YG Acoustics Anat III Studio

[GranteedEV]

So I hit up a hi fi shop today. When I walked in I asked if I could audition some harbeth speakers, since that was one of the lines featured on the outside glass. The shop owner decided that more importantly than anything, he needed to know what amplifier i was using.

Fair enough, i might be some kook with a 3w SET. I told him that sooner or later the plan was a pair of hypex nc400s. ...so for some reason he goes over to his computer and googles hypex. No biggy...right?

after reading out from the hypex website:

... Whether you design active studio monitors or PA systems, AV receivers or audiophile products, there is always a module...

He arbritrarily decides that my system won't be any good no matter what speaker I pick. For reference, here are some measurements of the slightly higher powered OEM version of the ncore amp. Oh, and all the class D amps he's ever heard suck.

... ...

Anyways I tell him i can always swap out the amp if it's not any good ( ) and that I just want to hear some speakers. Isn't that what you're supposed to do in a friggin hi fi shop????

I tell him to throw any pair of speakers, because i'm not auditioning with any set budget in mind. I think he was trying to wow me, so he brings me over to three sets of speakers side by side and throws some CD on. Not my CD nor am I familiar with it, but eh, i wasn't really intending to even be at the hi fi shop. Immediately I couldn't help but notice how poor the bass was. It was overloading the room and really prominent. Not pressurizing bass but rumbling bass. I think the problem is these speakers are tuned for flat frequency response and as i've stated here a few times, in room flat frequency response extension goes to hell. The bass was a notable distraction so I told the guy about it. BTW, at that point I had figured out which pair of speakers I was listening to. I was kind of disapointed, as I would expect such expensive speakers to be unlocalizable altogether. Eh, whatever.

He told me that the bass amp was built into these active speakers, whereas the the MTM up top was powered by tubes near the ground. I noted to myself that that's a typical audiophile design but IMO stupid. I asked if he used an SPL meter to set gains and he didn't really answer, though he did say "some people do it by ear"

So anyways once I got past the heavy prominent bass which may well have been a room , here's some thoughts on these YG Acoustics Anat III Studios

- The mids used are scanspeak revelators. I thought these did pretty well. On horns they were dynamic and smooth, and on vocals they were open and seductive. I gotta wonder how much of that the huge monoblock tubes were attributed to ( )
- There was a powered 10" woofer and honestly i didn't feel like it sounded as transparent as my maelstrom but i'm willing to ignore the bass since it wasn't me setting things up in my room
- the tweeter used was a mystery, but it seemed to be free from dynamic compression at some pretty loud listening levels at a good distance. I thought the highs were relaxed and open without any sibilance or aggression.
- The imaging, was interesting. Close mic recordings sounded EXTREEMLY unnaturally huge. Johnny Cash's voice sounded like a wall of sound attacking me. However other recordings were deeper and appropriately sized so I'm confused - compared to my speakers, these were either much more revealing of "size" or they stretched the male vocal. However i'll point out that in my gut, this felt more like a construct of the speaker than a natural transparency. I've got to wonder whether I like the idea of a vocalist that can eat my whole room...
- The room was extremely wide - must have been 35 feet wide. I noted that the soundstage didn't ever seem to leave the speakers in that dimension. My speakers at home seem to project a soundstage that at times can even extend beyond the speakers - I like the effect and it got me wondering if this is a room induced coloration because my room is only ~17 feet wide. For these speakers there wasn't one song where i felt the soundstage extended beyond the plane of the speakers. It was a smidgen deep but nothing that blew me away.
- The sweet spot wasn't bad. Not phenominal, but it didn't "collapse" when i shifted seats.

Overall nothing I could make any conclusions about. His available choice of content was just not what i'd use for any real audition. They seemed like a well designed pair of speakers though.

Anyways, I got back to his desk and started shifting through the brochure for the speakers i just listened to. Guess what, the bass amp just happens to be hypex but i kept that to myself.

