@subterranean6 Thanks! I just got my new rack in (and posted the updated photos). Aric makes fabulous products at very accessible price points given the quality. It's no wonder he has a pretty long waiting list now!
The speakers are by Coherent Audio, which is really just one person - Frank - in Canada. He hand makes all of his speakers himself and these are the top of his line are far as single box speakers go. He recently developed a modular speaker that is considerably more expensive. What drew me to these is that they are very high efficiency (advertised at 104db @ 8 ohm) and I wanted to be able to use SET amplification, which really needs high efficiency speakers to shine. I came from Tannoy speakers, which I loved for the longest, but I wasn't too too impressed with the GR line models below the Kensington, and the Fyne audio models I like are all very pricey.
Anywho. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!
Woah! Cool setup. Fellow Aric Audio owner (mm phono, which is amazing), and wow those speakers! Don't know the brand but I'm interested in what I call 'broad-shouldered' speakers, often with coaxial designs (Zu, Heretic, etc). Anyways I bet that rig sounds incredible.
The wide angle lens did add a good character the pics. Well done. And I think placing equipment against the widest wall is preferred. But most don't do it including me :-)
Starting with build quality - Frank did a super job with them. They are gorgeous in person. I went with Santos Rosewood for the veneer choice after a lot of deliberation, and I am glad that I did! The 18s are large (naturally, since the driver is 18" in diameter!), but this driver is fabulous. The bass extension on them is really nice.
Paired with the SET amp from Aric, they sound fantastic. Since they are such high efficiency, I don't need to turn the volume up very high - between 30-40 on the volume setting on the pre-amp - to get quite loud sound.
Coming from using Tannoys for the last decade, the idea is similar with these coaxial drivers. Imaging and soundstage is wonderful. Midrange and vocals are fantastic. When I swapped out my speaker cables for some mapleshades, I got a lot more air around vocals and an even wider soundstage.
The fact that everything sounds this good in a less than ideal room setup has me very excited for when I get them into a more cooperative room later in the year - and then in a few years down the line I will have a dedicated room that I can add sound treatment to that will improve it even further. Don't plan on doing any more major upgrades until I get to the point of a dedicated room now.
@toro3 I did! I was out of town on business for a few weeks right after they all arrived, so I've just been able to get settled in and listen for quite a while so far to evaluate.
The coherents are stunning. The veneer choice I went with is fabulous in person and they look truly high end. Build quality is top notch. They are quite large (and heavy) speakers! The amp and pre-amp from Aric are also beautiful, well-constructed, and a bargain, in my opinion. For both pieces of equipment including tube outfits and shipping, it was under $10k!
So far, I am loving the setup! With my vinyl front end, it sounds like a dream! With the digital front end, there was a definite huge improvement versus my previous system, but I may need to re-evaluate DAC options at a later date, but unsure. Digital mastering is weird and all over the place - even on Qobuz - so some songs sound incredible, others not so great. Probably more of a file issue rather than a DAC issue though. Majority of my listening is vinyl anyway.
When I swapped to some mapleshade double helix plus cables that a friend sent me to try, it was like a veil was lifted off the sound and everything became clearer and more airy. I was shocked, frankly. I love the sound from these speaker...wires when paired with my system, but boy are they ugly and irritating to manage. It's like chicken wire, or trying to use a slinky as speaker cables. Ultimately, it's about the sound though, so I may end up going with them!
Overall, I am very pleased with the choices I made, and now it will just be tweaking with cable choices or trying different tubes. Looking forward to getting my new rack in to clean everything up as well!
Oh wow, you finally received the Aric Audio amp and preamp, as well as the Coherents. I would consider this end-game. I’m sure everything is settling in, but how do you feel about the synergy so far? Stunning, happy for you, and extremely jealous - contemplating giving plasma to help save for those Coherents!
@milpai Thanks! It's still a bit of a mess at the moment while I wait on my new rack to be built, so everything is a bit more spread out than it will be once it's racked. Had to use wide angle to try to get everything in the shot!
This wall is the longest uninterrupted wall in the room. The others are broken by doors and whatnot. It's not an ideal space, but it's also temporary since I'm waiting on a home build to be completed later this year. Unfortunately, I won't have a dedicated room there for the time being either, but it will be a lot more suitable versus right in front of a wall of windows.
Reminds me of the term "modern classic". Pretty nice setup and a different perspective on photography. I like it. Have you placed the system along the long wall?
