28-Feb-2016, 15:40
The Guarneri Evolution was an obvious option: on paper, at least, it's the path of least resistance.
I was lucky enough to have a pair on loan for a couple of weeks. As it turned out, it didn't take anything like that long to realise that these were not the speakers I was looking for.
They certainly ticked the box for substantial bass, no doubt about it. They are beautifully finished, and look good, although I'm not totally convinced that Sf haven't overdone the bling a little. The problem for me is that they just didn't have that magical, airy treble that I'm used to with the Homage.
My listening notes are full of words like "mellow", "dark", "weighty" and "solid", and end with:
One down, two to go.
I was lucky enough to have a pair on loan for a couple of weeks. As it turned out, it didn't take anything like that long to realise that these were not the speakers I was looking for.
They certainly ticked the box for substantial bass, no doubt about it. They are beautifully finished, and look good, although I'm not totally convinced that Sf haven't overdone the bling a little. The problem for me is that they just didn't have that magical, airy treble that I'm used to with the Homage.
My listening notes are full of words like "mellow", "dark", "weighty" and "solid", and end with:
Quote:They are giving me the bass I want, but with the loss of some treble air, openness, brilliance, attack, or magic - call it what you will. Imaging is very good - wide, and solid. They are very smooth and “easy to listen to” and may be technically more accurate than the Homage.
Ultimately, it’s a no. They are undoubtedly very good loudspeakers, but I couldn’t live with the feeling that I was missing something.
One down, two to go.
Roon (Mac Mini), Wilson Benesch Full Circle, Expert 1000 Pro CI, Kaiser Chiara
Warwickshire, UK
