High end Munich 2017

[morricab]

Looking at the favourable remarks here in this thread it seems I really missed out something by completely ignoring the Aries Cerat room. Having said that: am I really the only one here who finds these loudspeakers quite a bit aesthetically challenging?

My wife thought they looked cool. In person the finish is also exquisite.

 

[flyer]

My wife thought they looked cool. In person the finish is also exquisite.

To my big surprise, also my wife likes them... don't even try to understand

 

[gian60]

My wife instead is angry with me because i spent a lot of money

 

[Audiophile Bill]

Looking at the favourable remarks here in this thread it seems I really missed out something by completely ignoring the Aries Cerat room. Having said that: am I really the only one here who finds these loudspeakers quite a bit aesthetically challenging?

I am with you on the aesthetics - look like 2 totally different speaker designs just bolted together in the wrong place. Each to their own I guess. Maybe they are finished beautifully in the flesh - I have only seen pictures. Irrespective of the finish though, the aesthetic looks all wrong to me and my wife said they looked hideous when I showed a photo. Mind you she doesn't like the look of horn speakers too much anyway. The electronics however look great to me....

 

[Zero000]

Theoretical question: Is a speaker an Epic fail because it is in a too small room? This is essentially what you have said in your first two sentences. Realizing this is it fair to judge the speaker if you take issue with the sound, knowing (in your mind at least) that you are too close for such a speaker design? I took a count of opionions expressed on this thread about the AC room and it came down 7:3 in favor of the sound in this room. So, while you make some valid points, you are in the minority with your summation of the sound even if some of your description of some of the parts is accurate. Many people heard something there you did not.

They've got to be better in a bigger room. I don't think it'd need to be huge, though.

I've said what I think and I looks quite clear - at least to me. So what if I didn't like them. More people did than didn't but I didn't hear any cause to prefer them to my little mini monitors at home in that room at that time on the two occasions I spent in there trying to like them. Ked gave special orders to check them out carefully and I did.

 

[morricab]

My wife instead is angry with me because i spent a lot of money

LOL...as long as she didn't throw you out I guess...

 

[morricab]

To my big surprise, also my wife likes them... don't even try to understand

Now if only my wife actually bought hifi...

 

[flyer]

They've got to be better in a bigger room. I don't think it'd need to be huge, though.

I've said what I think and I looks quite clear - at least to me. So what if I didn't like them. More people did than didn't but I didn't hear any cause to prefer them to my little mini monitors at home in that room at that time on the two occasions I spent in there trying to like them. Ked gave special orders to check them out carefully and I did.

I think this must be the fourth time in this thread that you mentioned you didn't like them. To prove your point, you even included 7 pictures of the speakers you dislike so much... Still trying to understand the logic behind all of this as nobody tried to convince you otherwise, every member just expressing his opinion. It starts to sound as if you are trying to convince yourself or have some rationale behind these repeated reminders. Anyway, every time you repeat, I at least get less and less convinced that you mean what you write.

Were there any other rooms you didn't like or is this the only one? The thread title is very open mind you, so don't feel obliged to talk only about AC. The other forum members haven't felt that obligation, rightfully.

But for now, OK, you got me convinced that you don't like them and that you have been loyal to Ked's demand.

 

[Zero000]

Flyer the pics are for everyone to enjoy whether I like them or not.

I mentioned once I didn't like the, the 2nd time I said why, and the third time I was just responding to Brad just saying I wasn't going to say much more as I had already stated why I didn't like them.

Wait for more posts to see what I liked and didn't like but once again who cares what I like or don't apart from me? I just express opinions. I'm not some sort of last word.

 

[jackelsson]

To my big surprise, also my wife likes them... don't even try to understand

Well, no offence meant, but since your wife is married to a local distributor for this gear she might just be inclined to like it since it's earning some of her daily bread...

 

[flyer]

Well, no offence meant, but since your wife is married to a local distributor for this gear she might just be inclined to like it since it's earning some of her daily bread...

No offense taken. I follow your reasoning but I can assure you she is not the person to give in to such bias, I wish

 

[jackelsson]

Theoretical question: Is a speaker an Epic fail because it is in a too small room? This is essentially what you have said in your first two sentences. Realizing this is it fair to judge the speaker if you take issue with the sound, knowing (in your mind at least) that you are too close for such a speaker design? I took a count of opionions expressed on this thread about the AC room and it came down 7:3 in favor of the sound in this room. So, while you make some valid points, you are in the minority with your summation of the sound even if some of your description of some of the parts is accurate. Many people heard something there you did not.

