AA Factor and Vivid Audio

[meza]

LOL
Who am I to say that there's much more to the G2's than just their looks...

Originally Posted by bart

Briz, wow, congrats!
We're sure that you will enjoy music as never before!
I like them in black too.

The B1 is the speaker that introduced us into the wonderful world of Vivid Audio.
We heard it for the first time at the Brussels Hi-fi Show in 2010.
I immediately knew this was something special. I had found the sound I liked the most of all the speakers that I had heard in my life. Like coming home.
I would have gone for the B1's if it were not for my fantastic wife: she preferred the looks of the G2 Giya's.
Asall good husbands, I didn't dare to contradict her...

[BillK]

Ah, a Vivid thread!

I've owned a pair of Apogee Caliper Signatures since 1993, and without fail, every other conventional speaker I've heard has sounded "boxy" by comparison save for the Revel Ultima Salon 1, Wilson Audio Sasha and anything Vivid (B1, K1, Giya).

I've had the supreme pleasure of demoing the B1, K1 and Giya G3 in my home, and they've all sounded completely wonderful, with the caveat that they've all been severely lacking in bass even compared to my Apogees.

The Vivids also are the only conventional speakers I've heard that avoid "beaming" - something I'd describe as such:

Play a recording with a single channel recording of an instrument playing a single frequency, like a trumpet. On most conventional speakers the wonderful soundstage goes away and you're instantly conscious that that note is being generated by that driver right there in that speaker.

On my Apogees and only, so far, on the Vivids it instead sounds like a trumpet is being played somewhere off to that side.

I've heard this same effect, and correspondingly a "U-shaped soundstage" effect where instruments relegated to single channels appear to be closer (on the plane of the speakers) but those in the center of the soundstage are deeper in space well behind the speaker, on a variety of high end cone speakers - Magico, Vandersteen and Wilson are to name but three, at price levels well below and above those of the Vivids.

This effect is also not heard when listening to anything from the B1 on up.

I just wish that Dickie could design a Vivid that had true 20 - 20K response, especially as, at the prices commanded for anything in the Giya range, it should be a given. (I thought my Apogees had a wonderful low end compared to the K1s, but the Wilson Sasha I demonstrated shortly thereafter taught me what low bass was actually present in my favorite recordings that was totally absent from the otherwise mesmerizing sound presented by the Vivids.) It's a bit disconcerting to realize that the purchase of Vivids means adding a sub to "hear it all."

[Portugal]

Hi BillK, having owned a pair of B1s I agree with your impressions. I hear the B1s sound as fantastic overall - clean, detailed, free from speakers, good image - with a slightly shallow bass.

I liked so much the sound of the B1s that...

I've just (yesterday) swapped the B1 and ordered a new pair of G3. I'll keep you posted on the sound differences (improvements).

[BillK]

Originally Posted by Portugal

Hi BillK, having owned a pair of B1s I agree with your impressions. I hear the B1s sound as fantastic overall - clean, detailed, free from speakers, good image - with a slightly shallow bass.

I liked so much the sound of the B1s that...

I've just (yesterday) swapped the B1 and ordered a new pair of G3. I'll keep you posted on the sound differences (improvements).

Very nice.

The G3s definitely have more bass than the B1s (or for that matter the K1s) but IMHO are still bass shy of what I'd expect for the price (once again, Wilson Sasha has -3 db points of 20 and 22K for $28K, but even the mighty G1 is -2 dB at just 29 Hz.)

Still, if you liked your B1s you'll be absolutely blown away by the G3s.

[Lee3]

Interesting notes Bill and I like your explanation for beaming above. I can't speak for the rest of the line but I did do a direct comparison of shasha and g2 on the same system and for my ears the latter was in another league from a refinement standpoint. Though to be fair it's in another league price wise too.

I agree with you in that they don't bring a lot of slam to the listener but it is certainly tight, fast bass and for my ears genres such as reggae have never sounded better to me than with those g2s. They are on the feminine side visually which the longer I live with them the more deceiving those looks become. I've found they rock with the best of them on a Friday night yet I'm left dumbfounded at their resolve on quiet passages or brush stroke jazz on any Sunday morning. Most importantly to me, there is no discernible distortion compared with any loudspeaker I've owned previously which translates to the most life like music I've enjoyed from a stereo yet in over 20 years of the pursuit.

Enjoy your g3's Portugal.

[Portugal]

Originally Posted by BillK

Very nice.

The G3s definitely have more bass than the B1s (...) if you liked your B1s you'll be absolutely blown away by the G3s.

I'm looking forward for that!

[BillK]

Originally Posted by Lee3

I agree with you in that they don't bring a lot of slam to the listener but it is certainly tight, fast bass and for my ears genres such as reggae have never sounded better to me than with those g2s.

What I heard when directly comparing the G3s and other speakers is that music with a lot of low frequency information (I was using the title track from Philip Glass' Koyaanisqatsi, as it has very low pipe organ notes), the track sounded very good, but putting a speaker that could reproduce bass down to even 29 Hz would result in a "Whoa, where did that come from?" response.

Granted, most people don't listen to pipe organ all day, but as I also mentioned, when you're spending $40K+ on a speaker system it's surprising that you still need to budget for a subwoofer.

[bart]

Originally Posted by BillK

What I heard when directly comparing the G3s and other speakers is that music with a lot of low frequency information (I was using the title track from Philip Glass' Koyaanisqatsi, as it has very low pipe organ notes), the track sounded very good, but putting a speaker that could reproduce bass down to even 29 Hz would result in a "Whoa, where did that come from?" response.

Granted, most people don't listen to pipe organ all day, but as I also mentioned, when you're spending $40K+ on a speaker system it's surprising that you still need to budget for a subwoofer.

I get output till the (very low) 20s with my G2Giya's. Very very clean and tight bass.

About the bass quality of the G3's, this might be a good read:
SoundStageXtreme.com | UltraAudio.com | Vivid Audio Giya G3 Loudspeakers

[mgakathereaper]

I agree with Bart on this one. Of course I am talking about the Giya G2's and have not heard the G3's. There is absolutely no lack of bass from these things when setup properly in the room. In fact, my previous system consisted of Martin Logan CLX's and a pair of Descent i subs and the G2's bass best's that setup in all aspects. Of course I have a completely treated room and meticulously positioned the speakers over a period of several months until I found the best position/bass response. It could be my front end that is assisting with bass as well: Krell EVO 707 -> Krell EVO 1's. I have been meaning to start a thread on my experiences...

[bart]

Originally Posted by mgakathereaper

I agree with Bart on this one. Of course I am talking about the Giya G2's and have not heard the G3's. There is absolutely no lack of bass from these things when setup properly in the room. In fact, my previous system consisted of Martin Logan CLX's and a pair of Descent i subs and the G2's bass best's that setup in all aspects. Of course I have a completely treated room and meticulously positioned the speakers over a period of several months until I found the best position/bass response. It could be my front end that is assisting with bass as well: Krell EVO 707 -> Krell EVO 1's. I have been meaning to start a thread on my experiences...

I would like that very much!