Choosing new speakers

Hey Orobas
I did not hear Gato Audio yet. It is delayed until next Friday, sadly.
I suddenly feel very much pressure. :) I am no expert in listening or judging speakers, so I doubt my input can be used as a way to judge Gato Audio and Sonus Faber for you guys.
Ah darn thats a shame with the delay. Ah well never mind.. roll on next friday then :D
 
I actually have a question for all your experts, while I am waiting for my audition at Gato Audio.
Most speakers I see it outfitted with spikes. My floor is made of wood and I wonder if spikes is the best solution. I work at a company making weights and also simple installations. To reduce vibration we have some rubber feets. I wonder if it would be an idea to use those instead of spikes.

P_20210908_162859.jpg
 
I actually have a question for all your experts, while I am waiting for my audition at Gato Audio.
Most speakers I see it outfitted with spikes. My floor is made of wood and I wonder if spikes is the best solution. I work at a company making weights and also simple installations. To reduce vibration we have some rubber feets. I wonder if it would be an idea to use those instead of spikes.

View attachment 1567638
Spikes, if done correctly, remove the speaker from the floor and just provide those 4 points of contact. Some people prefer to sit spikes in cups on wood floors to avoid damaging the floor.. others prefer blocks like you have.

it is literally a matter of taste and trial and error to see what works best i am afraid. there is no real definitive answer
 
Speakers usually come with something extra for wood floors, basically little metal discs. You place the discs on the floor and the spikes basically just dig into those rather than your floor
 
Sadly my audition is once again postponed.
It is apparently the CEO himself who is going to present the speakers. While it would be exciting to talk to the owner of Gato Audio then I simply do not understand why another person can not present the speakers and let me listen.
My impression of Gato Audio really has dropped now and I have not even heard their speakers.
 
I've not read this whole thread as I don't have time at this second, but my understanding is you don't have space to position speakers anywhere but near the wall?

If you have an amp with eq this will solve that problem by just eqing bass down. If eq isn't an option, you need to either buy wall mounting speakers, or speakers designed to be near the wall, as previously recommended. Search wall mount speakers and you'll see there's a lot of options from big brands.

How big actually is your room and what is your listening distance?

You ideally need a home audition as speakers can vary a lot room to room, especially in untreated rooms
 
Sadly my audition is once again postponed.
It is apparently the CEO himself who is going to present the speakers. While it would be exciting to talk to the owner of Gato Audio then I simply do not understand why another person can not present the speakers and let me listen.
My impression of Gato Audio really has dropped now and I have not even heard their speakers.
I am so sorry to hear this has occurred and it's really annoyed me too especially after the time spent on this thread :(

Some shops do some really weird stuff though with their audio and it may be that the CEO wants be the big man and take the glory for once.

I hope they get this sorted quickly as they are really nicely sounding and put together speakers, albeit complex with their jumper system. This has kind of put me off recommending them now to anyone else also.

There is this also if it helps... from Gato... "Buy it and try it! Test our gear at home for 30 days - return it for a full refund if you don't like it!" So you do have that to fall back on
 
Buy Soundcare Superspikes-problem solved. No stupid metal disc.

So it’s the CEO who’s gonna talk to you. I bet he wants to sell you twice as expensive speakers as planned.

Stay away...
 
Buy Soundcare Superspikes-problem solved. No stupid metal disc.

So it’s the CEO who’s gonna talk to you. I bet he wants to sell you twice as expensive speakers as planned.

Stay away...
After the FM-30 its only the FM-50 to go.. at £1,300 more... the FM-50 are, very safe to say, too big for what's needed here... I can only assume looking a bit deeper is that back in July of this year they re-modelled the speakers and he is looking to showcase the new batch and the changes made over the old model etc

Seeing as @Aslund has the Lyngdorf ... I am almost tempted to return to Dali, seeing as Peter Lyngdorf owns Dali and look at the Rubicons (5 and 6).. it's a vast improvement to the 850 which he currently has.. The TDAI-1120 may have better control over them.. worth a trial in any case if Gato proves to be a dead duck
 
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The gato do look pretty good from what they say on their website, so definitely worth a listen still. Definitely odd the CEO wants to do the demo, maybe they are reading this thread so want to make a good impression 😁
 
But this way they will spoil the impression.
 
