Quote:
Originally Posted by audiot servant
I tried a WB Torus with the 20.7s for a week a couple of months back. I really liked it but like everything in audio it posed as much of a dilemma as it did a solution.
First up having owned 3.7s I'd think that with these it would be a no brainer. With 1.7s as great as they you miss out on that fantastic tweeter and this would probably become even more noticeable with the added extension of the sub.
The 3.7s (not so much 3.7i tho) always called out for the extra hertz down low. The Torus is capable and fast enough to get reasonably well integrated with the Maggie's ribbons. A very seductive pairing for sure.
With the 20.7s the trade for hertz by running with a Torus didn't make quite completely as much sense. With a SS amp the slight loss of coherency was a bit more noticeable as it crossed to the carbon fibre driver but for some styles of music still quite a plus. The best outcome was actually going over to a 250 watt pair of El34 triode monos for the panels and then the difference in bass integration just seemed less noticeable and the rich plushness of the mids was a definite win and covered many of the sins of integration between the different drivers beautifully. I could easily run with the subs when it gave the advantage of also swapping across to valves for everything above the sub.
I'd think the 3.7i with some sweet valve power and a WB torus infrasonic for infrasonic sub would likely be fairly extraordinary.
With the 20.7s the Torus perhaps becomes more of a fantastic optional indulgence but not so much of a complete win/win. The extra gained for the 20.7s still comes at a price. I'd love a pair for those other occasions tho.
Graham
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Thanks, Graham - this very useful. I have 1.7s at the moment but am considering upgrading. Your analysis would suggest that I could either go 3.7i with WB Torus (about £12,500 here in the UK) or straight to 20.7 (£16,500). Either would be within budget but the 20.7 with WB Torus at about £22,500 starts to break the bank. Any further thoughts on this choice?