Destination Audio Vista Loudspeaker

[Steve Williams]

Best of luck in your endeavors Fred and thanks for the very simple explanation about the Japanese inscription about which tima commented.

The photos are stunning

 

[Fred Crane]

How much are they?
$174,500?

Hi Tango,

Apologies for not getting back on cost, but I wanted to wait until our new crossover was in place to comment. Well it is now. There are a few different options for the Vista, traditional and field coil. The traditional Vista is $125,000. It is an upgrade to those shown in the past with much improved bass response and an entirely new outboard crossover. (otherwise it is visually indistinguishable.) The field coil version has even more extension. Depending upon the version and the client's system, sensitivity ranges from 101 db sens to 113db sens.

 

[Fred Crane]

I compared the 45 amp to Mayer 45. The DA amp was better. I preferred the Mayer preamp.

SET amp owners thread

www.whatsbestforum.com

Bonzo, I hope you get a chance to hear them with the new crossover which just came out last month. There's more of everything...and now their bass extension is vastly improved in depth and quality.

 

[Fred Crane]

I heard these at the Lampi factory when I visited in April 2017. They might have changed since then and will need a bigger room.

Lampi Factory Visit – Zero Distortion

zero-distortion.org

FYI, the current Vista's have a vastly improved XO...so much better everything .

 

[gleeds]

It wasn't the right set up I would like to hear them again, especially with the DA 45s. That was more like a proto

 

[gleeds]

I heard the Vista'a recently at Prana Distributions showroom in Gloucester, Mass. Sam Wisnewski, the Founder and Chief Engineer of Destination was visiting from Poland and took me deep into the lengths he goes to create his version of reality. I will leave telling more of that story to Fred Crane, the US Importer. .

For the listening sessions spread out over two days we used Destination's GM-70 integrated amplifier and tube DAC and the sound was astonishing! Dynamics, bass impact, midrange to die for, wall-to-wall soundstage, etc, etc,.

In 40 years of being immersed in high-end audio this was my first exposure to a truly full-range horn. All I can say is I am smitten by the experience and truly appreciate the WBF members who are devotees of "natural sound".

I encourage anyone who wants a sensational audio experience to make the pilgrimage to Fred's to hear the Destination loudspeakers and electronics. Add to that, Fred has quite the selection of spirits on hand that he loves to share My sense is Fred knows as much about single malt scotch and other libations as he does horns and SE amplification!

PS I learned Destination now offers their speakers in two versions, standard and field coil. The ones I heard were the standard versions, so I look forward to returning to hear the 117db FC version with the low watt 45/50 amplifiers.

 

[cjfrbw]

I also heard the Destination Audio set up at CAS a couple of years ago. I really liked it with 45 tubes, was hoping to hear the 50 tubes but they were not deployed.
Open, airy, seamless, involving sound, one of the best horns I have heard.

 

[Fred Crane]

I also heard the Destination Audio set up at CAS a couple of years ago. I really liked it with 45 tubes, was hoping to hear the 50 tubes but they were not deployed.
Open, airy, seamless, involving sound, one of the best horns I have heard.

I hope you have the opportunity to hear the newer models. The crossover has been updated and upgraded. The field coil options, while have the Destination DNA, take the experience to an entirely different level.

 

[Fred Crane]

Destination Audio and Prana Distribution are very pleased to announce Audio Limits of Nevada as a new team member representing Destination Audio. Darrin O'Neil the founder and owner of Audio Limits has been in the audio business for 30 plus years. His matter-of-fact, easy-going nature belies his expertise and a long history of firsts in the U.S. industry.

Beginning with Audio 51 some 30+ years ago, Apogee Acoustics and Hales Loudspeakers along with Weiss and CEC formed the genesis of what would become Audio Limits. Audio Limits expanded the undertaking with such venerable brands as Audio Note (UK), Weiss, Forsell, FM Acoustics, Nearfield Acoustics, Tom Evans and Thrax. Those were the early days of distribution.

Now extending their portfolio with Destination Audio Field Coil Nika's and the Destination Audio Reference GM70 Integrated Amplifier, Darrin is writing a new chapter in Audio Limits' long storied history. You can hear the Nika's along with the Audio Note Ongaku or the GM70 from Destination and other top brands to compare and contrast. Here is Darrin and his father, Gene, sorely missed on the audio trail.

Thanks Darrin, we look forward to your continuing to operate on the highest level and making ears smile everywhere you go.