I'm just wondering: shouldn't it actually be the other way around? Most of us have a given listening environment, vulgo "living room" or "dedicated listening room". Now obviously this room brings along certain given physical limitations and constraints, especially in regard to size. I should think that the way to go forward would be to look for a speaker that fits these constraints. And in a lot of cases this will not necessarily be the flagship 'needs-to-impress-them-all' speaker model of a given manufacturer.

 

[microstrip]

I think this must be the fourth time in this thread that you mentioned you didn't like them. To prove your point, you even included 7 pictures of the speakers you dislike so much... Still trying to understand the logic behind all of this as nobody tried to convince you otherwise, every member just expressing his opinion. It starts to sound as if you are trying to convince yourself or have some rationale behind these repeated reminders. Anyway, every time you repeat, I at least get less and less convinced that you mean what you write.

Were there any other rooms you didn't like or is this the only one? The thread title is very open mind you, so don't feel obliged to talk only about AC. The other forum members haven't felt that obligation, rightfully.

But for now, OK, you got me convinced that you don't like them and that you have been loyal to Ked's demand.

I can imagine that it is not nice for you to read such opinions, but they are just opinions of two people, nothing else. They were in part triggered by the expectation you created in them - these people are "alternative" people considering speakers and AC generated a lot of traffic in this forum. You only forgot that they seem to dislike digital as much as box speakers ... (Translation - their negative bias for digital seems to be as high that for box speakers) .

 

[Al M.]

I'm just wondering: shouldn't it actually be the other way around? Most of us have a given listening environment, vulgo "living room" or "dedicated listening room". Now obviously this room brings along certain given physical limitations and constraints, especially in regard to size. I should think that the way to go forward would be to look for a speaker that fits these constraints. And in a lot of cases this will not necessarily be the flagship 'needs-to-impress-them-all' speaker model of a given manufacturer.

I do think that in some cases you can successfully integrate a large speaker into a smaller room, but I am afraid that many audiophiles instinctively tend to gravitate towards the "impressive large speaker" before even asking themselves if it makes any sense for them sonically, in their room. It seems to me that for this reason many audiophiles may get a much poorer sound from their systems than they otherwise could have. So I think you make a valid point here.

 

[microstrip]

I do think that in some cases you can successfully integrate a large speaker into a smaller room, but I am afraid that many audiophiles instinctively tend to gravitate towards the "impressive large speaker" before even asking themselves if it makes any sense for them sonically, in their room. It seems to me that for this reason many audiophiles may get a much poorer sound from their systems than they otherwise could have. So I think you make a valid point here.

Many times the "impressive large speaker" gives you a more realistic sound, even if the room is not ideally large. Each case is a case. Even if I am given exact measurements of the room (small, medium size and large are not exactly defined terms) and I have some experience with the speaker I do not risk on having opinions. Other properties of the room, as type of construction, furniture, decoration can completely change the situation.

 

[microstrip]

You cannot really take sound you hear at a show seriously...

IMHO except for the positive aspects. But we can not take for sure we will be able to reproduce them in our systems with these components. For me, sometimes the big winner is the recording - I sometimes find in shows they have more encoded information and can sound better than I expected.

 

[Al M.]

Many times the "impressive large speaker" gives you a more realistic sound, even if the room is not ideally large.

I have my doubts if such a statement can be made in general terms. Especially if the smaller speaker is paired with one or more subwoofers (apart from the fact that also large speakers often benefit from paring with subs).

 

[KeithR]

While I don't think High end audio is on death's door by any stretch of the imagination I do think it is catering more and more exclusively to the very rich (the 1%ers). This is evident in companies where their prices have soared from past years from being upper middle class to very much upper class.

It is also evident for companies literally coming out of nowhere with luxury pricing, especially when you know something about the pricing of components that go into these products and you see a simple Di'Appolito design with two Seas Revelator midbasses and a $100 tweeter going for 45K euro (Kroma in the Zanden room for example). This is the first time I have seen this company with their insane pricing. I remember when Spectral was one of the most expensive SS amp brands on the market and now they are eclipsed by many other products...most of which are probably inferior.

Spot on Brad.

My issue with Gamut speakers as a matter of fact. Sound good at shows, but I just can't understand the pricing relative to the drivers and cabinet.

 

[KeithR]

Looking at the favourable remarks here in this thread it seems I really missed out something by completely ignoring the Aries Cerat room. Having said that: am I really the only one here who finds these loudspeakers quite a bit aesthetically challenging?

No, you aren't

If you want to be single your entire life, please put them in your living room lol.

 

[morricab]

No, you aren't

If you want to be single your entire life, please put them in your living room lol.

Or find a woman who appreciates more than surface beauty.