Wheelchair bound photographer, musician & Irish Drum teacher, electronics engineer & PC WhizzKid. Getting to good sites for landscape & wildlife photos is challenging. Currently unemployed to to disability :-(
Member since:30.04.2004
Reviews:15
Members who trust:5
For several years I was a Tannoy fan - I just had to have that special "dual concentric" sound which is unique to Tannoy DC's. Since 1974, I have owned 3 different sets of Dual Concentric speakers, although I never aspired to the dizzy heights of a Westminster Gold setup (way too pricey !) However, when I upgraded from *just* a music system (CD, Tape, LP and Radio) to a full blown Home Cinema system, which needed a full blown 6.1 loudspeaker system - I had to admit defeat. The Tannoys had had their day, and it was time to move on.
Decisions, decisions..... what to get..... ??
I visited several single room demo HiFi shops in Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Shrewsbury and other parts of the Midlands
area. I took my time. When you are going to spend 400 to 500 quid on JUST a pair of speakers, you have to be totally sure. Most of these shops were very accommodating, especially Salop HiFi in Shrewsbury, thanks guys. I really appreciated your time.
I listened to yet more Tannoys (nice), B&Ws (very dry), KEFs (too big), Quad's (way too pricey), and several other very reputable brands before giving these British made newcomers to the market a go .... At first I wasn't too keen..... Acoustic Energy ? Who are they ? Never heard of them ..... I was of the "old school" of HiFi after all, with fond memories of Quad, Garrard, Leak, Thorens and Rogers.
BUT, as soon as I stuck my favourite LP on their Linn turntable, and listened to it via the Denon AV1803 amp (the same as I had at home already), I knew within a few minutes that I had found what I was looking for.
This is a speaker with enough body volume to offer a depth of sound that you can *only* get with big cabinets, plus a mid range that just did it - no frills, it was just "right", but it was the top end that really clinched it. Such a difference to my dear old Tannoys. Sweet and clear, almost as if someone had drawn a curtain back from the front of the speakers.
My partner and I were completely blown away by the EVO3's, and at the price, they immediately ended up in the back of the car. Sold.
Once home, they were bolted onto their bases, spikes fitted and punched through the carpet onto the tiles beneath, and wired up using QED 120 strand (or thereabouts) bi-wire flat cable, fitted with gold plated solid 4mm plugs.
To my delight, I discovered that they had already been sand filled, which was a distinct bonus. It is quite a nuisance to have to oven bake several kilos of fine white sand, to dry it sufficiently for use as ballast in the bottom of a large speaker cabinet. HiFi afficionados will know the reasons, but for beginners - its helps add solidity to the cabinet and makes the bass much more coherent, as the cabinet does not move, only the speaker cones move....
As this was a brand new pair, they sounded a bit brittle to start with, as it is fairly well known, speakers of this calibre have to be "run in" like a car engine. 30-40 hours later, running at medium volumes and a wide range of music, they had settled down and started to sound like they had in the shop. Cool !
The EVO's are now part of my Home Cinema system, driven by the Denon AV1803, and work along side KEF rears, Tannoy centre and a Yamaha subwoofer (see my Denon AV1803 review for the full info).
They sit there, day after day, playing Classic FM at me while I work in my office (Im disabled and work from home). But it is at evenings and weekends when they get their run - heavy duty rock, loud explosions from my DVDs, and my son's guitar recordings, which he has now cut to CD to impress the family.
Just like Rolf Harris, these are "all round entertainers", equally happy with Queen, Genesis, Yes, ELP and Led Zeppelin, or the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, or "Terminator 2 Judgement Day" !!
One year on, any complaints ?
Well, actually yes. One of the bass drive units went a bit scratchy on me after just a few months. It took a week or so to get a spare from AE, and I was able to take the single speaker back to Shrewsbury, where they replaced the drive unit while I waited. It was fairly early in it's life and it has not occurred again since. All's well, with no other complaints, and no other criticisms either, they still amaze me !
Specifications : Size mm : 880h x 220d x 192w Weight : A hefty 16KG each ! Treble Unit : 25mm silk fabric dome tweeter. Mid : 120mm die cast chassis, 32mm voice coil. Bass : 160mm die cast chassis, alloy cone with 25mm voice coil. All units are fully magnetically shielded so they can be used close to TVs. Power handling : around 150 Watts max Frequency response : 36Hz - 22KHz (6dB) Sensitivity : 90.5dB/W (a little less than the Tannoys) Terminals : Gold Plated for binding posts or 4mm plugs. Biwireable.
Price paid : £330 in Feb 2003.
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You're on a flow today. This is the second review today. Another detailed review. Maureen
g8ina 07.05.2004 19:49
Hmmmmm, adding images..... Yes, I was wondering about that.... It says I am supposed to be able to add some images when I post the OP, but nothing happens... Is there a secret I need to be let in on, or is it not working ?
Thanks for the nice comments,
David
anthmack 07.05.2004 19:42
It really rocks when you have decent speakers doesnt it? It makes a gathering a party. Brilliant review mate, very clear, concise and detailed. Good One. Antony
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