Strata Mini Audition

My wife, Nancy, and I had the pleasure of auditioning a pair of AV123’s Strata Mini speakers today at a fellow AVSer’s house, along with another AVS member who lives in the area. I hope they can chime in with their thoughts as well. For some reason, a prior thread about this audition was removed.

The Strata Mini’s have 2 planar magnetic drivers (tweet and midrange), with a 5.25” mid-bass coupler along with an 8” rear-facing bass driver in its own enclosure with a 350W amp (4-way system).

First, let me give you some background. I am in no measure an “audiophile”. I do not have extensive exposure to very high end systems, although I’ve listened to a few. I do have a strong sense of what is “right” in a sound and also have experience as a recording engineer and have some ability to capture and present the sound that I am looking for. We’ve produced 14 full-length commercial music CD’s and numerous smaller projects in our recording studio. My wife is a musician. She has little interest in audio gear, but lives, dreams, and creates music.

I brought over some of her piano recordings, along with some other favorites to check out the Strata Minis.

First – the piano recordings sounded better than we have ever heard them before. The imaging was stunning. I had close-miced the piano with a wide stereo spread and on the Mini’s, I could close my eyes and “see” each note fall spatially as though there were a keyboard spread between the two speakers. I’ve listened to this same material on many other systems and while I could always hear the stereo spread, I’ve never heard it so precisely located spatially. The upper register was in one word – “brilliant”. The bass was perfect. Full, rich, and clear. Anyone know how hard it is to reproduce the full dynamics and frequency range of a grand piano? Well, these speakers did it better than any I have heard.

Downside- I heard some distortion that I knew was on the recording (actually happened at the mastering house – it’s next to impossible to compress piano w/out artifacts – in fact, it should never be compressed, but I digress), but really cannot hear on most other systems. I heard it clearly on the Mini’s. Sheesh.

One other thing that we noticed is that there is a strong variation of high end energy along the vertical axis. The tweeters are very directional, which yields the incredible imaging, but if you go from standing to seated position, the sound changes significantly. At higher volume levels, the high end of the piano started sounding too pronounced when standing behind the sofa, but sounded great when seated. At normal listening levels, the sound was extremely good regardless of position.

The next material we tried was one of my all-time favorite recordings – Flim and the BB’s Tricycle. This is the acid test CD I use to really hear a system’s dynamics and bass capabilities. (you gotta crank up track 1 and watch people jump about 30 seconds into the track :) ) It was incredible – the bass was as close to perfect as I have ever heard – the impact was dramatic. Not enough woof to rattle the rafters, but the quickness and impact was, well, perfect. I don’t say that lightly and I know that’s a very subjective and arguable word, but I can’t think of any other word to use. How ‘bout perfect to my ears?

IMO, they’ve come up with a design here that answers all the questions for 2-channel audio. The built-in bi- amped woof design, coupled with the clarity and imaging of the planar magnetic drivers with a 5.25” mid-bass coupler to pull it together give it all up without compromise. It’s very well integrated 4-way design.

For HT use, I would still add a big sub. I like to shake the house sometimes. 

Our host today is already planning on an entire 5.1 Strata-based system for his HT when AV-123 brings out the matching center and rears.

Bottom line is that these are the best sounding speakers I have ever auditioned. I have heard one home-built system that approached these (the guy was an uber-geek who spared no expense), but I’d be hard pressed to tell which was better after today.

A quick word about appearance. The photos at AV123’s site don’t do them justice. Anyone familiar with their other products knows that their rosewood veneer is beautiful and these are no exception. With their stylish tilted back design, they make a statement of refined elegance that looked wonderful in our friend’s HT. I hope he can post some pics. I’ve one question for the AV123 crowd – Why call them MINI ? A hand truck is recommended for moving them. I’d hate to see their maxi. :eek:

We also listened to some other material and viewed an Allison Krouse and Eagle’s DVD. We were mesmerized.

Our friend has a beautiful HT. I loved his Sony HS-60. Better image than my aging PLV-70, but I just cannot live without those lumens!

Anyway, I can fully recommend these speakers to any 2-channel aficionado and with the right sub to dual use for HT. Their phantom center imaging was so good, I would almost say they don’t need a center, but that is too huge a leap for me (I’m a center fanatic for HT). We did not do enough video material for me to recommend that with confidence, but I think the potential is there.

