[b]An afternoon of box swapping[/b] With (hopefully) an impending house move I am currently checking out contenders for compact stand mount speakers to replace my Audio Physic Sparks. So far I've considered Von Schweikert VR-1, Reference 3a Dulcet (heard the Da Capo and was mightily impressed) and Aurum Cantus Leisure 2 :eek: (same distributor as Reference 3A so why not!) Diapason Karis and Proac ISC are also in the audition frame). Am open to suggestions for alternatives though. Had the VR-1 booked for a demo but also thought I might take the opportunity to check out an Audionote CDT One as an upgrade to my trusty but ageing Micromega Drive. First up were the VR-1 on Something Solid stands with Micromega Drive 2/ AZ MC AES/EBU / Chord DAC64 - Siltech 4/24 - CJ PV-10/ Goertz TQ-1/Audio Silver Night 300b monos, Chord speaker cable. The VR-1 is certainly good looking speaker, well finished. Sonically of course it can't provide the scale and weight of my current Audio Physic Sparks, but is very open, lively and musical if the balance seemed a little on the bright side (apparently the room is a little “lean†sounding though). Bass didn't plumb any Stygian depths but what there was was nicely controlled and very natural. Attention then turned to the front end. Audionote CDT-1 and DAC 64. Very dynamic combo, a little bit too much for me I must confess. Next up the Micromega Drive with Audionote DAC2. Tremendous lushness but much less dynamic than with the DAC64. Changed the Micromega for the Audionote CDT-1. Much more natural dynamics and tone. Final swap was a Music First Passive Magnetic Pre for the PV-10. This really let the character of the Audions through. Ravishing female vocals, even more natural music. By far the best combination. Not that far off the scale that I'm used to with the Sparks. Conclusions. Firstly the VR-1's are much more revealing than the Sparks. The Sparks remain a very detailed, musical speaker with an uncanny ability to disappear leaving you no choice but to listen to the music, I'm sure going to miss them. The DAC64/ AZ MC2 is quite a good match for the Micromega (for my tastes) but overall, on the day the Audionote combo did it best for me. The Music First Passive was a real surprise, very transparent the Audionote/ Audions showin great musicallity Must finish with a big thanks to Peter at Noteworthy Audio for his time courtesy and gear.:beer:
