anybody has got experience with the voyage?

[jmstpierre]

Just wondering if anybody has some experience with the voyage speakers.Are they easy to run and do they need subwoofers to complement lower frequencies?
we are at the final stage of internal design of the new house (combined ht and hifi in the family area)and m torn between getting a pair of ethos and one voyage for centre or should i get 3 voyages and 2 subs..
i love the idea of a clean line looking family room but if it s a massive compromise going inwall,i may just have to persuade the wife that a floorstander pair and one inwall might just be the way to go.
also if anybody has had experience with the voyages, could you please advise me on their strengths and weaknesses.do they still have a wide/big soundstage?>
sincerely yours
john

 

[roberto]

Hola...and yes, they need subs if you are building a HT. For music, depends of the type of music, they do not go at the very low frequencies like a pipe organ bass, but really are dynamic and nice to have. They use a tweeter and two mid ranges made of ATF ML tech. They are fast (almost fast as an electrostatic panel) and detail. Easy to drive and great for voices too. If you are going to use it as a center channel, you always are going to need the sub. Ethos will need the sub...the sub is part of the set up of any HT. There is an especific Low Frequency Effects (LFE) channel that it is at the recordng track of the DVDs. The ATF technology is like a Magneplanar, where there is a thing wire attached to the diaphragm. So I think you will love their sound. The Voyage is a great speaker, but it is a little step below of any ML electrostatic. They do sound loud!!! and for HT you are in the right track. Happy listening,
R.

 

[JordanD]

I think personally you should go the Ethos/Voyage route. The Voyage is a fantastic speaker, but since you are between the two options I would go with the Ethos.

Now that being said I imagine you are designing the wall to accommodate such a speaker? Some people do not realize what it takes to make a speaker like that work so I thought I would mention it.

But either route you go, you should still consider a sub, but more so with the Voyage only system.

 

[jmstpierre]

Hi Roberto and jordanD,
thanks for your reply.I am quite happy to hear that the voyages are not far off the martin logan electrostatic.
I will indeed have subs, one to complement the voyages for stereo listening and one for the dedicated LFE.
I have no doubt that the ethos/voyage may be the better combo but like i said in my post i love the idea of a clean line, clutterfree area.Plus with 2 kids it may also be a better idea to have concealed speakers and sub plus easier to please the wife this way...
However, i am indeed designing and builiding the house and have the area done buy a custom installer so that i can extract the best of the voyage, correctly calibrated speakers and screen...I am sure there is more to buying inwall speakers, cutting a hole in wall put the speakers and go...so that where the pros come in..
Another 2 questions is what sub shoud i use and can i go inwall again, also what receiver could i use to complement the voyages.I was thinking of the arcam avr600 or yamaha z11
thanbks guy

 

[JordanD]

Well as far as the subwoofer goes I am almost a stickler when it comes to using 'out-of-wall' subwoofers, BUT again if that is something you really want (in-wall subs) SpeakerCraft makes a line of simple remarkable in-wall subwoofers. I have worked with them and they also require planning to install because there is a box required and an external amp that comes as a part of the whole 'package'. Keep in mind that their price is higher, but since you are going with the Voyage I am not too sure you are too worried about that, besides they would still be cheaper then the Depth or Descent, but I digress.

Here is a quick link the their 12'' model:

http://www.speakercraft.com/product...ge=flypage_sc.tpl&product_id=16&category_id=4

But beyond that I haven't been too impressed with anything else, that is until I went to the California Audio Show and saw/heard an remarkable little on-wall subwoofer.

http://dls.se/en/home/prod.html?produkt=en_864

It was very impressive especially due to the fact that is was mounted to a plywood display system which I would have thought would have hindered the sound, but I was wrong!

But if you are not too concerned with in-wall or out-of-wall I would go with an ML sub. For me the Grotto i is an awesome sub that doesn't get its due credit, and its very forgiving in terms of setup, and size. Its sound is great too! But hell the Depth i or Descent i wouldn't hurt haha

 

[roberto]

I do like a lot JordanD recommentations. Also I think that an Arcam receiver is going to shine with your new system. Happy listening/

 

[JordanD]

Oooo! Good one Roberto! Yes I forgot about the amps. Yeah the Arcams are great! I really dig them and if I didn't get such a good deal on my Marantz then I would have bought Arcam for sure.

 

[jmstpierre]

Hi guys and again thanks for your replies.
I just checked the voyages specs and seem they are a open speaker.does that matter?I thought that fully closed/sealed speakers tend to be easier to integrate inwalls?
I am now convinced to go for the arcam, i did listen to the avr600 and wow it was amazing with music..

 

[JordanD]

Well typically with "in-wall" speakers they are 'open.' Not all but most are. Simply because if they are open then they can use the channel between studs as a cabinet. Personally I dont see this as a bad thing. That is a design choice based on research into how it sounds.

Think about it. Sure they could strap a little plastic housing on the back to make it closed/sealed, but that would greatly decrease the sound in comparison to using a much larger wall channel instead. I wouldn't worry about the fact that they are 'open.'

 

[shakham]

I can speak Passage (Voyage's little brother) vs the Vantage (Ethos' cousin maybe?)....

Wider soundstage? Passage...the ATF driver is directional, but not as limiting as the electrostat panels.
Decor friendly? Passage gets the edge as the curved cover is nice..they have a paintable one, and the speaker is completely out of the way.
Need subwoofer? probably both....but if you get picky about it, the Vantage is much stronger down low, and you could probably forgo it.
Easier to drive? I would say equal...the powered woofer of the Vantage/Ethos really helps.

Only issue with the Passage is you need to play it loud...it sounds a little weak at low volume..while the Vantage sounds great at all volumes. Reviews mentioned this issue...if not I would have blamed the receiver...I'm not sure if the Voyage also has this issue.

I think it depends on whether you are adamant about getting the electrostat sound....if not, I think the Voyage will make a fine speaker...but it is massive...so make sure that actually fits into the decor plans. I got the Passage based on the size of the TV it was flanking....and even then it's really huge. Another issue with inwall is, it's tough to change things around in the future.

PS: make sure your studs are 2"X6" (vs 2"X4")...the Voyage needs the extra depth.

In a nutshell....
If you want the sure bet, Ethos is the way to go.
If you want to take a risk...but not a bad risk...the Voyage is also a fine speaker.

I hope this helps .