Audio Physics

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Does anybody out there have any experience with Audio Physics speakers (in particular Virgo III's) at the end of Naim amplification.

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Yes.

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I guess the minimum to drive these speakers would be 250 upwards.

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No.

(I contemplated leaving it at that but that would be taking the pi$$, so...)

I'm running 52/SC/250 into Virgo IIIs, which I purchased s/h about a year ago. These are 90db, 4 ohm floorstanders whose profile is deeper than wide - 18" deep versus 6" across, with a height of around 36". All very well constructed.

Anyway, I've managed to drive these beasties with great success with my (olive) 250, and even the Nait 2 (with its 20w or so) had no major difficulties at sensible listening levels.

The Virgo III is a really nice speaker - I had Neat Petite mkIII with Gravitas isobaric bases before, and the Virgo betters those speakers in every regard, though the Petites are superb in their own right. The biggest drawback to AP speakers is the perceived notion that they must be setup in a particular way. Sure, you can set them (or any speaker) up in the AP way, which is intrusive in all but dedicated listening rooms, and gain a sound that transcends nearly every speaker you'll come across, but the key thing is that you can also site them much as you would a conventional speaker - I have mine around 3' into the room and 4' from the side of the room, maybe a little more on one side. I've tried toe-in, and straight-down the room, but the best results come from a slight toe-in in a somewhat nearfield position.

There's a couple of pictures in this topic of my system as it currently stands, though I've reorganised my rack since.

The speaker can be many things to many people - if you attach it on the end of a round-earth behemoth, then you'll get a classically round-earth sound. However, attached on the end of a Naim system the sound is fast, great timing, transparent and very, very musical. Unlike a lot of speakers which lose the plot on complex music, the Virgo III is at ease with everything that I can throw at it.

The only area for concern is that the bass, whilst moderately extended, is fairly light - not SBL light, but not quite in the ATC100 or Isobarik league of sheer solidity. However, there's bass there and on the end of my system it's tight as you like and pitch accurate. The sound shares many of the characteristics of a good standmount, allied with the full range thing.

I really rate the Virgo III, but the older versions are great value s/h =- a pair of Virgo mkII should be around £1500 s/h. and original Virgos crop up for as little as £1000. At that price, there is little to touch them, though if your sonic preference is closer to Isobariks, you might find their transparency and spriteliness in the sound a bit too much.

Let me know if you want to know anything else - I'm learning more and more about what these speakers can do all the time.

John

I'll second the comments on the Virgo IIIs, but am a little more cautious about the first and second iteration, which have some PRaT deficiencies, I feel.

The current generation is a great marriage of rond and flat earth strengths. Uncoloured, clean and able to handle the most complex rhythms with ease. They go reasonably loud with a Nait 2, but can handle a lot more power if you ask them to.

One very positive aspect: they sound articulate at low levels, so you can hear music without alienating the neighbours.

Thanks for those responses - I shall seek out

Mike

I am driving Spark III with a Nait5. I agree with Top Cat with respect to the fact that the placement is not as critical as you may have heard. Mine are located in a 23' x 23' room and are spaced 8' apart, and 8' away from the listener, and the setup provides plenty of volume.

They are definitely transparent speakers and excel at midrange. In particular, some good electric guitars sound just wonderful. I would not necessarily call the Sparks "bass shy", but if your CD is bass shy, these speakers definitely will not compensate for that.