I am more and more inclined to skip Gato Audio. It is a damn shame given the nice recommendation given by @Orobas .
Things can happen, in my case it is illness it family, which I can understand, but it is starting to get ridiculous.
Just to make a recap of my conversation with them.
  • 18. August I write an email requesting an audition of their speakers
  • 25. August I write another email, I might have been a little harsh on why I have not heard anything from them. I get promptly an answer 10min later and we arrange an audition the 3. September
  • 2. September I get an email that his child is sick and stays home to take care of him. I am fully supportive of this and we agree to postpone the audition 1 week, to the 10. September
  • 8. September I write an email asking if everything is fine with his child or he needs more time. (My own child has been home 1 week, so I can relate).
  • 9. September I get a reply where his child is fine, but his other child is sick and he feels a little sick himself. I just reply it is fine, wish them well soon and ask him to write back when he feels better.
  • 16. September I send another email, since I have not heard from him since my email from the 9. September, asking if they feel better and how the prospect is with getting an audition. I also ask if another person can perform the audition with me.
  • 20. September I call them and get a hold of another person. I explain my wish to listen to the speakers and I also refer to my problems getting an audition. He says I will get a call later today. Have not heard anything from them.
I could just buy them and try them, but this really rubs me the wrong way. Is this how you conduct business? I had a few years in customer service and had to deal with crazy requests or annoyed customers. I took it with a smile and tried the best of my efforts to please them.
Another thing is that I have asked twice in our conversation about the crossover point of their speakers, never got any answer.

@FRFT You just missed the link in my first post, I add it here so it is easier to find for you :)

I would love to use a Dali speaker, but I am not impressed with their sound :D I feel it is soo heavy and dark compared to Sonus Faber, which I really enjoy. I also like the Dynaudio Emit 50 much better than the Dali Opticon 6 mk2.
 
Seems a bit of a farce. I’d be tempted to leave Gato Audio well alone.
 
I am more and more inclined to skip Gato Audio. It is a damn shame given the nice recommendation given by @Orobas .
Things can happen, in my case it is illness it family, which I can understand, but it is starting to get ridiculous.
Just to make a recap of my conversation with them.
  • 18. August I write an email requesting an audition of their speakers
  • 25. August I write another email, I might have been a little harsh on why I have not heard anything from them. I get promptly an answer 10min later and we arrange an audition the 3. September
  • 2. September I get an email that his child is sick and stays home to take care of him. I am fully supportive of this and we agree to postpone the audition 1 week, to the 10. September
  • 8. September I write an email asking if everything is fine with his child or he needs more time. (My own child has been home 1 week, so I can relate).
  • 9. September I get a reply where his child is fine, but his other child is sick and he feels a little sick himself. I just reply it is fine, wish them well soon and ask him to write back when he feels better.
  • 16. September I send another email, since I have not heard from him since my email from the 9. September, asking if they feel better and how the prospect is with getting an audition. I also ask if another person can perform the audition with me.
  • 20. September I call them and get a hold of another person. I explain my wish to listen to the speakers and I also refer to my problems getting an audition. He says I will get a call later today. Have not heard anything from them.
I could just buy them and try them, but this really rubs me the wrong way. Is this how you conduct business? I had a few years in customer service and had to deal with crazy requests or annoyed customers. I took it with a smile and tried the best of my efforts to please them.
Another thing is that I have asked twice in our conversation about the crossover point of their speakers, never got any answer.

@FRFT You just missed the link in my first post, I add it here so it is easier to find for you :)

I would love to use a Dali speaker, but I am not impressed with their sound :D I feel it is soo heavy and dark compared to Sonus Faber, which I really enjoy. I also like the Dynaudio Emit 50 much better than the Dali Opticon 6 mk2.
This is the issue of going to the small firms though half the time... they are literally a single owner/dealer as opposed to a chain not that i am making any excuses for Gato and this has really annoyed me what Gato have done here. They do have a dealer here in the uk and i managed to get to listen to a pair and omg....

Gato do not specify a crossover point or i would have answered that in my replies throughout this thread.. with their jumper system, this changes the crossover points. They are keeping the info secret i would assume to stop others from copying

If you can.... go and have a listen to the Rubicon series with their Rubicon 5 or 6 model.. They sound very very different to their other lines. far more refined and polished.

Dynaudio have also released the Emit 30 which is a lot more controlled than the 50 although it doesn't plum the depths as much. Might be worth checking out.

