SF Elipsa
I'm a new member to this Forum. Like 1KW, I have a pair of Elipsa's on order and should be receiving them in several weeks. I wanted to comment on the comparison I made between the Cremona M and Elipsa models.
I was very torn between these two speakers as I had read that the Cremona M was very close sonically to the Elipsa. I wasn't sure it made sense to spend the considerable extra $$ for the Elipsa if there was little difference in sound.
I listened to both speakers at Quintessence Audio in Morton Grove, IL.. The setups at Quintessence are always very well done - Mick Servant (the owner) is very particular about adjusting the rake, distance from walls, toe-in etc. I listened to each for 20 minutes or so. I would have preferred a more powerful amplifier, but only a small 30 watt/channel Pathos was fully warmed up. The source used was 96k music files fed into a Berkeley DAC.
The Cremona M sounded very nice. Two things stood out as exceptional: the detailed but sweet top end and the very excellent soundstaging. Currently having Sonics Allegra speakers, I am no stranger to good staging, but the Cremona M was truly a step up. Of course, the large demo room is a positive factor in this. The non-hashy detail on cymbals and brushes was impressive and made the Boz Scagg's song "Whats New" very compelling. I did not particularly care for the bottom end, but I'm sure the amp was a limiting factor here.
On the other hand, the Elipsa's bass sounded very good on the same amp - fuller, more defined and tuneful. In fact, every sonic parameter with the exception of staging sounded better on the Elipsa. The sound was just fuller, yet even more refined. It seemed to present a sound with greater "presence". I will say though that the stage seemed slightly flatter on the Elipsa, with the sound projected more forward and less distant than the Cremona. As I have read elsewhere, the Cremona presents a smaller, more pinpoint image. I prefer the larger sound of the Elipsa, but others may have a different preference.
I hope my comments may be of value to anyone deciding between these 2 very fine loudspeakers.
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