Next I got a lecture on how auditioning speakers is useless unless it's with MY electronics and that speakers aren't really a big deal compared to associated electronics. he also said that he'd rather spend 15k on a CD player or heavy tone arms than 25k on speakers because the source is the most important thing. RIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHT.

That's when I left the store.

 

[GranteedEV]

Stereophile has some measurements of this speaker's sibling the Anat II Professional:

Seems pretty balanced, and it looks like the bass issues were mostly a room construct.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

These $100K+ towers measure superbly on Stereophile & Soundstage NRC.

And since they look so damn good, I would most definitely buy them ----- if I were a multimillionaire.

I think 7 of them + 6 subwoofers + Mark Levinson amps + Kimber Kable should do it for me.

 

[3db]

Stereophile has some measurements of this speaker's sibling the Anat II Professional:

Seems pretty balanced, and it looks like the bass issues were mostly a room construct.

I've been saying this for some time now.. A great sounding speaker will still suck in a poor acoustic environment. But audiophools keep insisting on better speakers without treating the room. . Oh well, we benefit from the trickle down affect of high end technology because they pay with their "trained" ears dictate over specs and logic.

 

[GranteedEV]

I've been saying this for some time now.. A great sounding speaker will still suck in a poor acoustic environment. But audiophools keep insisting on better speakers without treating the room. . Oh well, we benefit from the trickle down affect of high end technology because of their "trained" ears dictate over specs and logic.

Actually, since most of my issues were below 200hz, I think rolling in three subwoofers at 100-120hz (no crossover), and then globalizing equally, would solve the bass issues without any treatments.

EQ above 200hz or so is generally a poor idea, but below 200hz it's recommended by many pros.

I didn't feel the room acoustics themselves had ANY impact on what I heard. Only the bass, and I know if I set that speaker up in the same room it would sound VERY different.

 

[Warpdrv]

I guess you'll never know what your going to hear from the mouths of HiFi audio dealers - big surprise

Thanks for sharing...

 

[Irvrobinson]

Interesting. I've never even seen these monsters in person, though I've always wanted to listen to see what all of the fuss is about for $100K+.

As for Stereophile, I wasn't impressed with Wes Phillips claiming he could so easily hear the differences between speaker cables, or the addition of wood blocks. That lent an air of silliness to the entire review.

 

[Swerd]

I once heard the YG Acoustics Carmel at an audio show. I don't remember the price, but it was well above 5 figures, maybe as high as $30,000. They feature an all aluminum cabinet. They displayed it prominently with very expensive looking toob amps, exotic wires, etc.

They did spend the time to get the bass right in that room. But there was a noticeably "grainy" sound to the tweeter, which looked like a Scan-speak ring radiator. That ruined an otherwise good sound.

I don't ever expect to see such expensive speakers in someone's home.

 

[woofersus]

I think the speakers pictured at the top are the Anat II, not III, but I could be wrong...

I've heard those speakers at a number of shows and have always hated them. Of course I understand that there's the room and the unfamiliar front end and the short setup time, and everything else that comes with a show, but I just always found them exceptionally dry, clinical, and uninvolving. (not that I want a warm, romantic sound as opposed to neutral - there are other "neutral" speakers I like) Anyhow, I've never read the stereophile review and I don't know how they measure, but they've always been one of my favorite examples of how throwing the most expensive components available into a speaker doesn't automatically make it good.

However, at RMAF this year I peeked in since I was walking by after chatting with the guys in the Purity Audio room, and heard these speakers:

...and they sounded really good. Go figure. Shock of the show for me. Not that I'm saying they're worth six figures mind you, but that's another discussion altogether.

 

[GranteedEV]

But there was a noticeably "grainy" sound to the tweeter, which looked like a Scan-speak ring radiator. That ruined an otherwise good sound.

I'm probably not very sensitive to grain

I think the speakers pictured at the top are the Anat II, not III, but I could be wrong...

I was looking this up yesterday when I got home.

The Anat II is the old model which is pretty much identical apart from some minor tweaks?

