Thread: Kaiser Kawero or Raidho D3 or Vivid Giya G2?

Originally Posted by wisnon

Excellent!

Happy holidays to you too.

Next Summer for sure...maybe before if I have some business travelk in the area. Airfares have gone crazy, BTW. Unbelieveable since oil prices are plummeting. Can we say price gouging? LoL

No. Airlines buy on a yearly contract hedging the high and low prices for the year, giving them predictable costs. It helps them hedge against times when the cost is high (like it has been for years) but hurts when the price is low. Of course, once they've broken the frackers, the price will go up. So although costs have gone down for the public, it really hasn't for the airlines.

The reason the prices are high other than the holidays is all the mergers and cutting back of airline routes.

Exactly!

They were passing on fuel surcharges so even if all were hedging, they had the surcharge protection. In any case, even if this were so, they are facing at least stable costs, they are in the process of jacking up prices claiming that they are enhancing the flying experience. ROTFLMAO.

As to breaking the frackers, I dont really see how that is possible. Keep prices low for a year and many will fold up shop, BUT if prices start to rise again, many will simply jump back in. (Technology has created a natural ceiling). On top of that, Tar Sand production costs years ago was about $35 a barrell. I am not very up to date with these costs at the moment, but I could imagine its at about $25 a barrell now and if so, then even at $40 a barrel, they will keep producing, even if at lower volume waiting for better times.

Oil needs to go back to 2004 levels of $20 a barrell to really shake out the new guys. But then, that would kill the Russians, Nigerians, Mexicans and Venezuelans and would probably splinter OPEC irrevocably! Saudi/Gulf costs are probably like $5 a barrell. The other big variable I guess would be what currency oil will be traded in going forward. Lots of whipers that it could be SDRs.


All speculative but interesting, no?

How did we switch topics from Raidho speakers and their awesome, problem free bass to discussing free market oil prices??

Originally Posted by Bobolaclune

Wow - that's a ton of speculation. Some points:

1. Airlines are jacking up prices because...they can . For the first time in a long time. Try shopping for fares - for the most part , they are within spitting distance of each other. And planes are flying at near-record load factors.

That IS my point!!!

Originally Posted by Bobolaclune

Strictly speaking Myles, that's not true . Airlines, quite possibly the worst business over the last century , drove (flew?) themselves into the ground for decades with the onset of Reagan-esque Deregulation . It is only with the onset of bankruptcies and consolidation through mergers that the Industry has seen some semblance of market and price discipline . Plus the unions were brought to heel. That in turn has allowed them to pass on rising fuel costs to the consumer through fuel surcharges. However- many airlines were in such a parlous state that they lacked the cash to put up as margin collateral for futures hedging contracts . Even if they wanted to hedge out their avgas bills , they couldn't. Case in point - American Airlines - they don't hedge and pretty much never have , arguing that this was all swings and roundabouts anyway. Others , like Delta , hedged less but went out and bought a refinery - thinking that was a hedge.

Don't also look to the crackers & the E&P guys in the shale space to buckle under too quickly. Those guys HAVE hedged out forward production at prices averaging $90 & those contracts don't roll over till end-2015 for the most part. They're not going to start feeling pain for a while. Prices for crude in the $60's have to hang around for a while before the crackers get hurt (and the Canadian Oil Sands) . I believe that is what the Saudis intend. There's no such thing as a 6 month price war.

Full disclosure - I am a Hedge Fund manager with a large and long-time position in AAL & DAL

So you're saying that airlines don't sign a yearly contract for AV fuel and fix the costs? That's not what I know.

Originally Posted by Bobolaclune

No idea !!!

But I have a better handle on the oil markets than I do on how to tame my Raidhos....

Apparently you and everybody else that owns them-except dealers of course. Dealers have a standard list of reasons why it's your fault for the bass issues to check down through just like a computer call center in India:

Excuse 1) The problem must be your room.
Answer 1) No, my room was purpose built by an acoustician with 5 degrees and it measures perfect.

Excuse 2) The problem must be with your power.
Answer 2) No, my power distribution comes from a balanced power transformer fed into 20A circuits with Furutech GTX-D(R) Rhodium Duplex outlets. We even dug up Nikola Tesla and had him check out the power and he said it was perfect.

Excuse 3) The problem must be with your grounding scheme.
Answer 3) No, I had my grounding installed by a professional electrician with 30 years of experience wiring recording studios. We dug up Nikola Tesla again just to confirm and he said it was perfect and to leave him in the damn ground.

