Tony M Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Shame Andrew and Rick don't live in Melb, they would have a hard/fun time keeping upto demand with all these purchases taking place. [/b] Also, if they did live in Melbourne, there would also be a real possibility of organising an interbrand shootout of the premium models. I reckon I'd walk over hot coals to get to that :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alebonau Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Also, if they did live in Melbourne, there would also be a real possibility of organising an interbrand shootout of the premium models. I reckon I'd walk over hot coals to get to that :biggrin: [/b] man they live themselves within cooey of each other. we have tried to convince them to do an interbrand shootout but theyve always chickend out for some <strike>excuse</strike> reason :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidsss Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Would be great to have a comparison gtg but we can't all be lucky enough to live in Melbourne! Good to know Greg gets a few sales out of the gtgs as I think his prices are good. Also I think he does put up with a bit when we are there as there are a whole bunch of people being critical and picky, which, while appropriate for such an event must be a bit trying. DS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony M Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Yeah, even at the CES show in Las Vegas, the brands all display in separate rooms. I can imagine the difficulties of trying to get Aslan, Equinox, Osborn, Whatmough, Legend etc together for a shootout of their premium speakers in one big space would be pretty well insurmountable. Moreover, it might raise more questions than it answered. So, while the logistics dictate that it won't happen, there's no reason that I can't dream about it. Some of my favourite ideas are totally impracticable :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith_W Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Good to know Greg gets a few sales out of the gtgs as I think his prices are good. Also I think he does put up with a bit when we are there as there are a whole bunch of people being critical and picky, which, while appropriate for such an event must be a bit trying.[/b] Well I don't think that we were unfair to Greg Maybe he would have preferred it if I gave him my feedback on the day rather than posting it on the forums, but that's a risk you take if you have a forum GTG. To his credit, Greg has been utterly professional about taking criticism. We report what we hear, and Greg has no problem with it. Some of us like that kind of sound, and some of us don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidsss Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 No, I don't think we're unfair at all. But an audience from an audio forum is going to be picky and fussy, in a sense it's what is expected of us. I should have expressed it better but having a bunch of people, especially a bunch of people who listen critically and have high standards, is always going to be harder work than just a couple of people at a time. The impression I get is that Greg would still let us do it even if it didn't help sales but I think it is good that it does help sales. I like shopping locally even if he is on the other side of town! I think the comments on the monuments have been put up in the best spirit and have been taken that way. In fact, I find it reassuring that we can have a frank discussion here, it's a good thing. Greg does have strong opinions and isn't afraid to state them, but he makes speakers which are a contentious piece of the hifi jigsaw - so many people with so many different opinions. So many people looking for different things in their sound systems. DS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RodN Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 I don't think Greg is putting up with anything. He knows who's coming and where they are coming from (idealistically speaking) so does it in complete awareness of the results (mixed). If he wasn't prepared for peoples opinions then he just wouldn't have them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFD Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Well spotted Bruce! See my other thread in the speaker section. :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: DS [/b] Who's Bruce? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidsss Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 It's a reference to a Monty Python sketch where everyone is called Bruce - sort of a figure of speech. DS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aslan Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 man they live themselves within cooey of each other. we have tried to convince them to do an interbrand shootout but theyve always chickend out for some <strike>excuse</strike> reason :biggrin: [/b] Maaate...............I've never bailed on a shootout.............................. :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Mustud Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 ...We run a very similar setup to Greg with Audio Aero Capitole 24/l92 into Consonance Rl.l Reference into Audio Aero monoblocs into the Reference version of the Monuments. Our room is 5.5 x 4.2. The speakers sit l.5 m off the front wall measured to middle of front baffle with 2.6m between speakers... Kevin [/b] Now that sounds like an impressive setup! I guess it isn't your first bit of kit. Interested to hear how you ended up with that system and your audition experiences. In particular your thoughts on the AA monoblocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Now that sounds like an impressive setup! I guess it