I hope anyone who is interested in un-compromised 2-channel sound can have a chance to audition these too. I would be interested to hear other opinions, even (especially) if they differ.

Thanks so much to our host for opening up his home to me. I’m just afraid that now that I have that sound in my head, I’ll be tempted to do something foolish with my credit card.

Gordon

Thanks so much to Craig for opening up his home to me. I’m just afraid that now that I have that sound in my head, I’ll be tempted to do something foolish with my credit card.

I thought your wife was confiscating your cards after the audition.

:D

Not much to add on my part. They certainly were impressive. The finish on them was really sharp, looked much better than I expected.

I don't know if this is criticism or praise, but I will say that these are very unforgiving speakers. If your recording has any kind of distortion they aren't going to hide it. The highs were fast and detailed, bright without being harsh. Bass was nice. You'll still want a sub for HT duty, or if you just really like chest pounding bass (and who doesn't?). But for most two channel listening they'll do fine on their own.

They were better than I expected in every way. I don't know if their price is a huge bargain, but it's certainly not too high.

Anyone else out there have a chance to see/hear the Strata Minis?

Yes , along with a few friends I heard them best a comporable MartinLogan speaker the Mosaic (?)...I'll have to check my notes at work tommorow.

My question for the OP

How well do the integrated bass drivers in the speakers integrate with their sound? I've never really heard a powered speaker that didn't sound boomy or yucky when playing bass loaded music. Also, what did you power them with and what is the tweeter made of?

Anyone else out there have a chance to see/hear the Strata Minis?
Yea! Back on topic. I have had a pair of Minis for about 3 months now. They are being driven by a SP3 and a Denon 3910. I continue to rediscover my CD collection simply due to enjoyment of these speakers. They are absolutely marvelous in every way as you have described.

My other 2 channel system is a pair of Onix Ref 1s, powered by a Jolida SJ302a and a Denon 2910, plus a little Velodyne sub.

Last evening I listened to Pink Floyd's "Final Cut" on both of my 2 channel systems. First I listened to it, end to end, on the smaller system. The ref 1s are fantastic. Then I thought "this would sound even better on my Minis", so I did it all over again. BTW, if you want listening material with serious dynamic range, "Final Cut" fits the bill. Dead quiet to head banging and back in a moment.

The Minis are astonishing. They produce moments that are breathtaking, and literally startling due to the clarity and realism projected. Every time I fire them up I get a smile on my face. They are the best speakers I have ever heard.

I love the ref 1s, but they can't really hold a candle to the Minis.

I am dearly hoping to see a matching center and rears, and have my eye on a pair of the new line source speakers, too.

How well do the integrated bass drivers in the speakers integrate with their sound? I've never really heard a powered speaker that didn't sound boomy or yucky when playing bass loaded music.

They sound really good. Bass is not boomy at all, it's pretty darn tight. It's an 8 inch driver. So it's not going to blow you away in terms of SPL, but it's not wimpy either.

We listened to some music with strong bass, including a Steve Vai album I brought along. No complaints at all. Also listened to some jazz with a string bass and it sounded very realistic.

Also, what did you power them with and what is the tweeter made of?

I think they were running off one of the higher end Yamaha receivers. Unless he's running it as a pre/pro and there were separate amps that I didn't see.

Both the tweeter and mid below it are planar magnetic.

My question for the OP

How well do the integrated bass drivers in the speakers integrate with their sound? I've never really heard a powered speaker that didn't sound boomy or yucky when playing bass loaded music. Also, what did you power them with and what is the tweeter made of?

Hi blackacex2

The bass integration is superb. Not a hint of boominess. Like I referred to earlier, my personal test for "quick" bass and dynamic impact is the Flim and the BB's Tricycle CD. I've never heard it better and I've listened to it on many systems with bass ranging from almost no to over 2000 watts and this is the best integrated I've heard. These handle bass so well, if I had them, and wanted to dual use them for HT, I'd only send a seperate sub the very low end stuff - maybe 20hz cut, but I'd have to work on it to find the best crossover. Like WallyWest said, this is not a huge sub - it's a 8" sealed job (Edit: It's ported - Thanks GBRV) and it complements the rest of the system. I honestly would not want any more for 2-channel listening and I've always wanted a sub even for 2-channel prior to this experience.

An interesting side note about their planar magnetic drivers (tweet and mid) - AV123 implemented them as sealed drivers. Planar magnetic drivers emit out both sides, so most implementations open their rear to take advantage of that (I think of it as an omni mic). Sealing the backside seems to add a lot of focus and directionality, which I believe contributes to the Mini's stunning imaging.