Excuse 4) The problem must be you have resonant cables.
Answer 4) No, my cables were certified to be resonant free by the National Institute of Standards using a variety of network analyzers and spectrum analyzers.

Excuse 5) Your power amplifier has bass issues and you need a new power amplifier because our speakers are "special."
Answer 5), No, the real truth is your speakers have designed in bass problems and everybody who owns them has issues.

Now that's funny.


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Originally Posted by JDLaudio

Some owners don't think so.......??

You need a sense of humor when you hear the excuses.

The fact is, they take a LOT of work to get right, but when you do....oh boy.


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..

Originally Posted by mep

Apparently you and everybody else that owns them-except dealers of course. Dealers have a standard list of reasons why it's your fault for the bass issues to check down through just like a computer call center in India:

Excuse 1) The problem must be your room.
Answer 1) No, my room was purpose built by an acoustician with 5 degrees and it measures perfect.

Excuse 2) The problem must be with your power.
Answer 2) No, my power distribution comes from a balanced power transformer fed into 20A circuits with Furutech GTX-D(R) Rhodium Duplex outlets. We even dug up Nikola Tesla and had him check out the power and he said it was perfect.

Excuse 3) The problem must be with your grounding scheme.
Answer 3) No, I had my grounding installed by a professional electrician with 30 years of experience wiring recording studios. We dug up Nikola Tesla again just to confirm and he said it was perfect and to leave him in the damn ground.

Excuse 4) The problem must be you have resonant cables.
Answer 4) No, my cables were certified to be resonant free by the National Institute of Standards using a variety of network analyzers and spectrum analyzers.

Excuse 5) Your power amplifier has bass issues and you need a new power amplifier because our speakers are "special."
Answer 5), No, the real truth is your speakers have designed in bass problems and everybody who owns them has issues.

Uh oh, here we go. Round one....ding!

Well said Jerry. With my big living room and VAC phi200's - I had them dialed in PERFECT - with no bass issues. If I wasn't such a gear swapper, I may still have them.

I still think about getting a pair of C1.1's and a Devialet 200 with SAM - that would be incredible sounding I bet.


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Originally Posted by Mike

Well said Jerry. With my big living room and VAC phi200's - I had them dialed in PERFECT - with no bass issues. If I wasn't such a gear swapper, I may still have them.

I still think about getting a pair of C1.1's and a Devialet 200 with SAM - that would be incredible sounding I bet.


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Mike,

I've often wondered why you didn't keep your D3 V2 when you had them working so well. When they are set up properly, they sound phenomenal.

Ken

Originally Posted by Alpinist

Mike,

I've often wondered why you didn't keep your D3 V2 when you had them working so well. When they are set up properly, they sound phenomenal.

Ken

No reason other than I wanted to try some other gear and I still have my eye on the D5's. I would have them today, but my family room is complicated due to a pathway leading to bedrooms/office. The D5's would have to be too far out into the room.

Upstairs, they caused me no end of frustration. The D1's, D3 v1's and D3 v2's all were boom-boom city....no matter what amp, what cables, etc.

They really load the room, so the speaker/room interaction is HUGE.

That being said, the Raidho's were certainly not the only speaker to cause bass problems in my main room.

But generally speaking, the Raidho's are like the proverbial trophy wife. They require a lot of attention....but when they're right, they pay huge dividends.


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Originally Posted by JDLaudio

I missed hearing that combo. Those speakers do have some magical qualities that escape many others.

+1 With certain music, the sound is revelatory. Two discs that come to mind, Telarc - Copland: Rodeo & Appalachian Spring, and Capital - Classic Sinatra: Someone to Watch Over Me & In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning. I forgot I was listening to loudspeakers.

Originally Posted by Mike

No reason other than I wanted to try some other gear and I still have my eye on the D5's. I would have them today, but my family room is complicated due to a pathway leading to bedrooms/office. The D5's would have to be too far out into the room.

Upstairs, they caused me no end of frustration. The D1's, D3 v1's and D3 v2's all were boom-boom city....no matter what amp, what cables, etc.

They really load the room, so the speaker/room interaction is HUGE.

That being said, the Raidho's were certainly not the only speaker to cause bass problems in my main room.

But generally speaking, the Raidho's are like the proverbial trophy wife. They take require a lot of attention....but when they're right, they pay huge dividends.


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Thanks for your response, Mike. Do you think you would dip your toe in the water again if Raidho came out with a D4? Basically a D5 with the top two woofers and top bass port chopped off. I think the 6 inch woofers and front bass port reduce bass issues.

