Sonus Faber Olympica III speakers first views

[Antonmb]

Originally Posted by Oltmb

I now have my O3's for some weeks after I traded my Venere 2.5 speakers in. I also upgraded my Roksan Caspian M2 to a separate pre/main amplifier. Since the O3 needs extra current as the impedance can drop below 2 ohms I decided to go for. the Norwegian Hegel H20 and P20. After run in time I can say that I am very pleased with combination after considering Luxman and Accuphase. The combo is very rhythmic and open and has a very controlled bass. The Hegel H20 is powerful and is able to drive a broad range of speakers and the price is more acceptable than the Accuphase i had on my list. I did not see any Hegel Amp users in this thread so hopefully it adds to the experience.

Oltmb, welcome to AA! There are plenty of us with SF speakers but I don't think I've seen much discussion of Hegel. I've never heard any of their amps but they look great and I've read some very positive reviews, so it will be nice to hear more about them.

[Venere]

Originally Posted by Oltmb

I now have my O3's for some weeks after I traded my Venere 2.5 speakers in. I also upgraded my Roksan Caspian M2 to a separate pre/main amplifier. Since the O3 needs extra current as the impedance can drop below 2 ohms I decided to go for. the Norwegian Hegel H20 and P20. After run in time I can say that I am very pleased with combination after considering Luxman and Accuphase. The combo is very rhythmic and open and has a very controlled bass. The Hegel H20 is powerful and is able to drive a broad range of speakers and the price is more acceptable than the Accuphase i had on my list. I did not see any Hegel Amp users in this thread so hopefully it adds to the experience.

I have Hegel/SF combo but at much lower price point than yours. I use Hegel H80 integrated with built in DAC driving Venere 3.0s via Transparent MusicWave cables. Source is Marantz CD player via coax digital to Hegel. I love the sound, simplicity, and ease of use of the Hegel. I've heard nothing at this price that sounds better. I presume the same is true of their other products, and the rave reviews they get seems to confirm that. Should be on your audition list IMHO.

[JPrest]

Have about 50 hours on my new Olimpia III's, I started out with a ARC Ref1 pre, ARC Dac8, ARC PH7, Mac MINI and a ARC VT100 Mrk II amp, I must say it sounded good from the start, but after moving the speakers around a bit and spinning some records I kept waiting for things to open up a bit more, the sound stage was very concentrated in the center. I also purchased an Electrocompaniet AW250R amp that puts out 380 watts into 4 ohm's, as the ARC Ref1 has two main outputs, I could switch between the Amps, what I found was the Electrocompaniet had much better bass but felt lifeless in the mids and highs, on a lark I left the Electrocompaniet hooked up to woofers and hooked up my Vintage McIntosh MC275 to the upper drivers, with a little adjusting of the trim on the McIntosh I must say I'm a very happy guy, the sound stage is almost to the ceiling and well outside the speakers themselves.
Cheers...
John Prest

[Aratigus]

Hi , Finally got my Olympica 3 s close to being set up. Also finished building a vta st 120 tube amp. Starting to sound pretty amazing. Speaker adjustment is way more important then I thought. 700Mm from walls and triangulated. Any suggestions on how you guys found placement to work?
Thanks,
Bruce ��

[W9TR]

Bruce,
Welcome to AA!!
There is a thread in this forum that I started titled "Setting up Amati Futura's" or something close to that. There is a lot of advice and general setup wisdom in that thread around several methods that have worked well for people. Lots of good info there for you to digest and try.
Tom

[Diapason]

Hi all, first post here. I found the forum when trying to find info on the Olympica iii, and what a great resource this is. Thanks for all the opinions so far!

I'm wondering if anyone has tried using the Devialet SAM setting for the Olympica iii speakers? I'm very tempted to purchase a pair (not that I've heard them yet...) and I have a sneaking suspicion that if I move in this direction, my OTL GRAAF amps won't have the current delivery required at the impedance dips, so I might be looking at a new amp/amps. I've heard Devialet with the Venere 2.5 and I thought the combo (using SAM) was excellent for the money. I'm wondering what level of magic it might bring to the Olympicas.

I've lots more questions to ask, so you'll probably be hearing more from me. Meanwhile, I'm reading and enjoying.

[Oltmb]

I have my Olympica III speakers on a wooden floor and I am living in an apartment built in 1910. To reduce floor resonances I am planning to use the Auralex Gramma sound isolation platform. Does anyone have experience with this? I am not sure it will help but at a loud volume the bass is just too much (I don't think it is because of standing waves).

[BrunoVdB]

I heard 2 weeks ago the devialet 120 and 200 with the olympica III. A singer is standing in the room, all instruments have their exact place and the sound is neutral and fine. Incredible low bass. I bought the 200 for the olympica II at home. 200 plays the music easier than the 120, but you have to play the same piece of music to hear the difference. (Heard the Accuphase 260, but that is no match) Price-quality the devialet is one of the best.

[Antonmb]

Originally Posted by BrunoVdB

I heard 2 weeks ago the devialet 120 and 200 with the olympica III. A singer is standing in the room, all instruments have their exact place and the sound is neutral and fine. Incredible low bass. I bought the 200 for the olympica II at home. 200 plays the music easier than the 120, but you have to play the same piece of music to hear the difference. (Heard the Accuphase 260, but that is no match) Price-quality the devialet is one of the best.

welcome to AA Bruno.

[Diapason]

Thanks Bruno!