I really don't have a clue what the tweet and mid are made of. One's kinda round and the other is rectangular. :)

Gordon

Hi blackacex2

The bass integration is superb. Not a hint of boominess. Like I referred to earlier, my personal test for "quick" bass and dynamic impact is the Flim and the BB's Tricycle CD. I've never heard it better and I've listened to it on many systems with bass ranging from almost no to over 2000 watts and this is the best integrated I've heard. These handle bass so well, if I had them, and wanted to dual use them for HT, I'd only send a seperate sub the very low end stuff - maybe 20hz cut, but I'd have to work on it to find the best crossover. Like WallyWest said, this is not a huge sub - it's a 8" sealed job and it complements the rest of the system. I honestly would not want any more for 2-channel listening and I've always wanted a sub even for 2-channel prior to this experience.
I will get to audition the Mini's Thursday evening and I am very anxious to do so - might even take some Flim!, but it will be interesting to read some pro reviews with test measurements.

One thing I will admit - while the woofers are wonderful in their own right, adding a sub to the Minis really makes a difference. I have been enjoying my other 2 channel system ( ref 1s, Jolida SJ302a, Denon 2910) with a Velodyne sub, and when I move back and forth, I really miss in the Minis the heavy sub attacks from some of the music to which I listen. I like the mids and highs way more in the Minis, but I had to admit to myself that I really liked that sub as an addition, so last night I wired in my PB12+2s into the 2 channel mix - perfect!!!!!

Any affordable "full range" speaker system will benefit from having a subwoofer.

...Like WallyWest said, this is not a huge sub - it's a 8" sealed job and it complements the rest of the system...Gordon

Just to clarify, the 8" powered woofer is not sealed. Per the AV123 web site posted specifications, it is ported via a flared slot located at the back of the unit, just below the actual 8" woofer.

Gordon -

Nice review, I've been eying the Mini's for an update to my 2 channel system, right now using a pair of X-LS.

Also, are there anymore gatherings in SE PA. planned? I could show my gear - RS1ks, bigfoot and RS250 MkIIs - in exchange for seeing what else is out there.

Gene

I'll show you mine if you show me yours? :D

Something like that! :eek:


I'll show you mine if you show me yours? :D

Gordon,

I must say that I really enjoyed having you and your charming wife, Nancy, over on Saturday to hear these speakers. While we listened to several "reference-quality" recordings and such, the most enjoyable part for me was listening to the compilation disk of your wife's work, as recorded by you. Your insights into the recording process as it relates to the sonic reproduction of the music were eye-opening. Having Nancy add the "emotions" she felt and the "mental images" she saw as the music was being recorded, to the sounds we were hearing made the sonic images so much more believable, intense and, well... human.

It's easy to throw in a hi-rez copy of a recording by some well-known artist and say, "Wow, that sounds incredible on these speakers." It's entirely something else to sit with the artist and the recording engineer and have them say, "Wow, this is the best reproduction of our music we've ever heard." That's what I heard you say last Saturday. I'm gald I was priviledged to experience it.

Craig

Our Pleasure! Seriously.

I'm trying to control my Mini-lust. Credit card would not cover it. We'd need a new house to showcase these beauties. They looked great in your place, with the spots on them against your HT drapes.

Gordon and Nancy

Tomorrow night, Jeff, (pepar) and Gene (etcarroll) are coming over for a listen. Jeff knows the sound of my current system quite well, so his impressions will be very interesting. I just spent the last two hours learning how to switch from my Klipsch Ref./JL Audio F112 system to the Mini's and perform an accurate level match. They're *exactly* 10 dB different at 75 db, according to the receiver's test tones. I also practiced changing the settings from 2.1 for the Klipsch/JL to 2.0 for the Mini's *quickly*. While we can't A/B them, we should be able to do some pretty good, sighted comparisons.

Craig

Nice review Gordon!

In case anyone is not aware, MLS is running a special on a Mini-centric HT package (http://www.**********/products_product.php?section=speakers&product=106)

I'm trying to get this package with a third Mini instead of the Ref 100 for around $250 more.

Nice review Gordon!

