I've talked at length with someone who has had the opportunity to audition the Analog Domain Argus speakers and he was extremely impressed with their performance. This someone, whom I trust implicitly but will remain anonymous to avoid possible conflict of interest, is very familiar with high end speakers and is aware of my infatuation for the YG Acoustics Hailey. Seems like I have to abandon some preconceived notions and assumptions regarding SOTA speaker design.
Quoting Angel Despotov, the maverick designer and owner of Analog Domain Audio.
"This speaker has no equivalent on the market today. It combines high sensitivity (96dB/w/1m) with extremely low distortion (-40dB and better), and practically unlimited power handling for very low compression. The rated power is over 1600W AES. Impedance is 4ohm and higher.
Finishing options are available in any colour, including a wide selection of natural veneers. Show me a sample and the answer is Yes."
From any other person, my first reaction would be
"Yeah right, of course you would say that". However, as a happy owner of a M75D, M75P and DAC1 and knowing how far these AD components push the limits of performance for the money, I wouldn't be surprised if Angel has done it again; leave well trodden paths and just rewrite the book on what is possible within reasonable budgets (reasonable being a somewhat flexible concept).
If they can market the Argus for the retail price they have in mind and if the performance equals or exceeds that of the Hailey, the Argus will be a game changer.
I'm hoping to audition the Argus next year in Belgium or at Angel's Cave (picture) in Munich Germany; wouldn't that be an adventure.
Analog Domain, so far, has had me recalibrate my expectations for the better every single time, so auditioning the Argus could have serious consequences. The possibility of enjoying speakers, amplifiers and a source all designed by the same visionary Engineer is a very alluring one; WAF, however, will definitely be a challenge ;-).