audiophile babbies will complain and say that you couldn’t possibly experience the full potential of the speaker in a chaotic show as opposed to being “expertly dialed in” a permanent listening room
My local dealer is a Wilson and Sonus Faber dealer and is a D'Agostino and McIntosh dealer. He is often asked why not Magico or Boulder and he says that if you want a Wilson type sound, get a Wilson but then why carry two that are similar when you can carry a Sonus Faber that addresses the other end of the customer need. Same with the electronics.
Everyone has opinion... I heard quite few speakers and my choice were by Nola. Hand made right up in Long Island New York. I bought what I saved and could afford, the Champ S3's for around $15k. I did hear the Nola Baby Grands, they're around $150k and I was blown away. Nola's TOTL are around $500k. Their designer Carl Marchisotto has been designing speakers since the mid 1970's. The Champs and the Baby Grands will be at Capital Audio fest.
I like how you did this comparative review, Jay - explaining the good of what each speaker has to offer - why someone who owns them would like them - as opposed to starting with the conclusion
Finally and audiophile that uses descriptive terms that would help someone like me find the right speakers. Too many snobby classical listening audiophiles out there that don’t understand that some of us still want to get slammed by the speakers from time to time. Your description of Sonus Faber is exactly what I experienced with my speakers .
Sonus Faber has a new flagship speaker knocking the Aida II off her perch, is called the Suprema. It is a 4-box system, a pair of main speakers as well as a pair of double subs. The sub drivers are 15". It can go down to 16 Hz. And its price point? US$750K, no joke! Is on RUclips, they recorded it at the CES and drove it with the brand new McIntosh 2.1 KW monoblocks. Sounded great.
Jay, I have just an idea to maybe a second channel (Jay's little Audio Lab), when you see reviews of any type of components, do you always see these components, tested and played through a system that also has flaws, where you end up asking, it is the reviewer's system that is a bad mach or is it the tested component. But you have as near a perfect system as possible, so if you put a high end (not ultra-high end) component in your system, do you 100% know from where the flaws come, what is missing from the top gear, and can really tell how near you get to the perfect sound.
Music is for the soul, therefore, I choose the Sonus Faber above anything, because my soul doesn’t need to have the gut-kickiest bass or ear piercing highs.
@@niccster1061 Completely agree! That is why I would always choose hard cone/dome speakers over paper! Aluminum/carbon fiber/beryllium and diamond, though, it is out of my reach.
@@ilaion11 I think we should focus on the end result, rather than any specific technology. A speaker with good directivity and a flat anechoic response can be achieved with paper, or hard cone/dome. All depends on the implementation!
@@niccster1061 yes, but they would still sound different. Two virtually identical response speakers will sound different with different cone material. How it is implemented also affects sound. For example, Purify paper cones are some of the best when it comes to the use of paper and cone edge resonance cancelation, though, the cones are heavier. Same on tweeters, a Beryllium dome will always sound different than a silk dome. With the emergence of TeXtreme carbon fiber tweeters, I think we can have the best of both worlds, at least inn the form of Satori tweeters. Sounds less metallic but still very tight.
Definitely Focal blows both in clarity super fine micro details. The wilson looks ugly as hell. Focal Atc Pmc Spendor B@W Are great for natural response and fiding hidden inst8
Great overview. I fully agree with most of what you said, the Aida 2 is the third best speaker I've ever heard (the best two being the Bayz Audio Counterpoint 2 and the MBL X-treme 101). The XVX are great but didn't wow me as much as I expected at that price point. (Not really a disappointment like the Backes & Müller BM100 were.) The Grande Utopia is just too big in every way, I don't need an orchestra at live levels or above, I prefer the smaller ones like the Stella or my personal realistic dream, the Scala.
What would be interesting in these type of comparison would be more details on the differences - which works best in which setting and with which level of power amps. bi or tri amping or simple single power amp.
