The Best & Rarest of all Stereo Gear

Those were the speakers I heard the first time stepping into a really high end audio store and I'll never forget how great they sounded. You know, when your jaw drops to the ground in amazement. Same thing happened the first time I heard SET amps.

So, are you saying the Tyr 2's aren't as great as I remember them to be? That they are flawed and fatiguing because the woofer and tweeter don't integrate that well??? What else did you have in your system at the time? Might it have been other things in your system at the time? I guess I was younger and impressionable too.

I remember and still have a glowing review of them partnered with a pair of Berning EA230 amps.

Lou, no I didn't say fatigueing, that was not it. It was just a lack of midrange coherance. I bought them new so it was many moons ago and I am at the age where I can't remember what I had for breakfast this morning.

I am not sure what electronics I was running at the time, but my guess is either an Adcom GFP555/GFA535 or PS 4H//B&K ST-140.

After all, every speaker is flawed, it's all a matter of what flaws we can live with. In a world of gutless little speakers, the Tyr 2 had real impact and scale. Please post back when you get your pair.

I hear you about not remembering what you had for breakfast, as I'm getting to that age too, or maybe I'm there already, as I just realized that I haven't eaten breakfast at all today :)

I'm trying to get a handle on your comments. I've read so many audio magazines in my time and still could never understand all those adjectives to describe sound, so just add "midrange coherance" to the list. Yin/Yang, chocolatey, vanilla-ey, palpable presence, etc - it's all Greek to me...

So to digress, the Tyr 's were not fatigueing, they were fun to listen to, had incredibe bass and were dynamic...so I guess they were more on the dark end of the scale as opposed to being bright or tilted up? How long did you own your Tyr 2's for (approximately)?

I guess for further thoughts on it, I should just re-read the Stereophile review I have stored away, but it's nice to hear first hand from someone who actually owned them.

I recently picked up a really interesting, amazing set of speakers (Paisley Research AE-500). Extremely musical, dynamic and also fun to listen to and I can happily live with them should I never find a mint pr of Tyr 2's. They're also probably a much better speaker than the Rauna's, but the Rauna's are definitely cooler though :)

Lou, Ian Paisley was one of the titans of Canadian speaker design. They were somewhat ahead of us there what with the reseach facility at the NRC. He was with API which owned Mirage, Energy, Sound Dynamics and a few others. Great speakers, not well known in the lower 48.

I lived with the Raunas for about a year and a half. And, as you said, they were super fun; I think that you sum up the strengths very well.

Vocals did not sound like they were coming from a single source. The phantom place, between the speakers, where the voice should come from; it seemed to spread and get larger at different freqencies, so the mouth seemed smaller than the throat, etc. That's the best way that I can communicate it abscent audio speak.

I still think that you would find them a good roll in the hay though and would appreciate hearing your reaction when you get them. I have not heard a pair in this century, so take what I have to say with a full shaker of salt.

I agree, the Paisleys are terrific speakers. I think if Celestion or ProAc made them and marketed them at $2-2500, they would sell all day at that price.

I'd be very lucky to come across another pair of Raunas at a reasonable price. If it's meant to be, it will be meant to be. In the meantime, I'm more than happy with the Paisleys.