My new Italian sweetheart

Zero

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Joined
Oct 15, 2013
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636
Location
Virginia
The Volterra has finally arrived. :)

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That is nice woodwork, they look quite unique. I can't say i've heard of them, but i've seen them in high end press before. Looks like they're being fed by Karan juice?
 
Mike- Thanks! I haven't spent enough time with them to offer any definitive impressions, but here's what I like about them so far: For starters, I like the voicing of these loudspeakers. The overall presentation rests at the intersection between "tell it like it is" linearity and "toe-tapping" musicality. There is an organic solidarity to the sound that I really enjoy. So far, their most salient attribute resides in how they handle the top end. Man... it's just, ridiculous. I've had Magico's, Wilson's, high end Totem's, Revel's, Dynaudio's, Martin Logan's, Apogee's, etc etc.. and none of them ever gave me the kinda top end that I'm hearing with the Rosso's. It's just so smooooth, extended, and natural. I literally can't find anything wrong with it at this point in time - and that's a first! Anyway, I'm not going to jump on the hype bandwagon and claim that these are the best things since double stuffed Oreo's. You know how this gig works. All I can definitively say is that these speakers may not be well known, but they can hang in there with the big boys. I'm happy to have em'.


Bodhi - Holy .... You have VERY sharp eyes! Yep, that's the Karan.
 
Thanks MDP. Hmm. It may be a few days until I'm able to snap some decent photos. Once the lighting is favorable however, I'll be sure to do so! :D
 
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Very perdy and great reviews too! Looking forward to your impressions as they break in.
 
Took these pics over the summer. Some more Rosso goodness!

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Heyyyyy... I happen to like the jpeg color output of the Fuji !! Hmph! :)
 
Hey boys!


Alright,so the original Volterra's carried an MSRP of $11,950 USD. The pricethen jumped up to $12,995 USD (heck, let's just call it 13k) onceRosso upgrade the model. Asfor how they sound. Well, here's what I'm hearing so far:


Allin all, these speakers err towards the warm side of the auralpalette. While they aren't nearly as “warm” sounding as speakersfrom the likes of Harbeth or Audio Note, they also aren't as “cool”sounding as speakers from the likes of Magico or TAD. Truth be told, I kinda like that. My bias tends to lean towards speakers that sit at the intersection between color and linearity. Whenever a product veersto much in either direction, I find it distracting in the longhaul. At least when it comes to my main system.


Nowas far as performance parameters are concerned, I find that thesespeakers are incredibly easy to work with. Seriously. I've heard em' on a huge variety of gear and music - and so far, they sound good with everything. The only thing I'll say is that to get the best outta these speakers, you really should make sure that you elevate them to where the lower tweeter and mid-woofer are at ear-level (from your listening chair).


Otherwise,I like the voicing of the speakers. The top end is just uh-mazing.Natural. Extended. Detailed. Airy as all get out. You get the idea.. The cool thing is that despite this transparency, they stillmanage to sound quite excellent with poor recordings. I mean, theyactually make Justin Biebers acoustic album sound good (It's OK, youcan judge me). I'm still trying to wrap my head around that one..


Movingon... the driver integration is fantastic – which it should be fora pair of loudspeakers that cost as much as a brand new car. The midsare open and clean with just a slight, slight, ever so slight touchof warmth. The bass can range anywhere between incredibly tight andclean – to distinctly warm sounding. I've come to find thatpositioning and floor spikes play a big role here.


Anyway,it's time for me to wrap this piece up, so I guess I'll do so bysaying that I like these speakers. A lot. There isn't much “give and take” to them. TheVolterra's work with a wide variety of gear, can play in a widevariety of spaces, and are very complete from top to bottom. Naturally, they won't be everybody's huckleberry. If you prefer acool sounding presentation, or want a set of transducers that'll punch you in thechest as you crank your favorite metal track at 100 db – then the Volterra's aren't for you. If however, you want something that's richin tone yet linear enough to showcase all of the details in your record collection – then there's a very good chancethat you'll like the Rosso's.


Holyheck man, I can't believe I wrote all of that. Haha


Edit: It's worth noting that despite all of what I just wrote, I still plan on bringing home a pair of Wilson Sabrinas sometime this year! :D

 
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