Ok, how much beter are the Guarneri Memento than the Auditors?

[two dot]

I know that many of you have owned and or heard both.

Auditors are about 2500 used and GM's about 8500

Is there really 6k difference in the sound?

Not asking about looks here, I actually like the Auditors better in that department.

[1KW]

I have heard them both and unfortunately the GM speakers are a upgrade over the Cremona auditors in both sound and aesthetics if you like the glossy finish better. Keep in mind the difference is not huge ie maybe not 3 times better as the price difference would suggest. Both image great and both have a smooth very natural to slightly on the warm side midrange. Depending on the type of music you listen to may determine which speaker is better for you leaving budget aside. Have you considered the Cremona 3 way which is priced inbetween these 2 on the used market and will give you 4 woofers to take you down to 32 hz.

[TommyC]

two dot... does 2.5K include stand?

8.5K for GM is not a bad price if the condition is good (ie. 9/10 and above). Think about it this way, with 8.5K, you can have one of the best sounding stand-mount speakers in the world. That is a bargain! And if you do want to sell it, you won't lose much at all.

Btw, I wasn't able to listen to the Auditors, my dealers didn't have a demo pair.

[Sonus]

They are totally different speakers.
You must go and listen for yourself, in my opinion go for the GM if you can.

[Alberto]

I can only speak for the Guarneri Homage vs. Auditors (non-M) since those are the ones I had. When a pair of mint GHs was available near my home (5-miles away) for $6K, I jumped at them and later, after making sure I preferred them, I sold the Auditors.

In terms of looks, the GH are, IMO, the most beautiful speakers in the world. I love them at first sight and I still enjoy their looks everyday. In pictures, they might seem similarly sized as the Auditors, but they must be 3x the volume at least.

In terms of sound, the GH are less forgiving than the auditors, go deeper with the bass (though I still like a couple of subs to round and fill the lower octave,) and sound overall much more refined and realistic in the mid and treble. The Auditors had a bit of an edge when it came to "disappearing" and casting a VERY wide soundstage. Fortunately, I prefer a bit tighter soundstage.

Both are excellent speaker in their own merit and price range, but there's no doubt in my mind that, with the right source and amplification, the Guarneri would be a better choice if the budget allows.

I can't ever see myself selling my GHs.

Alberto

[stevehuff]

The GM's are a pretty big upgrade from the Auditors in most ways. Still, the auditors have a wider soundstage if that is your thing. The GM's go much deeper in the bass, sound fuller, smoother, and bigger. I prefer the GM's and that is what I bought after hearing the Auditor M's, The Cremona, Cremona M's and Elipsa Auditors.

I do think they are worth $6k more just for their looks and stands alone! The sound though is different and the GM's are playing in my house about 6-8 hours a day.

I also owned the GH's and loved them and prefer the looks of them over the GM's! But the GM's sound bigger, louder and fuller. The GH's sound more delicate, a bit sweeter but with less bass and detail than the GM's.

I stuck with the GM's and even though I paid $13k for mine brand new, I am happy as can be with them after 14 months. Listening to some vinyl right now on mine and can not imagine selling these for any other speaker.

[Alberto]

Originally Posted by stevehuff

The GM's are a pretty big upgrade from the Auditors in most ways. Still, the auditors have a wider soundstage if that is your thing. The GM's go much deeper in the bass, sound fuller, smoother, and bigger. I prefer the GM's and that is what I bought after hearing the Auditor M's, The Cremona, Cremona M's and Elipsa Auditors.

I do think they are worth $6k more just for their looks and stands alone! The sound though is different and the GM's are playing in my house about 6-8 hours a day.

I also owned the GH's and loved them and prefer the looks of them over the GM's! But the GM's sound bigger, louder and fuller. The GH's sound more delicate, a bit sweeter but with less bass and detail than the GM's.

I stuck with the GM's and even though I paid $13k for mine brand new, I am happy as can be with them after 14 months. Listening to some vinyl right now on mine and can not imagine selling these for any other speaker.

Hi Steve,

Nice comments. Funny how consistent people are in commenting on the Auditor's wide soundstage. It's really impressive. I listened to them in a very large dealer room and the soundstage must have been at least 25'. Very impressive. When he switched to the full-size Cremona - in the same exact position, same amps, recordings, etc., the soundstage shrunk by about half. There was no mistaking it.

It's also nice to hear consistent reporting on the differences between the GMs and the GH. Based on my personal preferences (sweet, warm and more delicate,) it sounds like sticking with the GHs is the right thing to do. With 2 subs - different subs at that - I have have incredibly rich, round and even bottom end. Like you, I can't imagine selling my Guarneris for any other speakers - especially for my smallish (11x14x9) room.

Thanks for posting your impression,

Alberto

[Onemug]

"It's also nice to hear consistent reporting on the differences between the GMs and the GH."

I'll add to the consistency. Steve and Alberto do a great job of describing the differences. Right now I have both and hope I never have to sell either. The GM's were sitting idle and the thought crossed my mind mainly because they weren't being used and THAT is a shame. Soooooo, I hooked up a couple of my vintage Marantz receivers to them for fun. It acually sounds pretty good. I had my doubts and thought it had the makings of a colossal mismatch but once again, the G's please.

I read where the G's "had a way of making your amps sound better". Never heard that about a speaker before. Usually you're trying to match the speaker with the best amp for it. So far I have run 300b and 845 SETs and 4 vintage Marantz receivers on them, all enjoyable. The main system is a Conrad Johnson preamp and Pass XA.5 amp. More fitting of the G's.

Steve, did the sound of the GM's change much after the first couple months and did the color darken up after 14 months?

[stevehuff]

I do know when I owned the GH's it was tougher to get a preamp/amp match with them compared to the GM's.

The GM's have sounded great with a Cary Rocket 88R, the AES Six Pacs, and even a little 15 watt tube no name amp I had laying around. They sound phenomenal now with a Mac 2275 and MCD500 if not a little bit on the warm side. They can play loud but there are times when I wish they had a bigger soundstage.

I owned some merlin TSM's a few years back and those were some special speakers with a huge, wide soundstage. They could not go very loud but the sound was so sweet. With the GM's, I get a nice, full warm sound that still has plenty of detail but not much soundstage width. Still, with the looks, build, and sound they are my favorite speaker ever along with the GH's.

Those merlins are 2nd.