Opinions on why this system is uninvolving

Znak_m, I have to believe the EAD T-7000 Transport will kill the Metronome. Sorry to say but its true. The EAD beat out many transports under 10K in my own system. :( Plug it into the metronome DAC and get ready for something special!

Also, I have to repeat, the Hydra should ONLY be used on your digital gear. Its not a good thing for amps/preamps.

Don't worry about the 30' run of cable. That is the least of your issues. The Revels are great speakers but are to some extent "impersonal" and less "involving" than other speakers you've lived with making synergy a more delicate path to tread...that said, the Revels will play exactly what you send them so... this becomes simply a case of matching the right cables & conditioners with the right components.

And if you can stomach it, use the EAD. Its outstanding! IF you don't want to use it, please....sell it to me.

Znak -

Thanks for responding to me up above; I haven't had a chance to write you a decent response before now.

By "tube rolling", I mean trying different tubes to get the overall sonic characteristics you want. "Rolling the front end" would mean trying different tubes in the front end, in hopes of enhancing the overall synergy. It's kinda fun.

I appreciate your articulating the requirement for "differentiation of instrumental timbres". I've never heard that expression before, but it's richly descriptive - I'm gonna remember it.

Differentiation of instrumental timbres would be facilitated by natural decay of the notes, so that the harmonic structure isn't blurred or colored. Any resonances will spoil the timbre as the notes decay, because the ear perceives a sound that lasts longer as being louder.

As a side note, when Jon Dahlquist designed the legendary DQ-10, he had to choose between aligning the leading edges of the notes, or the trailing edges of the notes (attack or decay). His listening tests indicated that the ear is more sensitive to what's happening in the trailing edges of the notes, so that's what he optimized in the DQ-10.

Loudspeakers that don't use boxes have an inherent advantage in getting timbre and decay right, because at least three potentially significant problems are neatly sidestepped: internal box resonances, box panel resonances, and re-radiation of the woofer's backwave through the cone. As an example of this breed, the Quad 57 is still celebrated for its clarity and natural timbre.

If you want full-range reproduction with extremely natural instrumental timbre and decay of the notes, there are three speaker lines I suggest: Audio Artistry, Beveridge, and Sound Lab. Audio Artistry uses dynamic drivers and gives you more of a front-of-the-hall presentation; Beveridge gives you more of a middle to rear of the hall presentation; and Sound Lab gives you more of a middle of the hall presentation. I'm a dealer for Sound Lab, but still an admirer of Beveridge (see www.beveridge-audio.com) and Audio Artistry. The two electrostats mentioned here give you a very wide sweet spot, and while the Audio Artistry line gives a more conventional sweet spot, their dynamic impact is phenomenal.

I'm not saying that these three are the only possible solutions - only that they excel in the area you have highlighted; namely, differentiation of instrumental timbres. "Full-range" single-driver systems like the Beauhorn also excel at this, but don't have authority in the bottom two octaves.

I can talk your ear off about either the Beveridges, Audio Artistrys, or Sound Labs, if you'd like to know more.

Best of luck in your quest,

Duke

Asa, I've never listened to the Vandersteen Model 5, nor have I ever seen a model 5 in person. Now that you know where I'm coming from, I'm going to say that you probably don't have a clue what you're talking about when it comes to the Vm5's.

You may have listened to them, but as with any listening, even as illustrated in this thread, if everything ain't matchin' you would have no clue what the component or speaker is capable of.

I am basing my opinion solely on reading reviews and detailed papers on the model 5, reading interviews with R.Vandersteen the man and also on his research into making the model 5, and a friend who is seriously considering the model 5's at this point in time.

But supposedly one common occurrence with the Vm5's is that the initial impression of listening to the model 5's is people walk away wanting more and not satisfied. They say that listening to some of the more popular speakers on the market with pumped up highs to make a speaker sound better in the showroom or perform other showroom tricks will make those sound more 'hi-end' than the Vm5's. They say it takes some time for the listener to settle before they realize exactly what they are hearing.

Time and phase coherent, first order crossovers, each driver is custom fabricated to compensate for the typcial deficiencies found in almost all drivers, the cabinet's inert construction qualities, etc., etc.. Most people cannot believe he is only charging $10k for these speakers.

I'll stop there. You may be correct in your opinion. But for now I have no reason not to believe these could be one of the finest speaker systems made. And I'm not alone.

-IMO

While it's okay to keep tweaking the system, if you don't loose too much on the speakers (since they were demos) my guess is you will never be happy with Revels. Unless maybe a tube preamp - I don't know what your preamp is now.
Accurate sound does not have to be clinical. But Bbtuna made one of the best statements that I have also discovered:
"system was "univolved" or "thin" at times since there is no coloration"
That's how my system sounds. Problem is when you add coloration, good recordings could sound bad while bad recordings could sound better. Overall I think you're loosing out by adding colorations. But that is just my opinion.
I would recommend ATC active 100's or 50's. You can see a photo of passive ATC 50's that are being sold at Audiogon now. They are very accurate but not sterile like Revels. I found Spendor 1/2's, Vandersteen 2 and 3 are nice but colored or have box resonances and don't think that is where you'd want to go.
Other warmer speakers that you could try are JM Reynaud Evolutions or Aerial Acoustics. Accurate but warm. JMR talks about the "trailing edge" of the note while Revels are "leading edge of the note" speakers.

You mentioned windows on front and side walls. You COVER them while listening I hope? My other take would be to sit closer- 15' is probably too far for distance between speakers of 9-10'. I also agree with some of the comments regarding filtering. Go back to stock power cords (try one at a time).

And cables make world of a difference.

Finally in Hockey's defense, I would say that I completely agree with him about the Revel-Rowland combo at Ambrosia. I have listened the combo may be three different times and left me wanting more body. But I can't say if it is due to Revel Salons or The Rowland or the combo synergy.