When someone says something like "I can't find any flaws with this or what", what they are probably saying is that he/she is not qualified to find flaws, not that what's under observation is flawless. And when someone says "Do you know what a 1982 Chateaux Margaux sounds like", that someone must have just heard a system better described as a fine work of art or a wine that is so good you can't have enough of. My previous encounter with the Q7 + Constellation Performance was lukewarm; the dealer was right, these speakers need an extraordinary amount of time to break in (BTW, the Constellations were nowhere to be seen this time around). But the dealer was not right that the 360II monos cannot drive them. So today's setup (MSB->30SS S2->360 S2->Q7) was nothing like what I heard before. BTW, I was intentionally vague in the thread's title about which monos, because the production DMA-400s will arrive at the dealer in the next couple of months, and based on their claims listening to the pre-production units, they are even more extraordinarily resolving; so I'll post updates here.
Here are some random thoughts:
I have to go back and listen to vinyl and hi-rez digital at some point, perhaps with the 400s. For now, I treated my ears to a Margaux
Here are some random thoughts:
- This system is vastly coherent; I can't tell one driver from another; no "tweeter sound". Imagine an electrostatic that can do it all. Speakers were able to disappear this time. Incredible sense of scale.
- The Q7 are faster than the CLX I've heard, in the entire spectrum. Unreal sense of resolution, or rather, quite real. I have no idea where the 400's could take this system to, in that department. I heard every pin drop, so to speak, or shoelace fly around. The point is not really that I heard those things per se, but rather what that means for the instruments (timbre, size, et al) and their location in space, and of course the exceptionally low level of noise that makes this possible.
- Excepting the manufacturers, I suspect very few others might know the limits of these electronics or speakers. This, of course, only makes me happier for owning the electronics, so hats off to KOJ and Bernice!
- I only played RR large-scale orchestral, and the sense of being there, of total involvement, was truly sensational. You have to experience such a system with your eyes closed to appreciate the illusion the most.
- I still don't consider the cabinet totally inert; it's not; place your hands on any surface except the baffle and you feel the vibrations - so much for that water-glass-on-the-top-plate video; put your ears anywhere on the cabinet and there is plenty of sound you can hear. We can debate all we want whether this is something we can actually hear from a distance, but for me, perfection is still elusive.
- Bass weight varied by listener location, so I suspect those of you buying a Q7 pair might have a bit of a bear time trying to properly position them. I can see why others would be selling theirs in favor of other speakers with presumably heavier, fuller bass. I prefer this type of accuracy.
- I walked away dazed by the emotional impact of the performance.
I have to go back and listen to vinyl and hi-rez digital at some point, perhaps with the 400s. For now, I treated my ears to a Margaux