
10/28/06 at 12:09:07
 
I apologize up front as I did not see a "general" forum for this type of question.  I also apologize for the length of this post.  Just want to get as much in as possible. I am interested in both the Mg944 and Radial series.  I've owned planar speakers (too big and loved them) and very very sweet refined gershman acoustics avantgarde RX20's.  Currently I have a Rega Juras that are bolted to stands for more stability/rigidity.  I use a modified Jolida 502B tube integrated and a modified marantz SA8260 SACD player . May get back to vinyl at some point.  I have to say the gershmans were the most refined and beautiful sounding speakers I've ever owned.  But they required alot of high current power which i no longer have. (nor can i afford the avantgardes and new SS amps)Images were precise, and floated in a large sound stage. Vocals (which I love both in single artists and big complex choral pieces) brought tears to my eyes they were so naturally rendered. No congestion, harshness, etching. FR was 24-24.  The juras are pretty amazing for the money and do well as long as I don't play big complex orchestral or choral pieces.  They are gutsy detailed with suprizing bass but not particularly refined in their sound.  They tend to become a bit congested and etched especially on loud vocal passages which really annoys me. I love all kinds of jazz, new age, classical, choral, pop, rock, music.. tastes are very eclectic.  Even have some choral and pipe organ pieces.. though i prefer not to use a sub.  Its the big complex stuff that the Juras have some difficulty with.
I like a speaker that is full range or nearly full range .. that approximates the live event as much as possible and renders the image naturally in space.  I prefer not to have a speaker that is finicky in terms of placement. (more than 30-32 inches into the room etc) So where should i be looking in the Decware line up?  The speakers I mentioned or elsewhere??  Also what upgrades would make recommended speakers special? I'm a firm believer in wires and upgraded caps, resistors and the like..   I've written to Decware but they are probably moving and  I havent heard back yet, so I thought i would ask users.

I  have a medium size Florida room.  I sit back approx 9 foot from the speakers.. the wall the speakers are on is about 13 foot wide; the length of the wall and 2/3 from top is a window . Speakers are 29 inches from back wall and 4 foot from sides..   the room is about 3 times as deep as the width of front wall (one great room).. Alot of tile, glass, carpet, etc. Furniture and cloth tapestries to the left and right against side walls between the speakers and seated listening position I have a pic of the set up if interested.

Thanks in advance.
Bill

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Lon
Ex Member



Re: Recommendations
Reply #1 - 10/28/06 at 12:21:12
 
I'm a long time owner of RL2 Radial speakers, and I think you might like the RL1.5s (the 2s aren't available) or the RL3s from what I have heard of their performance and my own experience.

You MAY want to pull them a bit further out into the room than you currently use speakers but maybe not.  Pulling them out further gives you a deeper soundstage.  You will probably get the type of imaging and soundstage that you wish to from these, you might get imaging and soundstage that you only imagined before.  They may also show up your amplification a little. . . They're pretty darned revealing, or can be, you can adjust them with tweeter resistors to a fascinating extent.

I consider the RL2s fullrange, or at least they pass for that with the music that I usually listen to (jazz and blues, r and b, some rock from Hendrix, Grateful Dead and a few others).  They're very flexible and I'm pretty sure you'll get the sound from the Radials you desire with some adjustment, and tonally they're very "just right" for me.  And the most dynamic presentation I've had in my home is with the RL2s.

I don't have any other experience with Decware speakers currently available, so can't make comparisons.  I hear "forward" used in describing some of them, and I'm not a big fan of forward sound. . . I find the RL2s not "forward". . . .
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lightftl
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Re: Recommendations
Reply #2 - 10/28/06 at 13:03:50
 
Thanks.  I drove some modified and very inefficient magnepans with the modified Jolida and had no problem controlling the planar panels.  I was quite amazed.  I think the jolida is up to the challenge.  I am leaning towards the radials.  Was wondering if the 3’s might be too much for my room.. but I hear them described as “refined” which is a good word to me.  The Juras are a bit forward in their presentation.  I have a pic of my listening space that I would be happy to send you if you think it might help// I just wont send without permission.  I don’t like to receive attachments I haven’t asked for.. What would you say the differences between the 1.5 and 3 might be?  I aslo wonder if I get the 1.5 I will be wondering why i didnt get the 3's. LOL...

Regards.
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Lon
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Re: Recommendations
Reply #3 - 10/28/06 at 15:15:32
 
Send me the attachment if you wish, I'm not really
sure it would make much of a difference unless you had
a really big space. . . .

My caveat about the Jolida was. . . well not POWER.  I
ran my RL2s in a small room with a 2 watt per channel
Decware amp and had lots of headroom.  It was. .
.tonality. ..  other qualities.  I confess to NOT
being impressed by Jolida amps I heard in the past but
that was ten years ago, I can't even remember what
model (I would guess about 20 watts per channel?). . .
. I've been spoiled since by the three Decware amps
I've owned in that time, which really have a clarity
and a soundstaging ability that I just have not found
in any other amplifiers.

Differences between the Radial models?  I can only go
via hearsay for those, I've had the two models that
have been discontinued, the RL1 which I loved, then
when the RL2 was developed I had my RL1s converted to
that and love the differnce.  Bob (Ziggy) who builds
me tells me that the bass is better on the RL1.5 that
replaced the RL2s and he finds the RL3 to be a bit
fuller, and also a bit more forward, and he felt they
were his favorites.  There was a time when it seemed as if I might be auditioning a pair of 1.5s but I believe that has passed.
Most of the Decware Festival
attendees and those who have heard both RL1.5s and
RL3s seem to prefer the RL3s.   If I had a larger room
to use as a listening room I might prefer them, but
I'm using my RL2s in a near field position in a small
room and I shelve down the tweeter and am happy and
wouldn't want "forward."  If I could set up the system
in my large living room dining room it would sound
even better (I have briefly done this, and been very
happy BUT I would get less listening in this way by a
large measure, having a smaller dedicated room allows
me more listening and relaxing time with the music,
which since I have about 10000 plus recordings is what
I'm all about.)

The very best thing to do, my number one
recommendation, is to call Steve Deckert and talk to
him.  The times I've done that he's given me spot on
recommendations and advice.  He LIKES to talk on the
phone.  He'll make time.  And it's the horse's mouth,
his word can be trusted I find, he knows more about
how his speakers interact with different rooms and
amps than anyone.
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lightftl
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Re: Recommendations
Reply #4 - 10/31/06 at 21:06:13
 
I spoke with Steve and he went in two directions in terms of recommendations.  The first recommendation was the Radial 1.5s.. his second was the HDT MK II.  Felt the Jolida integrated would work fine with either speaker.  Has anyone heard both of these speakers and have any thoughts?
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