Stereo Times Review of the Apogee Acoustics Diva

Room Size (from my experienced opinion) is the number one factor in determining whether to use Duetta Sigs or Divas. I am the "buddy" of Ptmconsulting [above post]and as he mentioned I have been a planar fan for most of my audioHOLIC life. After Maggies and Martin Logans from many years ago (with some 'dynamic driver' brands sprinkled in between) I finally "re-discovered" what all the Apogee fanfare was all about and have fully embraced the brand. Mini Grands to stock Duetta Sigs to TSW fully refurbished Duetta Sigs to TSW Diva Ultimates... my 13'x18' dedicated listening room has "told me" the Divas ARE incredible BUT the room still prefers the Duettas. Both are magnificent and essentially 'dream-come-true' speakers but for me, it was simply 'unfair' to the Divas to expect them to fully reach their potential in MY particular room. Of course YMMV but that was my experience, and believe me, I really, really, really...tried.
In my estimation, the room is the deciding factor. I will agree with the reviews that say in their ideal environment and with proper care and attention to set-up detail, the Divas are simply superb. I have been to my fair share of brick-and-mortar audio showrooms over these many 35+ years and have also been to many shows...there have been a lot of recent developments in speaker technology and a whole new batch of (often hideously expensive) flagship models that are quite amazing. But, properly set up Diva Ultimates, in the right conditions, are truly uncanny lifelike transducers that will simultaneously have you grinning from ear to ear while shaking your head in wonder.
Now for more 'size prohibitive' rooms the Duettas will essentially invoke the same response and, as I said, simply do the best "you are there" experience I could imagine...aside from the Divas.
Oh, and that laser measuring device is excellent (and actually goes to 1/16th") and makes speaker set up SO MUCH easier you will never go back to anything else.
Just my opinion from my experiences... Good luck and happy Lissn'n.

@Brian, sorry for the late reply as i've been on a break. Thanks for sharing your experience with your modded Divas. What is most impressive is, in your system and room they eclipsed even the awesome Magico Q7's for musical realism. Btw, what tube amps & front end are you running?

Lissnr, thanks for your feedback about your journey through planar & ESL speakers. In particular your feedback on the TSW Duette Signature & Diva Ultimate. As i'm familiar with the classic Infinity speakers and previously owned a pair of Renaissance 90's, i'd be interested to know if you've heard either the IRS Sigma, Epsilon, Gamma or IRS-V? And if so, how do you rate them against the Apogees?

I had a look at your system thread. I'm intrigued by the TRL amps, but there are no professional reviews and I could find only one old for sale ad for a pair of GT200's and the guy wanted $3200CAD. In contrast, the CJ Art mono's are extensively reviewed and maintain high resale value. I wonder how the Vitus SIA-025 would stack up against your TRL amps which add up to a similar retail price?

I feel ac power, cables, isolation and front end are as important in the musical chain as any other component, hence why I invest a lot in those areas. I try not to lose sight of the fact when you listen to music you are listening to a "system" which is the sum total of all the components, cables, front end, ac power, isolation & speakers. And of course how good or bad the speakers couple with the room.

I had the Stages. I had a real bad time with them. The frames came apart from just careful moving around, as you have to move panel speakers (or any speakers) around to get the best sound. Also, the ribbons (both tweeter/midrangs and bass panels) kept blowing. This happened even driven by a Levinson No. 23 amp, which was one of the most powerful amps back then (late 80s early 90s) And no, I didn't crank 'em all the way. Anyway, I completely wrote off the brand, even if I got a bad one, which to be fair, I probably did. Neither Apogee or the dealer would take 'em back, which upset me even more. They ended up sitting in the garage, and I didn't even bother to sell them as they weren't in any condition to sell anyway. So, I threw the suckers out.

For speakers of that vintage, gimme a B&W 801 Matrix Series 2. Not perfect, but a Hell of a lot better build quality, and more robust drivers. I know it's comparing apples to oranges, but the B&Ws are the better speaker, imo.

Sorry to hear about the bad luck you had with the Stages Dave. Don't worry, i've had a pair of lemons and had to dump them cheaply. It can be very frustrating. From all that i've read, the original Duette Signatures, Diva & Full Range were quite a bit better than the Stage, and the TSW restored versions are on another level again. I know Rich and Graz have done a lot of testing to address known issues/weaknesses with different models and been very successful. I'd love to hear a pair of Diva Ultimates, but i'm on the wrong continent for starters. It's academic in my case as I don't have the room to accommodate those panels.

Btw, if we're talking great value vintage speakers, its hard to go past the classic Infinity speakers such as the IRS-Sigma, Gamma & Beta.