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Yomanze
04-05-2014, 16:20
Good afternoon,

For sale are my lovely cherry Amphion Argon3s. These are an easy to drive speaker, open at low volumes, yet will take 200W of clean power no problem. They are so clean at higher volume levels that Soundstage magazine had to increase their tests by 5dB!

"PLEASE NOTE: Our standard is to provide the THD+N measurement at 90dB with a measuring distance of 2 meters (within the anechoic chamber). Since this speaker produced low distortion levels under those conditions, we have added a second measurement performed at 95dB to give an indication of performance under higher-output conditions."

http://www.soundstage.com/equipment/amphion_argon3.htm

"The bottom line: Amphion’s Argon3 is the finest-sounding bookshelf speaker I’ve ever reviewed for the SoundStage! Network. It has outclassed my longtime reference, PSB’s Platinum M2. The torch has been passed."

"[...] if you value hearing exactly what’s on your CDs and LPs, then you’ll want speakers that just get out of the way and let the music speak for itself, and you’ll need to hear Amphion’s Argon3."

http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i405/neil_yeomans/690244fb-301d-46af-9a0b-6fbeff85c4ff_zpsc157846c.jpg
(With grille on & shot of the back showing WBT binding posts)

Alan Sircom very positively reviewed the Argon3 for Hifi+ and wrote that it was the "new bookshelf to beat at a price."

For me it is one of the most neutral and transparent speakers that I have ever heard with a huge huge soundstage and exceptional tonal purity. They put out a flat in-room response that other speakers can only dream to achieve & are good all-round speakers with regard to music. If you put them behind curtains you'd think you were listening to floorstanders, but they have the advantages of lower box colouration & better imaging of good standmounts. Due to their design they are very unfussy with regard to positioning:

"Amphion uses innovative acoustic engineering called U/D/D technology (Uniformly Directive Diffusion). U/D/D creates a dispersion, which is more uniform and evenly controlled though out a broad frequency band. This reduces the room´s adverse effects on final sound allowing you hear more of your music and less of your room." << this is why it has such a narrow baffle area and a waveguide for the tweeter.

http://www.amphion.fi/en/why-amphion/

http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i405/neil_yeomans/5a498cc5-5f30-423e-88a1-b1b591f89bf6_zps9408f1a9.jpg

The Argon3 is Amphion's top of the range standmount, and uses the same "Integrator" tweeter as found in their $20k Krypton3s. Cosmetically they are an 8/10 with a few very minor marks that you can't see unless you're scrutinising, they've been coloured with a wood pen. Also there's a small oil stain on the bottom right of one of the speaker's front veneering, but as you can see by the photos really not work fussing about & they're a very clean speaker. Drivers are an absolute 10/10, never been driven hard.

These retail at £1,900, mine were bought over a year ago & used for 6 months, I have the original packaging, grilles & foam bungs to control bass extension. I am looking for £1,100 (without stands as I still use them). I've used Amphion for over 8yrs since their Argon2 & will miss them!

Thanks,

Neil

Yomanze
05-05-2014, 09:33
StereoLife review here: http://www.stereolife.eu/archive/reviews-list/975-amphion-argon-3

Amphion are criminally underrated in the UK, whilst people are spending £4k on B&W 805s the £900 Argon2s were offering a superior performance. My dealer used some Argon2s with some Classé "CA-M" mono blocks (five figures to buy) & enthused that the Amphions kept getting better & could "take" the amp. Coming from a big B&W dealer it was refreshing to hear him rating them above B&W's standmounts. The Argon3s add more top end detail and refinement and a tighter bass than the Argon2s, even more extension, the extra £1k price of the Argon3 is pretty much down to the tweeter used.

jandl100
05-05-2014, 09:38
Yup, very nice speakers indeed - vivid clarity and fast/dynamic, very musical. Personally, I rate these much higher than the more expensive Amphion Xenon floorstanders.

