Ratamahatta 437 Posted September 29, 2013 Posted September 29, 2013 Like I need another set of speakers right now but a buddy of mine owns a pawn shop and I Went in today and they had a pair of near mint piano black Vienna Acoustics Mozart Grand speakers, they said they would do 500 out the door, I have read really good things about this company and these speakers, They retailed for about $2700 pair. any opinions or thoughts? Anyone own these or have heard them? Thanks In advance. Not actual speakers but look just like it.
SteveFord 1,119 Posted September 29, 2013 Posted September 29, 2013 Nope, can't help you there. Ask about some planar speakers, that I can help you with!
Belvedere2 232 Posted September 29, 2013 Posted September 29, 2013 They look real nice. Remind me of NHTs. Give em a listen. 1
Retriever 1,127 Posted September 29, 2013 Posted September 29, 2013 That's a pretty fancy name on them there speakers. Give them a listen see if they speak to you. Ps Got a VSOP master Cd I bought in Vienna I could send you... 1
Ratamahatta 437 Posted September 29, 2013 Author Posted September 29, 2013 Its been pretty bare around here for planar speakers lately, some Maggies but nothing I would really want. I sold the Carver AL3 plus because I could not get them to sound good in here with these low ceilings. They were fixing to close and did not have much in the way to hook them up to so I did not listen to them but will Monday.
SteveFord 1,119 Posted September 29, 2013 Posted September 29, 2013 I forgot to mention that if you find some older Maggies or Martin Logans or what have you, be sure to contact the factory before purchase as some of them just can not be repaired and then you're up the creek without a paddle. 1
Ratamahatta 437 Posted September 29, 2013 Author Posted September 29, 2013 I forgot to mention that if you find some older Maggies or Martin Logans or what have you, be sure to contact the factory before purchase as some of them just can not be repaired and then you're up the creek without a paddle. It seems that the only time people get rid of their Maggies is when they have a problem with them. I have looked at two sets they said were fine and the wires were coming unglued so I passed. There is a guy selling some MG1.5 QR for $575 firm.
oldtexasdog 2,456 Posted September 29, 2013 Posted September 29, 2013 Very nice speakers I looked at and auditioned a pair when I was speaker shopping (they actually made it to my short list). I personally found them to be a -how do I say this---brightt or precise sounding for my ears. I settled with a pair of B&W 805's if that tells you anything. I would shag my amp (if you can) down there and take a reference CD (at least) with you and give them a listen. The price is certainty right!!.AG says the average price has been around 1770.00! PS I had the chance to listen to a pair of ARX A5 speakers the other day-blown away! @ 850.00 new. 1
weitrhino 1,443 Posted September 29, 2013 Posted September 29, 2013 Heck, if the shop owner is a buddy of yours why can't he let you take them home for a test drive?
Ratamahatta 437 Posted September 29, 2013 Author Posted September 29, 2013 I can certainly understand why he would not let me take them for a demo and I would not even ask, I don't lend out anything either. I will go tomorrow and give them a listen as best I can in the shop. If I like the way they sound I will probably throw them on lay away. If I get them and just don't like them I can probably get my money back out of them. Thanks for the info and heads up on the ARX A5's Certainly cant afford that right now but thanks anyway.
snow 240 Posted September 30, 2013 Posted September 30, 2013 Very nice speakers I looked at and auditioned a pair when I was speaker shopping (they actually made it to my short list). I personally found them to be a -how do I say this---brightt or precise sounding for my ears. I settled with a pair of B&W 805's if that tells you anything. I would shag my amp (if you can) down there and take a reference CD (at least) with you and give them a listen. The price is certainty right!!.AG says the average price has been around 1770.00! PS I had the chance to listen to a pair of ARX A5 speakers the other day-blown away! @ 850.00 new. Great info James. It looks like if there in good shape even if you did not like the sound of them you could flip for a profit and buy a Carver amp with the extra REGARDS SNOW 1
Ratamahatta 437 Posted October 1, 2013 Author Posted October 1, 2013 OK well after thinking about it I decided just to get them, I didn't want to risk them getting messed up on lay-away. Initial impression, WOW! Very natural and "precise" sounding. I can see what you mean about that. Huge sound stage, Just impressed all the way around. The grills are meant to be on when playing and it makes a difference. Everything comes across well, Corey Taylor's vocals on Bother played directly to my soul. Amy Lee's vocals had the same result and sounded well balanced. Yanni sounded like his piano was in my living room, all the string instruments were well rounded, and percussion was well defined, you get the picture. Bass response is on par with the Sony, pretty good but better with a sub. So far I am ecstatic with both finds. Which one sounds better, I will grind that axe for a long time but it will be fun! These pics are actual.
