Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

Matt,

BTW, thanks for the comprehensive summary. Good job.

Your opinion, so no need to agree or disagree. I only need to digest. Its a decent frame of reference.

The Polymer Masters cost a LOT more, but they may have solved the low end issue.

Another interesting speaker is the German Brand Fischer& Fischer. Made of special Granite, the cabinet give new meaning to the term, INERT. Heil tweeter used for the top end.

To go a bit further afield, The Austrian make Trenner&Friedl and the Italian Onda Liguera are 2 other quality contenders, as is the Greek Ypsilon brand.

The Polymer Masters are too big and I'm not a fan of side firing woofers in a small room. And they are well over $100k, I think closer to $200k.

Thanks for the other tips. I'll read up. There are SO many good speakers out there. I just wish Statement didn't also mean Holy Crap $$$$ !

You can also look at Eficion, Lansche, Stenheim Alumine and Ref (love them), S-F Strads, Vienna Acoustics Klimt - The Music, etc...

I dont really like W-Benesche when I heard em...The Cardinals.

Matt

Richard Vandersteen designs and builds his own amp for the speakers as far as I know. I understand your comment about the powered speakers. However I can tell you for sure whatever amp, preamp, cable etc you change in your system does make a change on the Sevens even though they are self powered. I changed the Caps in my BAT VK 600 SE to the new caps from the 655SE and heard even that difference in the bottome end from the amp. So don't let that be a concern of yours. The Sevens bass is incredible and the ability to tune the bass to your room your listening tastes is something that is not only unique but in my opinion necessary in a high end speaker. The placement of the speaker in the room for the best imaging and soundstage and then tuning it to your tastes and the best seemless integration with the midrange is so important in the reproduction of music. No other speaker has the ability and then have the timbre qualities of the drivers that Richard uses. See my review on Agon of the Sevens I posted a few weeks ago.
Jeff

Wisnon, Vienna Die Muzik are in fact Matt's current speakers.

Richfield_hunter, I have heard the opportunity of auditionhing Vandersteen 7s several times at RMAF... Units set up with TLC by Mr. Vandersteen himself... Pleasing, yet -- like Matt -- I was never enraptured... Different strokes, n'est pas?!

G.