In case anyone is not aware, MLS is running a special on a Mini-centric HT package (http://www.**********/products_product.php?section=speakers&product=106)

I'm trying to get this package with a third Mini instead of the Ref 100 for around $250 more.
The grains in the finish on the Mini's I have are beautifully matched. If you get a third Mini, how will you know if it's well-matched? Just a minor concern I would have...

Craig

I hadn't really thought much about that... but I presume people doing full 5 channel arrangements with the Minis would have a similar concern. I'd probably just ask AV123 to make sure that they weren't too dissimilar; a little variation is going to happen regardless with natural wood.

Tomorrow night, Jeff, (pepar) and Gene (etcarroll) are coming over for a listen. Jeff knows the sound of my current system quite well, so his impressions will be very interesting. I just spent the last two hours learning how to switch from my Klipsch Ref./JL Audio F112 system to the Mini's and perform an accurate level match. They're *exactly* 10 dB different at 75 db, according to the receiver's test tones. I also practiced changing the settings from 2.1 for the Klipsch/JL to 2.0 for the Mini's *quickly*. While we can't A/B them, we should be able to do some pretty good, sighted comparisons.
That's good. A quick change with close level match will make it easier to compare to your present system. I'm looking forward to hearing these speakers that others have raved about.

To the poster above - three identical speakers across the front is really the only way to go. And I'd be concerned about timbre match to the surrounds as well. I wouldn't be surprised if they were working on a planar magnetic-based dipole/monopole surround.

Not sure if anyone is aware of this, but Mark is raffling off a pair of Strata Minis at present for $25/ticket - max of 200 tickets to be sold! Darned good odds! go to av123forum.com and the loudspeakers forum for details. There are probably 50 tickets left at this time.

Gordon,

I must say that I really enjoyed having you and your charming wife, Nancy, over on Saturday to hear these speakers. While we listened to several "reference-quality" recordings and such, the most enjoyable part for me was listening to the compilation disk of your wife's work, as recorded by you. Your insights into the recording process as it relates to the sonic reproduction of the music were eye-opening. Having Nancy add the "emotions" she felt and the "mental images" she saw as the music was being recorded, to the sounds we were hearing made the sonic images so much more believable, intense and, well... human.

It's easy to throw in a hi-rez copy of a recording by some well-known artist and say, "Wow, that sounds incredible on these speakers." It's entirely something else to sit with the artist and the recording engineer and have them say, "Wow, this is the best reproduction of our music we've ever heard." That's what I heard you say last Saturday. I'm gald I was priviledged to experience it.

Craig


I sure hope MLS reads this. I can only hope to one day audition the Minis :)

Please be careful with posts that carry av123's marketing water. There has already been one member's thread yanked for that. Apparently, av123 did not ask permission much less pay for advertising on AVS. (Yes, this *is* a for-profit enterprise.) And that violates the Forum Rules.

It's an 8 inch driver in a relatively small sealed enclosure. So it's not going to blow you away in terms of SPL, but it's not wimpy either.It's not a sealed enclosure. It's ported.

Edit I see I was B10 already to this point.

It's not a sealed enclosure. It's ported.

Edit I see I was B10 already to this point.

Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't see an obvious port in the back so I assumed it was sealed. You know how that usually works out. :D

The port is a slot at the bottom of the back of the speaker. It's easy to miss. :)

Craig

Well - I had the pleasure of spending this past Thursday evening with Craig and Jeff, (pepar), auditioning Craig's Strata Minis, and it was quite a pleasure.

First, the 'housekeeping', Craig is a splendid bloke to have allowed me, a complete stranger, access to his home. He and Jeff are already acquainted, so after brief intros, and Craig's opening of a fine Pinot Noir, we moved onto his theater.

As Craig noted in an earlier post, in prep. for this he had "... just spent the last two hours learning how to switch from my Klipsch Ref./JL Audio F112 system to the Mini's and perform an accurate level match. <snip> I also practiced changing the settings from 2.1 for the Klipsch/JL to 2.0 for the Mini's *quickly*.<snip>" For the initial test, the music featured the vocals of Chaka Chan. Post listening, the agreed on feeling was that the Klipsch setup did a fine job of a speaker reproducing Ms. Chan's voice, but the Minis made you feel like Ms. Chan was in the room with you. Amazing.

Then Craig broke down the Klipsch setup, and the Minis owned the stage. Appearance-wise, they are gorgeous, though I wasn't surprised by that as I've owned a Rocket 5.1 setup in Rosewood for 2 years. It was neat seeing them in a different environment though.