I think.. re Dynaudio though that the Contour 30i may be the Dynaudio's to aim for if you can demo them and get them at a ex demo price as they are just outside your budget

The only other Sonus Faber model i can think of being worthy is the Olympica Nova II ...another one out of your price range this one unless you can get a set of ex demo's .... but they are a formidable standard. What i don't like about them is their stability on the ground.. their feet are not that "planted" and as a result make them a bit unstable. They also need to be pulled out around a meter from the wall...

PMC's Twenty 5.23i are very much worth an audition as are their bigger brother.. the 5.24i. These are transmission line so will have a quite "slow" bass.. but they do dig... front port too.

My other "crazy horse" options.. are the

Quadral Aurum Orkan 9. These are from Hannover, Germany. Bomb proof construction and very clean sterile sounding. You "might" find these a bit too clinical and cold.. but thats precision german engineering for you. I am not sure what the market is like in Denmark for Quadral but they are very much worth checking out! .

Russell K Red 150... English designed, made in Poland. These are speakers that play lovely music. They are almost studio speaker quality across the frequency.. flat and true but they don't dig that deep... they play low.. but its clean without the boom. I really like the Russell's but i dont like their looks and the grilles.. they are extra's to buy!
 
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Finally I heard from Gato Audio. I have an audition on Tuesday. Fingers crossed. I am really excited how they are going to sound compared to Sonetto V. I think I will close and delete my mail so I can't get any cancellations :D

For information then I actually manage to get a little bit details regarding the crossover frequencies of FM-30. It is around 300Hz and 2.5kHz.

@Orobas
It is funny. I did one time try to listen to Opticon 6 Mk2 and Rubicon 6. I honestly did not notice much difference between them, but it was also a quick listen.
Regarding Quadral Aurum Orkan 9 it seems it is a bit laid back in the top, does not sound like a speaker I would like if I enjoy the Sonus Faber sound.
 
Finally I heard from Gato Audio. I have an audition on Tuesday. Fingers crossed. I am really excited how they are going to sound compared to Sonetto V. I think I will close and delete my mail so I can't get any cancellations :D

For information then I actually manage to get a little bit details regarding the crossover frequencies of FM-30. It is around 300Hz and 2.5kHz.

@Orobas
It is funny. I did one time try to listen to Opticon 6 Mk2 and Rubicon 6. I honestly did not notice much difference between them, but it was also a quick listen.
Regarding Quadral Aurum Orkan 9 it seems it is a bit laid back in the top, does not sound like a speaker I would like if I enjoy the Sonus Faber sound.
Glad Gato have finally got their act together at long last and hope it goes through this time.

No worries on the Rubicon... they need a full run in listen really.

As for the Quadral... had a feeling that they might have been a bit too sterile which is why I listed them as a crazy horse option. Last quadrals I had were on the PS Sprout amp and they were clinical on that but with the sound shaping software I have I was able to overcome most of that. Really nice speakers though.
 
Finally I heard from Gato Audio. I have an audition on Tuesday. Fingers crossed. I am really excited how they are going to sound compared to Sonetto V. I think I will close and delete my mail so I can't get any cancellations :D

For information then I actually manage to get a little bit details regarding the crossover frequencies of FM-30. It is around 300Hz and 2.5kHz.

@Orobas
It is funny. I did one time try to listen to Opticon 6 Mk2 and Rubicon 6. I honestly did not notice much difference between them, but it was also a quick listen.
Regarding Quadral Aurum Orkan 9 it seems it is a bit laid back in the top, does not sound like a speaker I would like if I enjoy the Sonus Faber sound.

I hope they are devilishly entertaining after all the faff.
 
I hope they are devilishly entertaining after all the faff.
If you ever get the opportunity to go to Anstruther, Fife in Scotland... look up Elite Audio who are the UK stockists of Gato Audio and they'll give you a demo :)
 
I hope they are devilishly entertaining after all the faff.
I hope too. At least it seems their philosophy is similar to Sonus Faber. The midrange is responsible for a wide frequency range and the goal is not to measure best but listen the best. I saw a video with Frederik from Gato Audio and he emphasized that the main goal of the speakers was musicality.
But we will see how it is in real life. I am just sad that their have these individual covers for each drive. I find it ugly.
I wonder how much dealers earn on speakers. Gato Audio is a small company with local production. Their productions expenses must be much heigher than Sonus Faber, but still the price is not much different from Sonetto.
I can also see that Gato Audio has something called PurePhase. I wonder if it is going to conflict with RoomPerfect and Lyngdorf.
 
