High from Cape Town, South Africa

[MylesBAstor]

I was commenting to Philip O'Hanlon of On A Higher Note yesterday in his room at THE Show regarding how impressed I am visiting his room every year and how he consistently makes the Vivid speakers regardless of which model, sound terrific time after time

I think in Philip's case it's also a choice of source material, not all of which is audiophile approved

 

[colonel66]

Welcome Colonel66 - you have a great system, and a choice of cables that I highly respect - the Cardas Golden Reference. IMHO they are full bodied, rhythmic and mostly really enjoyable. They should match very well the ARC and the Vivid. I hope to read about your system in WBF soon!

Colonel66, I too think you have a great system. I recently had the pleasure of hearing the G1Giya's with a nice Luxman system. Sound was great and I thought the speaker's were easily some of the best I have ever heard.
I presume you have a large room, as I would think that this would be a requirement with these speakers. If I had the luxury of a large room, these speakers would definitely be on my short list. Not sure about the "looks' and the WAF, but once you hear them....

BTW, I also have a relative in Constantia, although most of the family is in Stellenbosh ( they're in the farming biz....strawberries).

My room is 6x6m so not i would not call it large but not small either. I was interested in the G2 which are a touch smaller, but was persuaded by the manufacturer to go for the G1's. Not sure on the current pricing but the differential at the time was not much - within 15% if i recall between the two.

I suppose looks are a personal choice but i really like the "look" of Vivid speakers. Nice not to have a wooden box in this day IMO. Luckily i have a dedicated music room so WAF is not a big issue in my household.

Would appreciate being able to read more about owner's comments about Vivid (particularly how they compared to other speakers the owners may have auditioned as part of their purchase decision). Plus of course comments from those like DaveyF who have heard them extensively!

There are a number of factors that made my go for Vivid speakers.

As these are manufactured in South Africa (designed in the UK) they have a much lower relative pricing in comparison to imported brands. For example last time i read a review the G1's had a US retail price of USD65,000. Taking into account exchange rates, import duties and taxes if they were imported into South Africa they would have a local retail price of approximately ZAR650,000. In South Africa retail price is ZAR340,000. Plus when i traded in my K1's for the G1's i got full credit for what i had paid for the K1s despite them being 18 months old!!!

The local high end market in South Africa is pretty dire. Unlike the States, there are very few retailers who are not also importers - ie there are no real distribution companies. So the opportunities of comparing competing brands is basically zero. Plus because the market is small the retailers/importers do not carry much stock at all. So actually auditioning a speaker/amp etc is rare. B&W you can audition the entire range but as for other brands the importer may bring in one model in a range so purchasing other models is more on faith than listening. Wilson Audio is available, as is Martin Logan, Vandersteen, Eggleston, Maggies but not Magico. For example i was (still am) keen on the Brinkmann range of turntables but the importer does not carry ANY stock (not even for his own personal system) so trying before you buy is not gonna happen. So for now i will stick with my LP12 - rumour has it that a new importer is to be appointed so this may change.

My speakers prior to G1's were the Vivid K1's. Prior to the K1's i had a pair of Quad ESL2805s. I loved the qualities of the ESL2805's and i thought i could live with limited SPLs and the lack of low down bass. But ultimately not being able to crank it up from time to time coupled with panels requiring repair (i had 4 panels go in 3 years - and i only hit the protection circuit once!) lead me to sell them for a song and purchase the K1s.

These i had auditioned at length and simply loved the sound they produced. In comparison to B&W801 they may not go as low but IMO had better articulation in the bass, were more natural in the mids and highs, and had better dynamics. I must stress that i did not have the opportunity to compare side by side so my unreliable aural memory is all i had to go on. But i enjoyed listening to the K1s more than the B&W801s.

In comparison to the Quads, the K1's had better low end heft and articulation. The quads won on the mids but not by much in my view and the K1s had better highs. Plus the K1s are not afraid to play loud and do not lose any composure as you turn up the wick.

Another reason i like the Vivid range is that the speakers are not absolute pigs to drive. So having an amp that doubles as a welding machine is not required to hear them at the best, 100w is more than enough. There may be an argument to say that they will benefit in the lows with more power but that comparison is for another day.

The G1's in comparison to the K1's are far far better in the bass. The G1s go far lower and have great slam. But it is the definition of the bass notes that is so impressive. Each note is well articulated which makes for addictive listening, especially on acoustic bass. There is not much if any difference in the treble and the mids are probably better but again not by a huge margin. They offer a liquid window onto a performance and let the performance through.

The other aspect that i love about the G1's (and this is strange because i did not get the same impression whilst i had the K1s) is in their treatment of regular recordings. They have this ability to bring out the best of a recording which makes them very listenable rather than spot lighting all that is wrong and making you reach for the next disc. Imperfect recordings are a joy to listen to but superb recordings are well superb.

Also the fact that Vivid does not change/upgrade models every second year is a boon in my view, as value of your purchase is protected. The K1s have been in production for 10 years now.

So in short it would have been great to have been in a position to compare to whole bunch of speakers but i am not sure whether i would have arrived at a different purchasing decision. I am trying my best to stay off the upgrade wagon - i have had my ARC pre and power amp for at least 6 years - but there is no itch on the speaker front.

 

[DaveyF]

The G1's in comparison to the K1's are far far better in the bass. The G1s go far lower and have great slam. But it is the definition of the bass notes that is so impressive. Each note is well articulated which makes for addictive listening, especially on acoustic bass. There is not much if any difference in the treble and the mids are probably better but again not by a huge margin. They offer a liquid window onto a performance and let the performance through.

.

This is an area that I felt the G1'S excelled in better than almost any other speaker I have heard. It seems to be an area that is VERY tough for a speaker to get right, but once you hear it you know how important it is to the overall presentation of music. The definition and articulation of bass notes that is offered by the G1 Giya's is a BIG reason that I think anyone thinking of buying a speaker of this size and price needs to hear.