What followed was 2 hours of listening to a variety of source material, both things I brought, and Craig's own. The following is just the highlights. As Gordon mentioned, the Minis have very nice focus and directionality, leading to superb imaging. This was shown over and over again as we went through rock, jazz, bluegrass/country/rock in stereo and surround formats.

On "High How the Moon" from Joe Pass' 'VIRTUOSO', I was most impressed with the Minis' ability to reproduce Joe's fingers flying across the frets. You could hear the individual chords being plucked. There was another noise I couldn't place, Jeff opined it was the sound of Joe's pick scraping the string just prior to actually being set and 'picked' by Mr. Pass, and I believe Jeff may have been correct.

Craig had a SACD recording of "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits, and I heard synthesizer work in the background I was never aware of, though I have the re-mastered stereo CD and listen to it constantly, scary!

I had brought the dual disk version of ‘KIND OF BLUE’ by Miles Davis, and on the lead track of the CD side it was a delight listening to Miles' trumpet.

Now, there was also one negative here with the Minis which Gordon mentioned in his previous post. This is a re-mastering of an old recording, with all the faults of the original mastering. And in quiet passages, the Minis faithfully reproduced the background hiss and noise. No fault of the Minis mind you, just something to be aware of.

One shocker to me, after listening to concert footage of the Eagles playing Joe Walsh's "Funk #49", with Joe stylin' on the guitar, I next asked to listen to Steely Dan and "Reelin’ in the Years". This song, and 'Skunk' Baxter's guitar work in it, is what made me move from AM transistor radios to my first FM receiver in high school. And Jeff, 1972 was the magic date for this. However, this CD version of a song following so closely on the heels "Funk #49" with it's greater dynamic range allowed the Minis to show what compression of the CD version does to music. Needless to say, I was slightly depressed by having one of my favorite songs of all times cast in a less flattering light. Again, not a failure of the Minis, rather, just them showcasing their strengths, by pointing out weakness in the source material.

There was one issue I found with the Minis, and it occurred towards the end of our evening. At some point during the evening the speaker covers, which had been off, had been placed back on the Minis. While listening to the title track of Donald Fagen's "Morph the Cat", I thought to myself the sound really was off. Jeff thought the vocals were hard to discern, which surprised me as I love this recording at home due to its quality of presentation. However, I listen to the 5.1 DTS version, and we had the stereo version playing, I assumed that was the issue. But then we put on some acoustic Seal, and on "Killer" I realized the clarity and presence of the Minis was very much off, so asked Craig to remove the speaker covers. Instantly, the superb sound returned. As a result, I would recommend those auditioning, much less buying, Minis do so with an eye to leaving the covers off. Especially if listening at reference levels, as I believe Craig had set up his system for our testing.

Bottom line, these are fine speakers, with a truly excellent soundstage, especially if you're sitting in the sweet spot. Their bass response led me to ask 3 times during the night for verification that the subwoofer from Craig's HT hadn't been accidentally left on. As Gordon mentioned, they also do a fine job creating a 'phantom center'. Just watch out for the covers, they are thick, closely surround the drivers, and may lead to some sound diffraction that 'deadens' the Minis presentation.

And my heartfelt thanks to Craig for inviting me over to listen with him, Jeff, and drink his wine. :)

I had the pleasure of visiting craigjohn again Thursday evening and hearing the subject speakers. After being poured the requisite glass of red wine (2003 Concanon Petit Sirah), we went downstairs to look at the Mini's. I asked about planar magnetic drivers and electrostatic drivers. Craig removed a grill cover and I looked closer. Right about then etcaroll rolled up and we went upstairs to greet him - and pour him a glass of wine. Soon we were back downstairs; Gene brought a fistful of demo material and we got down to it.

We listened to a variety of music - Miles, an AIX DVD-A, Beatles Love, and a few others. (See Gene's post above for specifics.) Chaka Khan was the first up and the only real A/B with Craig's Klipsch speakers. The Klipsch are very good, but when Chaka was switched to the Mini's, I was immediately impressed with the mids and highs. Most of the time Gene sat in the sweet spot and Craig and I hovered behind. After a white, Craig removed the other cover. When I did get to sit I noticed nice staging and very nice depth; everything seemed to have just the right amount of presence. And the bass sounded great. After a few more pieces, I got up to place the covers back on. The lights were bright hitting the Mini's and I became annoyed with the color of the stained rosewood. (Don't ask.) We next listened to Norah Jones. Hmmm, seemed a bit veiled. Gene asked to have both covers removed and holy sh1t! what a difference. What a dramatic difference with covers and no covers. If I owned these speakers, I doubt that I would ever have the covers on.