isn't your first bit of kit. Interested to hear how you ended up with that system and your audition experiences. In particular your thoughts on the AA monoblocks. [/b] I’ll give this a whirl. A little bit of history. I am blessed with a spouse who thinks that large speakers and big amplifiers are a normal part of existence. When we were students we spent a third of our total income for the year on an audio system – Rega Planar 3 with Linn K9 cartridge, Yamaha cdp, A and R Cambridge A60+ amplifier into Linn Index Plus speakers (all incidentally sitting in a wardrobe in N.Z.) The disease really set in with the purchase of some Lambert(N.Z. ) speakers and relieving a departing overseas brother in law of his Linx (N.Z.) amplification and Arcam Delta 70 player. Sold a car secondary to wife getting job with company car and instead of paying the mortgage bought Meridian 208 cdp and preamp and Quad ESL 63. Shifted to Australia and bought Krell KSA l50 having finally figured out that Quads really like power. We were on an accuracy kick at that stage and a Krell KPS 20 i/l player joined the fray. A decade has passed. Aspirations centering on the ultimate electrostatic so while researching Soundlabs (the internet had arrived) stumbled across Osborn in a Moncrieffe review. Local product and had heard the Epitomes at a show at a hotel near Sydney airport (seriously impressed) some years prior. Rang Greg who said he was coming to Sydney in a month to deliver some speakers and he would drag up some gear for us to have a listen to. He put a system into our lounge which put the ML/Krell system into the shade. We had at that stage listened to a lot of gear in shops pursued a course of accuracy, had realised that reviews needed to be taken with a large grain of salt and had learned to believe in our own opinion regarding whether the sound was right. We attend a lot of “classical†concerts andf are well aware of the sound of a multitude of instruments and halls. I played the trumpet badly as a child, my wife has played the piano to a high level, my sister in law has a performance degree in piano, my kids play viola, violin, cello, saxophone. Basically the system that Greg put up played music with little in the way of compromise that matters to us. We were well aware of the issues of system synergy. We had not heard such a well balanced reproduced sound. I still have not despite listening to some extraordinary systems. We were also well aware of how difficult it is to balance a system. Combining that with our propensity to not take tomorrow too seriously (I have seen too many terrible things happen to people through no fault of their own) we struck a deal with Greg and bought the system. Bankers are a pack of sads anyway – bugger the mortgage. What are the compromises. The biggest one is absolute loudness. The system makes about 95 dB before the amps run out of puff. At that stage the high end begins to sound harsh to our ears. I suspect this is the case with a lot of valve amps – they are beginning to clip. We have run the Osborns with 360W per side of monobloced Plinius (SA l02 x2) and the speakers will comfortably shift the loudness up but the magic of the Audio Aero valve amps is lost. The speakers are physically imposing and heavy to move. I wish we had a room of about twice the size. Some commentary about the Audio Aero monoblocs – I do not understand why they are not acknowledged in the audio press. The original Audio Aero Capitole 24/l92 cdp was just everywhere being run direct into power amps a few years ago. I remain bewildered that there has not been more press given to this glorious amp. It provides an extraordinary soundstage with the sense of energised air that high quality amps provide. It is at its best at moderate, civilised, domestic volumes. The trans trac triode handing over to tetrode works with believable scaled dynamic changes. I think bass slam is a hifi artefact. Bass occurs as a wave and that is what the Audio Aero does. The midrange is the equivalent of the Quads and the treble in our room is smooth. Above all the system plays music. I know this is heretical but I think of an audio system as a musical instrument and that it is a representation of the recording – a window to the music. I listen to too much live music unamplified to believe that audio systems are even close. The Osborn system remains after five years of ownership the most musically satisfying system I have heard. Finally a word for Greg. I like the fact he spruiks his product. He reminds me of a proud parent. He is supremely helpful and is putting out a product that is a bargain at so many levels. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drizt Posted March 7, 2007 Author Share Posted March 7, 2007 Thanks for that Kevin Any chance of some pictures at some stage.... Been a lot pics of late, its like hifi porn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joz Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 You seem like a well adjusted couple Are you really happy with your system?? :wink: Really,thanks for your write up and insight to your system.Thanks Kevin! Mucho appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Mustud Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 I’ll give this a whirl. A little bit of history. I am blessed with a spouse who thinks that large speakers and big amplifiers are a normal part of existence. When we were students we spent a third of our total income for the year on an audio system – Rega Planar 3 with Linn K9 cartridge, Yamaha cdp, A and R Cambridge A60+ amplifier into Linn Index Plus speakers (all incidentally sitting in a wardrobe in N.Z.) The disease really set in with the purchase of some Lambert(N.Z. ) speakers and relieving a departing overseas brother in law of his Linx (N.Z.) amplification