Reference 3a vs Verity

[matt_zak]

Cyril, the room is 17'W x 34'L about 19' from the wall you see in the photos there is a huge archway going into my bar (I'll take pics this weekend...Thurs/Fri).

The seating area is roughly 11' from the speakers which are about 9' apart. I did try toe-in but the soundstage seemed a tad smaller and the sweet spot was too narrow. I also tried the woofers facing towards the rear however the bass was very bloated andwi too boomy. With them facing forward and with the port plugs in it's nice and tight now. Even the wife could hear the difference.

I'm very happy with the sound. The one thing that's kinda bugging me though is that my volume knob is always around the 1-3 o'clock position. With the old crappy Jamo's it was around 10ish. Anyhow, with future upgrade plans the system should continue to improve.

[Still-One]

Thanks for the pic's Matt - How is everything sounding now?

Jim

[matt_zak]

Jim,

The system is sounding really good atm. It lacks on some little things but I must say this is the happiest I've been with a stereo system in a long time. It'll be nice to hear all the subtle differences that each change I have planned over the next year or so make.

Matt

[Babur72]

Hi guys,
I'll be auditioning a C2300,MC501's with a pair of Verity Audio Sarastro - mk I dealer demo. 'speakers tomorrow(Mon. 06/09 - or 09/06 for those of you across the 'pond').I think they're in the Makore(like a striped dark Cherry) veneer finish.
This Verity dealer says he can also easily arrange for their upgrade to the mk II spec. for around £15,000(less than $24,000) including the upgarde...Sound like a good deal?...Or too good to be true?
Looking at the Sarastro mark II's spec's they represent a pretty benign load of 8-Ohms nominal,around 5-Ohms minimum & a fairly high sensitivity of 93db.Would potentially be beneficial were i to upgrade to Mac. tube power-amp's later on.
Been scouring the online forums.Haven't yet come across many experiences or much info. about the potential for synergy between Mac. amp's & Verity 'speakers.
Have noted some smaller Verity 'speakers being ascribed with 'analytical' or 'clinical' characteristics.Though i can sort of appreciate why some have attributed them with such qualities.
I'm told that Verity 'speakers are a bit fussy about placement.I understand their rear-firing woofers have been consciously designed to use a portion of rear-wall room-reinforcement to augment their,otherwise,slightly lean mid-bass to mid-range performance.
If their placement/toe-in isn't quite right then,the room-reinforcement may be insufficient,which might explain why they may err to the lean side.Conversely,too much reinforcement would lead to inevitable timing anomalies & bass notes being exagerated.
Although i've yet to hear any Verity 'speakers myself.So,if anyone wants to put their two pence worth in here's your opportunity!
I'll let you know how i got on tomorrow.
Regards.

BABUR.

[matt_zak]

Babur,

So how did you like the Sarastro's? Did they look good in the makore? My Rienzi's are in the makore and it looks much better in person. I've only seen the Sarastro's in the piano black and they were stunning.

The Verity's don't seem anymore fussy than all the other speakers out there. They're a hell of lot easier to setup than say...Magnepan. A nice feature with them is that you do have the option to have the woofer fire forwards or backwards.

Matt

[Babur72]

Hi Matt,

What's new in the 'House of Saud' these days?

Largely agree with your sentiments about Verity 'speakers my man.

Unfortunately,i didn't have the opportunity to hear the Sarastro's with some Mac. amp's as originally planned.
Although the Lamm pre/power-amp's & especially the FM Acoustics 711 mkII amp,which i did get to hear with the Verity's,sounded pretty impressive driving them.

Never previously had the opportunity to hear Verity 'speakers until a couple of weeks ago,when i heard the Verity Sarastro's.Which,despite the demo. room being less than ideal,sounded sublime.

The first time i've been really bowled-over by ribbon-tweetered 'speakers.Giving the upper registers an airy & lucid quality.With natural separation of instruments & voices within a holographic,life-like acoustic image.Near-seamless integration from high-to-mid-to-low frequencies.And possibly the best articulation & coherency to bass replay i've heard in a passive 'speaker thus far.

Until now the ribbon-tweetered designs i've heard felt a little cool in tone,often betrayed a distinct metallic character to the higher frequencies & seemed a little over-analytical.

Regarding the Sarastro's finish.The Makore veneer is a finely grained African Cherry & has a gorgeous deep Amber/Russet hue.
Their finish is made all the more lustrous by the multiple coats of a special Italian-made polyester-based laquer.

This particular pair was owned & well used by a well known digital audio manufacturer & show a few minor knocks & scuffs to the laquer on a couple of corners on the tweeter/mid & woofer cabinets.

I'm deliberating whether or not i should stretch my budget to accommodate the Verity's or go for the ART Deco 20's.

I'm also a little unsure whether Verity 'speakers have any synergy with Mac. amp's.So,i'm planning a return visit to hear them again in a few weeks with some Mac. solid-state amp's & Luxman pre/power amp's to compare.

Only foresee one potential drawback with the Verity's though.That rear-firing & rear-ported 11-inch woofer necessitates that the Sarastro's placement is,at the very least,3ft(more preferably 4ft) away from the rear wall & the same from either side-wall.

I'll have some tough(though enjoyable) choices to make over the next few weeks.

I'd appreciate you sharing any advice or experience which you feel could be of benefit to me.

Regards.

BABUR.