Gene and Gordon have done such a good job expressing their observations that I'll only add one or two of mine. While I really liked the mids and highs, I thought the lower mids were a bit lacking. The bass was generally impressive, especially considering the 8" driver. However, I noticed that it seemed a bit inconsistent; on some material, it sounded great. But on others a bit thin and/or tubby. Craig had mentioned that he could not get it as flat - with his SMS-1 - as his new JL Audio subwoofer with his Klipsch system. This leads me to surmise that the mix of some material happened to benefit from some peaks, while other material's spectrum fell at flat and/or null parts of the system/room response. Many times - nearly always? - the placement of our L&R speakers is NOT the best spot for subwoofers and the SMS-1's inability to flatten the Mini's in Craig's room may very well be due to that.

I've recently listened to some of the material that we heard on a system with a healthy bottom end and I missed the bottom end kick in the chest. I especially missed it on Babylon Sisters. Bottom line for me on the Mini bottom? I would still use a (real, honest-to-goodness) subwoofer. For many, however, I'm sure the Mini will do just fine. I loved the mids and highs and the imaging. Presence and depth were stunning revealing layers and layers and even s few licks here and there not proviously noticed.

Thanks again, Craig. And very nice to meet you, Gene. I look forward to our next get together!

Wow guys, thanks for putting those impressions up.

Sorry if I missed it earlier in the thread but what source/processing/amp equipment was used for this audition?

Great posts, Gene and Jeff. I couldn't agree more with everything said. I too was surprised at the difference with the speaker grill covers on and off. In fact, they haven't been back on since you were here. The grill covers are about 3/8" thick MDF with cutouts that surround the speakers. I suspect there is some diffraction off the MDF frames that caused the effect we heard.

The other comment I'd like to make about these speakers is to emphasize their imaging capabilities. Sitting in the "sweet spot", the phantom center image produced by these stereo speakers is unbelievable. At times, it's actually *better* than the "hard" center image of my Klipsch RC-7. Phantom voices (voice images mixed in both the L & R channels to be heard as an "image" between the speakers) are more "pinpoint" than if they are mixed into the CC and actually originate from the center speaker. In addition, this speaker system has front soundstage depth that is better than anything I've heard before. You can hear background singers "behind" the main voice(s). You can hear percussion sounds that seem to be further away than the vocalists or the main musicians, yet still in appropriate volume balance.

OTOH, this 3-dimensionality of the *front* soundstage is not the same as the 3-dimensionality of a good multi-channel system, which "immerses" you in the soundstage. It's virtually impossible to duplicate the immersiveness of MC with a stereo pair of speakers. Even though the 3-dimensional depth and width of the front soundstage of these two speakers is unprecedented in my experience, I find that I miss the immersiveness of a full 5.1 channel surround sound system. (Of course, the *perfect* solution would be a 5.1 SS system designed around these speakers, which I believe av123 is working on. :) )

To answer the question about associated equipment, I have a Yamaha RXV-4600, (130 wpc) driving them. The speakers are connected at speaker level, with the supplied jumpers used to send the signal to the woofer amps. IOW, they are not Bass Managed at the receiver, so the amps are being driven full-range.

The sources are a Sony DVD player and an Oppo 970 SACD/DVD-A player. The Sony is connected via HDMI and used in 2.0 stereo (in the receiver, the speakers are set to large and sub is off). We only listened to standard CD's through the Sony.

The Oppo is connected via the analog jacks and the BM was set in the player, (the speakers set to large, sub off). We listened to all the hi-rez tracks (DVD-A/SACD) on the Oppo. On all the hi-rez discs, we listened to the hi-rez stereo versions if they were available. Otherwise the player down-mixed the output to 2-channel, (actually, now that I think about it, everything had a 2-channel track, so the player did not have to downmix anything.)

Gene commented that he thought I was running the system at "reference" level. I was actually running it at 3 dB below reference, which is still quite loud. However, when we put on Donald Fagan's, Morph The Cat, I initially turned the volume up to +5. The bass on this disk is *incredible* and we quickly found the "limits" of the Mini's bass response. I immediately turned the volume down to "0" and things were fine again.

