Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: Living Voice Auditorium Speakers by A4 Owner

Model:	Auditorium
Category:	Speakers
Suggested Retail Price:	$3200
Description:	Entry level medium sensitivity full D'Appolito configuration
Manufacturer URL:	Living Voice
Manufacturer URL:	Living Voice

Review by A4 Owner ( A ) on November 09, 2003 at 15:34:30
IP Address: 207.15.210.194

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for the Auditorium

This is a modified version of a review of my whole system that I posted at Audiogon. My speakers are the Mk. I version. I purchased them used last summer, and have owned about three months now. The Auditorium speakers are the first floor-stand speakers I've owned in six or seven years. (I owned Meadowlark Kestrals back in 1997, and Vandersteen 1Bs & 1Cs for a number of years before then). Most recently, I've owned Spendor 2/3s (2001), Spendor S3/5s (early 2002) and Reference 3A de Capos (2002). The LV speakers are certainly a more-fuller range speaker than the stand-mounted speakers that preceeded them. While the specs say the LV go only about 8-10db lower than the de Capos, they clearly have more low frequency information and impact than the de Capos, at least when present in the recording. I notice this characteristic most in some of the better-recorded rock and blues recordings I own. The speakers also have a palpability (for lack of a better word), a sense of depth and body around the musicians, that is fairly unique. The Spendors managed this as well, but in a different way. The LV sound is certainly not etched or unrealistic by any means. It is most noticeable on 50s/60s/early 70s recordings, or live recordings. However, the LV may lack a little resolution of inner detail compared with the de Capos, or at least they do not emphasize the inner detail as much. For instance, piano notes, when reasonably well recorded, have a dynamic quality greater than the de Capos or Spendors, but on the other hand, the de Capos may have presented some inner detail of the notes slightly better. As others have noted, the Auditoriums may lack a little upper bass/midrange energy compared with some other speakers. I find, for some reason, that the LV seem to do a better job with male vocalists than female, somewhat the opposite of the de Capos and Spendors. For example, the Allman Brothers "Eat a Peach" comes alive much more so than with the de Capos, but with Cowboy Junkie's Trinity Sessions, I don't get quite the sense that I'm present at the recording as I had with the de Capos. (I have both recordings on CD, not LP -- yes, I like vinyl, but have gone through major changes with my vinyl system.) I'm a little surprised that most jazz and classical music doesn't sound better with these speakers than the de Capos, but my memory tells me this is the case. (I sold the de Capos about a month before I received the LVs.) However, most of my classical and jazz recordings are on LP, and I made a downgrade in my analog system earlier this year, going from a Michell Gyro SE/SME 309 to eventually, a Nottingham Horizon. In truth, overall I prefered the Michell/de Capo system to the Auditoriums/Horizon. The Michell/de Capo system managed to bring jazz, female vocalists and some classical music "alive" in ways I feel my current system doesn't quite achieve. My one complaint with my former system was that "large scale" music, whether the Fifth Symphony or the Stones, seemed slightly compressed/muted when the volume was turned up. However, since I never had the Horizon with the de Capos, or the Gyro with the Auditoriums, and I have changed phono cartridges as well, I can't really evaluate how much of this is attributable to the speakers and how much to the source.
Also, I have a little concern that these speakers are not optimized in my 12-13 ft. by 14 ft. room. The LVs need a lot of space. In a large room at the dealer's shop, the LV OBX's created one of the most believeable soundstages I have heard from recorded music. Also, despite these speakers being supposedly tube friendly, I'm not sure that tubes are the ideal amplification for these speakers. If anything, these speakers are slightly on the warm side, and might benefit from the extra "energy" that SS might provide. I heard the OBXs with VAC and Quad tube gear, and with an excellent $2000 SS integrated (Sonneteer). I'm not sure I didn't prefer them with SS. I never had any doubt, in contrast, that the de Capos preferred a tube amp. I'm currently using Van de Hul cables and interconnects with my system. I tried using some XLO speaker cables, but thought they softened the sound. I would be interested in hearing comments from others about their experience with various cables and LV speakers. Thanks.

Product Weakness: Not quite as revealing/resolving as the best speakers in price range (ie., de Capos), not as much "magic" with jazz, female vocalists.
Product Strengths: Fairly extended LF response, esp. compared with stand-mounted speakers. Good "palpability" factor. Great with most rock/pop music.

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	VAC Avatar tube integrated
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	None
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	AVI CD4 Reference & Nottingham Horizon/Goldring Elite
Speakers:	Living Voice Audiorium
Cables/Interconnects:	VDH
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Jazz/rock/blues/classical/pop
Room Size (LxWxH):	14 x 13 x 8
Room Comments/Treatments:	Suspended wood floors/lots of furniture/80 & 90 pound Labs on lap
Time Period/Length of Audition:	Owned 3 months
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	Monster Cable
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	Not quite as revealing/resolving as the best speakers in price range (ie., de Capos), not as much "magic" with jazz, female vocalists.
Product Strengths:	Fairly extended LF response, esp. compared with stand-mounted speakers. Good "palpability" factor. Great with most rock/pop music.