DaViD Boulet
Senior HTF Member
- Joined
- Feb 24, 1999
- Messages
- 8,826
Ugh...Typos...
I meant Final *.3*s (administrators feel free to change the subject accordingly if you want)...
They're in my system.
Final is a Netherlands based company ( Link Removed ) that makes Electrostats. I read many reviews (all indicating they they are superior to Martin Logans) and since the US - contact Bob offered me a 30-day in home trial I figured I couldn't go wrong (nOrhs and AVReality 3-Ds are/were my other possibile new speakers).
I've been living with a pair of Dynaudio Contour 1.8 mkIIs for a while and just haven't been happy. I've got a B&K AVR 202 receiver (don't laugh) which sounds astonishingly good and has enough high-current gusto to drive the dyns. I've heard my dyns on other gear too (like plineus) and just decided I was ready for a change. Bob assured me that the Finals would be fine with my B&K gear (they have a 4 ohm load).
Digital front end is a Pioneer CLD-52 transport, with Audio Alchemy DTI Pro32 (set to 18-bit resolution enhancment...what I think sounds best) feeding my AA 3.0 DAC. Cables are some audiophile Tara stuff that I can't remember the details on.
SOUND
In a word: REVELATION. I have never heard music like this ever. Not on the Dunlevy, Genesis, Wilson, Martin Logans, Dynaudio, Proac, B&W (I used to sell all the above) or any other speaker.
MICRO DETAIL and imaging are outstanding. I didn't believe that CDs contained this level of information. I'm hearing detail and imagine that sounds like LP. These speakers sound exactly like what goes in. One CD sounds smooth an analog (like one mastered on tube gear from the 60s). Another flat and hard (like a DDD from the 80s). It's like when you play your DVDs on a reference projection system and you suddenly realize how bad some of those transfers are...but at the same time you see detail and resolution you didn't know existed on those transfers. The Rennasance (sp) "Ashes are burning" made me swear I was listening to an LP. I literally COULD NOT BELIEVE I was hearing a CD in my system. Gordon Light-foot, same way.
Truly a revelation.
Oh, they can rock too. Mike Oldfield "songs from a distant earth" was yet another rediscovery. WOW. Boston, Toto, and even a bit of techno sounded great.
Imaging goes up 3 or 4 feet above the speakers and a few feet past each outer edge. They are VERY sensitive to placement...an inch or two forward, out, or a few degress angling them makes an very audible difference. But it's not the nightmare I thought it would be. It only took me a an hour or so to get them tuned to where the music was very satisfying. I have them a few feet away from the rear wall and a foot away from the side-walls (about 2 yards apart). Not ideal but my next music/HT room will allow for better placement.
I listened to the Doobie Brothers "Black Water" last night and heard guitars doing things I never heard before. Every CD I play is like hearing it for the first time. This is NOT an exageration. I played music for 2 hours straight until I fell asleep in my chair!!!
Everything up stream makes a difference with these speakers. I changed the dither from none to 18 to 20 (on my pro 32) and heard clear differences. Straight 16 bit digital sounds good...but the midrange is flat. It's not the speaker's fault...they're just being accurate. When I switched to an HDCD disc (theoretically 20 bit decoded) the midrange became audibly more round and lush. The 18 bit dither makes standard CDs more listenable (I don't like the 20 bit setting...too "nasaly" sounding).
Which reminds me. Do any of you have a recommendation for an affordable resolution enhancer? Camelot technologies has a 24/96 upconverter. Just hearing the (to my ears dramatic) difference that the 18 bit dither and HDCD decoding can make...I'd love my next upgrade to be the digital front end of my system. Any suggestions for an affordable audiophile combination let me know!
BASS
Is not as deep or extended sounding as with my Dyns, but it's TIGHT as heck and is possibly the most defined and realistic bass I've ever heard (there's a dynmic driver for the bass...these are hybrid speakers). The bass driver is also almost pefectly integrated with the electrostatic panels...you will not hear a crossover point and you will not hear any obvious anaomolies with the sound as the driver takes over the lower frequencies. AMAZING. The bass imaging is superb...I never thought of bass as being "imaged" before but these speakers image it!!!
They will definitely benefit from a sub for the deeper bass. If Final can such an incredible job with the realistic bass from these drivers I will gladly get their sub to compliment the system.
They have faults...they are certainly bright. Or a better way to say it is that they'll show you how bright the rest of your system is without any politeness. However, the highs are so open, airy, and "feathery" you almost don't mind...again...I didn't know CD could do highs like this. It's VERY LP sounding. If you can tame the brightness in your system prior to the speakers then you'll have an incredible system that will cause your jaw to hit the floor.
I'll post more later but I wanted to get this up before I'm off for thanksgiving. Just wanted to share with you all what I'm experiencing. It's been several years since I've heard a system that caused me to want to rediscover my music collection all over again...and now that system is in my living room!
