Elipsa SE, Cremona SE, Guarneri SE, Amati SE

[TommyC]

Originally Posted by VT Skier

I'd love to know how many Amatis I have to choose from, because it looks like three now: Anniversario, Anniversario SE and Futura.

If you manage to find the Palladio, you'll have 4 to choose from

[howiebrou]

Originally Posted by TommyC

If you manage to find the Palladio, you'll have 4 to choose from

And the original Amati. That's five.

There was also an anniversary edition. That's six!

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by Puma Cat

Dynaudio just recently did the same thing the new Focus line (resulting in a considerable price increase) and the new Confidence II and Confidence Signature series (which BTW is only distinguished from the Confidence II by a fancier finish and a Signature name plate on the back of the speaker-ooh!).

What's amusing because the same exact thing goes on every two years with 600cc sportbikes..."The the new GSXR600rr has 111 HP instead of 106 and is 0.08 seconds quicker in the quarter! I gotta have that!"

This means, of course, that your current, gorgeous-looking and wonderful-sounding SFs or Dyns are complete sh*t and should be put up for sale on Audiogon immediately. I'm kidding, of course!

Whether it be speakers or sport motrocycles, these are basically all markeing-driven line extensions designed to continue to differentiate the product and generate revenue, in admittedly, a tough economic environment, especially for luxury goods like sportbikes or high-end audio.

What's ironic about this is that your current SFs don't sound any worse than they did, they still sound as wonderful as they always did, and the 106 hp GSXR is no worse a motorcycle that it was before, either.

BTW, I have a friend who enjoys audio but took a vow never to buy any product with the words, "Special Edition", "Reference" or "Signature" in the name.

Maybe he has a point.

If I sound jaded, it's because I am a bit, sorry about that....

You're right, neither the older SF speakers or the older Gixxer are any worse than they used to be, it's just that the new versions are just a bit better. That's technological progress without which we would probably still be in the dark ages.

Yes, the "SE" models can and are annoying to customers who just made a large purchase be it a speaker, car or any other product. Some manufacturers are really good at this game. Porsche and Apple come to mind immediately. Of course it's about making money and some customers are only happy to pay up and trade up.

In the case of the SF SE models, I would imagine that what appears to be a new ribbon tweeter is there to address certain demands of the market they appear to be aimed at. I would also love to hear the new tweeter version to see what changes it may have brought. Not that I think there is anything wrong with the older tweeters.

In the case of the GSXR600RR, I love my 2011 Gixxer Sixer.

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by PHC1

In the case of the GSXR600RR, I love my 2011 Gixxer Sixer.

Cool!

You get my parallels between 600s and speakers, then, I take it?

[VT Skier]

Originally Posted by howiebrou

And the original Amati. That's five.

There was also an anniversary edition. That's six!

And when you all start talking like this, it makes me think I should just buy the Homage pair on a'gon. But then I feel bad for Bill, and I also assume the newer models are better. To some extent.

And I like having a warranty.

[TommyC]

Originally Posted by VT Skier

And when you all start talking like this, it makes me think I should just buy the Homage pair on a'gon. But then I feel bad for Bill, and I also assume the newer models are better. To some extent.

And I like having a warranty.

I would go for the Amati Anniversary or Futura. The earlier Amati Homage may have problem with its finish. It sort of turns white.

[VT Skier]

Well, I fell in love with the Elipsa, and then the Strad, but my wife exercised her aesthetic veto. Our room just isn't wide enough for those two.

So it's some version of the Amati. I generally like ribbon tweeters too.

[metaphacts]

Originally Posted by VT Skier

Well, I fell in love with the Elipsa, and then the Strad, but my wife exercised her aesthetic veto. Our room just isn't wide enough for those two.

So it's some version of the Amati. I generally like ribbon tweeters too.

SE is a China model only. Made to keep gray market sales out of China. The drivers are neither the latest nor what they are using going forward (according to Mauro at dinner last night). As for sound, I haven't a clue.

Might interest you to know that Sir Elton appears to have chosen a pair of Evolution over the Futura for his Italian villa.

I should be back in circulation next week. Give me a call and I can fill you in on what I know if that helps.

Bill

[VT Skier]

Thanks Bill. We can talk whenever it's convenient for you. The Sapphires are good enough to keep me happy for a while.

I hope to be in NYC later this month (the 18th and 19th) as Lisa has a meeting there, and I'm thinking about tagging along. If Cosmos already has a pair of Evolutions, I'd love to listen to them as well. If not, I'll shoot for RMAF.

And it looks like he has a pair of Strads in graphite, so we can get a better idea of color matching if I can persuade Lisa to accompany me downtown.

Happy Fourth.