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As if by fate, the 770ES arrives at hoops manor....
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8054/8...5ec21c9c_c.jpg
Sony TA-F770ES by RSdesignUK, on Flickr
The 104/2's are in bits at the moment as one of the bass drivers is off being re-built so the little Kolts are thrust back into service.
Blimey the Sony 770Es delivering stork has been busy today!
Yeah, its like xmas has come early for those who have been good....
Its not the champagne supernova I was after but the Sony ES love in continues.....
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8329/8...58aba3ee_c.jpg
Sony ES System by RSdesignUK, on Flickr
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8222/8...2bb5081f_c.jpg
Sony ES System by RSdesignUK, on Flickr
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8213/8...825c2d04_c.jpg
Sony ES System by RSdesignUK, on Flickr
:thumbsup:
One of these or half a Nait 2? Bwahahaaaahhahaha!!!!! :lol: :lol:
Yeah, it must be good value if the amps bigger than both the speakers put together (kolts and probably the Proacs I would guess ;) )
Bass driver should be back from Wilmslow today after being re-built, cant wait!
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8384/8...4d15aab9_c.jpg
System by RSdesignUK, on Flickr
Wow! Beautiful pictures sir! Now, can we please see the Sony ladies undressed? ;)
Would like to see the build! :)
Regards /Mike
DVP-S9000ES:
http://www.hifishock.org/picture.php?/27155
Sony TA-F770ES:
http://www.hifishock.org/picture.php?/18244/categories
http://www.hifi-pictures.net/amplifi...0TA-F770ES.htm
(Thats two 18,000uf Caps and two 8,000uf caps!)
Well, a quick* review of the 104/2 + 770ES combo and roundup of 2012.
2012 was the year of meeting your idols.
Last year, I had the chance to visit 3 speakers that had been on my long term to-do-list now that I had finally settled into a flat that I had just bought rather than moving every year in rented houses. There was also a flurry of buying/selling as I had a little disposable income at the time and went a bit mad.
I moved from a small 8ft square room with the Kolts/670ES/CD-850 system that I took to Scalford '12 along with the Luxman PD-272 lurking in the backgroud. I then moved into a much larger room, and it was clear that the Kolts while great, would not fill the room which is to be expected considering they are not designed for bass, much like the LS3/5A, but as a broadcast monitor.
When I got them into the new room they did not do too badly (much like the room at Scalford) and I decided to stick with them and explore on the amplifier side. First up was the Decware Zen, something that had been on my radar a long time, and in short it was great, minus the ultimate SPL which was not needed with the Kolts, the soudstage was sublime, mid-treble was extended and super smooth with very tight punchy bass, great dynamics (up to a point). I thought it was better as an single input integrated rather than when I tried it with both the 670ES and AVR200 running as pre, as I needed a phono input and a few other line inputs.
Just after this I had my first bake off, which is when I managed to hear some nice kit, including a classic, the Radford STA-12 which someone bought with them, it was just lovely! And a few other bits, was great fun.
Moving on, I was offered some Kord Vulcans the smaller brother to the Tornados I had before, and at Scalford '11, they were visually challenged so were a long term project to get up and running.
About the same time I went all out and bought another item that had been on my radar, the Denon PMA-2000AE, similar beast to the Sony 770ES in terms of power, build and actually overall sound. The Decware did not really go with the Vulcans, and went with the Denon as it gave me all my inputs I needed and a decent phono stage.
Well, anyway, getting back to the 3 idols that I managed to try. I wont go into too much detail, as I have written bits in the previous pages.
First up was the Acoustic Energy AE2, I had always wanted to hear these and managed to luck out on a free pair from my old work boss, that needed new mid-bass driver surrounds.
These went well with the big Denon, nice tight bass but not as deep as I was expecting, and also a lot smoother up to than I was expecting going by 3rd party reviews of AE speakers. Much as expected elsewhere, great SPL ability and dynamics but seemed to lack any real presence in the mid-range, especially compared to the Kolts.
It was good to tick them off though, and at such a decent price (cost of the drivers) as they were not in the best condition.
The Denon and AE2's were then sold as I just bought another Dolomite and found some little ASL Monoblocks about the same time that I finally finished the Vulcans which were sold to fund them. These little 8wpc amps were quite lightweight, but not in sound, I found them to have quite boomy bass, even with the Kolts, it was improved with the arrival of an Icon Audio LA3 on long term loan. This was a revelation, soundstage was wide and the speakers just disapeared but I still had the bass niggle so went over budget and went deep into a Audion Sterling Plus with KT88, EL34 and KT120 valves.
Just before this the Sony DVP-S9000ES was added, another freebie from my old work boss. Result. Although it did spark an unhealthy obsession with Champagne kit!
