True Sound Works Apogee Diva Ultimate - Any Good?


Based on a demonstration many years ago, Apogee Divas are my dream speakers. Consequently I would like to hear a pair of refurbished Divas versus, say, Wilson WP8 (or Sashas), Magico Q5 (or Q7) and a pair of Sound Lab Ultimate U-1PX. I would love to hear from anyone who has compared the Divas with any of these high end speakers.

My dream is to own a pair or True Sound Works Ultimate Apogee Diva refurbished speakers one day. Am I deluded versus what is available now?
mgattmch
The speakers you listed are all very different from each other. Which one you choose will depend on your room and associated equipment to a large degree -- some require a large room, and some require enormous power and/or biamping. I have not heard Apogees recently so cannot comment on them compared to say the Sound Lab U-1PXs here.
As an owner of Reconditioned Apogees I would suggest not only should you hear them, but you should be aware of the differences between the various models.

The Diva has its own issues as do the others. But with the latest ribbons, decent amplification etc, an apogee is hard to beat. It is more a question of which? You should contact Graz. He knows a thing or two about the pros and cons of each.

My Duetta signatures with new outboard xovers, new ribbons, wiring and connectors were and are devastating. The Diva needs a lot of care to come to life IMHO. It can sound congested or polite compared to the others at reasonable volumes.
IIRC, the Apogees are a *very* difficult speaker to drive properly. My reading indicates that they can drop as low as 1 ohm at certain frequencies, thus they are very taxing for 99% of the amps out there. Also, they present a very reactive load to the amp. And not very many amps are happy with such a load.

Additionally, they are known to have a *very* small sweet spot and positioning and setup are absolutely critical if one wishes to achieve the best listening experience....

-RW-
Many thanks for everyones comments, very helpful. Re difficult load to drive, I here ya. This is why I have kept my faithful Krell KSA-250 amp; one day it will drive a pair of Apogee Divas!