AA Factor and Vivid Audio

[ariess]

Originally Posted by bart

Adam, I compared the B&W 802Ds with the Vivid B1s in the same set-up. The dealer sells mostly Focal, Wilson and B&W, and he had to get the Vivids from the attic. Source was dCS, pre from ARC, and the Ayre monoblocks completed the system. We listened to different kinds of music: acoustic jazz, big band jazz, classical, pop,... With the B&W, you got some seriously hi-fi. All instruments could be heard well, voices were good, nothing wrong... it seemed. Then we listened to the Vivids. The dealer scratched his head, and said: Ooops, this is so much better. Now the sound was in the room, loose from the speakers, and all instruments got their place. If this is what other people call holographic sound, then I understand them. I remember very clearly a live piece from Duke Ellington, mono. The recording, a bit lifeless with the B&Ws, really came to life with the Vivids, and all musicians were clearly distinguishable. This is what I like: to hear my music as close to reality as possible. What surprised me is that the Vivids performed so well in the bass department as well. They weigh less than 50% of the 802Ds, but their bass was more defined and not shy at all. We could move around in the room, and still have this precise image of the music. The Giyas just give you more of this. Now, at home, my wife, who has her own system in her office, which is next to the living room, often prefers to put on the main system and hear it through the open door, because even then, the sound is better than her B&W XTs so close to her.

Thanks. I have heard that Vivid does everything so much better than B&W which is what drew me to them.
But can you (or others) confirm that, properly set up, they can cast a sharp phantom image of the vocalist at center? I didn't really
hear this feature at my Dealer's but I know you need an optimal setup to produce this and this may not have been something
he was set up to show. This central phantom image is a trick my B&W's do well that
I would not want to lose moving to Giyas.

[SOA]

Originally Posted by ariess

Is it the case that Vivid speakers cannot create a sharp spotlight image (if properly setup) of, say, a vocalist, at the center as B&W 800 series can?
Would those with Giyas please respond on this question?

Thanks,
Adam

Of course they can. The G2 does it with superb focus and image.

[Tompy]

I had B&W803Diamonds and they created a beautiful, centrered image. I now enjoy the Giya2's which I managed to position with some fine recommendations from the AA forum members (earlier in this thread). I can tell you that, if properly set up, the Giyas create a wonderful centre picture of voices. You just have to spend some time positioning them for the best result.

[ariess]

Ok, wish me luck. I am getting Giya G2's delivered on Sunday.
I have done as much research and talking (to Bart and others on AA) as I can but at some point you gotta just bring them into your home.

[Elescher]

Be very careful uncrating them. It is very easy to damage those drivers.......especially the tweeters.

[Tompy]

Ariess, you will need to help the dealer because it takes 2 people to uncrate these heavy buggers. They're in gloss paint which is gorgeous but touchy, and indeed -those speaker fronts are easy to damage. So it's all about power and care
But as you will discover, it will all be worth it! They are wonderful and you will cherish them. I still do -my admiration only falls short of actually talking to them... Congrats on a great buy!

[ariess]

Originally Posted by Tompy

Ariess, you will need to help the dealer because it takes 2 people to uncrate these heavy buggers. They're in gloss paint which is gorgeous but touchy, and indeed -those speaker fronts are easy to damage. So it's all about power and care
But as you will discover, it will all be worth it! They are wonderful and you will cherish them. I still do -my admiration only falls short of actually talking to them... Congrats on a great buy!

Thanks. My dealer says he is bringing a second helper so I will just sit back
and enjoy. I will post some pictures when they arrive.

[Bavarian05]

Looking forward to seeing photos Adam!

[bart]

Congrats Adam!
You'll have a killer system.

[ariess]

Originally Posted by bart

Congrats Adam!
You'll have a killer system.

They are a little camera shy (I need more light to see their pearl metallic sparkle in the paint), but here is a quick shot