Ken

Originally Posted by Alpinist

Thanks for your response, Mike. Do you think you would dip your toe in the water again if Raidho came out with a D4? Basically a D5 with the top two woofers and top bass port chopped off. I think the 6 inch woofers and front bass port reduce bass issues.

Ken

I MIGHT and what you mention is a real possibility (shhhh....)

But I've owned three pairs of Raidho's. They all had periods of magic followed by periods of frustration. Mark, Jock and myself, with a LOT of help from David worked harder than anyone else to tame these babies. We learned a lot - the hard way.

I would be a little hesitant to do so because of the challenges encountered. Keep in mind, the two pairs of D5's I heard did not have any speaker/room issues. The D5's amaze like few others. But that being said, Raidho with the Devilaet SAM technology could push me over the edge and see me owning a pair one day again. I have yet to hear Raidho's with Devialet SAM, but if its as affective as some are saying, I wouldn't tackle them again with out it.


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Originally Posted by Mike

I MIGHT and what you mention is a real possibility (shhhh....)

But I've owned three pairs of Raidho's. They all had periods of magic followed by periods of frustration. Mark, Jock and myself, with a LOT of help from David worked harder than anyone else to tame these babies. We learned a lot - the hard way.

I would be a little hesitant to do so because of the challenges encountered. Keep in mind, the two pairs of D5's I heard did not have any speaker/room issues. They just amaze like few others. But that being said, Raidho with the Devilaet SAM technology could push me over the edge and see me owning a pair one day again. I have yet to hear Raidho's with Devialet SAM, but if its as affective as some are saying, I wouldn't tackle them again with out it.


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Mike,

From what I've read, Raidho has appeared to solve all bass issues with the D5. I've read no complaints about excessive or boomy bass. IMO, three things have solved the problem: six inch woofers, front bass ports and a ground up redesign of the rear baffle system.

Ken

You're exactly right Ken. The D5's are a big step up from the C4.1's. I've heard both. The D5's, like MBL 101 Xtremes leave you walking away scratching your head wondering how it could get any better. They are one of the greatest speakers I've ever heard. I heard D5's with Soulution, Accuphase and D'Agostino. They all sounded great.


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Originally Posted by Mike

You're exactly right Ken. The D5's are a big step up from the C4.1's. I've heard both. The D5's, like MBL 101 Xtremes leave you walking away scratching your head wondering how it could get any better. They are one of the greatest speakers I've ever heard. I heard D5's with Soulution, Accuphase and D'Agostino. They all sounded great.


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Man, would I love to hook some Raidho D3's up to my Soulution 501's. But I have to admit, even with the proper tweaks, I do still fear having boomy bass in my room. I don't think I would have any concerns if they came out with a D4. But that speaker would probably be out of my price range.

Ken

Ken - if there was any way - any way - you could swing the D5's (a pair just reportedly just sold on Audiogon for under $90,000), you would be on cloud 9.

But aside from that, I do understand your concerns.

Soulution 501's are amazing sounding amps. I love the footprint too!

And let's not forget, you already have some pretty darn good speakers now!


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Originally Posted by FlexibleAudio

MEP did you trip and hit your head on a Raidho at CES? Your zealotry is relentless. Oh, and let me guess, you still haven't listened to the speakers.

+1.

I believe MEP earlier hinted that he had not listened to Raidho speakers and that his opinion was simply a synoptic regurgitation of the opinions of others. One can only hope that he employs a somewhat different method to constructing his own system.

Originally Posted by Mike

Ken - if there was any way - any way - you could swing the D5's (a pair just reportedly just sold on Audiogon for under $90,000), you would be on cloud 9.

But aside from that, I do understand your concerns.

Soulution 501's are amazing sounding amps. I love the footprint too!

And let's not forget, you already have some pretty darn good speakers now!


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Mike,

I wish I could but no chance. The Salon 2's are sounding marvelous with the 501's. Very pure and neutral (just a hint of warmth) with tremendous speed and bass control. My wife says they are perfection and I'd be crazy to change them. She thinks I should get the 520 preamp and be done with it. We'll see.

Ken

Originally Posted by FlexibleAudio

Actually I think (hope) MEP just likes to bug us Raidho guys for the fun of it cuz he knows we are the sensitive type. On the other hand maybe he is still upset Nola ran out of wood when they were making his KO's.

i didn't have to own a GM vehicle with a faulty ignition switch to realize GM has a problem with faulty ignition switches. I lifted all of my Raidho excuses right from this forum. I made up the answers, but I didn't make up the excuses.

you seem to keep forgetting that I listened to Raidho speakers at RMAF 2014. All they brought were the two smallest pairs with no bass.

