Esteban...question for you. Are you going to be buying the Elipsa SE's from a local dealer? If yes, do they have a similar sized room? Also, can you take your PrimaLuna integrated with you to test out on the speakers? If the answers to all three are yes, then that would be my first attempt at assessing suitability of the Elipsa SE with a room your size and powered by your amp. It may be that you find that the Elipsa SEs play nice in a room similar in size to yours, which should give you the confidence that it can work in your room but that maybe a change in amplification may be needed to make them sing (or not). I don't know. But that is one avenue of enquiry that may yield enough risk-mitigation to give you the comfort to go ahead with the purchase. This is assuming the local dealer will not bring them over for you to audition in your space of course :D. The other avenue is to send Bill a PM, in case he does not see this thread (which is likely these days given his new responsibilities at Transparent) and get his most valuable input on the subject as I am sure he will have an informed opinion, especially since he has been to your room and voiced the Toys in them.

Good luck :thumbsup:

The current team is more involved in the design of Elipsa SE. If you really like the classic sound and design that is pretty much remain intact...Strad is it, you will happier for a long haul and it is a better speaker overall.

They will sound fantastic , I'm using the Elipsa in my 2 channel room which is about the same size as yours

Thank you all for the replies. Bart, more than I likely I would purchase these new. Unless I miraculously come across a mint pair in my neck of the woods, and the price is right. :)

Cyril, my dealer does not currently have a pair in stock. He would have to order them for me. He's been in my room several times and he also thinks they will work. He believes the wider cabinet will help with side reflections as well. I will try and message Bill as well, and ask for his advise.

Larevoj, there is no way I could afford the Strads, much as I love them, and I think they would definitely be too big. If I understand correctly, the original Elipsas were developed by Cesare Bevilacqua, with input from Serblin. The Elipsa SE was brought to market long after Serblin had sold the company, but it has the same tweeter as the Strad and an upgraded crossover. It is, in essence, a "mini" Strad, as they always call it.

I have a pair of the Elipsa SEs driven by an ARC Ref 110 tube amp. My room is 12' x 22'. It is section into two parts, the library listening part and office part. The listening part is about 12' x 15' so I don't think your room size would be a problem.

If you are buying from a dealer I would ask to hear the speakers with your amp. If I liked the sound I would then ask the dealer for a home demo. The speakers are large and heavy so he may not be thrilled. But at this price level I would want to hear them in my room with my system.

I did this with my pair of Elipsa SEs. My dealer brought his demo pair to my home and set them up in my room. He positioned them and set the toe in and rake so they sounded their best. This took and hour or so. After about a week I was so enamoured with the SEs, I called and asked him what it would take for me to just keep the demos right were they are.

The dealer must think your serious about the speakers though to go through this much effort. My Sonus Faber dealer is also my Audio Research dealer so I have been a long time customer who has bought a number of pieces.

The Elipsa SEs are very special speakers. They are like baby Strads. I think you would be very happy with them. I know that I am.

Beautiful speakers, and I'm sure they will be magical in your room.

Hope all is well with you Esteban.

I agree with your dealer. Your room should work very nicely for Elipsa SEs. I'd love to hear them there. Side walls will not be an issue. :thumbsup:

Bill

Esteban.......Well, there you have it. :)


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Bill...what do you think about Esteban's Primaluna Dialogue One integrated amp (36wpc into 8ohm in ultralinear mode and 18wpc in triode mode) for the Elipsa SEs? Enough power? Enough current (don't know peak current output on the amp)? Just curious...

Cyril.......When I reviewed the PrimaLuna ProLogue Premium integrated amplifier I had no real issues driving my Sonus faber Amati Anniversario speakers. The PrimaLuna ProLogue Premium delivers 40 watts with KT88 tubes (35 watts with EL34 tubes). I did managed to clip the amplifier at one point while listening to a Paul Hardcastle recording at about 1:00 o'clock on the volume control with the strong kick drum throughout a particular tune, but turning down the volume slightly solved the issue. No 35 watt or 40 watt amplifier is a "perfect" match for most modern speaker designs but in a small room you can still achieve robust volume with this power level. Considering the 91 dB sensitivity of the SF Cremona SE speakers I suspect Esteban will be pleased with his Primaluna Dialogue One performance although he may eventually seek an amplifier with more power.