Silverline "Sonatina II" vs. Coincident "Victory"

I too have been considering the Sonatina II and have been doing a great deal of research. I'm sure we are both eyeing the same pair of speakers here for $2200.00. I've not yet heard either pair. I have read reviews that suggest the Sonatina loses some of its impressiveness in bigger rooms. Especially in the lower frequencies. It's recommended that the Sonata is better capable in the larger listening area you descibe. My listening area is about half of what yours will be. I think you can hear the both Silverlines at "Sounds of Silence" in Nashua, NH. Hopefully that's not tooo far to go for a demo? I'm sure you know to listen before you buy. I'd be curious to hear how you make out with your choices. Good luck! PS, Both models are fairly common on Audiogon for almost 1/2 retail so take your time to make the right choice!

The question really is, which speaker, Sonantina or Victory would go better with your Graf 20 watt OTL. Without hearing this exact combination, comments as to which speaker is better without disclosing which amp(s) was used are of little value (ie., the Sonantinas would probably sound better if you used a 100 watt solid state or tubed amp and the Victorys would sound better if you used a 3.5 watt SET.)

I'm currently running a pair of Victorys with a Gaincard (25 watts) with satisfying results. I have tried a 3.5 watt SET with them and they played pretty loud without clipping. The midrange is as smooth as silk. The ribbon tweeter is extended without getting hard or hot. Superb on acoustic music, but can also rock.

The Victory was designed for use with low powered amps, especially SETs. On paper, The Sonantinas will need more the double the amplifier output to keep up with the Victorys at the same volume level (and that is not counting for the easier load the Victorys present, 14ohm vs. 8 ohm). A fairer comparison would be to compare the Coincident Super Eclipse (there is a recent review in the Absolute Sound) with the Sonantinas. If you are at all considering trying SETs in the future, buy the Victorys.

Generally speaking, OTLs have a tough time with loads that drop below 8 ohms. I do not know how far down the Sonantinas drop in impedence, but the Victorys is spec'd out not to drop below 10 or go above 18 ohms. This presents an easier load for your Graf, and you will be able to play the Victorys much louder and with greater ease.

One final note. If you do get the Victorys be very patient. They need a long time to break in. About a 1000 hours before they are fully integrated. Before break in there is a discontinuity between the bass and midrange.

I have also heard Super Eclipses with Atma Sphere M-60.Match made in heaven.
OTL will work better with Coincident.

I believe Ultrakaz (interesting name!) and Natalie both have good points re: the synergy of the amps that are mated with these speakers- it can make all the difference.

I have heard Coincident many times (at the Designer/Owner Israel Blume's house no less, as I live near by), and it was always with tubes (SET). The Coincident speakers have no-compromise build quality, and are designed to retrieve every nuance of the music. This also can make them quite revealing of source and associated componentry- therefore I always take these 'comparos' (i.e. Silverline vs Coincident) with a grain of salt. For someone to make these blanket comparisons, I think it is only fair to list all the associated components as well as room configuration and speaker placement (i.e. for Eclipse models- were Coincident woofers firing inward or outward, etc.). Only when all the factors are considered is it plausable to beging drawing conclusions of this nature.

I am not here to make any blanket statements or judgements on which is prefered, HOWEVER, the one thing I CAN attest to is Israel's comittment to building a quality product- and not just speakers.

Several months ago I purchased his (now previous) personal reference amplifier system consisting of 4 tube amps: a pair of completely rebuilt/modified Golden Tube 300B 7-watt SET monoblocks for mids/highs; plus another pair of also completely rebuilt and INSANELY modified Altec 1570B monoblocks- 170 wpc in triode! using a pair of 811's in each amp for bass duty- all the best NOS, etc. The amps are fantastic, and in a bi-amp setup I would argue world-class at the price point- I drive the 4 amps direct from an Audio Aero Capitole 24/192 CDP using the XLR and RCA outs simultaneously- the Altecs have volume control that allows tailoring of bass precisely in relation to mids/highs when bi-amping. The one amp I have heard that is the equal of this combo is Israel's new one- the Wyetech Labs Topaz 572B- wonderful.

Anyways- sorry for digressing slightly, however my addition to this discussion is not to necessarily offer a proper comparison between Silverline and Coincident (however if I were to, you probably get the idea where my allegiances lie...), because I am not as familiar with the 'Silverlineup'. It is simply to attest to the quality approach that Israel takes towards his business and everything he produces. I am sure that the next post could just as easily contain similar positive statements about Alan Yun of Slverline (whom I have in fact spoken with, and he seemed like a nice guy who is also very committed).

In the end, I am sure either line could be quite pleasing to the listener depending of course on synergistically matched components and listener preference. Re: this discussion, I am not surprised that the Silverline product would get more responses due to a wider dealer network and therefore more availability to audition than Coincident's tighter dealer network- I am not sure as to the total number of Silverline speakers in current use versus Coincident for Audiogon forum members- but that would be an interesting stat!

OK- enough rambling- the system's fired up- got some late-night listenin' to do- later!

Sutts
Toronto

almost forgot- with proper SET amplification, the way you can here 'into' the music with the Victory is scary...