and Arcam Delta 70 player. Sold a car secondary to wife getting job with company car and instead of paying the mortgage bought Meridian 208 cdp and preamp and Quad ESL 63. Shifted to Australia and bought Krell KSA l50 having finally figured out that Quads really like power. We were on an accuracy kick at that stage and a Krell KPS 20 i/l player joined the fray. A decade has passed. Aspirations centering on the ultimate electrostatic so while researching Soundlabs (the internet had arrived) stumbled across Osborn in a Moncrieffe review. Local product and had heard the Epitomes at a show at a hotel near Sydney airport (seriously impressed) some years prior. Rang Greg who said he was coming to Sydney in a month to deliver some speakers and he would drag up some gear for us to have a listen to. He put a system into our lounge which put the ML/Krell system into the shade. We had at that stage listened to a lot of gear in shops pursued a course of accuracy, had realised that reviews needed to be taken with a large grain of salt and had learned to believe in our own opinion regarding whether the sound was right. We attend a lot of “classical†concerts andf are well aware of the sound of a multitude of instruments and halls. I played the trumpet badly as a child, my wife has played the piano to a high level, my sister in law has a performance degree in piano, my kids play viola, violin, cello, saxophone. Basically the system that Greg put up played music with little in the way of compromise that matters to us. We were well aware of the issues of system synergy. We had not heard such a well balanced reproduced sound. I still have not despite listening to some extraordinary systems. We were also well aware of how difficult it is to balance a system. Combining that with our propensity to not take tomorrow too seriously (I have seen too many terrible things happen to people through no fault of their own) we struck a deal with Greg and bought the system. Bankers are a pack of sads anyway – bugger the mortgage. What are the compromises. The biggest one is absolute loudness. The system makes about 95 dB before the amps run out of puff. At that stage the high end begins to sound harsh to our ears. I suspect this is the case with a lot of valve amps – they are beginning to clip. We have run the Osborns with 360W per side of monobloced Plinius (SA l02 x2) and the speakers will comfortably shift the loudness up but the magic of the Audio Aero valve amps is lost. The speakers are physically imposing and heavy to move. I wish we had a room of about twice the size. Some commentary about the Audio Aero monoblocs – I do not understand why they are not acknowledged in the audio press. The original Audio Aero Capitole 24/l92 cdp was just everywhere being run direct into power amps a few years ago. I remain bewildered that there has not been more press given to this glorious amp. It provides an extraordinary soundstage with the sense of energised air that high quality amps provide. It is at its best at moderate, civilised, domestic volumes. The trans trac triode handing over to tetrode works with believable scaled dynamic changes. I think bass slam is a hifi artefact. Bass occurs as a wave and that is what the Audio Aero does. The midrange is the equivalent of the Quads and the treble in our room is smooth. Above all the system plays music. I know this is heretical but I think of an audio system as a musical instrument and that it is a representation of the recording – a window to the music. I listen to too much live music unamplified to believe that audio systems are even close. The Osborn system remains after five years of ownership the most musically satisfying system I have heard. Finally a word for Greg. I like the fact he spruiks his product. He reminds me of a proud parent. He is supremely helpful and is putting out a product that is a bargain at so many levels. Kevin [/b] Thank you very much. I really appreciated that. Not more needs to be said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidsss Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Nice write up Kevin. I totally agree about hifi being about the music. Yes I want some power and slam, but that is also a reflection of seeing a lot of bands in my 20s with very loud PAs. But I want the emotion of the music to come through. I look for different things in different music but my main test of equipment is: 1) whether I find fast rock music exciting (people may not have liked Discoteque (ok understatement ) by U2 at the recent gtg but I bought it on purpose as I find it a good test of this sort of music, and I like it!); 2) does music like soul, classical etc make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up? These are my criteria and I like the way Greg talks about how musical the sound is not how well the equipment measures or whatever. This bias is also why I rail against test discs even if they are just a compilation of music. I think that, as hifi nuts, we all have the potential to drift off into the realm where we listen to equipment rather than music. This is particularly difficult when you are assessing equipment you are looking to buy but we always have to remind ourselves, it's all about the music. To me the best example of this is some of the more jazz oriented music at gtgs really does nothing for me, but, while listening to music which is not your taste offers some insight into the capabilities of the equipment, I reckon a more interesting insight comes from those who enjoy the music being played and their reaction. Bankers are a pack of sads anyway – bugger the mortgage. Kevin [/b] Couldn't have said it better myself, enjoy life now and into the future. DS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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