-dave
I meant Final *.3*s (administrators feel free to change the subject accordingly if you want)...
They're in my system.
Final is a Netherlands based company ( Link Removed ) that makes Electrostats. I read many reviews (all indicating they they are superior to Martin Logans) and since the US - contact Bob offered me a 30-day in home trial I figured I couldn't go wrong (nOrhs and AVReality 3-Ds are/were my other possibile new speakers).
I've been living with a pair of Dynaudio Contour 1.8 mkIIs for a while and just haven't been happy. I've got a B&K AVR 202 receiver (don't laugh) which sounds astonishingly good and has enough high-current gusto to drive the dyns. I've heard my dyns on other gear too (like plineus) and just decided I was ready for a change. Bob assured me that the Finals would be fine with my B&K gear (they have a 4 ohm load).
Digital front end is a Pioneer CLD-52 transport, with Audio Alchemy DTI Pro32 (set to 18-bit resolution enhancment...what I think sounds best) feeding my AA 3.0 DAC. Cables are some audiophile Tara stuff that I can't remember the details on.
SOUND
In a word: REVELATION. I have never heard music like this ever. Not on the Dunlevy, Genesis, Wilson, Martin Logans, Dynaudio, Proac, B&W (I used to sell all the above) or any other speaker.
MICRO DETAIL and imaging are outstanding. I didn't believe that CDs contained this level of information. I'm hearing detail and imagine that sounds like LP. These speakers sound exactly like what goes in. One CD sounds smooth an analog (like one mastered on tube gear from the 60s). Another flat and hard (like a DDD from the 80s). It's like when you play your DVDs on a reference projection system and you suddenly realize how bad some of those transfers are...but at the same time you see detail and resolution you didn't know existed on those transfers. The Rennasance (sp) "Ashes are burning" made me swear I was listening to an LP. I literally COULD NOT BELIEVE I was hearing a CD in my system. Gordon Light-foot, same way.
Truly a revelation.
Oh, they can rock too. Mike Oldfield "songs from a distant earth" was yet another rediscovery. WOW. Boston, Toto, and even a bit of techno sounded great.
Imaging goes up 3 or 4 feet above the speakers and a few feet past each outer edge. They are VERY sensitive to placement...an inch or two forward, out, or a few degress angling them makes an very audible difference. But it's not the nightmare I thought it would be. It only took me a an hour or so to get them tuned to where the music was very satisfying. I have them a few feet away from the rear wall and a foot away from the side-walls (about 2 yards apart). Not ideal but my next music/HT room will allow for better placement.
I listened to the Doobie Brothers "Black Water" last night and heard guitars doing things I never heard before. Every CD I play is like hearing it for the first time. This is NOT an exageration. I played music for 2 hours straight until I fell asleep in my chair!!!
Everything up stream makes a difference with these speakers. I changed the dither from none to 18 to 20 (on my pro 32) and heard clear differences. Straight 16 bit digital sounds good...but the midrange is flat. It's not the speaker's fault...they're just being accurate. When I switched to an HDCD disc (theoretically 20 bit decoded) the midrange became audibly more round and lush. The 18 bit dither makes standard CDs more listenable (I don't like the 20 bit setting...too "nasaly" sounding).
Which reminds me. Do any of you have a recommendation for an affordable resolution enhancer? Camelot technologies has a 24/96 upconverter. Just hearing the (to my ears dramatic) difference that the 18 bit dither and HDCD decoding can make...I'd love my next upgrade to be the digital front end of my system. Any suggestions for an affordable audiophile combination let me know!
BASS
Is not as deep or extended sounding as with my Dyns, but it's TIGHT as heck and is possibly the most defined and realistic bass I've ever heard (there's a dynmic driver for the bass...these are hybrid speakers). The bass driver is also almost pefectly integrated with the electrostatic panels...you will not hear a crossover point and you will not hear any obvious anaomolies with the sound as the driver takes over the lower frequencies. AMAZING. The bass imaging is superb...I never thought of bass as being "imaged" before but these speakers image it!!!
They will definitely benefit from a sub for the deeper bass. If Final can such an incredible job with the realistic bass from these drivers I will gladly get their sub to compliment the system.
They have faults...they are certainly bright. Or a better way to say it is that they'll show you how bright the rest of your system is without any politeness. However, the highs are so open, airy, and "feathery" you almost don't mind...again...I didn't know CD could do highs like this. It's VERY LP sounding. If you can tame the brightness in your system prior to the speakers then you'll have an incredible system that will cause your jaw to hit the floor.
I'll post more later but I wanted to get this up before I'm off for thanksgiving. Just wanted to share with you all what I'm experiencing. It's been several years since I've heard a system that caused me to want to rediscover my music collection all over again...and now that system is in my living room!
-dave