[Old Grey]

Originally Posted by cmalak

Jerome...I have heard the Silverbacks many a time and I have talked to my dealer about the O96s but have not heard them. The way I understand it. The 096s will give you more midrange density, perhaps a faster and slightly wider dynamic envelope (given the higher sensitivity and easier load presented to the amp), and are voiced to sound a bit fuller/more dense.

The Silverback's (which by the way there is a Mk II coming or may already be out there not sure) is a more neutral presentation across the frequency spectrum. Can still energize the room (i.e., has plenty of low-end presentation) but it's bass is punchier, more articulated (i.e., cleaner). The speaker is more resolving and more transparent. Finally the Silverback's will present a much clearer and more resolved soundstage (width and depth) and will have cleaner image definition within the soundstage. The 096s don't do soundstaging and imaging as well (not their forte) and my guess is the much narrower front baffle of the Silverback's is one of the reasons why they image like a 2-way monitor vs. the wide front baffle of the 096s.

Both will sound wonderful with your Shindo (this is a combination made in heaven) but the sonic outcomes will be quite different. I hope this helps.

According to my dealer the O96s are a music lover's speaker and if you don't care about hifi artifacts like staging/imaging, ultra see-through resolution, then this is your speaker. It boogies. It swings. It sings at the core of where most music resides - in the midrange.

The Silverbacks to me are also very natural sounding but they do deliver the hifi artifacts, such as see-through resolution, allowing you to hear deep into the track and to uncover layers of detail (but in a totally natural and not hyper unrealistic way). And they have a cleaner and more articulated bottom end. And to me they also throw a highly resolved and see-through soundstage with clean image lines. They may not be as snappy as the O96s in terms of dynamic swings though.

I own the Silverbacks and I've heard the O/96's on a few occasions and have to say this seems like a pretty accurate assessment. Nicely done.