zumbini 6,147 Posted October 1, 2013 Posted October 1, 2013 Those are beautiful speakers! Glad that they sound as good as they look. 1
Ratamahatta 437 Posted October 9, 2013 Author Posted October 9, 2013 Initial impressions are very good, Smooth, accurate, great sound stage, definitely the best $500 speakers I have ever got, but not the best $580 speakers. Yeah the Sony sound better, not by a huge margin, but yeah they do. There are a few albums that sound phenomenal on the Viennas but some are laid back slightly. They supposedly upgraded all that with the SE edition version. But I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for great sound.
BarryG 2,853 Posted October 9, 2013 Posted October 9, 2013 They look great, what a spectacular find! Enjoy the music! BarryG 1
TNRabbit 371 Posted October 9, 2013 Posted October 9, 2013 Interesting; I've never seen speakers with clear cones before. 1
oldtexasdog 2,456 Posted October 9, 2013 Posted October 9, 2013 Try moving them a little further out from the walls then back in-they are sensitive to placement and distance from the wall. Then play with toe in and out. 1
Ratamahatta 437 Posted October 9, 2013 Author Posted October 9, 2013 Yeah I did play with that some and did put them further out, I did find optimum toe in but the Sonys are back now, I am sure they will come back sometime soon.
Ratamahatta 437 Posted October 13, 2013 Author Posted October 13, 2013 After hours of critical listening and relentless comparison between the two I am ready to give my short reviews. The Sony are some of the most detailed and accurate speakers I have ever heard, They're quick and the dynamics are great. There are details I hear in music I simply have not heard before. On Alice in Chains Unplugged (one of my reference CD’s) I can hear some stray fret buzzing on the guitar, I have never heard it before and it comes through so clearly on these, I can even hear mumbling conversation between band members during intros to songs. And just about everything I listen to its the same thing, just minor details other speakers left out. Sound stage is huge and accurate, you can pinpoint every instrument on stage they simply disappear when you start listening. Mids and highs just simply shine, bass response is good, tight, punchy, it just does not go all the way to the bottom but hey that's what subs are for. The only minor drawback is when listening to these at high volume the mids can get a bit fatiguing on some passages, I have read some other reviews where the same thing was observed, even on the M9’s. I might try and see if there is a fix for this in the future but really not a big deal, their attention to detail and accuracy more than make up for it and I don't really listen that loudly anymore. The Viennas are also a great speaker that not much escapes getting reproduced with up most accuracy. These don't have the same details as the Sony but superb nonetheless. The sound stage is wide and full. These are just an easy to listen to speaker with no fatigue. These are also a very transparent speaker as well, they too also just disappear. Highs are shimmering mids are full and since I am a drummer the snare sound particularly excellent, Every ghost note and every subtle ride cymbal tap hi hat sizzle comes through accurately and completely just like they were right there. Vocals sound natural and come through clearly. bass response on these are great as well, surprising considering their size, tight, responsive, natural and a touch more substantial than the Sonys. As with the Sonys though, they sound better with a sub. The only drawback on these are that some albums are mildly laid back in the mids. I am guessing that's why they made the ES line as I hear they addressed this issue. It does not really bother me and they sound fantastic. Both of these are excellent speakers and I enjoy listening to both immensely. Both are fussy about set up but not really too bad. In the end I have to give it to the Sonys just for details I don't hear on the Viennas, and that's about it, they are different but both have their own unique magic and I can highly recommend either to any serious music fanatics.
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