Mikeeo's system

[brit]

... seems that stock Crystal cable is not a popular choice!

David

Maybe not on this forum but I would guess that there are hundreds of customers with 400s and 800s using the Crystal cable and not worrying about it

You are probably right there ! My comment was certainly in relation to views gleaned from this Forum.

David

David,

as a fellow Wilson Benesch customer I wondered how do you like your ACT 1s and how well do you think they work with Devialet? I was really attracted by the tight, clear, dynamic sound that I get from my Discoveries + I didn't want too much bass as I'm using them in my study (about 4.5m x 3.5m). I just have a niggling doubt that the somewhat 'lean' sound of the speakers combined with the clean, neutral sound of the Devialet means I'm missing out on some 'tonal richness'.

When I was first considering the Devialet (May 2014), I contacted both D & WB about SAM. Both were extremely positive about each other's products but still no sign of SAM. However, I think WB speakers may fall into the category of those who don't benefit much from SAM anyway, so maybe we're not missing much ?

Philip

Hi Philip,

I like the ACT1 very much. It is very detailed, but with a very smooth presentation. You could not, IMO, call the ACT1 'lean' it has, in our room certainly, tonal richness - maybe because it is in our Living Room (6m x 5m), which has a fairly large Suite and is carpeted and not given to 'ringing', so no treble emphasis. Bass is not the deepest, but is very accurate, certainly not 'booming'. The Devialet suites it very well, though the D400 (the D800 would be better perhaps but at a cost beyond me!) was a better choice for me, again IMO, because it gives total control over the speaker - I tried the 200, but it did not give the same level of control. Although the Spec of the ACT1 looks like a 'benign' load, it is quite difficult to drive, so the extra 'oomph' of the 400 is a god send! The big plus of the ACT1 to me is, of course, that it has a high WAF, being so beautifully built, so fits in quite well with our decor, and so is accepted by my long suffering wife!

Re your point on SAM, I raised this point with Thierry, from Devialet, and he did say that the ACT1 was not an easy speaker to SAM given its internal bracing - he also was of the opinion that the bass of the WB was already so well controlled that SAM would not have as profound effect as on some other speakers! He did not, however, rule it out!


David