Microstrip... my Alexia v1, in my room (very well detailed in this thread), with current rig and placement, sound amazing. Most of my audiophile buddies as well as members of the Portland Audiophile Club say it is one of the best systems they've heard. Many have said it is the best. (OK, its Portland, not LA or NYC.)
The Alexia don't sound forced -- until you hear the Diesis. After that, every box speaker, in my opinion, sounds forced. There are a few other mfg's out there attempting to combine a horn with open-baffle drivers. I have not heard them. Giuseppe, the Italian engineer/designer, brings some of that Italian flair to Diesis. I see the brand like Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, or Pinifarina. They'll never likely have the market of Wilson or Magico, but the product competes.
Here's the note I wrote to Bob after returning from NYC:
Last night was my first listen to my own system after returning from NYC... with the lights down low, the system well warmed up, I listened to a few WAR tracks. Closing my eyes and letting the music flow, probably at ~ 90+ db levels, I heard *nearly* everything I heard with the Roma, but the difference was just how easily and instantaneously the Romas created the sense of realism. Comparing them to Wilson offerings like the Alexx or even the Alexandrias, the higher resolution is comparable but the ease with which the music flowed from the Romas, the layering and pinpoint placement, the air around instruments is a huge step above. It took the Dagostino Relentless amps, playing into the Wilson Alexx, to create a similar sense of ease and flow (but still I think I'd lean towards the Diesis with a sweet tube amplifier) Thanks for sharing what you've found.
As to the system, I can't provide details other than I believe Bob said the DAC was nothing special, and the amplification was a Jadis integrated. We didn't listen to vinyl. The speakers surely were not optimised in terms of setup, Bob's place has a crapload of gear crammed in. An open baffle speaker isn't supposed to have anything behind it—but in Bob's space there were Goldmund speakers, big Wilsons (Alexandrias I think) and a lot of electronics.
I'm not trying to change anyone's mind or disparage anyone else's speakers/system. Just sharing with the forum what I have been sharing with friends here in Portland—I recently heard some speakers that changed my perceptions and expectations of what speakers can do.
And another room? My wife would look you in the eye and say your f___ing nuts. She puts up with my hobby and even enjoys listening, but speading to another room... that just isn't going to happen!