Olympica II?

[Bavarian05]

Has anyone here seen/heard the Olympica II's yet?
I have heard the I and the III's but can't find a II as of yet.
Thinking maybe in my relatively smaller room that this middle model may be a good fit...

[TeflonScoundrel]

I have heard the Olympica II twice with McIntosh electronics. The first time was in a large open irregular shaped room, and thought they sounded excellent. They were both more revealing and had significantly better tone than my current Kef R700 speakers. I enjoyed them thoroughly and really fell in love with the Olympica series as a result. The II or III are on top of my wish list. The second time I heard them was in a very poor room which accentuated the high frequencies too much, making them a little harsh sounding. I strongly believe it was the room, because at my first listen I thought the highs were just right. Detailed and smooth. In comparison to the Olympica IIIs the main differences were in better dynamic range and scale of the sound with the advantage going to the III, but I think that in a medium or smaller sized room, the IIs wouldn't sacrifice much compared to the IIIs. In a larger space the III would be the way to go if possible. I'm hoping to get one or the other when I have the space for them.

[Masterlu]

TeflonScoundrel... Welcome!

[brb]

I have recently acquired a set of the elusive O II's. I also was in a position where I could not locate a set of II's to audition. I heard the I's briefly driven by the Wadia int. and I liked what I heard from the I's. I also have a small room that is only 12X16 and a smaller budget that only really allowed me to get the II's. I have had a lot going on lately and just recently got them set up. The first few hours I didn't really even have them set up great and I still don't have them perfect but they have gotten much better. After about 50 hrs they are really starting to impress me! I have a limited budget at this time, but with my relatively inferior front end they sound fantastic. (Mcintosh MA6500, Micromega DAC and no name cables) I figured that if I never listen to the III's that I will never second guess myself!

[Bavarian05]

Originally Posted by brb

I have recently acquired a set of the elusive O II's. I also was in a position where I could not locate a set of II's to audition. I heard the I's briefly driven by the Wadia int. and I liked what I heard from the I's. I also have a small room that is only 12X16 and a smaller budget that only really allowed me to get the II's. I have had a lot going on lately and just recently got them set up. The first few hours I didn't really even have them set up great and I still don't have them perfect but they have gotten much better. After about 50 hrs they are really starting to impress me! I have a limited budget at this time, but with my relatively inferior front end they sound fantastic. (Mcintosh MA6500, Micromega DAC and no name cables) I figured that if I never listen to the III's that I will never second guess myself!

Congratulations on the Olympica II's!

Pictures please!!!

[TeflonScoundrel]

Originally Posted by Masterlu

TeflonScoundrel... Welcome!

Thanks for the welcome, I'm enjoying the forums very much.

To the OP, congrats on your new speakers. How are you liking them now that you've had them for a few days?

[brb]

Got a few free minutes today to snap some pics of the II's. They are breaking in nicely and continue to sound better!
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...4/IMG_8905.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...4/IMG_8897.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...4/IMG_8886.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...4/IMG_8883.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...4/IMG_8881.jpg

[Bavarian05]

Originally Posted by brb

Got a few free minutes today to snap some pics of the II's. They are breaking in nicely and continue to sound better! http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...4/IMG_8905.jpg http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...4/IMG_8897.jpg http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...4/IMG_8886.jpg http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...4/IMG_8883.jpg http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...4/IMG_8881.jpg

Beautiful speakers!
Thank you for sharing pics!

[brb]

Anybody have any opinions on what amp may be great with the Olympica II's? They seem to be a difficult load due to the lower sensitivity rating.

[Bavarian05]

Originally Posted by brb

Anybody have any opinions on what amp may be great with the Olympica II's? They seem to be a difficult load due to the lower sensitivity rating.

There are plenty of good choices, though I can say from experience that ARC amplification pairs very well with Sonus Faber. You likely know that they are sister companies of the same Fine Sounds Group and they are designed with each other in mind as well. Pretty good synergy in my opinion. The Olympica II are not ultra sensitive, though 88db should be relatively easy to drive with 70-100 quality watts, assuming an average to smaller room.