Does size matter?

[Marco]

Does anyone have any views on this?

Personally, I can't see why AVI couldn't have catered for both markets, even if it meant only selling a small amount of their 'legacy hi-fi' and them concentrating predominantly on computer audio...

Marco.

[Steve Toy]

If they catered for both markets the very existence of the alternative would completely undermine the marketing logic behind ADM Bloody Nine Point whatevers.

[DSJR]

Damn. I composed a polite and hopefully informative reply, went to check the spelling and lost the whole thing installing the iespell addon

I suspect the component market was shrinking for AVI as with everyone else and they'd already had issues with unreliable CD transports. The Pro 9 speaker was due a face-lift and I suspect the idea for active operation had been on the cards since Ash's ATC days, where he showed me what he was on about far better face-to-face than he does online.. he had backup from the ATC designers too and currently has Martin Grindrod behind him, who designs all of AVI's stuff..

AVI were considering a preamp with both analogue and digital ins and outs a short while ago. To be honest, I suspect that most ADM buyers use computers or streaming (from remote drive) systems as sources and people like me with vintage sources are very few and far between. Anyway, Meridian were doing this years ago and they made suitable preamps which could be affordable now. I wish AVI had gone ahead with this aforementioned preamp, although I suspect the market has moved on now, as Naim may have found with some of their recent releases - too little, too expensive, too late..........

I've no doubt that the ADM drivers are excellent in their size and price class. Driver technology has moved on no end and never more at the lower end, where top quality, computer optimised units can be sourced in the far east for reasonable amounts. I remember Robin Marshall saying in an interview how lengthy his design for the ES14 Epos bass unit took, as he had his maths, but no CAD to assist him. Harbeth have benefitted extensively from CAD in the preparation stage, saving many design-hours in the process.

I still think it's very unfair to totally dismiss the ADM9.1's as crappy little computer speakers, as there's far more to them I believe. Many of the cheaper little active monitors out there have nasty little amp packs inside (and sound cold and scrappy because of it) and I'm told that even the Tannoy actives under a grand don't come up to much.

The funny thing is, the ADM9 balance sould suit many Linnies of the old-school out there - lean-n-clean bass with no boom or overhang to upset the "timing," a lively and clear midrange and a proper crossover into the (I suspect) perfectly behaved tweeter, the crossover being usefully high in frequency yet still well within the linear parts of the respective drivers (something ALL old speakers had difficulty with IMO***).


*** Many speakers from pre 1980 had severe problems at the crossover point, the tweeters not going down low enough and the bass units not going high enough either, with all sorts of phasey dips in between. hey, even the LS3/5A needed a resonance circuit to bolster the bass unit so it crossed over properly, something Kans and 'Briks and KEF's own Concerto's using this mid unit never had

[hifinutt]

reading this fascinating thread , theres an extraordinary amount of members banned on it , must be very controversial !!!

[DSJR]

Only because of the problems caused by two particular people, one posting without expressing things as "his opinion" and the other, who comes across as a patronising wind-up merchant, yet has so much he could share if only he came down off his high horse, put the "attitude" away and accepted there's more than one way to reach musical bliss and some people are further back down the road than he thinks he is.......

[Alex_UK]

I was intrigued by that too, Phil, but I don't think they got banned just 'cos of the size of their speakers!

[DSJR]

Something Ash said nearly two years ago, but still quite telling (I've seen the big active ATC's being calibrated.....)

".....There's no question that big speakers, properly designed, with hundreds of watts driving them are miles better than the best 6.5" two way or smaller. They can be staggeringly loud, clear and they can give a better front to back image than smaller ones too, although the left to right is about the same.

I don't like them with small amps, but then I don't like small amps and small amps are worse as speaker size increases.

And before Steve beats me up, I'd point out that making and calibrating big passive speakers properly, takes days and that the demand for them is miniscule...."

[Rare Bird]

reading this fascinating thread , theres an extraordinary amount of members banned on it , must be very controversial !!!

Terrible aint it..Cor i've never been banned on a fora ever

Only because of the problems caused by two particular people, one posting without expressing things as "his opinion" and the other, who comes across as a patronising wind-up merchant, yet has so much he could share if only he came down off his high horse, put the "attitude" away and accepted there's more than one way to reach musical bliss and some people are further back down the road than he thinks he is.......

Some people eh

[John]

Something Ash said nearly two years ago, but still quite telling (I've seen the big active ATC's being calibrated.....)

".....There's no question that big speakers, properly designed, with hundreds of watts driving them are miles better than the best 6.5" two way or smaller. They can be staggeringly loud, clear and they can give a better front to back image than smaller ones too, although the left to right is about the same.

I don't like them with small amps, but then I don't like small amps and small amps are worse as speaker size increases.

And before Steve beats me up, I'd point out that making and calibrating big passive speakers properly, takes days and that the demand for them is miniscule...."

Yes Big ATC require a lot of power but other speakers have a lot more sensitivity and are lot more eaiser to drive

[hifi_dave]

In an attempt to answer Marco's question, I would say that A*I no longer have an interest in 'legacy' equipment. In fact, I don't believe they even service their own old kit. In Mr James' opinion, computer audio is the now and the future and they sell countless thousands of their computer speakers which are infinitely superior to anything else at any price, so why bother making anything else ?

This is what I have gleaned through the nastiness and arguments on another forum.