Originally Posted by Alpinist

Mike,

I wish I could but no chance. The Salon 2's are sounding marvelous with the 501's. Very pure and neutral (just a hint of warmth) with tremendous speed and bass control. My wife says they are perfection and I'd be crazy to change them. She thinks I should get the 520 preamp and be done with it. We'll see.

Ken

Ken - I think you should listen to your wife! Also, the Salon 3's are being targeted for CES 2016 launch.

That being said, with a built in phonostage in the 520, you would just HAVE to add a nice table to go along with the 520.....would be such a shame not to utilize the 520's phonostage.

Ken - I would clarify that since you already have Soulution, you're already 80% of the way there of tackling any problems you may encounter with the D3/room interaction.

Tough call....I guess it would all come down to listening habits, music preference, room size, etc. If you listen to a lot of rock/pop, and even some standup bass heavy jazz, at relatively loud volumes in a big room, the D3's might not be your best bet. If you listen to classical, female vocals, etc. in a moderately sized room at a moderate level (below 90db @ 1 meter), then the D3's will be excellent.

Let's face it, their are some bad bass heavy recordings that will just give them fits. But the other 90% of the time, it's bliss! The issue is that many people focus on that 10% and it ends up driving them batty.

Originally Posted by Mike

Ken - I would clarify that since you already have Soulution, you're already 80% of the way there of tackling any problems you may encounter with the D3/room interaction.

Tough call....I guess it would all come down to listening habits, music preference, room size, etc. If you listen to a lot of rock/pop, and even some standup bass heavy jazz, at relatively loud volumes in a big room, the D3's might not be your best bet. If you listen to classical, female vocals, etc. in a moderately sized room at a moderate level (below 90db @ 1 meter), then the D3's will be excellent.

Let's face it, their are some bad bass heavy recordings that will just give them fits. But the other 90% of the time, it's bliss! The issue is that many people focus on that 10% and it ends up driving them batty.

Thanks Mike. As always, you make some excellent points. A big part of the reason I purchased the Soulution 501's to begin with is their synergy with Raidho and their ability to tame the bass of the D3's. It almost seems silly not to get the Raidho's after making such a major change to my system. But I have to admit, the Salon 2's sound great with the 501's and it will only get better if I add the 520 preamp and some Kimber Select cables. It is a very tough call and I don't want to blow it.

As for my room, it is 21 feet long, 17 feet wide (at its widest point) and 8 feet high. My system resides on the narrower end of the room, a dedicated area 13 feet 8 inches wide and 6 feet 10 inches deep. As for my listening habits, I never ever listen above 90 db and usually at much lower volumes than that. I primarily listen to jazz vocals (both female and male), jazz piano, jazz guitar and small jazz combos. I do sometimes listen to rock (1965 to 1975) and classical (all types) but always well below 90 db.

Best,
Ken

Originally Posted by Alpinist

Thanks Mike. As always, you make some excellent points. A big part of the reason I purchased the Soulution 501's to begin with is their synergy with Raidho and their ability to tame the bass of the D3's. It almost seems silly not to get the Raidho's after making such a major change to my system. But I have to admit, the Salon 2's sound great with the 501's and it will only get better if I add the 520 preamp and some Kimber Select cables. It is a very tough call and I don't want to blow it.

As for my room, it is 21 feet long, 17 feet wide (at its widest point) and 8 feet high. My system resides on the narrower end of the room, a dedicated area 13 feet 8 inches wide and 6 feet 10 inches deep. As for my listening habits, I never ever listen above 90 db and usually at much lower volumes than that. I primarily listen to jazz vocals (both female and male), jazz piano, jazz guitar and small jazz combos. I do sometimes listen to rock (1965 to 1975) and classical (all types) but always well below 90 db.

Best,
Ken

Ken - that sure sounds pretty darn good. You may just have to scratch that itch.


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Originally Posted by FlexibleAudio

Thanks for clearing that up. I feel much better now.

Hi Paul,

Where will you place your Torus 75?

Ken

Originally Posted by Mike

Ken - that sure sounds pretty darn good. You may just have to scratch that itch.


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Mike,

You may have to come over and lobby for me...LOL.