Not surprised the Naim Statement failed. I thought the Statement room was just loads of room filling sound, rather than putting music in the room - natural quality wasn't there - didn't seem like quality power worth the price of the Statement. Focal isn't the speaker for Naim 😂
Another speaker system that would be completely different anything g you currently have had or tested would be the OMA imperia system.. it is a site to behold and can run off of only a few watts. But I can fill a concert hall.
You're confusing power with current.. There are many amps that have watts but suck in the current drive. What the Logan's need is massive current and amps that can swing that easily.. A big old Krell will do this as will Mac's. GAN type D amps can also do this with delicacy. Some of the high powered valve amps could also do this in fact a valve amp maybe the answer. In fact I know one manufacture that would relish this speaker and guess what it's an American company!!
Have you evere heard the dynamics of the Legacy Whispers or above (Valor, V, etc)? Those have horn like dynamics as well (better than my old Corwalls).
Thanks for your insights. With the tweeter height of XVX being higher than ear height, is the soundstage unusually high as well, or does pointing the tweeter to ear level counter that?
I agree Wilson's are very clean but not much feeling too them. I have the Sonus Faber Aida 2's the latest version in wenge finish. They are very beautiful. They convey lots of emotion. They are not a techno speaker. I am more traditional so do not like the futuristic look of the Wilson's which is also why I do not like contemporary design in my house as that has a hospital clinical feel too it. I had the last pair in 2022 in the United states. After that was a 4 to 6 month lead time as they are mostly made too order in Italy one by one and not mass produced. The lower tier of the lines they crank out in volume but most flagship stuff is special order. I love mine but I listen to them in between my real estate deals to chill out, relax, and unplug for just a minute and get lost in the music.
Thanks for the insights. I do myself own the Lilium in the white finish and they are such beautiful speakers to look at and listen to. Like you say in my opinion listening to music like this is like eating good food. The taste is the most important, but the looks of it and how it's presented also effects us in a big way. Emotions :-)
@@AudiolandCH A pair each of VAC 452 IQ musicbloc tube amps running in mono 900 watts rms each. One for each speaker. Vivaldi APEX DCS stack. VAC statement pre-amp. Audioquest dragon and REL cables. Audioquest power outlets with 10 gauge copper romex separate connection to individual circuit breakers at power electrical panel.
But jay when i listen too George micheal careless whisoers on focal i can hear tve actual recordings when Micheal takes tge breathing the salica intake, on the wilson you cant hear that. So how do you clsim whst you say is wring, stop giving bias positive about wilson speakers. Just because its tge mist expensive you cant justify thst focal blows farts on Wilson.
![Gucci Mane & Sexyy Red - You Don't Love Me [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/j7IBqyFKT4c/mqdefault.jpg)
Out of three, Focal Grande Utopia is my favorite by it's looks.. so sexy. and that expansive Focal sound!
The sonus faber has stunning looks!! I would still take the focal
Great insights for us mortals, who can only dream of hearing these speakers. Thanks Jay!
They are overpriced craps, I heard them in audio shows and they are awful
audiophile babbies will complain and say that you couldn’t possibly experience the full potential of the speaker in a chaotic show as opposed to being “expertly dialed in” a permanent listening room
So many people have never heard mono amplifiers that issue a vice grip level control on an ultra dynamic speaker... astounding realism
My local dealer is a Wilson and Sonus Faber dealer and is a D'Agostino and McIntosh dealer. He is often asked why not Magico or Boulder and he says that if you want a Wilson type sound, get a Wilson but then why carry two that are similar when you can carry a Sonus Faber that addresses the other end of the customer need. Same with the electronics.
Everyone has opinion... I heard quite few speakers and my choice were by Nola. Hand made right up in Long Island New York. I bought what I saved and could afford, the Champ S3's for around $15k. I did hear the Nola Baby Grands, they're around $150k and I was blown away. Nola's TOTL are around $500k. Their designer Carl Marchisotto has been designing speakers since the mid 1970's. The Champs and the Baby Grands will be at Capital Audio fest.
