Shane Hanify Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Gidday folks, just a quick reminder about the VTL day here in ChCh, should be a blast. Kickoff is at 10AM, details in the news thread. I'll post pics / thoughts up tomorrow or Friday. Cheers, Shane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
got tinnitus Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 I went! Many thanks to Tops and PQ for staging the demo. A very nice rig was on display. Wadia/VTL/VTL/ProAc D38/DNM cables. Interesting sound though. I didn't take a CD of my own but impressions were of a system that was kinda grey sounding. Definitely no boom n' tizz but not neutral either. At the time I felt some 'crunch' missing from the mids. But the longer I stayed, the more the system grew on me due to the caressing nature of the system. I love Proac's (have a pair myself with 3" ATC mids) but maybe in this system the weak link were the speakers(?). Or maybe a fully valve pre/amp rig throws too much character into the mix for me... The above comments are not a criticism of course but more to do with my taste. However the system demo-ed will certainly bring lots of pleasure to those lucky enough to own such a rig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electra Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 I have heard a very similar system, and others, with the proac D series speakers, ranging from 28's to the 100's, and none have done much for me at all to be honest!. I feel that ProAc have a far better reputation than product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
got tinnitus Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Personally I reckon Proacs go best with solid state. They are a musical speaker from the get go so matching the appropriate front end is key to getting the desired result, whatever that may be to your ears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ayou21553552688 Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Agreed GT. Proac & valves = , but Proac & solid state muscle = FWIW I've always thought Proac speakers with any more than one woofer are usually in the middle of the field performance wise. Their true speciality is single woofer towers & standmounts IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanman_sg Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 I often found myself looking across at a David Gilmour concert playing on a TV on the other side of the shop. I didn't dance, I didn't cry. But the unfamiliar level of detail was interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
got tinnitus Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 I'm sure some would have cried had there been a made-in-CHCH speaker system in lieu of the ProAc's... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitardude Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 I must admit to a bit of a laugh when I saw this, after the years, nay decades of Bruce and Graeme slagging off VTL/ Wadia and PQ.... Shows what happens when you lose the Naim agency I suppose !! Incidentally no disrespect intended to Bruce or Graeme, they are both great blokes, more a reflection of the supply chain economics. I would have thought that the Listening Post were the agents for VTL, Wadia and ProAc ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aarond1553552714 Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 tanman_sg;96999 wrote: I didn't dance, I didn't cry. But the unfamiliar level of detail was interesting. I like that, you've summed up pages of audiospeak in a single sentence. Well done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanman_sg Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 aarond;97012 wrote: I like that, you've summed up pages of audiospeak in a single sentence. Well done! The real truth is that I know nothing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaka Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Tough crowd ! The obvious question is did any of you hear the previous Sugden/Living Voice combo, and if so which did you prefer ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLChristie Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 guitardude;97003 wrote: I must admit to a bit of a laugh when I saw this, after the years, nay decades of Bruce and Graeme slagging off VTL/ Wadia and PQ.... Shows what happens when you lose the Naim agency I suppose !! Incidentally no disrespect intended to Bruce or Graeme, they are both great blokes, more a reflection of the supply chain economics. I would have thought that the Listening Post were the agents for VTL, Wadia and ProAc ? Interesting hearing from people who went to this. I got the broucher and would have loved to have gone but unfortunitely had other commitments. The line up they had did look pretty impressive. The broucher they sent out really talked up the gear a lot, almost "reading-between-the-lines" putting down other brands out there, and perhaps other brands they used to sell.... Ironic almost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Hanify Posted July 16, 2009 Author Share Posted July 16, 2009 kaka;97019 wrote: Tough crowd ! The obvious question is did any of you hear the previous Sugden/Living Voice combo, and if so which did you prefer ? Yes I did. I preferred the LV speakers to the ProAcs, no question and the big mono Sugdens to the VTLs and although the valve gear did do some things better, I'd still go solid state. It's very much a personal preference thing though. A couple of decades back the party side of me would