I don’t really need to be a millionaire, I just want to be one. I think of that difference as subtle, and one that ought to get much smaller than it is currently. I mean, not that you asked.
It’s been on my list for “When I can” for a couple of years now, but the Volti Audio Vittora is a modern heirloom. This is a pair of loudspeakers that your kids don’t know they want. The Vittora is a 3-way fully horn-loaded system, with a 15″ bass driver in a singe folded-horn enclosure (bottom cabinet), with a wooden Tractrix horn up top housing a 2″ midrange compression driver and a 1″ high-frequency compression driver. The pair retails for $21,500 and is available with an optional subwoofer and sub amp for $25,000. Art Dudley loves them, and so do I (though I loved them first and best).
Driving them in New York was a set of glittering silver-and-glass electronics courtesy of Raven Audio, including the 2014 Reference Preamplifier ($9,995) and the 2014 Spirit 300B Reference stereo amplifier ($7,295). That amplifier is a paralleled 300b tube amp, good for 26 watts. These two pieces also featured their new custom “RavenCap” capacitors.
The source electronics were from Greg (Mr Have Fun) Roberts’ personal stash of EMM Labs gear.
The wire in the room came from Triode Wire Labs, including the monstrous 7awg “Seven Plus” ($499 each) and “Ten Plus” ($349 each) power cords. The new American Speaker Cables ($599/set) and Spirit Interconnects ($349/set) were also used throughout. Triode Pete was showing off his brand news “Digital American” digital power cord ($499), a special design for dealing with highly sensitive electronics, such as a DAC. I want a pair of these!
The sound in this room was dynamic and warm, with good tonal colors and density. Set up along the long wall, as Greg almost invariably does, the big Vittoras bracketed the listeners into a wide sweet spot, which is probably why it was jumping all weekend!