I like how you did this comparative review, Jay - explaining the good of what each speaker has to offer - why someone who owns them would like them - as opposed to starting with the conclusion
Thanks
if this isn't wow i dont know what is! Jay keeps raising the bar😎
Finally and audiophile that uses descriptive terms that would help someone like me find the right speakers. Too many snobby classical listening audiophiles out there that don’t understand that some of us still want to get slammed by the speakers from time to time. Your description of Sonus Faber is exactly what I experienced with my speakers .
With the right electronics to receive the timing signals and reference an optimal setup is possible with no second guessing the result
one of my fav ever vids by Jay...Always curious how the Ultra High End speakers sound next to each other
Looking forward to this!
Sonus Faber has a new flagship speaker knocking the Aida II off her perch, is called the Suprema. It is a 4-box system, a pair of main speakers as well as a pair of double subs. The sub drivers are 15". It can go down to 16 Hz. And its price point? US$750K, no joke! Is on RUclips, they recorded it at the CES and drove it with the brand new McIntosh 2.1 KW monoblocks. Sounded great.
Jay, I have just an idea to maybe a second channel (Jay's little Audio Lab), when you see reviews of any type of components, do you always see these components, tested and played through a system that also has flaws, where you end up asking, it is the reviewer's system that is a bad mach or is it the tested component. But you have as near a perfect system as possible, so if you put a high end (not ultra-high end) component in your system, do you 100% know from where the flaws come, what is missing from the top gear, and can really tell how near you get to the perfect sound.
Music is for the soul, therefore, I choose the Sonus Faber above anything, because my soul doesn’t need to have the gut-kickiest bass or ear piercing highs.
Stupid take. Music is for the soul and the most accurate speaker will present the most soul of anything.
@@niccster1061 Completely agree! That is why I would always choose hard cone/dome speakers over paper! Aluminum/carbon fiber/beryllium and diamond, though, it is out of my reach.
@@ilaion11 I think we should focus on the end result, rather than any specific technology. A speaker with good directivity and a flat anechoic response can be achieved with paper, or hard cone/dome. All depends on the implementation!
@@niccster1061 yes, but they would still sound different. Two virtually identical response speakers will sound different with different cone material. How it is implemented also affects sound. For example, Purify paper cones are some of the best when it comes to the use of paper and cone edge resonance cancelation, though, the cones are heavier.
Same on tweeters, a Beryllium dome will always sound different than a silk dome. With the emergence of TeXtreme carbon fiber tweeters, I think we can have the best of both worlds, at least inn the form of Satori tweeters. Sounds less metallic but still very tight.
Definitely Focal blows both in clarity super fine micro details. The wilson looks ugly as hell.
Focal
Atc
Pmc
Spendor
B@W
Are great for natural response and fiding hidden inst8
Atlast you mention the Naim Statement....! Interesting observations about about Naim Statements driving Focal Grande Utopia.
Great advice Jay!
Thanks man
Jay, great reviews! Thank you!
My pleasure!
Great overview.
I fully agree with most of what you said, the Aida 2 is the third best speaker I've ever heard (the best two being the Bayz Audio Counterpoint 2 and the MBL X-treme 101).
The XVX are great but didn't wow me as much as I expected at that price point. (Not really a disappointment like the Backes & Müller BM100 were.)
The Grande Utopia is just too big in every way, I don't need an orchestra at live levels or above, I prefer the smaller ones like the Stella or my personal realistic dream, the Scala.
superbly informative and expert
What would be interesting in these type of comparison would be more details on the differences - which works best in which setting and with which level of power amps. bi or tri amping or simple single power amp.
Not surprised the Naim Statement failed. I thought the Statement room was just loads of room filling sound, rather than putting music in the room - natural quality wasn't there - didn't seem like quality power worth the price of the Statement. Focal isn't the speaker for Naim 😂
SONUS FABER THE WAY TO GO!!!!! IT'S GOOD TO YOUR BRAIN!!!!!!!& EAR'S!!!!
This was great info, do you have any thoughts about the Dali
kore speakers?