have gone for the big ProAcs with their ability to thump like a PA system. Cheers, Shane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SugdenA21 Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 kaka;97019 wrote: Tough crowd ! The obvious question is did any of you hear the previous Sugden/Living Voice combo, and if so which did you prefer ? I went to both demos, but went very early to the Wadia/VTL/Proac and it definitely sounded like the system needed more hours on it. Given what I heard, the Sugden/Living voice combo gave me chills and was the first system I've heard locally that could possibly tempt me away from Naim which I am a big fan of. The Sugden/LV made the music come alive in a very special way, and while the images were a little small & the treble was a bit dark, the magnificent way it dealt with the trailing edges of notes was magical. It had a synergy to the sound that made me want to try album after album. The LV speakers reminded me of Harbeth - not that they sounded similar, just that there's something so musical about them that others seem to miss. That's what I want from audio - not characterless 'neutrality', just a bit of magic. I don't think you have to spend mega-bucks to get it either. The Wadia/VTL/Proac was exactly as Shane described to my ears, but I didn't get the chance to compare with the triode setting on the VTLs. It certainly didn't draw me into the music the way the other system had. It just sounded a little bland in comparison. I should have come back to hear it later in the day, but time constraints didn't allow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curiousgeorgenz Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 guitardude;97003 wrote: . I would have thought that the Listening Post were the agents for VTL, Wadia and ProAc ? Ditto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
got tinnitus Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 That's what I want from audio - not characterless 'neutrality', just a bit of magic. I don't think you have to spend mega-bucks to get it either. Too right Greg! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 The Listening Post Christchurch gave up VTL, Wadia and Theta in favour of McIntosh a year or so back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris1553552671 Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Listening Post Chch dropped Proac in 2006 after their new Studio range was released. Castle was also dropped, both brands replaced by Dali. B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanman_sg Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 When I listened to the LV/Sudgen setup (briefly), I just wasn't sure it was really worth the $50k. Now I have heard $100k and the previous setup was definitely worth the sum. The Living Voice speakers had a kind of magic, the Proac's didn't really interact with the room in the same way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilikecrumpets Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Boris;97054 wrote: Listening Post Chch dropped Proac in 2006 after their new Studio range was released. Castle was also dropped, both brands replaced by Dali. B. Sadly Castle closed their doors for the last time in 2006, so it was by attrition rather than dropping the product. The brand has been acquired by IAG, I await their results with baited breath... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris1553552671 Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Ilikecrumpets;97057 wrote: Sadly Castle closed their doors for the last time in 2006, so it was by attrition rather than dropping the product. The brand has been acquired by IAG, I await their results with baited breath... I was told Castle were dropped due to very poor distribution and representation in NZ. I guess closing the doors would do that It's an ever changing market I suppose, and many reasons agencies come and go. I suspect Dali is on the way out at Listening Post now, being specialed off at the moment. Cambridge Audio is another high profile brand they no longer stock. Then there's Plinius replaced by Perreaux, REL replaced by Velodyne, Audiolab replaced by Harvey Norman :eek: Exposure gone as well I think, Shanling a few years ago. Other brands have entered too of course. I have no connection with LP other than as a customer, just what I've observed. Over and out, back on topic now B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electra Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Is this not a sign of PQ imports and the listening post Christchurch just going their own directions, as opposed to being joined at the hip? To be honest, some of their new brands offer more for less, so that's not an issue in my eyes at all. Boris;97060 wrote: I was told Castle were dropped due to very poor distribution and representation in NZ. I guess closing the doors would do that It's an ever changing market I suppose, and many reasons agencies come and go. I suspect Dali is on the way out at Listening Post now, being specialed off at the moment. Cambridge Audio is another high profile brand they no longer stock. Then there's Plinius replaced by Perreaux, REL replaced by Velodyne, Audiolab replaced by Harvey Norman :eek: Exposure gone as well I think, Shanling a few years ago. Other brands have entered too of course. I have no connection with LP other than as a customer, just what I've observed. Over and out, back on topic now B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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