Your best ''outstanding'' products in last 5 yrs?

I have now had the Daber Monitor 3's for two weeks and have had a chance to do some critical listening. I have the rounded cabinets in maple that Steve provides for a small extra fee. They are gorgeous with very high end carpentry work! The first thing that will strike you is the deep, tight bass for such a relatively small speaker. I doubt anyone but the most avid bass fan will see the need for a subwoofer in a two-channel setup. The mids are very satisfying and the highs are clear and precise. Vocals are rendered in a very natural fashion. The soundstage competes with the best. My wife, who is very musically inclined, even prefers them over my Acoustic Zen Adagios. A very different speaker and a matter of taste, but still high praise from a very musical person. I love them both for different reasons. To say that I am pleased with the results would be an understatement. In summary I think this must be one of the best values in speakers out there and they are made in the USA by a small entrepreneurial company. Give them a try - you will not be disappointed!

As a side note the speaker stands for the Volla speakers fit as if made for these speakers (rounded) - got them from MSS HIFI at a decent preice. Steve is planning on making stands for them as well in the near future.

The Coincident Pure Reference & Coincident Pure Reference Extreme's while expensive ($22,000 & $26,000)are the best total range speakers I have ever heard and the best bang for the buck. They use the most expensive Accuton ceramic tweeters and midranges, plus a pair of very expensive 12" diameter Nomex fibre cone subwoofer. Amazingly, they can be driven to loud levels by 8 watt or more tube amps. For those that value the most loud & gutsy performances one should either bi-amp them by using a Coincident Frankenstein Class A 8 watt/channel (MSRP $6,000 per pair) and another higher wattage amp for the subwoofer section. For me, the Frankenstein acquits itself very well for 95% of the music I play. It is only when playing something like the 1812 Overture or something else with extreme bass notes that it may need a more powerful amp, such as a Coincident Dragon at 75 class A watts/channel at $11,000/pr.

I haven't heard the new Coincident Technology Total Victory V's at MSRP $12,000/pr. It has a new ribbon tweeter, a pair of 7" paper-treated midrange drivers, and a pair of the outstanding 12" Nomex fibre subwoofer cones with each having a 15 lb magnet structure. As the previous Coincident Technology model, the Total Victory IV was $15,000--and this is the new and improved model of an already outstanding speaker and is less expensive, I can only imagine what a great bargain this speaker is--as the previous model had won numerous awards already.

The Coincident Technology Statement Linestage pre-amp at $5,000 is flat-out a steal for its performance. It is a 2-piece set-up which has an incredibly quiet and powerful power supply. The only downside is the fact that it only has 2 inputs, which may cause one to re-think their front end, unless you want to keep switching out your input cables. The only pre-amp at under $20,000 that may get close is the Einstein The Tube Mark II, at triple the price and the Audion Quattro at $15,000.

If you are into vinyl, the Coincident MM/MC Phono Stage (MSRP $5,499)is just about the equal of their great line stage. It also has an extra input for something like an SACD/CD player or tuner. It is a two-piece unit that weighs over 60 lbs and its power supply weighs over 40 lbs by itself, with enough capacity and energy storage to power a 100 watt amp.

Adding the prices of the Coincident Line Stage and the Coincident MM/MC Phono Stage one arrives at $10,500. The cheapest equivalent component would be the Audion Quattro at $15,000, which is also great and a bargain, as it has a great linestage and a great phono stage.

Greg

Audio Desk Systeme Vinyl cleaner

- Lamm ML2.1
- Fidelity Research FR-66s

VAC Renaissance 30/30 MK III tube amp. Aesthetix Calypso. Harbeth M-40.1's.