Quote:
Originally Posted by mulveling
Wow Serge! That was a lot of primo gear. Canterbury SE can be so musically satisfying, but I also know it can be difficult to procure the right gear pairings for them to "wake up". And they are somewhat limited by softness on both ends of the spectrum. Deadpan-neutral gear may not be the right match for them.
If I could wave a magic wand, I wonder what you'd think of Focal Sopra 3's paired to a VAC 160i SE integrated in your room. As a very happy Canterbury GR owner (upgraded from the SE), I've been hugely impressed by the Sopra 3's paired to VAC amp/pre/phono in my dealer's medium sized room. They got me thinking twice!
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I found the Canterbury SE to really sing with the 10w SET from Shindo. Fantastic synergy. You are correct, Mega Watt of tube neutrality from ARC was not the answer.
The Shindo brought out some serious midrange magic and I really could not complain about the analog, round and delicious bass from 10W either that the Canterbury easily dished out with those big woofers so effortlessly. The Shindo bass was more analog sounding than the tight but rather dry ARC bass.
VAC/Sopra combo is not a pairing I am familiar with. If I still had the Canterbury today, I would keep pressing and exploring as there was tons of untapped potential in those speakers.