Well, tax refund time is coming, and I haven't bought myself anything in quite a while. I have a LOT of listening to do, and I'm definitely not rushing into anything. New York is a great place to demo gear - I must have 20 good stores within 50 miles! Was thinking about maybe selling my Studio 60s, buying a new pair of speakers (the most fun change for me!), and possibly a tubed integrated for my livingroom stereo. I can then put the Rotel separates in the bedroom. All of this is, of course, IF I can find stuff that "blows away" my current humble gear...

My demo included Conrad-Johnson SS separates. We listened to my Minu Cinelu, Keb Mo, Tim (?) Waits (sp?) and a few other things. The five speakers we listened to ranged from $2200 to $4K. I'll start by saying the set-up was bad, and everything (except the Spendor) seemed a bit bright. I would bet a home demo would be more telling... I say this because EVERY pair of speakers I (or my friends) bought or demoed did indeed sound better at home. Not sure why. Also, we listened in the right one-third of the room... boundaries were far from equidistant. At least I got to get a feel for each in the SAME room. If any of these were in a "final round", I would ask to borrow them for a few days.

First was the Spendor S6. These was a bit of a let down... quite "hooty" sounding. Sorry - I don't pretend to have a grasp of every imaginary "audiophile" term, but I think you get my drift. I understand these are a low level model, but they WERE $2200. My M20s eat them for lunch in any area. The top was smooth, but dynamics were lacking. The store said if I didn't like these, I probably wouldn't like anything from the company unless I ponied up $5K - maybe, maybe not. I suppose I would have to get into a higher level series. For some reason, I'm not discounting Spendor yet!

Next were the Joseph Audio RM25s - these were good. They are nicely balanced, coherent, and revealing. Bass was pretty deep and tight. Nice cabinetry, about $3500. These "smelled" (and sounded!) of quality.

The Legacy Classics were up next... again, a bit of a disappointment. With twin 10" woofers, I was expecting some serious bass. My Revels (with a 6.5") at least "appear" to dig deeper. Illusion? A function of the room? Dunno. The rest of the presentation was OK, but no lust factor at all. Cheesy enclosure (looked like the banal finish on my Dayton BR1s), forgot the price but I believe well under $3K.. The rear ambient tweeter didn't seem to do anything for the soundstage - probably due to poor positioning.

My salesman (a store ower?) is actually making his own speakers, "Aural". He is a young guy, but seemed quite knowelgeable These were a 3-way with a stepped-baffle. Probably the most "open" of the 5, but I thought there was too much upper mid energy. They did, however, reveal the pluck of the string quite well... piano also sounded good . Maybe he'll be famous one day...

The suprise for me were the Dali Helicon 400s.They employed twin 6.5"s, a soft-dome and a small ribbon, IIRC. These were on the smoother side of things with a gorgeous, lute-shaped, heavily lacquered Rosewood enclosure. These were the most sonically similar (of the 5) to the Josephs, and were my faves of the lot along with the RM25s - the looks are a bonus. $4K retail. The store said ALL of these speakers would be subject to a hefty discount.

I suppose I have also learned the value of my Revels - none of these "bowled me over", even at twice the price. Hell, I don't even have esoteric electronics. I also must admit I didn't think my speakers were that great in the store... too brash. I had to take them home to see what the fuss was about. It was a night and day difference.

So, that was my fun for the day. Next up will be the Von Schweikerts, Harbeths, more Spendors and a company you probably have never heard of - "Audio Note". They are a redesign of old Snells, and the owner's name is Pe... HA! Ya didn't REALLY think I was serious, didja? ;^P

Now... as far as integrateds go, that Prima Luna looks interesting... :*)