Ken

Originally Posted by FlexibleAudio

My listening room is in my basement and I have a utility room behind the wall my components will be on that holds the main power line into the house. I plan to tap into the power ahead of the main panel and run about 20 feet to my Torus which will be in the utility room about about ten feet from the equipment wall. Transformer hum only carries about 3 feet, even for a 75 amp unit. I am then running five 10 foot runs of Furutech Alph-3 cable to five GTX-R receptacles.

Paul,

Wow, sounds excellent and well planned out. Your system is going to be a power champion!

Best of luck,
Ken

Originally Posted by Alpinist

Thanks Mike. As always, you make some excellent points. A big part of the reason I purchased the Soulution 501's to begin with is their synergy with Raidho and their ability to tame the bass of the D3's. It almost seems silly not to get the Raidho's after making such a major change to my system. But I have to admit, the Salon 2's sound great with the 501's and it will only get better if I add the 520 preamp and some Kimber Select cables. It is a very tough call and I don't want to blow it.

As for my room, it is 21 feet long, 17 feet wide (at its widest point) and 8 feet high. My system resides on the narrower end of the room, a dedicated area 13 feet 8 inches wide and 6 feet 10 inches deep. As for my listening habits, I never ever listen above 90 db and usually at much lower volumes than that. I primarily listen to jazz vocals (both female and male), jazz piano, jazz guitar and small jazz combos. I do sometimes listen to rock (1965 to 1975) and classical (all types) but always well below 90 db.

Best,
Ken

After reading what you just said, the D3's would most likely be a step up from the great Salon2's. If I never played my music louder than you are, I wouldn't have sold mine. And remember Ken, I went from Salon 2's to D3's.

Originally Posted by MDP

After reading what you just said, the D3's would most likely be a step up from the great Salon2's. If I never played my music louder than you are, I wouldn't have sold mine. And remember Ken, I went from Salon 2's to D3's.

Thanks Mark! Actually, you are the perfect person to ask, as you have owned both the Salon 2 and D3. Considering my music tastes, listening habits and room, do you think the D3 V2 will be a significant improvement over the Salon 2? Also, and this is a little tougher question, did you ever get the D3 to the point where you were fully satisfied with how they sounded in your room?

Thanks so much,
Ken

Originally Posted by Alpinist

Thanks Mark! Actually, you are the perfect person to ask, as you have owned both the Salon 2 and D3. Considering my music tastes, listening habits and room, do you think the D3 V2 will be a significant improvement over the Salon 2? Also, and this is a little tougher question, did you ever get the D3 to the point where you were really content with how they sounded in your room?

Thanks so much,
Ken

Yes, I had them sounding excellent , but when I went over 85-90db with Rock music the bass would be a little too much on some albums, but perfect with most.
With your volumes,and especially your music tastes, I think you would love them. And yes, I think they are an upgrade from Salon 2's in your case.

Ken, I loved the Salon 2's very much ! So much so, that whenever they come out with Salon 3's, I'm buying them.

Originally Posted by MDP

Yes, I had them sounding excellent , but when I went over 85-90db with Rock music the bass would be a little too much on some albums, but perfect with most.
With your volumes,and especially your music tastes, I think you would love them. And yes, I think they are an upgrade from Salon 2's in your case.

Thanks Mark, your feedback is greatly appreciated. You have had some fine speakers grace your listening room with even more to come.

Ken

Originally Posted by FlexibleAudio

Ken,

I don't want to in any way indicate anything negative about Mark's Hegel (they are absolutely phenomenal), but I think your 501's will control the D3's bass even better than the H30's given the 501's voicing, damping factor, and slew rate. See if you can get David at Design Audio to opine, I believe he has directly compared the two extensively with Raidho. The amp decision with the Raidho is probably most critical IMO.

Thanks Paul,

I am very happy I purchased the 501's regardless of whether or not I ever purchase Raidho speakers. Their speed and bass control is absolutely stunning. And you make an excellent point, if I do purchase Raidho speakers, especially the D3's, I'll be way ahead of the game in tailoring the bass to my listening room with the 501's voicing, damping factor and slew rate. I really do appreciate your feedback and others who own or have owned these components. It is invaluable.

Best,
Ken

Originally Posted by FlexibleAudio

Ken,

I don't want to in any way indicate anything negative about Mark's Hegel (they are absolutely phenomenal), but I think your 501's will control the D3's bass even better than the H30's given the 501's voicing, damping factor, and slew rate. See if you can get David at Design Audio to opine, I believe he has directly compared the two extensively with Raidho. The amp decision with the Raidho is probably most critical IMO.

Paul, I couldn't agree more. On the D3's, the Solution gear is superior, no doubt about it.