GLWS :)

Yomanze
05-05-2014, 12:44
Thanks Jerry, to AoS viewers only am happy to offer these on 14 days sale or return, it's important to me that these go to the right home, and only home listening can decide if any speakers are right. Will keep them on here until next Friday then will need to consider alternative listing options, but have only put this ad on The Art of Sound for the meantime.

Yomanze
09-05-2014, 12:50
Friday bump. Last chance to grab these before I put them up on eBay and other channels. :)

Kneesup
10-05-2014, 16:58
Neil, I've sent you a PM. Which may - or may not - interest.

Kneesup
12-05-2014, 10:47
Neil. Many thanks for your note. Have tried to reply but your inbox is full.

Yomanze
12-05-2014, 10:52
Should be clear now Richard. :)

franz159
12-05-2014, 15:57
Hi Neil, these seem really interesting indeed. I'll drop you a not if the sale fails with Richard.
Best
franz

Yomanze
12-05-2014, 16:02
Hi Franz these are still open for sale so feel free to PM me. :)

Yomanze
13-05-2014, 16:42
Due to recent interest from Richard and Franz am going to keep them here on AoS and not advertise elsewhere for the meantime.

Another interesting factoid: because Amphion Argon3 speakers are crossed over so low (1.6kHz) the aluminium mid/bass is not subjected to the higher frequencies that cause ringing that people associate with metal drivers. Most speakers are crossed over above 3kHz. I believe this is one of the reasons that Argons are so easy to drive (more tweeter, less driver)...

Yomanze
15-05-2014, 18:08
Good evening I used these last night and was blown away by them, if people look at price as an indicator as performance then Amphion would show them a thing or two, so I'm going to keep them. Just a walk-through soundstage and really show up Royd speakers as coarser and less refined / transparent - less music getting through. They don't have the leading edge, snap and as Gromit says 'how the cymbals cut through the air' of the Royds, but what speaker does? Regardless am a dyed in the wool Amphion and Royd fan and am sure I'll enjoy these speakers' contrasts for years to come.

I listen to a lot of metal, hip hop, electronica as well as acoustic music, stuff like Fiona Apple and Tori Amos to Maiden, Priest and DJ Shadow... the Amphion Argons are very enjoyable with them all and do not prefer one genre over another. What I will say is that the Argon3s are brutally revealing compared to the kinder Argon2s, so they do need a great setup behind them to shine.

Thanks for the interest!

franz159
17-05-2014, 07:51
Hi Neil,
as I wrote in my pm to you the other day, thanks for bringing to my attention this brand, which I did not know before.
The Argon 3 are now definetely under my radar...
I have only one curiosity, why were you thinking of selling them? To upgrade for something else?
Thanks
Franz

Kneesup
17-05-2014, 10:39
May I add my thanks to Neil, too. Agreeing to lend potential buyers speakers before they commit makes a helluva difference to the buying experience. In my view speakers only depreciate as heavily as they do because second hand buyers don't get the chance to try-before-they-buy. So it's usually a punt and often the new buyer has to take a hit for the 'trying' something for a week. Besides, big-trust gestures such as Neil's makes the whole buying experience a risk-free joy. His description on how the speakers are for him (his last post) is very useful, too. Thanks for the time and consideration you gave me, Neil. And well done for keeping them! Richard

Yomanze
19-05-2014, 08:09
Thanks for your kind words gents. I wasn't selling for an upgrade it was because I have 6x pairs of speakers already. A lot of people will think that the Amphions blow away my little Royd speakers, but I like what they do and can forgive their flaws. Also it is very hard to find some of them like the RR3s, Sorcerers and to a lesser extent the Sapphire MK1s, so can't bring myself to sell these.

Yomanze
04-06-2014, 18:41
These are now back up for sale, and with a final £100 price drop to £1,000. You will not find a more transparent and natural across the frequency range speaker under £5k that also has life and soul. You absolutely need an "emotional" HiFi behind these as they are so transparent. If you already feel that your sound is clinical then look elsewhere in your system. If you are looking for more midrange and treble purity with more extension then these are for you. 14 day sale or return still applies.

Yomanze
09-06-2014, 13:31
Sold STP, thanks for the interest. :)