You got me curious, because I remember you had sold some of your expensive speakers including the 802 diamond, a B&W bookshelf (forgot the model number) reference model that had frequency response that looked like a straight flat line, a funny looking unusual designed (forgot the manufacturer name altogether but if you do, please jog my memory) speaker designed by a well known engineer type. Then you went with the same gigantic RBH that I believe Gene had at the time. So what happened now, that made you go back to the big R2D2 style B&W diamond, a higher model this time? How much are those selling for now.
By the way,
if I remember right
@TLS Guy had once mentioned a pair of B&W, 800 series irrc, that were not his but a friend or something, sounded good to him. Just because they fit the bill of hard to drive, doesn't mean they can't sound great and I never thought he had ever said the B&W diamonds didn't sound good or bad overall anyway. So, in the case of those R2D2 speakers, we can say they might have decided to go for the sound quality, and seemingly focussed more on the on axis performance, but are willing to sacrifice "drivability". And I think they (the designed team) might have won the argument and supported by their marketing bosses, that if people are in the position to buy such >$20,000 speakers, they are not going to worry about amplifier requirements.