This was a brilliant combo, the LA3, Audion and Kolts really hit it off, did just about everything right minus the low bass. Just lovely, really was and I even quoted "bar any major life changes, I cant seem me changing anything" which did look as if I had finally settled down!
I then added a sub into the mix, which was spot on. A BK Gemini II, cracking little sub that managed to keep up with the Kolts and really completed the package. It was also just before I decided to have a bake off (bad timing!!)
One of two stand out items at the bake off for me was the AN Oto, which I had heard a couple of times before but never in my room. Its just brilliant amongst some other really tasty kit! The other standout item was the Quad 57's that turned up, that I was looking after as part of the wam courier service, in the week or so they were here I sneaked a quick listen and was amazed, never thought they would sound as good as they did, a real revalation.
I went back to the LA3/Audion/Kolt/Gemini combo for a while and all was good until I spied number 2 of the idols list, some Magnepan MMG's. I first heard of these not long after I joined the wam and had been after some ever since but never had the money or never at the right time. Pushed by my brief fling with the 57's I jumped in and bought some MMG's that were going for a great price. It also meant that the Audion had to go to fund it.
Wow, I got a Quad Elite Stereo to power them, with the LA3 as pre and Wow was said a fair few times. The dynamics, attack, bass punch and sheer size of the soundstage was just amazing. They did seem to miss a little in the mid-range and did not sound great with modern rock/indie but I was smitten, REAL high end IMO.
After a while I had a downsize and put the LA3 to one side, the Luxman PD-272 was sold, along with the Quad power amp and I was without music for a fair few weeks waiting for the new arrival, a Restek Challenger which really went well with the MMG's.
Oodles of power, control with real attack/dynamics, something the big Sony amps just seem to lack a little. It was also slightly grating in the treble but overall was a great match with the Maggies.
I had another downsize, this time in terms of cost, where the MMG's were shipped off, back entered the Kolts, like the little super subs they are. I used the Restek with them for a while and it really did not go, sounded really thin so another move was added, a Puresound A10.
Much like the Audion and Decware, I found these tube amps to go really well with the Kolts, maybe the slight plumpness of the bass compared to the big Denon, Restek and Sony really helped fill them out a little.
This was all going well until I was tempted by number 3 on the idols list, some KEF Reference 104/2s. I plummed for the cheap pair that Leigh was selling over in Cardiff. This brings me to the end of 2012 and start of 2013 where I was using the little A10 with the S9000ES and the 104/2's.
They were great plenty of bass, and not too bad with the A10 using the 4 Ohm tap, great mid-treble integration and the bass was a bit loose. Soundstage was OK.
After a while decided to get the inner foam rings done, which was not too hard to do myself, then discovered that one of the bass drivers needed re-building.
This brings us up to now, I decided to go back to an old fav, the Sony TA-F770ES as I thought it would match the 104/2s quite well.
Now, here is the review I set out to write!
Well after the bass driver was back I had a chance to really give them some stick, and over the past few days I have!
The Kefs are the first speaker I have owned that have sounded best with no toe-in and also a lot better with the grilles on. Not sure why but it just brings everything together.
The soundstage is not quite the size of the MMG's but very good height/width considering the slightly dumpy size of them, although you dont quite get the front/back soundstage that the MMG's had. One advantage over the MMG's is that the soundstage and actual sound does not disapear when you stand up, or move around. They sound great in the kitchen and bathroom!
They just seem to sound great, on everything. I am not getting a Wow with acoustic music like I did with the Kolts/Decware, or the hairs on the back of the neck as with the MMG's on electronic music and vocals but they just seem to play music.
The bass is not as fast/tight as the MMG's, it never will be but it has a fair bit more depth although not as much as you would imagine given the size of the Kefs. They do have quite punchy bass though, really helps move the music along with some bounce. They are also slightly flattering to poorly recorded music, which is something the MMG's and Kolts are not.
Pretty good integration considering the difference in radiation with the two B110's and Bandpass/Coupled Cavity B200's.
Both the Mid and treble do really not draw attention to themselves, great integration much like the MMG's.
The 104/2s are a great speaker, maybe not as sparkly as modern stuff, or as tight bass as mini-monitors or Dipole speakers but they are a lot of fun, just seem to play music like one of my all time fav's, the big Tannoys.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8088/8...06f03a2e_z.jpg
System by RSdesignUK, on Flickr
Well am I there? Finally?
Who knows, I am very happy, with the outlay of the overall system less than the price of the MMG's I dont think I could do better for the money. I think some DIY room treatments at some point, and maybe some mains filter other tweaks etc may be in order before any other major change.
There is a niggling feeling that the Kefs would go well with some big valves, but thats well out of my price range these days, and I have the TT project to spend money on!
*Longer than I was expecting when i started!