Just saw this thread and thought I'd chime in. First, congratulations on a great system and speakers (then again, I may be biased).
Next, I'm the one who reviewed the Aquilas for Stereo Times and it certainly doesn't surprise me that you still own and enjoy them. Andy is a great guy and fabulous designer and my experience over the years with Rockport owners is that they are not equipment junkies (or, to the extent they were previously, they aren't afterwards). We seem to end our journey with the Rockports and our experiences seem to mirror yours.
I had Kharma Exquisites (with diamond tweeters) and Verity Audio Sarastro IIs before Andy called me and asked if I wanted to review the Aquilas and I wasn't looking for or feeling the need for new speakers at the time. Like your experience, the Aquilas don't JUMP out at you in that "hey look at me" way - they just let you really enjoy music and seem to leave most of us wanting for nothing except more source material.
I still own mine and have no plans or desire to upgrade (except if Andy calls me and makes me listen to the Altairs). I know this attitude is sacrilegious for a reviewer but it sure makes my wife happy. I guess my colleagues will want to disown me for admitting this but, with the exception of the Aquilas which I've now owned for over 4 years, I've owned the same TT (SME 30), amps (Lamm 1.2 Refs), line stage (c-j ART 3), phono stage (Aesthetix IO Signature), CDPs (Reimyo CD-777 and AMR-77), rack (SRA CRAZ) and cables (Silversmith Palladium) for 8 years.
Sometimes the fun is not necessarily just in the journey but in the destination (music) as well.
Regards,
Frank
Next, I'm the one who reviewed the Aquilas for Stereo Times and it certainly doesn't surprise me that you still own and enjoy them. Andy is a great guy and fabulous designer and my experience over the years with Rockport owners is that they are not equipment junkies (or, to the extent they were previously, they aren't afterwards). We seem to end our journey with the Rockports and our experiences seem to mirror yours.
I had Kharma Exquisites (with diamond tweeters) and Verity Audio Sarastro IIs before Andy called me and asked if I wanted to review the Aquilas and I wasn't looking for or feeling the need for new speakers at the time. Like your experience, the Aquilas don't JUMP out at you in that "hey look at me" way - they just let you really enjoy music and seem to leave most of us wanting for nothing except more source material.
I still own mine and have no plans or desire to upgrade (except if Andy calls me and makes me listen to the Altairs). I know this attitude is sacrilegious for a reviewer but it sure makes my wife happy. I guess my colleagues will want to disown me for admitting this but, with the exception of the Aquilas which I've now owned for over 4 years, I've owned the same TT (SME 30), amps (Lamm 1.2 Refs), line stage (c-j ART 3), phono stage (Aesthetix IO Signature), CDPs (Reimyo CD-777 and AMR-77), rack (SRA CRAZ) and cables (Silversmith Palladium) for 8 years.
Sometimes the fun is not necessarily just in the journey but in the destination (music) as well.
Regards,
Frank