John, in early listening your SX cables provide stunning SQ improvements. Music blossoms from deepest silence, so fully revealed that tears flow. Two upgrades combine for the best sound I’ve ever been privileged to enjoy. MQA recordings unfolded to 32/358.2 by Mytek Brooklyn and delivered to a Van Alstine amp thru SX cables take me all the way back to the studio. I have crossed-over from hi-fi to pro. Thank you for such art in engineering. – Dez
First, I received the speakers sooner than expected (thanks for that:) and after a few hours of burn in I listened. Wow! These are a bit different than any of my other speakers (Wilson Sofia III & KEF LS50) and be assured I am very pleased. They play the music so nicely and give me all the information I’ve ever wanted. They are perhaps akin to my Sennheiser HD800 but without the bump in the high end. I’m currently integrating a James subwoofer that I’ve had kicking around and it looks to be a good match so far. We shall see. I could happily use them without the sub, but the James is very fast and should integrate rather well. One more item. I had not remembered that you are the president of the company. You treated me with courtesy, helpfulness, and were downright pleasant to work with. I appreciated your input on helping me make my selection. Kudos to you and your fine company. They may be some cables in the future. If so, I’ll be in touch. Thanks so very much. It was a great experience for me:)
-Alex Leatham
Unexpectedly, The ONES (with SUB15) present organ music with great realism. It can be pure majesty. This near-field system is proving mysterious and challenging, urging me to further appreciate the art of listening — through acceptance. Perhaps it’s best approached one type of music at a time. The speakers can seem “purpose-built”. I discovered their excellence with opera. Now organ. Part of it is their “compact” imaging. They don’t work to recreate the whole (distant) space, but rather the personal space as apprehended by one listener in the much larger environment. (As I read what I’ve just written I wonder if there is a difference. I know that I struggle to describe and ‘understand’ their kind of repro.) Part of it is seeming to be at a virtual “console” while listening, eg the mixing board in a studio, conductor’s podium at the opera, keyboards of the organist. I love this illusion of control. Let me pretend to play for you now… Desmond Fretz
Hi John,
I’ve been meaning to email you to express my sincerest gratitude and appreciation for what you have created in the 1+1’s. They are revolutionary and I am indebted. The imaging and depth is simply unbelievable. Although I have had this email on my list and would have gotten to it within a few days, I was inspired to write it now as I listened to the Nebraska soundtrack, which is a compilation of songs by Mark Orton (who makes regular use of banjo, clarinet and the accordion). Admittedly, I was listening to the 1+1’s as background music while I worked. I found myself looking up incredulously at an area 6 feet to the left of the left speaker. This is where, mid-song, the first notes of banjo appeared in the soundstage. I took a double take and positioned myself slightly more perfectly in front of the speakers and closed my eyes. What I heard should not be coming from speakers this size. You’ve truly made listening to music fun again!!!
All my best,
Andrew
After maybe 30 hours of musical burn-in, your Auricaps 10uf are truly fantastic! I tried the 1uF XO but finally I easily kept the 1uf Aura-t on my tweeters … Not really astonishing :–)) but the 10uF XOs has replaced with success a well known and highly regarded stacked copper capacitor. I can’t imagine what a 10 uF Aura-t would be capable to do…Just a dream, sad…Nevermind, the Xos are nice too. You know, I still like very much my stacked cast caps but in my current speaker system and also in my Naim amp, your Aura-t and XOs work clearly better for my wife and me, without any doubt and for 30 years, I tried so many high end caps…but never yours till today. Your caps are highly performing and I appreciate over all, their neutrality and their transparency. We can listen every kind of musics from jazz to death metal. (from Jazz at the pawnshop (1976) to Nile today !) I thought that metal music recordings were often very harsh but the Aura-t and also the XOs are able to reproduce the complex textures and amplitude nuances from a saturated guitar without any simplification, the result is a precise, detailled and quite soft timbre for this kind of music (of course) but no shouty sound.Metal with its high compression rate is a difficult challenge for caps and transducers but your aura-T and Xo can easily do it … Today, I am 50 years old and my favourite music is most of time classical, barocco and jazz but sometimes I still like listen to metal and my system today can be as good with these different style of music.
Kind regards,
FREDERIC GRANGER
DIY customer from Switzerland
John – just wanted to give you some initial feedback on the aR2-TS. I have been playing it now for about 5 days solidly…..this evening it really changed in character. I would have to say it “opened up” in a way that I’ve not previously heard as clearly in other audio gear. I first noticed it with acoustic guitar…..the guitar sounded like real wood. I switched to some live recording in a bunch of different resolutions. The soundstage was so expanded, the details so clear and obvious, subtleties of the music came through, and more than anything else, the music sounded alive. Many thanks for this great product!! Matt
I have been using the ONEs over the past year at SnowGhost Music and they have become one of the most important tools in my studio. Many people in the studio world are extremely familiar with classics like Yamaha NS-10s or Auratones, and swear by them for their uncanny ability to translate in the real world on many different systems. The ONEs share that trait, but also go a step further, in providing a level of detail and resolution unmatched for a single-driver, cross-overless design. I prepare mixes almost exclusively in mono on the ONEs before addressing any needs on my larger far-field speakers, and find that I have been able to cut my work in half. I could survive with a good pair of headphones and the ONEs. Thanks Audience, for not only updating a classic and simple speaker design philosophy, but also for far eclipsing it.
Brett Allen, owner of SnowGhost Music
Hi John;
I have the 1+1s playing and they are wonderful little gems — I’ve never
heard my system sound so good. I’m pretty sure they’ve found a permanent
home. Thank you so much.
Paul Kodama from Hawaii
John,
The Au24 SE power cords I purchased last month from Audience, including the SE upgrade I made on my standard AU24 power cord that came with my Audience TSS power conditioner are arguably the most important upgrade I’ve ever made to my system.The SE’s also raise the performance of your TSS power conditioners to a whole new level of performance. A real synergy there. These SE power cords are simply unflappable. No matter how dynamic, complex or brash the music, the SE’s never lose their composure or become strident. They’re masterful at capturing the natural timbres of brass, stringed and woodwind instruments and the human voice. Very important attributes for those of us who love Jazz, Classical, Opera and acoustic music etc. Excuse my rambling , but I was just listening to the Mahler’s incredible 9th symphony and felt inspired to share my thoughts with you!!
Thanks John,
Drew
