Schubertlover,let me state that living in the N.Y. tri state area,and having a load of serious hi-fi friends,I have heard a ton of fine set-ups.Oh,yeah,BTW-I have been at this about 35 yrs.

PLEASE,PLEASE--don't EVER become dis-enchanted with those "CLASSIC" with a capital "C",speakers,of yours.I have heard MANY,owned many speakers,and will hear MANY,in the future.What I will not hear,is a better overall speaker,than yours,which will play SOTA(even in a decade,IMO)in any relatively normal listening room.

Of course,if you win the mega jackpot lottery,and buy a HUGE house,with cavernous audio room,then this comment is to be dis-regarded.Otherwise,let me say I have heard your speakers in some HUGE NYC loft set-ups,by audiophiles too busy,and experienced,to bother posting(unfortunately I'm not one).I have heard some very "hoity toity" systems(not Radians,here) in similar surroundings,big "name audiophiles/reviewers",and trust me on this,a properly set up pair of Radians,make a mockery of some very "highly thought of" mega models.Yet,and yet---You already know this!

BTW--I do not own Radians,and have NO envy,of new stuff.I DO have good stuff,yet my Radian experiences were some of the most "Jaw on the floor" experiences I've had.Sadly those experiences are few and far between!!As you know,and some LUCKY guys will find out,these are a REDICULOUS bargain,used!!

Best regards!!

[email protected] October 03, 2005 16:06

Tireguy: How do the Radians (non-HC) compare to the Eidolons? Except for the front to back soundstage which is definitely better with Eidolons, I prefer my setup. For whatever reason, they sound exceptional in my listening room. One fact, the Radians were the last of the sealed Avalons, all the newer models( Eidolons included) are "quasi-sealed". They have a port for sure. Are they as good as your Maggies, nothing will ever beat dipole radiators, for transparency and that undefinable boxless openness, nothing. The one thing that dynamic speakers have is that they do not have to be very loud to get good sound out of them. They still come alive at medium low volumes. You cannot say that about any dipole radiators. And easier to drive, for most of my listening, a few watts are needed. I cannot say that about my Acoustats either. But I have to admit the Radians along with the Spectral gear have a very high fun factor. And those rare moments when everything is aligned just right: the equipment and my state of mind , there is something magical about this system that I never got with the Acoustats, and that is worth the price of admission, right???

shubertmaniac September 06, 2003 23:42

Hey George, how've ya been?

I am confused I thought you had Eidolon's, guess I was wrong! How do you like those Radian's? they are a real bargin on the used market, any comparison between the Eidolon and the radian HC? And more importantly where are your pictures- humor us with some audio porn :)

But in any case enjoy the music- not that I need to tell you that!

tireguy September 06, 2003 20:21

System edited: I just changed from the Spectral DMA200 to the DMA180.1 amplifier. Although the DMA200 was a class A design and the DMA180.1 is a high bias class A/B, I could not discern any crossover distortion. The advantages that I could perceive on first impressions were a sense of greater transparency and higher resolution. This without sacrificing the liquid midrange. Another advantage is at higher volumes the system seems less congested, the instrumentation more individualized instead of a conglomerate effect. Of course, a very real effect: no fan on the DMA180, less noise. Good value for the money; would not hesitate to buy it again.

shubertmaniac September 06, 2003 11:22

Great system!!

kennyb February 21, 2003 19:54

Killer setup. Sounds like you built you system for the right reason. MUSIC!

bryans February 16, 2003 10:47