Attn: ttocs:
I can certainly understand the miss-out on the Neoliths if that was going to be your ultimate / final speaker...
I've had the pleasure of auditioning these at my good mates place in Spore with top end CJ, Lamm, Dan's Relentless monoblocks and the top of the line VAC (dual chassis monoblocks). Although it was an awe-inspiring experience, I'm always in awe whenever I get the chance to listen to his Statements Evo-II's. Those were made by ML to be a no cost object project and they were made to reproduce the live even as close as possible, and they certainly do!
Both the Neoliths and Statements require very large rooms, otherwise it's always going to be a half-baked cake! I always emphasize this point across to those who lust over much larger speakers, the room plays a huge role in these for them to perform optimally. It's not just the space behind the speakers but also fronts, sides, and ceilings, and there must be plenty of space behind the listener as well, not just a few feet and then slap bang wall, it simply won't work. This chap also has the original Infinity IRS-V's and now owns the Genesis Prime's and also Alsyvox Botichelli-X. So whenever I get to visit in early Feb, I usually get a chance to listen to one of those systems set up, and fully operational with some very awesome gear.
If on any certain occasion his tech team cannot set up one of the systems properly then it doesn't get used for that particular occasion. In order to demo for potential customers, his team always makes sure that every angle is covered, not just speaker placement, listening position, distances on all sides, ceiling treatments, acoustic reverb etc., once they get that right, oh man, is it spectacular!
I haven't had the chance to audition the Alsyvox Botichelli-X as yet, the X is fitted with out-board crossovers, and is supposed to be a step above the standard Botichelli version. Hopefully if all goes to plan, I'll get to listen in Feb next year. For every type of system and set up, those room parameters play such a crucial role, such that it can make a system blossom or strangle it. I guess this is what happens at most hi-fi shows, their rooms are just plain awful.
Now, I've auditioned at length the entire Masterpiece series line, and some were truly amazing, given the rooms they were demoed in. The private dealers have gone to great lengths to get the sound at optimal levels, and when I experienced these, in particular the Ren15A, and 13A, there's nothing you would really require more of... unless you had a very large room to fill. So, my point is, the current hybrids you already have are superb! They just need to be set up right in order for them to sound at optimal levels, and they need to be given the very best of gear to drive them, only then the majority of people go "aaah..."
Most of the places I visited were either using CH Precision, Dartzeel, and Momentums as SS gear. On tubes it was mostly CJ, VAC and VTL.
I'm sure your gear is upto par with your hybrids...? If not then this is where your investment should be, not the Neoliths... again, unless you had a very large room to fill. I've had the fortunate opportunity of having CLX's playing here beautifully and very good space to allow them to breathe, thanks to our open plan design. However, the measurements and room parameters are just about right and I've managed to get away with it pretty close!
Anything less by a few feet, I wouldn't have done any justice to the CLX's, not even the Neoliths for that matter. The Ren15A would be fine in my present living room but certainly not the Neoliths, simply because of the sheer size of the Neoliths, my fairly large room would still be strangling them... so why bother. The Neoliths also have very large bass drivers, and these require full grip and control, apart from the huge stat panel, to sound properly balanced. If not well controlled and balanced, the sound presentation can be all over the joint, as was demoed at most shows in the past. Then place any of those smaller hybrids in there and things snap into place, simply due to the room acoustics.
So, for me the latest isn't always the greatest. It's a matter of getting all the elements into synergy, that's the most important aspect for me, regardless of speaker size or price.
I sincerely believe what you have there is quite outstanding. There's always room for improvement, and you don't realize the improvements until you start comparing gear... just my 50cts worth. Thought I'd mention this.
Cheers, and enjoy those fine tunes!
RJ
