Thanks. I tend to get wordy ( noooo ???) but try to keep it un der stand able : )
From the response that i've gotten from a few others that had similar results, AP's seem to do BAD things to speakers that are point sources. When trying to run a "simple" system with full range drivers (Lowther's, Walsh's, etc..) and NO crossover networks to come between the driver / amplifier interface is when you'll run into BIG problems with AP's. As one might expect, these types of systems can be VERY revealing due to the "less is more" type of thing. Corey Kapteyn from Audio Advisor even said to me "your speakers are EXTREMELY sensitive to what is upstream of them. ANYTHING that is not up to snuff will be revealed". As such, he told me that the Oval 9's sounded BAD out of the box but would get better with time. Given the fact that they Oval 9's that i ran were "demo's" and that i also put over 500+ hours on them rules out the "break in" theory. Evidently, the guy that had them before me didn't like them either, as he returned them also.
Everyone that i know of that has used these cables in "full range" systems have complained of the same results that i had with them. Like several of the others that had emailed me, we had all tried dozens of various speaker cables before. The Oval 9's were the ONLY cables that thinned out and hardened the systems to this extreme. Go figure.
For the record, i also tried the Oval 9's in my HT system. The speakers are large floorstanders with two woofers, a mid-woofer, soft dome mid and a soft dome tweeter. They also have VERY "parts-laden" crossover with impedance compensation networks and special attention to reflections and diffraction caused by the baffle and grilles, etc... I obtained the same results there, i.e. complete thinning of the bottom end and lower midrange along with a splashy treble.
As mentioned, these systems use completely different amps, cables, preamps, sources, etc... and DO sound different. Getting the same results from two different systems kind of confirmed it for me. When i asked my Brother if we could put them into his system to see what they did there, his response was "put them in MY system ??? Put them in the GARBAGE CAN !!!"
Believe me, i DID want to like them. I only ordered them after reading their "technical papers" and finding out that Von Schwiekert was going to use them to internally wire his new speakers. You can see by the date of my "shoot out" and considering that i had them for just slightly over a month that it was just shortly after they first came out. While it is things like this that confuse both of us, i know what i heard and experienced and have received confirmation from others with identical experiences.
Then again, i know several others that have the 9's or Oval 12's and LOVE them. They all say "they are sooooo warm sounding". I almost wonder if i didn't get a "funky" set or something ??? Maybe they don't have the greatest quality control ???
Something else that makes me wonder about them though is that, even though Michael Fremer did "rave" about them in one of his recent columns, he only gave them a paragraph or so. In comparison, the other speaker cable that he was reviewing got WAY more coverage with far more in-depth writing and details. Almost like he HAD to say something nice but didn't want to say TOO much about them.
If it seems like i've gone "back and forth" on this one a little bit, it is because i AM torn on this one. I just can't figure out how something that can be SOOOOO good did SOOOO poorly here and in a couple of different systems. Sean
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