Have not heard them but here are some pics ... http://www.soundstage2.com/lasvegas2009/sd04.html
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Have not heard them but here are some pics ... http://www.soundstage2.com/lasvegas2009/sd04.html |
Ozzy, I must say that I agree with your assessment on the looks. I don't mind aluminium side panels, as long as they are the entire side. (I previously had the Revel Studios, with the gloss black body, and the aluminium side panels, and I always liked their looks. It was modern, but a tasteful modern, IMHO.) This looks kind of like a patchwork design to be honest. In addition, I don't like the aluminium frame (supporting the drivers), on the face of the speaker either, as it will show up through the grills. (I prefer the looks of the Andra II with the grills on actually, as the drivers are invisible once the grills are on. And since the grills are so thin, they don't afffect the sonics, at least not in my opinion anyway.) I wonder if they will have an upgrade program to go from the Andra II to the Andra III, like they did for Andra I owners who wanted to upgrade to the Andra II? (I would consider it if I could keep the cabinet as it currently is designed, and just upgrade the drivers.) |
I have the Rosa which I love the looks of. Especially the granite sides, elegant grill and small proportions. Have not heard the Andra III, but I think they are simply TERRIBLE looking. A real shame. For $25K, or whatever they are asking, I'd consider the many other fine contenders. I can't imagine they sound better than the Magico V3. |
Who in the heck came up with design, I owned the Andra 2's and anyone who saw them was impressed with the fit and finish but as far as I'm concerned these new MK3's look to me like three steps or more backwards in design. All I see is cutting cost, cutting cost never mind with all the midrange drivers available out there why oh why did they choose these. With all the competition going on out there and they decide to degrade the finished look cutting costs but then raise the list price substantially, all I can say is good luck! won't be getting any of my money. |
Vx700, After you get them broken in, please let us know what you think of them. Also, if you could post some pictures of them, that would be cool too. And, most importantly, if you get a chance to compare them to the Andra II speakers, let us know what you think the differences are. Thanks, and congrats on the new speakers! :-) |
Thanks- they are well very impressive straight up- the bass is deep, tight and punchy I took some photos but need a few better ones, the finish is as good or better than the Watt Puppy 8's I almost bought, I ordered them original in black with black anodized side panels but ended up changing back to gray/ aluminum, it is quite impressive in person. The gray metallic is beautiful, car finish I will have photos updated of my system this weekend! I love the sound, clean clear and the bass- I can't wait to hear them when they are broken in- but that is the fun huh? enjoying the music! |
No I have always wanted a pr of Andra's, but like a dummy I bought a pr of Montana XPS and never was pleased, No low end and I mean NONE! No matter where I place them just couldn't get any tight deep bass from them. The Highs where so bright and edgy I started thinking it was my equipment. Well that sure is gone with the Andra III's. The highs are so sweet and clear, cymbals sound like they should, the sound stage is much wider and deeper, but the bass is to die for. It is so punchy, that you can feel the pedal slamming into the bass drum! Just like your in front of it. Only had them up two days now but I think they will just get better once the drivers loosen up. |
I was just at Egglestons factory this weekend and saw a pair of Andra III's in all black. They looked like an exqusite racing machine, like a triple black Ferrari. They were definitely impressive. The bass response was definitely a little more integrated than the Andra II's. I have owned just about every speaker in the line. These definitley look and sound awesome. So much so that the pair of Ivy's they are making for me are being modified after the new all black Andra III's. |
Hey Vip428 Those where probably mine! I originally order all black with black anodized aluminum- at the last minute because I have always had piano black, we changed to the Gray metallic with Mil Alum trim! No regrets either way for me I lovem' they rock like no tomorrow. And I almost bought a pr of Wilson 8's in Ferrari Red. Send me a photo when you get yours please! |
