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GMA Europa vs. Soliloquy 5.3?

Hi. I posted awhile back on suitable monitors at the $1000 price point, and several people mentioned the GMA Europa. How would this speaker compare with the Soliloquy 5.3? I know the Soliloquy is a floorstander, but with 2 relatively small 5" drivers, I don't expect it to be especially overpowering. I have heard nothing but great things.

My only real concern about the Europas is that, being a monitor rated only down to 48hz, they may not have much low end. Some of the electronic music I listen to sounds really flat on the other monitors I have tried in the $1200 price-point. Therefore, I decided to look at smaller floorstanders as well. Of course, I can't have TOO much low end in a smaller room-that is the reason my Von Schweikert's are being replaced (these speakers are great, BTW).

My room is a living-room area that is approximately 14x11, but there is an attached kitchen that sound waves may diffuse into as well. I will eventually move into a house-this is a temporary apartment while my fiancee and I look for a house/good job in the area.

My listening tastes range from classic jazz to electronic (ambient, some trance), as well as classical, and vocals. Associated equipment is C-J PV10A preamp, C-J MF-2200 amp, Arcam CD73T. The tube/SS combo is pretty effective, and I expect it to improve as I replace the tubes on the preamp. Currently running Von Schweikert VR-2000's (4-way w/10" driver, sound great in the store but too big for this situation).
chiho
9 responses Add your response
girardian
13 posts
 
I have owned both of these in the past year. First the 5.3s and next the Europas. I had a pair of Maggies in between. Like you, I have a small listening room. I found that the Sol's produced ample bass and were very detailed in the mid-highs. The Europas are a bit more 'laid back' -- not in the sense of being softer, just in the sense of being more neutral and transparent. I found the Sol's to be warmer than the Europas, but I can get a wall of sound with the Europas on stands (disclaimer: this is a bedroom system and my listening postion is not ideal and floorstanders were obscured by my bed a bit) that the Soliloquy's never achieved with my limited ability to position them.

This is a tough choice. Both are *great* speakers IMHO (Soliloquy's don't get enough praise in my book).

If you're stuck in a small space and are happy with the 'warmth' and forwardness of your components, I'd give the Europas the edge as I think they are easier to 'open up' on stands with tight positioning.

If your system needs a nudge of 'sparkle' and detail and would benefit from a bit more forward presentation, I'd recommend the Soliloquy's.
rysa4
266 posts
 
Thought I'd chime in. I have the Soliloquy 5.3s. Room is 19 x 12 currently with opening to kitchen as well. Carpet. The 5.3s really do have an excellent sound stage and transparency in a way that reveals the music quite well. They are rated to 30 HZ, so I assume they go to 35HZ well and drop off from there. Some of that is placement and room no doubt.

The occasional addition of my Rocket UFW-10 sub to 2 channel for grins does indeed flesh out the lower octave dimension so perhaps the lower extension of the 5.3s has room for criticism.

Onething I will say is that the Sols really do need to be moved out from the wall about the 3 feet mentioned. Thats an important consideration. I am very satisfied with the SOLs and have never heard anything that made me wish I wanted something else, even the modified Vivaldis that list at 6000/pr take a back seat ( no lie).

I have never had the opportunity to listen to the GM Europas so obviously I cant make any comparison there at all.

I think for Jazz/Classical the Soliloquy is VERY strong. Weaker for hard rock but not too bad. The insides use oval-plus wiring so if you are into that type of consideraton oval plus wiring would seem to be optimal for speaker cables; I use cobalt cable but I know lots of folks dont think that kind of thing makes a big difference.

Good luck!
mauiaudioman
171 posts
 
Don't know if this helps or not, but when I listened to the Sonus Faber monitors ($1500/pr) the one thing that bothered me as a Europa owner was that I could not follow the bass riffs on any cd I listened to. The Europa's were far more detailed in the bass. Mine go below 45hz in my room (24x16)
Most recordings sound fine....a few rare ones seem a little light in the low end, but this could just be the recording. I think they do well in the low end for their size. Really well. They do the open "E" string on a contra bass with ease. Whats that? Has to be below 40 cycles.
chiho OP
26 posts
 
Thanks for the advice to wait-it makes sense. My local dealer told me "your speakers will totally overpower that room-definitely downsize". I usually trust his judgement, so I went with it.

Anyways, another question-how does the VR-2000 compare to a modern $2k speaker? I know mine are 7 years old now. Is it worth upgrading for sound quality reasons (size non-withstanding)? They sound great, but it is the only decent speaker I have ever owned, so I have no way of determining if it would be worth the $ to eventually get another speaker. Both the Soliloquy and GMA Europa would be in that $1000 price range-an upgrade from the VSA's, or simply a lateral move?
armstrod
498 posts
 
You'd do well to heed Seandtaylor99's advice to wait. In my last move my listening room went from 14x16 to its current 10x10. I was convinced my beloved New Advents were ready for the scrap heap - they were absolutely overpowering the room. Some of the people here convinced me they were worth saving if I did a little work. Different placement, stands, and toe-in made all the difference in the world. I may still try some monitors with a 30 day return, but I'm pretty happy for now. Don't take a step down from your VR-2000s if you don't have to.
seandtaylor99
1,262 posts
 
I'd wait until you move and find out if they work. If they do work then no need for speaker shopping. It's not a golden rule that large speakers do not work in small rooms, unless they're so large that the door will not open :-)
chiho OP
26 posts
 
Hi. I have them positioned 3 feet forward of the walls, 6 feet apart, and about 7 feet from listening position, toed-in about 5 degrees. They sound great in my current room (14x16) but that isn't really the issue-I am very worried they will overpower the place I am moving to. Not to mention that the room is small enough that pulling the speakers out 3 feet from the wall may not be an option-I may have to keep them at 1.5 feet for space considerations.
seandtaylor99
1,262 posts
 
Are you sure that the VR-2000s don't work, even if they're well away from walls (google the Cardas speaker positioning). Much as I like the Europas (I also have a REL subwoofer for bass) it would be good if you could make the VR2000s work by experimenting with positioning.
gmood1
1,251 posts
 
Thats a tough choice Chiho. I have owned the big brothers to the 5.3s, the Sols 6.3s and the Europas. They are both terrific speakers in their categories.For that room size the Europas maybe the best choice.With your musical taste both speakers do very well.
Please don't let the two 5 1/2 inch drivers fool you! Those Sols will rock out my friend. I still miss the way the Sols uncover the weight in the music. It is additive LOL. IMHO the Sols display a deeper / wider soundstage and are warmer speakers. If this is important to you. The Europas are a tad more transparent with a sort of cool/neutral sound to them. Both have their pros and cons like any other speaker. I suppose it will depend on what your room can handle and what you can live with.

Good Luck!
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