I hope too. At least it seems their philosophy is similar to Sonus Faber. The midrange is responsible for a wide frequency range and the goal is not to measure best but listen the best. I saw a video with Frederik from Gato Audio and he emphasized that the main goal of the speakers was musicality.
But we will see how it is in real life. I am just sad that their have these individual covers for each drive. I find it ugly.
I wonder how much dealers earn on speakers. Gato Audio is a small company with local production. Their productions expenses must be much heigher than Sonus Faber, but still the price is not much different from Sonetto.
I can also see that Gato Audio has something called PurePhase. I wonder if it is going to conflict with RoomPerfect and Lyngdorf.
The Purephase essentially time aligns each driver so they all hit distances at the exact same time as per the diagram (from my interpretation)

Also the jumpers change the level adjustments of each driver as opposed to the frequency. I have had this confirmed by Gato directly during some back and forth emails i have had .. so essentially the jumpers are acting like the old volume dials you used to get on the old studio monitors like the Yamaha NS-1000M (remember those!) ..

ns1000-intro1.jpg

but instead of a continual pot.. these jumpers are pre-set on the crossover board.

It's a tough one to call due to the electronics of the Gato but I would expect there to be some issues with the RoomPerfect trying to correct the speakers. It maybe.. that you will have to bypass that feature and just run the amp as is.. Only the demo will be able to tell you that
 
The Purephase essentially time aligns each driver so they all hit distances at the exact same time as per the diagram (from my interpretation)

Also the jumpers change the level adjustments of each driver as opposed to the frequency. I have had this confirmed by Gato directly during some back and forth emails i have had .. so essentially the jumpers are acting like the old volume dials you used to get on the old studio monitors like the Yamaha NS-1000M (remember those!) ..

ns1000-intro1.jpg

but instead of a continual pot.. these jumpers are pre-set on the crossover board.

It's a tough one to call due to the electronics of the Gato but I would expect there to be some issues with the RoomPerfect trying to correct the speakers. It maybe.. that you will have to bypass that feature and just run the amp as is.. Only the demo will be able to tell you that
Gato Audio does not have room correction, but I doubt they are totally unaware about it. So I might just ask when I see them on Tuesday. It would be interesting to hear their opinion.
From what you tell me about the jumpers it is actually a lot more basic then what I thought. It suddenly seems outdated with these jumpers. Would RoomPerfect and EQ (Voicing) not provide the same result? At a much better result?
 
Gato Audio does not have room correction, but I doubt they are totally unaware about it. So I might just ask when I see them on Tuesday. It would be interesting to hear their opinion.
From what you tell me about the jumpers it is actually a lot more basic then what I thought. It suddenly seems outdated with these jumpers. Would RoomPerfect and EQ (Voicing) not provide the same result? At a much better result?
The jumpers are literally just a fine tune feature at the end of the day. These are speakers primarily designed to go with their own amps and other similar styles of amps.
I will be most curious to hear back how the lyngdorf copes with them and vice versa
 
I saw a video with Frederik from Gato Audio and he emphasized that the main goal of the speakers was musicality.

This sounds like the excuse for poor engineering.

Had anyone ever said "our aim is to measure perfectly but we don't care about the sound"?

The whole point of good measurement is to build equipment that sounds great. You don't choose to optimise one at the expense of the other.

It's a false dichotomy and too often a refuge for scoundrels.
 
To be honest I wouldn’t bother with Gato Audio, all those jumpers which can fine tune the sound to your liking, seems a waste of time if you ask me.

Just buy normal speakers, then place them correctly in the room.

Sonus Faber which has been mentioned before.
 
The jumpers are literally just a fine tune feature at the end of the day. These are speakers primarily designed to go with their own amps and other similar styles of amps.
I will be most curious to hear back how the lyngdorf copes with them and vice versa

The amps and dac/preamps are gorgeous too.

I’d be happy to use them all with the bigger speakers and simply lob an RP’d digital feed into the dac/preamp (from a Lyngdorf 2170 perhaps) then into a pair of their impressively monstrous mono power amps.

Excellent industrial design for my taste.
 

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