Jeff alluded to the Velodyne SMS-1 Digital EQ. I actually did not use it to "EQ" the woofers. I only used it to view their FR with the SMS-1's test sweeps and the OSD. I used the Mini's integral controls, (level, crossover and phase) to "optimize" the curve I was seeing on the OSD. I spent several hours with real time trial-and-error, getting the FR's as close to flat as I could. I ended up with curves that were +/- 6 dB from 80 Hz down to the LF extension point of 27 Hz. Not "great", as +/- 6 dB is still a 12 dB fluctuation, and it certainly explains Jeff's impressions of the bass response:
This leads me to surmise that the mix of some material happened to benefit from some peaks, while other material's spectrum fell at flat and/or null parts of the system/room response.

However, it's not nearly as bad as the start point, which was +/- 15 db, (a 30 dB fluctuation). To be clear, these fluctuations are not the fault of the speaker. They are the interaction of the speakers with each other and with the room. I don't know how you would begin to integrate a pair of woofers like these *without* some kind of test equipment like the SMS-1. The most difficult thing to integrate is the phase setting for each of the subs. A minor change of the phase on one speaker equates to a major change of FR for the "system". In any event, the point is that I did not use the SMS-1 as an EQ; only as a visualization/optimization device, and it helped me to get a fairly good in-room FR for the two woofers.

I have attached a pic of the Mini's. They are a rosewood finish, and the finish is absolutely gorgeous. However, the rosewood is a a fairly bright "red" wood, with a darker, deeper wood grain. The curtains behind my speakers are a deep burgundy red. Jeff's comment about the stained rosewood being "annoying" is probably analogous to my impression that the rosewood visually clashes with the deep burgundy of the curtains. If I were to make a set of Mini's a permanent fixture in my HT, (which is a distinct possibility), I would want a different finish, (probably Piano Black). (My wife spent many hours *handmaking* the curtains... so changing the curtains would be a much more onerous task than changing the finish color of the speakers. :D )

Later today, I plan to set the Mini's up as the front speakers in a 4.1 system with my Klipsch surrounds and the JL Audio F112 sub. I don't think I'll use the Klipsch CC. It would probably not be a good timber-match for the Mini's. Besides, the Mini's image so well, I shouldn't need it. Also, because of the widely different sensitivities, it might be difficult to integrate. I may have the same problem with the surrounds.

The setup of the subwoofer and the powered woofers will also be interesting. I'll have to play around with the Bass Management to see what works best. I'm thinking that a setting of "Small" with a 60 Hz crossover will be the ticket, but I'll try different crossovers and the "Large" setting to see how that works. In addition, my receiver has a "Both" setting were it sends the subwoofer signal to both the sub and the mains. I'll try that also. Lastly, I can connect the woofer amps at line level, daisy-chained off the JL. That could be a *very* interesting combination.

Craig

I got a chance to hear the Minis last night and I would echo what Craig said. The imaging both left/right and front/center is the best I have heard. (Granted I haven't heard many high end speakers)

The depth of the imaging was startling. Very impressive.

My pair of Mini's arrived Thursday for auditioning. I set them up Friday and started to break them in and already noticed a much deeper sound stage. My PSB T65's are a little "forward" so this was a pleasant change. Unfortunately as I put in LOTR The Two Towers the Yamaha 2095 I have been using as a pre decided to stop processing the center channel. Was out of town yesterday and most of today but stopped by BB and picked up an RX-V661 and then hit Costco to grab a Toshiba HD-D2 while they are only $249. Should have it all set up tonight. If anyone in the Austin area is intrerested in a listen let me know.
Equipment is (now) Yamaha RX-V661, Outlaw 770, Velodyne CHT-10, DirecTV H20, Dlink DSM-520, Toshiba HD-D2 and a Yamaha CDC-635 changer. I know how I will be spending my time tomorrow. I will have to take the grills off (after I try out the new receiver for awhile since it will most likely already introduce a "different" sound than my older Yamaha) to listen for any change.

Has anyone who has heard the mini's also heard the vandersteen 2CE sigs or 3A's? If so, could you compare notes on them?

I love my Vandersteen speakers, but my daughter already managed to punch a hole through the sock of one of them...how I will never know, but it happened. :( I am looking for something in the same price range that I can emotionally connect with like I can with the Vandersteen's (I know, that sounds a little...feminine).

Thanks!