 

[Ron Resnick]

Destination Audio and Prana Distribution are very pleased to announce Audio Limits of Nevada as a new team member representing Destination Audio. Darrin O'Neil the founder and owner of Audio Limits has been in the audio business for 30 plus years. His matter-of-fact, easy-going nature belies his expertise and a long history of firsts in the U.S. industry.

Beginning with Audio 51 some 30+ years ago, Apogee Acoustics and Hales Loudspeakers along with Weiss and CEC formed the genesis of what would become Audio Limits. Audio Limits expanded the undertaking with such venerable brands as Audio Note (UK), Weiss, Forsell, FM Acoustics, Nearfield Acoustics, Tom Evans and Thrax. Those were the early days of distribution.

Now extending their portfolio with Destination Audio Field Coil Nika's and the Destination Audio Reference GM70 Integrated Amplifier, Darrin is writing a new chapter in Audio Limits' long storied history. You can hear the Nika's along with the Audio Note Ongaku or the GM70 from Destination and other top brands to compare and contrast. Here is Darrin and his father, Gene, sorely missed on the audio trail.

View attachment 95971 Thanks Darrin, we look forward to your continuing to operate on the highest level and making ears smile everywhere you go.

Congratulations Darrin and Fred!

 

[Fred Crane]

Hi All, Darrin at Audio Limits has been setting up his room with the Destination Nika's. You'll have to give them a listen if you're anywhere near Nevada! Word is, the sound is fantastic. Sooner than later, Darrin will have the field coil version of the Nika's as well as the Destination GM70 integrated!! His long awaited rack is now in place, so we have some pictures for you to see. Currently Darrin is sporting the Audio Note Ongaku, the Thrax Yatrus Turntable, a Tom Evan's Phono Stage and if there's not a Weiss Dac on the rack, you know there will be one soon!!

 

[PeterA]

Those are handsome speakers, Fred. And I love the way the top shelf appears to be floating. Those Home Depot sliders sure come in handy when setting up.

 

[Fred Crane]

Those are handsome speakers, Fred. And I love the way the top shelf appears to be floating. Those Home Depot sliders sure come in handy when setting up.

Thanks Peter! The sliders are a help. Not sure if we'll be needing them again as the new realm of Destination Horns lower onto very beautifully designed feet, which we've found outperform spikes and make setting up that much simpler.

 

[tima]

Very stylish rack, nice looking room with what looks like a high ceiling. The 'threaded' (?) grill of the Nika lightens their size compared with a solid woven cover.

Fred, do you have room size guidelines for the Nika and the Ruby?

 

[Fred Crane]

Thanks Tima, I love the look too. Regarding room size, no we don't have any current guidelines. For our part, it comes down more to usage, associated equipment, listening biases and placement within a room. (and of course whatever design factors may be at play.) Since we have a group of horns that are very coherent and can double as
corner horns, we didn't want to limit lovers of music based upon the speakers size. People and cultures tend to have their own view of what's acceptable room to room so long as they can adjust for the bass output accordingly. We can meet that client half way by adjusting for his or her room.

A nice attribute is that we were able to keep sensitivity for the Nika's and Ruby's about the same. If one wants to go for a field coil version then you not only have more sensitivity, but that sensitivity is to some extent adjustable via the field coil power supply. I hope you get to hear them!

 

[infinitely baffled]

Thanks Tima, I love the look too. Regarding room size, no we don't have any current guidelines. For our part, it comes down more to usage, associated equipment, listening biases and placement within a room. (and of course whatever design factors may be at play.) Since we have a group of horns that are very coherent and can double as
corner horns, we didn't want to limit lovers of music based upon the speakers size. People and cultures tend to have their own view of what's acceptable room to room so long as they can adjust for the bass output accordingly. We can meet that client half way by adjusting for his or her room.

A nice attribute is that we were able to keep sensitivity for the Nika's and Ruby's about the same. If one wants to go for a field coil version then you not only have more sensitivity, but that sensitivity is to some extent adjustable via the field coil power supply. I hope you get to hear them!

Please update the thread when you have a UK distributor?
I'd love to hear these fantastic looking horns

 

[Fred Crane]

Please update the thread when you have a UK distributor?
I'd love to hear these fantastic looking horns

Will do. We have been in talks with a few UK dealers. We are hopeful that we will find the right match in the coming months.

