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Scansonic MB-1, Gauder Arcona 40, System Audio Pandium 2: any thoughts?

Rosewind

Rosewind

Lost in Translation
Within the next week or two I will audition these 3 speakers that are candidates to replace my Magnepan MC1s that I have put up for sale in the classifieds section ;).

Gauder Arcona 40 I will have for a home demo (hopefully), whereas the Scansonic MB1 and System Audio Pandion 2 will be auditioned at a dealer's.

I have read most of the press and jubilant forum discussions available for these, but would like some perspective on them. I now have Amphion Argon 3L speakers in my main set-up, and I will be abe to compare the Gauder Arcona 40 with these.

Have any of you gents any experience with these speakers, all of them high-class monitors?
 
I had a listen today to two speakers: Scansonic MB1 (Michael Borresen of Raidho and Nordost fame) + System Audio Pandion 2 (an outcome of the very interesting open/public Q113-project lead by Ole Witthoft).

Tracks:
Lou Reed "Turning Time Around"
Van Morrison "Moondance" (Take 22) - extra track with lots of instrumental parts - on the Deluxe Edition of "Moondance"
Sting, "Practical Arrangement."

First I listened to the System Audio Pandion 2 on System Audio stands. From the first notes I liked that speaker very much for its grand stage and convincingly realistic rendition of the bass lines in "Turning Time Around." Very relaxed and controlled at the same time. I was extremely easy to pick out each instrument. Lou Reed's voice had that balance of tenderness and sarcastic bite that I like with him. All in all a very evenly balanced speaker that threw an enormous and very engaging sound stage. Van Morrison's "Moon Dance" (Take 22) was straight up this speaker's alley, again it made the music flow admirably and grandiosely.. And there was no problem playing loud with this speaker.

Switching directly to Scansonic MB1 - on Scansonic stands - probably was not fair after the "magnificent" Pandion 2.
Lou Reed "Turning Time Around:" In comparison to Pandion 2 the Scansonic sounded quite "dry"/ matter-of-fact. The soundstage seemed to be cluttered/ congested (as if there was not space enough for the instruments to take their proper places). And the ribbon ... I did not like it at first, as I had feared, but I think it may have been a matter of getting used to its different presentation from the Pandion 2. I certainly did not enjoy Lou Reed's "Turning Time Around" as much through this speaker as Pandium 2. As I listened on through the other more jazzy tracks, I thought that the ribbon treble calmed down a bit (or I simply got a bit used to it). But to me there was something off + in your face about Scansonic MB1 - perhaps it had not been allowed enough run in time?

If I manage to part with my Magnepan speaker + subs, I am afraid that they won't be replaced by the Scansonic MB1 unless I manage to have another audition where the speaker is able to convince me of its qualities. Thursday I may have half a week-long home demo of Gauder Arcona 40 (Isophon). Another possibility is the sweet Amphion Argon 3 - I already have the Amphion Argon 3L floorstander in the house. But I like having different flavours in the house, so what may seem an obvious choice could also become a bit "boring" in the long term. I could just keep the Magnepans + subs which would be good for my personal finances ...

Kind regards,
Peter
 
Those system audio speakers seem really interesting, can't see too much about them on the web. How much do they cost?
 
I've got the big brother of the Gauder Akustik Arcona 40, the Arcona 100.

Really happy with them but then again I love Oskar Heil tweeters coming from Elac and MMMicroOne speakers all having this type of tweeter. Extremely revealing and capable of going up to 40-50 KHz.

Had a short encounter with KEF XQ40, not my cup of tea, sold them after 6 months.

Considering your reaction on the Scansonic MB-1 it may well be that the Oskar Heil type of sound is not your cup of tea.

I'd recommend you evaluate the Arcona 40 also listening to female voices, piano, acoustic guitar and some jazz.

Good luck choosing speakers.

/Lars

PS: If you decide to go for the Gauder speakers send me a PM, I may have some purchasing advice. DS
 
Muttley2 said:
Those system audio speakers seem really interesting, can't see too much about them on the web. How much do they cost?
Click to expand...
I think I got a demo pair on sale for 14000 DKK (1400£l. Otherwise this week they can be had from new on a web hop for 16500 DKK (1650£).