Another speaker system that would be completely different anything g you currently have had or tested would be the OMA imperia system.. it is a site to behold and can run off of only a few watts. But I can fill a concert hall.
You're confusing power with current.. There are many amps that have watts but suck in the current drive. What the Logan's need is massive current and amps that can swing that easily.. A big old Krell will do this as will Mac's. GAN type D amps can also do this with delicacy. Some of the high powered valve amps could also do this in fact a valve amp maybe the answer. In fact I know one manufacture that would relish this speaker and guess what it's an American company!!
Lamm ML3 Signature? Maybe
@@silviosarunic6709 Definitely
Have you evere heard the dynamics of the Legacy Whispers or above (Valor, V, etc)? Those have horn like dynamics as well (better than my old Corwalls).
Thanks for your insights. With the tweeter height of XVX being higher than ear height, is the soundstage unusually high as well, or does pointing the tweeter to ear level counter that?
Where do you earn the money for all your gears? You print money?
I work for the Sinaloa cartel part time and they send me money in duffle bags
He doesn't buy them.
You can't be a dealer and a consumer at the same time.
Compared to Sonus Faber speakers, 95% of speakers are just plain ugly.
Jay....would you play something on the Wilson's.....i've never heard them.....and would like too. Thanks
Plenty of videos on my channel where I play them.
Jay, the Focal Grand Utopia are rated at 94dB Sensitivity so why are you saying they are impossible to drive ?
They are measured around 90dB….,i dont know why Focal says that they are 94dB when they are not …
What do you think of reference level MBL’s ?
The best audio reviewer of our generation & generation to come
I agree Wilson's are very clean but not much feeling too them. I have the Sonus Faber Aida 2's the latest version in wenge finish. They are very beautiful. They convey lots of emotion. They are not a techno speaker. I am more traditional so do not like the futuristic look of the Wilson's which is also why I do not like contemporary design in my house as that has a hospital clinical feel too it. I had the last pair in 2022 in the United states. After that was a 4 to 6 month lead time as they are mostly made too order in Italy one by one and not mass produced. The lower tier of the lines they crank out in volume but most flagship stuff is special order. I love mine but I listen to them in between my real estate deals to chill out, relax, and unplug for just a minute and get lost in the music.
Thanks for the insights. I do myself own the Lilium in the white finish and they are such beautiful speakers to look at and listen to. Like you say in my opinion listening to music like this is like eating good food. The taste is the most important, but the looks of it and how it's presented also effects us in a big way. Emotions :-)
Whats your amplification on the aidas?
@@AudiolandCH A pair each of VAC 452 IQ musicbloc tube amps running in mono 900 watts rms each. One for each speaker. Vivaldi APEX DCS stack. VAC statement pre-amp. Audioquest dragon and REL cables. Audioquest power outlets with 10 gauge copper romex separate connection to individual circuit breakers at power electrical panel.
😮 This should be Interesting.
Vs TAD Reference?
But jay when i listen too George micheal careless whisoers on focal i can hear tve actual recordings when Micheal takes tge breathing the salica intake, on the wilson you cant hear that. So how do you clsim whst you say is wring, stop giving bias positive about wilson speakers. Just because its tge mist expensive you cant justify thst focal blows farts on Wilson.
bello.🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
Hello J
They are powered subs / bass.
TAD R1 TX
Sonus faber FENICE....ΤΑ ΑΛΛΑ ΚΑΛΑ ΗΧΕΙΑ ΑΛΛΑ ΟΧΙ ΣΑΝ ΤΗΝ SONYS FABER ....AND SONYS FABER uliusum
Beyond unbelievable the wilson audio and Focal are using cheap MDF wood instead off whole block off real oak. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Overrated prices, lol
At the end it's just speaker
If it looks like a box 📦
Great video Jay 🎉❤
Thank you 😁
An audioFOOL and his money are soon to be parted😁
Musician sound engineer music studio all over the world use Focal, they dont use rubbish garbage wilson audio.