Speakers, speakers, speakers….
People often ask WHICH speakers do I recommend with our amps and other electronics. Well, I have a number of speakers that I can recommend, many of which based on owning them and using them every day!
Many of you know that I am a big fan of Daedalus Loudspeakers. We use the Daedalus Ulysses with all-poly crossover in our Show Room:
http://www.daedalusaudio.com/index.html
Speakers, speakers, speakers….
13 December 2012
People often ask WHICH speakers do I recommend with our amps and other electronics. Well, I have a number of speakers that I can recommend, many of which based on owning them and using them every day!
Many of you know that I am a big fan of Daedalus Loudspeakers. We use the Daedalus Ulysses with all-poly crossover in our Show Room:
http://www.daedalusaudio.com/index.html
I also use, in my office, Audio Machina CRM (Compact Reference Monitors) and CRS (Compact Reference Subwoofers) with Sound Anchor stands. These unique and beautiful speakers are machined out of solid billet AL and are perhaps the MOST neutral and revealing of any speaker I have heard. http://audiomachina.com/
Today we just received a new speaker from Van L Speakerworks – The Silhouette. I met John Van L at a LA & OC Audio Society meeting this year, where we were showing our KWI 200 and he was showing his ‘Quartet’ speakers (the Silhouettes were damaged in shipping en-route to L.A. unfortunately). I was VERY impressed with his speakers and he was impressed with how our amp drove his speakers. Needless to say, we decided to arrange a speaker trial for me and an Integrated Amp trial for John. As impressed as I was with the Quartets, the Silhouettes TRULY shocked me at how full-range (high-20’s for sure), resolving and netural these speakers perform. They TRULY disappear and throw a HUGE soundstage. http://www.vanlspeakerworks.com/silhouette.html
This year in Vietnam I also had the pleasure of supporting our Vietnamese Distributor, Audio Choice, where they showed our KWA 150 Signature Edition amps with Magnepan 3.5’s. The combination of our electronics with the Maggie 3.5’s produced some of the most beautiful, balanced and magical sound that I have ever heard at a show. I had not previously had the opportunity to listen properly to the Maggies and was VERY surprised.
OK, so what do we recommend? Well, it really depends on your needs and your budge!
In the > $20K range, I highly recommend the Audio Machina speakers as a true Reference Loudspeaker. Each speaker is precisely machined and finished by owner Karl Schueman, who is both a brilliant designer and master machinist. Both sonically and aesthetically, stunning works of modern art!
In the > $10K range, the Daedalus Loudspeakers are the work of a true Master Craftsman! Each speaker is handmade from solid-hardwood by owner Lou HInkley. The cabinets are of the finest joinery and each pair is unique and special, to be treasured for years. As a musician, Lou knows music and how Live music sounds. The Ulysses are in our Showroom for a reason! They come ALIVE when driven by our KWA 150 Signature Edition amp!
In the < $5K range, I STRONGLY recommend the Van L speakers. Like Daedalus Audio, Van L Speakers are sold factory direct. As such, the value for the investment is SIGNIFICANT! I am stunned by how good the Silhouettes are and how BIG and powerful they sound, being driven by our KWI 200 Integrated amp! They are a 4 ohm load and of reasonable efficiency. They would be VERY well suited by our KWA 100, KWA 100SE or KWI 200 amps.
There are lots of speakers to choose from in the market, but I wanted to take the time to share three of MY favorite speakers that I listen to on a daily basis. I KNOW that they have exceptional synergy with our amplifers, preamplifiers and modified players.
While I do not own a pair (yet anyway…) I also found INCREDIBLE synergy between our KWA 150 Signature Edition amps and the Magnepan 3.5’s! I am told that our KWI 200 is also an exceptional match with the Maggies.
If you are looking for speakers to pair with our amps, I hope that this information is helpful. Please do not hesitate to call and ask us if you feel that your speakers will be a good fit for our amps, or which amp would best suit your speakers.
Happy Holidays!
Dan Wright
President,
ModWright Instruments Inc.
360.247.6688