[crwilli]

Originally Posted by Bodhisattva

Hi Ken, I thought i'd chime in as I previously owned Infinity Renaissance 90's which share some DNA with Revel and own an Aesthetix Romulus cdp. I also own more 'modest' speakers (Magico S5's), though I only know the Vandy 7's by reputation. The Vandy 7's are great speakers, but for that money I could have bought both my current S5's & Vitus amp and still be very happy. I know the Vandy 7's are great speakers. And I could have bought a pair had I settled for more modest amplification. I think it's more important however to keep your system balanced and optimize what you have to get the best synergy. For example, Magico & Vitus have known synergy, and the SIA-025 is the sweet spot in the Vitus range imho & is more romantic than an SS-101 for example. With the terrific value Aesthetix cdp, I am very happy with the sound which at only about 90hrs is already sounding wonderful. In saying that, I am planning a front end upgrade of the same order of magnitude as Vandy 7's. My view is, the S5's are good enough and i'm better off investing more money in my front end and preamp, optimize those components with the best isolation and consider upgrading critical power cables later on. I think this approach smokes a lesser front end and amp paired with super speakers like the Vandy 7's. But even with my current Aesthetix tube player, the sound is great and i'm not left wanting, well perhaps only for my gear to run in! Btw, i'm not sure if you're aware, Revel used Infinity Omega speakers to voice their Revel Gems years ago Here is a small photo -

Just catching up with your comment regarding voicing of the Revels.

When I bought the F52's, I was considering B&W 803s. I chose the Revels as they were not as bright or forward in the midrange and seemed more natural to me. I like that about the Infinity reference speakers as well. All the imaging you need but they are never bright or harsh.