I think I have, an aversion to ribbon tweeters whose resolution tends to grind somehow and provoke tinnitus. I have this even with my Magnepans to some degree. I like the sound of Magnepans but ribbon trebles sound too brightly lit for me: Audiovector. , Elac, Scansonic all have this effect To My Ears. For others they may provide added insight into the details of the music.

Gauder Arcona 40 also has a ribbon treble and I think the extra resolution over the Pandion 2 will be too much. So I have cancelled the home demo, because it would most likely be a waste of the dealer's good time.

I will try to find English language links to System Audio Pandion 2 reviews. In German "Stereoplay" Pandion 2 was reviewed as being on par with B&W 805D, Gauder Arcona 40 and other expensive standmounts.

Lars - if the Gauder Arcona dealer insists, I may try the Gauder Arcona 40 for a few days. Then I will write in this thread again.
Kind regards,
Peter
 
Dimensions (WxHxD) cm: 19x34,5x26,5
Power handling: 200 Watts
Frequency range (+/- 1.5 dB): 40 - 25.000 Hz
Impedance: 4-8 ohm
Sensitivity (1W, 1m): 87 dB
Crossover: 2000 Hz (24 dB/oct.)
Woofer: 15W/4531G08 Q113
Tweeter: D2905/990007 Q113
Construction: 2-way bass reflex
Rec. amplifier: min. 70 Watts

The above is official specs. I can find only two reviews of the System Audio Pandion 2, one in German and one in Swedish. They generally mirror my own actual experience of the System Audio Pandion 2 as a seriously fun and transparent speaker. On the homepage you can find the usual praise of their own products + some blog posts that outline the long development process + the use of the (free) "swarm intelligence" of many many people in the audio industry and outside the audio industry. A laborious process involving several scientific (and not) panel listening tests (including blind listening tests!)

The outcome in my view us outstanding. I hope that I am going to own a set of these and apart from that I have no connection to System Audio whatsoever.
 
Tuesday I will pick up a new set of black SA Pandion 2 standmounts. I can't wait to compare them to my Amphion Argon 3L that go down to 30 Hz.
They don't seem to have been reviewed by any Anglophone magazine or website. There is a presentation of it in English / Russian on YouTube.
 
The System Audio Pandion 2 is in the house. Thank God someone relieved me of my Magnepan MGMC1s. Now the Pandion 2s are securely placed on top of impromptu stacks of "speaker stands": JBL LX300s and Rogers LS2s. The JBLs are unconnected to anything, the Rogers LS2s are connected to my Leak Stereo 70/ Stereofetic Tuner (+ tape recorder) whereas the SA Pandion 2s are at the end of a Nap 160 fed directly from my ESI Juli@ PCI sound card using JRiver as software volume control and playback software.

The sound of the SA Pandion 2 is extremely transparent and musical at the same time. It seems to strike a (im)perfect balance between analysis and integration. I hear things I have never heard in very familiar recordings before. I just listened to The Beatles "Strawberry Fields" and was able to hear a degree of separation that was breathtaking without taking anything away from the magic of the music. "Still Got the Blues" by Clapton from "Old Sock" made me laugh out loud because it sounded so eerily detailed and "big" that I was just lost for any other reaction.

I bought the Pandion 2 as ex-dem, but was promised a brand new speaker because the dealer had made a mistake and sold my reserved set of speakers to another customer which meant that I did not receive the speakers on the day I was promised initially. When I picked the speakers up today the box had quite clearly been opened and there were "glue marks" from pads under each speaker. Also there was no documentation in the box. No big deal, the speakers look stunning and sound wonderful. Still I had hoped for spic and span new speakers. Oh well, I will stop moaning and get back to play some music.
 
This musical speaker with its dome tweeter - I like it. It has a switch on the back between (ON) = "ruler flat" treble response or (OFF) = -3db @20khz, which was deemed more pleasant by a listeners' panel. So you have a choice with this speaker. Nice. I too prefer the Off setting.

Here are some more pictures of a speaker that comes with the highest recommendation from me - note that I am not a fan of ribbon tweeters like the ones used by Elac, Audiovector and Scansonic:

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=BFABEA7F02E245EC!5117&authkey=!AFiD3zthnqzdLeE&ithint=folder,
 
I managed to find some second-hand Dynaudio 3X speaker stands that match My System Audio Pandion 2 perfectly (photo below) - not too sharp.
 
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