Living Voice Vox Olympian Review

JackD201

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
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Boy, I'd love to babysit these! Some people have all the fun. I hate you Roy Gregory! :D
 

Peter Breuninger

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Jul 20, 2010
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Cooler King

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Jan 4, 2015
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I've never actually heard them, but I've seen them at Kevin's store in Nottingham England. I was there, many moons ago, to buy my then OBX-R2 speakers. In the flesh the Olympians are just that! They are 'large' and beautiful to look at... I'm not much of a babysitter, but I'd make an exception also!
 

Audiocrack

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Aug 10, 2012
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Having heard them twice, albeit under show conditions, what is your opinion about the Vox Olympian speakers, Peter? Roy Gregory makes clear in his review that these were the most impressive speakers he has ever heard and apparently by a wide margin. Were you seriously impressed as well when you heard them in Munich?
 

Peter Breuninger

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Jul 20, 2010
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Having heard them twice, albeit under show conditions, what is your opinion about the Vox Olympian speakers, Peter? Roy Gregory makes clear in his review that these were the most impressive speakers he has ever heard and apparently by a wide margin. Were you seriously impressed as well when you heard them in Munich?

Under show conditions... a little too thick in the bass, very transparent in the upper mids, some hand cuppieness with vocals, soft on the tippy top. Overall, a good solid horn performer. You are paying $$$$$ for exclusivity and workmanship. They are the ultimate eye candy.
 

Audiocrack

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Aug 10, 2012
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Under show conditions... a little too thick in the bass, very transparent in the upper mids, some hand cuppieness with vocals, soft on the tippy top. Overall, a good solid horn performer. You are paying $$$$$ for exclusivity and workmanship. They are the ultimate eye candy.

Thanks much Peter.
 

earlinarizona

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Jul 17, 2010
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I saw some pics from Munich 2015 and had some questions if you were at the show. I see the large Kondo Kagura amplifier on the floor, but were they still using the 300b Kondo Gakuoh like in the past? What are the boxes next to the Kagura amplifiers? Could someone post some better pics. IMG_8857-munich-2015-living-voice.jpg
 

MasterChief

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Jun 26, 2012
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I saw some pics from Munich 2015 and had some questions if you were at the show. I see the large Kondo Kagura amplifier on the floor, but were they still using the 300b Kondo Gakuoh like in the past? What are the boxes next to the Kagura amplifiers? Could someone post some better pics.

Here is a pick from the swedish forum Euphonia and the picture is taken by Apexorca. Apexorca have a super high end system (with The Sonus Faber) and he was blown away about the sound:

_49U4030.jpg

http://www.euphonia-audioforum.se/forums/index.php?showtopic=11384
 

earlinarizona

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Jul 17, 2010
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Now it is clear. The box right behind the speaker is the size of the original crossover and you can see the speaker cables coming in, so no changes there. The other box that was in question is a new enclosure and look of the Elysian sub amplifier. He made the level controls on that unit more of a match to the main speaker look. It looks like more sound absorption panels and plants than in the past.

Some words from another reviewer. Living Voice’s Vox Olympian horns. Unfortunately only got to listen to classical music here. The room was full and I was lucky to get a spot right smack in the sweet spot. Sometimes you feel a system before your brain can rationalize the sound. Not talking about deep bass. I felt an instant calm and relaxation wash over me. The only other time I felt like this was when listening to the top of the line audio digital stack some years ago. In a word: THIS was music nothing more nothing less. Forget about detail, driver integration, sound staging, on any other term used to describe hifi. This was the least hifi I’ve ever heard a stereo sound. Even the term stereo doesn’t apply here. One could call this transcendental. I don’t want to get lost in superlatives, but this is without a doubt the most musically ENGAGING and REAL sound I’ve ever heard!
 
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Jazzhead

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Aug 26, 2012
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I saw some pics from Munich 2015 and had some questions if you were at the show. I see the large Kondo Kagura amplifier on the floor, but were they still using the 300b Kondo Gakuoh like in the past? What are the boxes next to the Kagura amplifiers? Could someone post some better pics. View attachment 20472

The Gakuoh drove the Vox Olympians . The Kagura juiced the Vox Elysian sub . The two boxes you see , are prototype casings for the Vox Elysians . They were in fact empty shells and just exhibits . The actual x-overs were hidden behind the central stand . The flat box that you see behind the Olympian is its x-over . While production models have them housed within , these show ponies have them flaunted externally .
 

earlinarizona

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Jul 17, 2010
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That is so unusual using the Kagura for the Elysian subs as they probably have less control and even less compared to solid state, but Kevin knows sound so I would not question that. Maybe a tube sub amplifiers makes things more palatable. That short review that I posted last time may confirm that sound. Think of it like Magico with dead cabinets and Audionote speaker cabinets that sound like a piano soundboard. The Audionote is much more natural especially the last time I heard them using a Stellavox tape deck playing Leonard Cohen. The best sound I ever heard. Technical people would say to deaden everything from the cabinet. Were you at the show that you knew about the kagura?

Just read one of the new reviews of the Kagura and he talks about the bottom end being exceptional or the best he ever heard. Maybe that answers the question.
 
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Audiocrack

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The Gakuoh drove the Vox Olympians . The Kagura juiced the Vox Elysian sub . The two boxes you see , are prototype casings for the Vox Elysians . They were in fact empty shells and just exhibits . The actual x-overs were hidden behind the central stand . The flat box that you see behind the Olympian is its x-over . While production models have them housed within , these show ponies have them flaunted externally .

Is it not intriguing that Kevin uses the Kagura 211 amps only for the bass and the Gakuoh 300b (likely the push pull version) for the - imho - more important mids and highs? Might it be that he actually prefers the latter to the former on his Vox Olympians? In my Genesis set up I preferred the (push pull) Gakuohs to the Kondo 211 Gakuons amps.
 

Jazzhead

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Aug 26, 2012
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Is it not intriguing that Kevin uses the Kagura 211 amps only for the bass and the Gakuoh 300b (likely the push pull version) for the - imho - more important mids and highs? Might it be that he actually prefers the latter to the former on his Vox Olympians? In my Genesis set up I preferred the (push pull) Gakuohs to the Kondo 211 Gakuons amps.

That indeed seems the logical explanation and is probably the case . Also the greater power of the Kagura may possibly benefit the Elysian sub ?
 

audio-land

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May 9, 2015
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Beautiful speakers...way tooo expensive. I guess its all relative.
They are inexpensive if Kevin let you play Heavy Metal with them which is simply be their nightmare......

Song selections are their key.
 

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