as an owner of the andra-2's, and having heard even better sound (albeit from MUCH more expensive speakers), i believe strongly in the midrange update. the original mid's could be and are used as woofers as well as midrange drivers, so something built specifically to resolve the midrange frequencies is obviously preferable. but as for the new cosmetics, i can either take it or leave it. as for the price increase, again i would much rather pay to have the new mids dropped into the andra-2's (along with any crossover changes) and save money, if such were possible. i somewhat doubt the new tweeters can be much better (if at all) from the esotar tweeters in the a-1 and a-2. btw, i had already replaced the andra-1 woofers, whose foam surrounds started to decay, with new "butyl" surrounds. this really jacked up not only the bass performance but also midrange clarity (quite alot). So, in conclusion, perhaps eggleston might be benevolent enough to provide an upgrade especially given the E-word (the economy). |
You should e mail EW and see if they would do an upgrade like that for you. I enjoy the looks and the sound mnore all the time, and what is nice is everytime someone comes into my home they stand and stare at the AIII's and then go what are those speakers I have never seen anything like them I love em. Of course they are not audiophiles and it is a shame because I don't know any real true audiophiles that even live with 5 miles of me accept dealers!- These have been the best speakers I have owned and I do enjoy them. |
Ozzy, no problem, you don't need to say sorry to me. I love the look of my III's and you don't; no big deal either way to me. Additionally I can't say which one sounds better either way because I don't have a pr of II's to compare to the III's with regards to sound. If the II's sound that much better than the III's then dude you scored big and I am happy for you & all the other II owners! But as far as looks WELL it is so easy to see that the III's are a far more refined look over the II's with a bit more finesse and class added to it in a large way. The tweeter sounds great to me in the IIIs so if the tweeter in your IIs is that much better as you claim, then wow!!! How long did you have that pr of IIIs in your home hooked up to YOUR Equipment to arrive at that conclusion and make such a statement? Just opinions and your ears, maybe your hears are better than my ears, either way for me the EW's are one of my favorite and best investments; maybe had I had a chance to have the II's 1st I might have felt the same as you Ozzy- |
Vx700 , Please, I did not mean to imply that the Andra II's sound better than the new Andra III's. I have never heard the new 3's, so I also can't compare them to my 2's. Reviewers say the new Andra III's sound better than the previous version Andra's II's. The only obvious difference is in the aluminum sides, aluminum speaker surrounds and the fact that the screw holes are showing in the sides ( that's what I dont like ). I think I read that the Andra 3's are ported like the original Andra ones were. I am not sure that the Andra 3's have a new type of tweeter. Do you know if it is a different or the same type of tweeter? The tweeter used in the Andra II's is the Esotar T-330-D one of the more expensive tweeters made and nearly impossible to find on the internet. |
Ozzy, I agree with your opinion on the looks of the new Andra III. They look pretty good, but I prefer the Andra II's looks more. I upgraded from the Revel Studios (Original version), with the aluminium side panels, and while I liked their looks, (the modern design fit in very well with my living room decor), I must admit that I prefer the Andra II's looks even more. (Of course it could be that I grew bored with the looks of the aluminium side panels that I lived with, happily I might add, for five years. This might explain why I prefer the Andra II design to the Andra III design.) The black granite side panels add a nice touch of class to the Andra II speakers. I am one of those guys that really like my stereo equipment to have an understated look of class, which I feel the Andra IIs have. (My Lamm M2.1 monoblocks, being a big black amp, on black stands, look right at home beside the Andra IIs, as they too have very understated looks.) I also like keeping the grills on the speakers, as it helps them blend into the background even more, as one does not see the drivers. Having the speaker surrounds in aluminium color really makes them much more visually apparent, which is not my desire. However, if you like to look at the drivers, (and some audiophiles do), then having the Aluminium surrounds might be a plus. (Vx700, This is all a matter of opinion of course, and everyone has their own sense of aesthetics, so don't let Ozzy or myself diminish your admiration for your speaker's looks.) I think that all three of us can agree that the Andra speakers, regardless of model, are some of the finest loudspeakers available. My two cents worth. |
