Vienna Acoustics Mahlers

Jens,

Have you tried e-mailing VA irectly and asking if they have any knowledge of customers with Naim gear.

YOu will find that the companies are very helpful.

Regards

NB

I've been using VA Bachs with my Naim gear for a couple of years now, and I can report that the two brands go together extremely well. Yes, VAs are on the polite side, but I find that a great help with a number of discs - and it makes listening for hours at a stretch very easy. I’ve heard every model up through the Beethovens and can comment on the speaker range generally. (All of the speakers in the range produce a similar overall sound, though the Mahlers would presumably be more refined and larger scale.)

Since I have never heard the Mahlers with Naim gear, I can only offer these general responses to your questions:

1.) The 135s should have no problem driving the Mahlers. While the Bachs are easier to drive, my Nait 5 never had any problems driving them louder than I could listen. My new 250 is substantially better at controlling them. In fact, it might be overkill. (But wonderful sounding overkill!)

2.) Scale should be absolutely awesome, as should peak volume.

3.) They do not image as well as you might think. My Bachs image very well when hooked up to my Arcam, less so when hooked up to my Naim gear. I’ve had similar experience when auditioning them with other gear. The speakers reproduce what they are fed. (And they are very sensitive to even minor system changes.)

4.) They definitely need space behind them. My Bachs are about one meter out into the room, measured from the back of the loudspeakers. The Mahlers would probably need more space.

5.) Here in the states, used VAs go for between 35%-50% of the original price, depending on age and condition.

A note of warning: do try to hear them before buying. The older Beethovens (Mk II) were absolutely spectacular in every regard but one: coherence. There was an easily heard discontinuity between the bass and mid-range. My guess is that the flagship speaker does not have this problem. I would also guess that the Mahlers could very well be a terminal speaker. Just how much better can speakers get? I don’t know if I will ever be able to get a pair, but I sure am drooling over that Strauss model.

Jens, I’ve had Mahlers for about 3 years and still don’t think I would consider anything else, at any price. They are plain and simply awesome. They are most well known for their musicality, mid-range, soundstage, and ability to handle anything thrown at them. As far as I’m concerned, with proper setup, they also do bass better than anything I’ve ever heard. They magically create a sense of surround sound and the drama of a live performance.

However, please strongly consider three important things. 1) They like a big room, I’d say at least 225-250 sq. feet. Mine are set-up roughly 3' from both the back and sides. 2) They will not realize their potential without a good dose of power. I had them hooked up to 135's for a while, but could not really crank them. The 500 is a heavenly match. 3) They are indeed tricky to set up. Please see this post: http://forums.naim-audio.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&s=67019385&f=48019385&m=6451949906&r=3881990016#3881990016

As you can tell, I love these speakers and would be happy to get long-winded about them by email or phone. Tom.

Hi Folks,

Thanks for all your replies. Certainly given me something to think about.

I'm interested in this politeness issue. I really value the drive and fun factor of the Epos speakers. Is this not there with VAs? It certainly wouldn't be worth upgrading if music gets more boring as a result-however, I recognize that sometimes Epos22s can get a bit relentless I guess.

Sounds like a large room is pretty important. Not sure if my place is large enough. I have ca 45-50m2 with very high walls because there is no ceiling as such, merely the roof. So I guess my room volume is pretty big relative to the area. Currently I have my ES22s about 50cm out (measured from the back of the speaker) and 50-60 cm from one side wall, and probably 1.2 m from the other. I wouldn't get away with putting the Mahlers and further into the room because they would simply be too dominating, especially given their additional height. This means that the back would be ca 30 cm from the rear wall. Do you think this would work, or would I be swamped with bass? (Side dimensions will be identical, because the Mahlers are the same width as the ES22s).

I love my Epos speakers, but I recognize that they are at their best with simple, uncluttered music. Compared to the Briks for example, they lose their way a bit when you throw large scale orchestral or choral works with lots of things going on simultaneously. This is what is making me think about these Mahlers-I guess they can handle these situations with ease? Having said that, how do the Mahlers sound with uncluttered music, such as a jazz trio, where the ES22s really excel?

Finally, has anyone compared the Mahlers with the Naim range? In terms of cost they are similar to NBLs. How do they stand in terms of quality?

Looking forward to your replies guys. Tom, please fell free to get long winded on the forum, or by email (Jens.Berger@csiro.au).

Cheers, Jens

Sell the 52?
No-I've only just got it!

Jens