 

[gleeds]

Fred, the Nikka's look great at Darrin's place! I'm sorry to have just missed their arrival at your loft earlier this summer, and am dying to hear them with the DA GM-70. Vegas is only five hours away, so tell Darrin not to be surprised if I show up for a listen one day soon. That said, I heard a rumor you were planning an open house audio extravaganza featuring the breath of the Destination Audio line, a must-attend event for anyone that loves the classic sound of horns and ultra-pure low-power SE amplification.

 

[mr.gregdee]

Hello All,

Thanks Ron for posting the beautiful picture of the Destination Audio Vistas.

You'll forgive my colleague, Tima, for what was obviously a guess disguised as information. Happens to the best of us... To clarify, the Japanese writing is an homage to circuit designers that influenced Sam's work. It can be loosely translated as 'Destination'. Sam Wisniewski founded Destination Audio in Warsaw, Poland in 2011. It remains in Warsaw.

We do have a large format showroom in Gloucester, MA. USA Peter A. came for a vinyl night with a number of other locals and a good time was had by all, despite the system being compromised due to what we had on hand that day. We listened to the Nika's with a Trafomatic Experience 1 MK2 Amplfiier...2a3 tubes fed by the 6SN7, a Grandinote Celio phono stage and a home brew table with a Transfiguration Proteus cart.

Quite a bit has changed with that set up. There's now the Destination Audio GM70 Integrated, (

)the Destination Phono Stage and a Semper Sonus Table, (better photos to follow)
View attachment 92664
with a few different arms and a few different carts...Dava FC Cart, A Goldenberg Cart and an old Decca Ref. (when I phoned last month, Decca said they are no longer making cartridges...I hope that set-back is temporary.) . We'll be having more vinyl nights in June. There are always a few audiophiles, but also musicians, folks who love music, pro industry people, a luthier or two...anyone who wants to bring a record and have a listen over something different than their kit at home. I've been told they serve wine and malt and rum.

Quite a bit has changed with Destination during the pandemic. Now, there are field coil options for all of their speakers. There are some real advantages to the field coil speakers. For one, the sensitivity of the Nika's goes to 107 from 100, making the 45 tube an option for driving them. The same is true of the smallest horn, the Ruby. The Vistas have gained bass output and sensitivity with their newest iterations. They now play down to 23hz with the field coil drivers. Upon first hearing, the thing that drew me to these designs was their harmonic richness and their coherence. It's rare to find a horn that you can listen to in the near field or far field with equal enjoyment. Likewise, Sam's electronics are a natural extension of his work with loudspeakers. The GM70 integrated is everything I was hoping for,
View attachment 92665
the Phonostage is phenomenal...there's also a DAC, that plays native DSD and PCM and outputs with transformer coupled ecc40 tubes. Here's a pic of the DAC
View attachment 92666
The Reference Preamp has seen some circuit advances as well.

We have a few adjunct listening rooms for those who want to get a listen, but are not in the Greater Boston area. In Laughlin, Nevada at Audio Limits, one can hear the Nika's run with the Kondo Ongaku...a superb combination. There's a fantastic listening room in Denton, Tx with the full Destination Reference set up featuring the Vistas that Ron posted, along with the Destination Audio Subwoofers. Charlotte will soon have the field coil Nika's and the new Destination Audio Reference 45 integrated, and we're in the final stages of a full reference system in the greater Toronto area.

We're working on representation in Spain and France. In March, Prana Distribution took on world wide sales and distribution for Destination Audio. A position, we can only hope to justify in the wake of these great systems. We are still seeking partners in the UK, Asia and much of Europe.

For any interested party who wants to get a listen, please message me and I'll happily arrange a listen at the location most convenient for you.

And both are the same exquisite quality like the rest Destination Audio products. The Latest GM 70 is a " pocket rocket " for those who need more power for their speakers and the best GM70 amplifier I heard till date.

 

[mr.gregdee]

Please update the thread when you have a UK distributor?
I'd love to hear these fantastic looking horns

Hi, I just spotted this exchange, so writing to update you on the distribution matter. G point audio is Destination Audio distribution in the UK. We do have their 45 amps, and the latest version of the 76pre on the permanent display in our demo room in Sussex. We also have DA WE417 Phono, all the time connected to the J.Sikora Reference TT.

Our Nika speakers shortly will be here as well, since the Field Coil version had been announced we re organized the order to create an ability to demonstrate both options. The Next to come to join the demo set , will be the DA GM70. So please feel to ping me an email or PM here, on the WTB messenger if you like to know more details about the products or arrange a demo with us. Greg