Looks like OP has a great pairing with the alnicos and the 518. Just going to throw out my limited experience with the 3 HOs, having never heard the alnicos. For what they do best, they are impressive...just an unrestrained speed and aliveness in the mids. No bass hump, which took a little bit of getting used to. Perhaps the alnicos do it better, but on complex passages or say full orchestra or heavy metal, they get a hashy, congested sound to me. Vocals, folk, or single instruments like acoustic guitar or fiddle really shine.
Tried several amps with them--Emotiva xpa2, Cary CAD200, Cary CAD120smkii, Wall Audio m50, and Dennis Had Inspire HO. Neither of the solid states did anything for them at all, and the Inspire was the best pairing, imo. Surprising.
Tried several amps with them--Emotiva xpa2, Cary CAD200, Cary CAD120smkii, Wall Audio m50, and Dennis Had Inspire HO. Neither of the solid states did anything for them at all, and the Inspire was the best pairing, imo. Surprising.