Vx700, since the Andra III are ported, have you experimented with placement distances from the front wall? I have the Andra IIs and I prefer the sound farther from the front wall (48") ... cleaner bass, more depth, 3D, air ... EW recommends 24" and I found the sound flat and dark. If I were to change speakers now, I would add Magico V3 and Revel Salon 2 to my list of potential replacements. Planning to check out the Magico's at local dealer when time permits. I believe when discussing speakers within a price range, it's a matter of personal preferences and not better or worse. I know several individuals sold their Andra II for the Is. They prefer the crossoverless sound of the drivers. IMHO, I believe the Is sounds different is due to lack of bass ... similar to mini-monitors. One of the individuals that switched had to add a sub to compensate for the loss of bass. |
Knghifi, Are you saying that you have the backs of your Andra II speakers 48 inches out into the room? (So that the speaker grill is about 6 feet into the room?) I am pretty sure that if I tried to pull the speakers that far out into my living room, that my wife would drop one of the speakers on my head, and bury me in one of the speaker boxes!) I have mine about 24-30 inches from the wall, so the grill is about 48-60 inches from the wall. (I have not measured it, but basing it on memory, as I am here at work.) One of the things that I like about the Andra II speakers is that they are sealed and I can pull them closer to the wall than a ported design. (I get a fair amount of bass reinforcement in my room.) Question: What are you, (and any Andra I, II or III users who care to contribute), using for speaker cables? And, are they single cables, or bi-wired? (FYI, I am using Valhalla bi-wired speaker cables, and I really like them a lot. They are clearly better (slightly more refined), than the bi-wired Audience AU24 cables I used to use. And, they have better treble extension than the bi-wired Jena Labs Pathfinder cables I used immediately after the AU24s and before the Valhallas. (The Pathfinders were very musical, and I loved what they did for the mid-range. But they were just slightly dark sounding in the treble region, and combined with my Lamm M2.1s, which are also just slightly dark sounding, combined to produce a clearly dark sound and a slight loss of treble extension, albeit with a very musical sound. I really hated to give them up, but the synergy was just not there with my amps, and I love my amps!) |
Kurt, tank, Knghifi I have my Andra ll's speakers about 5-6 feet out into the room. Pulling them so far out does reduce the bass, but the soundstage is incredible! To augment the slight loss in the bass, I am using a Fathom F-113 sub. Speaker cables that I am using are the Synergistic Apex bi-wire. These are not true bi-wire but have a pigtail to the other spades. I would really like to try the Vahalla cables on the Andra's someday. |
My III's are about 30 to 36 in into room, I am still moving them around a bit, but found that the base is clearer (to me) in my room at this distance. I have a pair of JL F113 that I us for movies only, I found that the bass in the III was so good that no need for a sub with music. Speaker cables are Shunyata Orions with a pr of custom made Shunyata Orion jumpers and I am pleased with the results however I have only tried another pr of speaker cables with them so my experience with Cables and EWs is limited. Last cables were a very fine pr of Esoteric Mexcel 7N-S9000, little dry and lifeless |
Kurt_tank, Yes the backs of my Andra II are 48 inches from the front wall. I found this gives me the best combination of sound. I'm still adjusting the toe-in. It seems impossible to get a setting that works for all my music especially the compressed CDs :-) Currently I'm using SR Apex Bi-wire spkr cables and planning to try ASI Liveline cables next. I scheduled an in home audition with a local dealer next month. I found high resolution and revealing cables work best in my system. Ozzy, the last time I tried Transparent, I found the sound too dark for my taste. I think it's probably due to their voicing of the networks. I much prefer MIT to Transparent way back when it was my favorite cable. |
speaking from experience, unfortunately if you saw the utility grade of wire (i.e.- lamp-cord) in the eggleston speaker cabinets you would no longer worry about their being made by anyone in particular. not that they don't do the job, but they are simply copper wire (unstranded) inside of a basic jacket. |
According to the Eggleston Works website, the internal wiring is made by Transparent. /***** Only the highest performance wiring components are used throughout. Internal wiring is custom manufactured for EgglestonWorks by Transparent Audio. Large inductors made of 12-gauge, oxygen-free copper are also custom manufactured. Silver solder of a specific silver and lead content are used on each meticulously executed solder joint. *****/ |
