[cmarin]

Hi Ken,

Yes I’ve had a pair of Rockport Lyras since August of last year.

And yes it’s all about synergy in system integration including the room and incoming power.

But let me bore you with a few details of my experience with the Lyras.

First, I’ve had a number of speakers over the years including Magico V3s, Magico M5s, Magico Q7s and the Magico Q7mkIIs.

I’ve also had the opportunity, due to the kind and generous spirit of several dealers and friends, for extended auditions in my room of the Raidho D5.1s and the Aries Cerat Symphonias.

Throughout that journey I’ve had multiple electronics, two different rooms and associated acoustic treatments, different power cords and interconnects, and power conditioners to name a few of the variables.

So it’s hard to compare speakers consistently except during the last year or so when the upstream components (room, power, electronics, power conditioning etc) were the same for the Magico Q7mkIIs, AC Symphonias and the Rockport Lyras:

Kodo The Beat TT with Lyra Atlas Cart and LT Schroder (magnesium) arm; Kalista Dreamplayer Transport; SGM mkII server; TotalDac d1-12 MkII DAC; CH Precision (4 box) mono preamp with power supplies; CH Precision (2 box) stereo phono with power supplies; VAC Statement 450iQ monoblocks; Echole Omnia LE power cords and ICs; and a pair of 512 Engineering/Tim Marutani balanced transformers (one for sources and the other for amps) in a dedicated acoustically designed room.

The Symphonias had an “aliveness” unmatched by the Q7s that created a wonderful musical engagement.

But in the end, the Lyras proved a transformative speaker.

With the Lyras it was no longer an experience related to specific performance indicators such as soundstage size, precision of images, tightness of bass etc., but rather about an immersive musical gestalt. Although the other speakers had that as well, the Lyras had the right brain versus left brain musical experience, which I had been searching for many years, in abundance.

Of course you can never duplicate a live performance in your room. But with the Lyras it was as close as I’ve ever experienced in my room and with the associated equipment.

But I also want to mention that, at least in my case, what probably had the most significant impact to the overall sound of the Lyras, in addition to the balanced transformers, was the expert speaker setup provided by Stirling Trayle.

Although the Lyras sounded great with the initial setup after they were uncreated, it wasn’t until after Stirling’s obsessive setup that the real transformative magic appeared.

So it’s not surprising when you read reports that the Lyras may not sound great in show conditions or even other rooms. Too many variables.

But don’t let that lead you astray. The Lyras are an amazing speaker. And they pair beautifully with the VAC 450 monos.

Andy Payor deserves a lot of credit for his achievement.