soundsmith monarchs
unit -- Mon, 09/22/2008 - 13:49
I was recently in Peekskill to listen to the Strain Gauge system and was floored in every way by what I heard. Every nuance of music I was familiar with came at me with a much greater sense of ease and three-dimensionality.
We listened through his mosfet amp and Monarch bookshelves, eventually adding his modified sub into the chain.
I didn't feel that the Monarchs held the rest of the system back at all, in fact they completely disappeared, and left a glorious wide, high, and deep soundstage.
My fear is that I will not be able to recreate that magic with other electronics and speakers.
I'm considering selling my Quad 2905's and going with an all-SS system. Has anyone heard the speakers on their own, and would I be making the wrong move here. I like the idea of synergy.
My Quads at present time don't sound nearly as musical as the all Soundsmith system.
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You should trust your own ears; if the Soundsmith system sounds better to you, go with it.
The Quad 2905 has some very special qualities, but those qualities don't always match up with specific listeners' priorities. They are not very dynamic, and don't go very low in the bass, but have outstanding midrange transparency and resolution of transient detail. The 2905 is also fussy about the amplification driving it. You should be certain you've extracted the most performance out of the 2905 before making the leap, in my view. It's a tough act to follow.
I wish I could borrow say a Transcendent Beast, which I've heard to be great with Quads, or perhaps an MC275. Maybe I'll make one more try at amplification before abandoning them.
I have a custom mosfet amp and Quad II-40's driving them and can't find the magic. Vocals just don't have a lifelike feeling. They sound more 2D than 3D.I know from what I've read that these speakers are incredibly transparent , but I don't have it now. They actually sound a bit bright, not only to my ears, but to others as well.
Looking at the frequency response of these, I notice a trough in the mid and a rising high end. JA from Stereophile wondered why these were so highly regarded considering his measurements. Is it possible that's what I hear?
I really want to like them and am sure that if I find the correct amp, I will discover the magic.
I wonder if I can borrow a pair of either MC275's or higher powered Mac from say Audio Classics and make one last try.