The Anat III is the current model. Its most basic form is an MTM stand-mount with an updated tweeter.
The Anat III Studio is the single 10" woofer underneath.
The Anat III Professional is Dual 10" woofers underneath.
The Anat III Signature is the same speaker as the Professional, but with a higher high pass filter on the MTM(?)

I just always found them exceptionally dry, clinical, and uninvolving.

....


...and they sounded really good

Interesting. Do you think the choice of audition material had a big impact on the 2011 impression?

 

[Swerd]

I'm probably not very sensitive to grain

I looked closer at the photos. The Anat III you heard has a dome tweeter, unlike the ring radiator, and probably sounded much better. The Carmel I heard has the ring-radiator. I think once you heard those tweets, you'd easily recognize that sound.

 

[woofersus]

Interesting. Do you think the choice of audition material had a big impact on the 2011 impression?

Truth be told I didn't stick around to analyze it that thoroughly. I was fairly busy, being an exhibitor myself, and didn't stay in many rooms for longer than it took to get a general impression unless it was something that might be competition to something I sell, and YG Acoustics is in a VERY different price category. I will say that the music I heard was pretty much your standard audio-show slow jazz with female vocals.

It's possible that the material had something to do with it, but I've heard several different YG models each multiple times at different shows and I've found them all to have the same shortcomings. This was the odd man out. My assumption in the moment was either that this newer model was just better for some reason (it appeared to have different drivers than what I had seen in the past) or they had some great synergy going on.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Here is a $28,000 YG monitor:

SoundStage! Measurements - YG Acoustics Anat Reference Main Module Loudspeakers (4/2007)

The THD+N doesn't look as good as the PSB Synchrony One or KEF 201/2.

 

[ratso]

here in chicago, for as city as big as it is, your choices for hi-end stereo stores is suprisingly limited. i went in to the biggest one a few years ago to hear a pair of wilsons and recieved the most laughably bad customer relations experience i have ever experienced. i literally was told to leave the store by the salesman (it is one of my biggest regrets that i was so dumbfounded that i just walked out silently with my jaw hanging open rather than loudly ripping this guy a new a hole for a couple of minutes). the snob factor at some of these places is off the charts. of course in this economy it speaks volumes that the only 2 cars in the parking lot when this happened were his and mine. i should also add that later i found Quintessence audio in morton grove (if anyone is local). they were more than happy to let me audition their $180K grande utopia's even though i made it clear i could NEVER buy such a speaker, and were super nice guys about it to boot.

 

[Irvrobinson]

i should also add that later i found Quintessence audio in morton grove (if anyone is local). they were more than happy to let me audition their $180K grande utopia's even though i made it clear i could NEVER buy such a speaker, and were super nice guys about it to boot.

I know what you mean, and one such a dealer was actually one of the primary reasons I eventually chose the Salon2. I was on a business trip, and I was also taking the opportunity to listen to a privately-owned Linkwitz Orion system in the area. By chance I happened to drive by a clearly high-end audio store. When I entered the store I noticed they had Salon2s in one of their rooms. I dislike having my time wasted or wasting other peoples' time, so I explained that I lived elsewhere and would eventually have to buy locally if I chose the Salon2s, which were not even my top contender. The sales person said he'd be happy to demo the system, and even went through the trouble to hook up the same brand of amps I use (unnecessary, but a nice touch). I had a few CDs with me I was planning to use with the Orions, and he let me listen on my own for an hour. It was such a pleasurable experience I felt guilty about not being able to buy from them. I would have never taken the chance on the Salon2s without hearing them, and that was the first of two demos that helped me make the decision over the Orions.

 

[Swerd]

here in chicago, for as city as big as it is, your choices for hi-end stereo stores is suprisingly limited. i went in to the biggest one a few years ago to hear a pair of wilsons and recieved the most laughably bad customer relations experience i have ever experienced. i literally was told to leave the store by the salesman (it is one of my biggest regrets that i was so dumbfounded that i just walked out silently with my jaw hanging open rather than loudly ripping this guy a new a hole for a couple of minutes). the snob factor at some of these places is off the charts. of course in this economy it speaks volumes that the only 2 cars in the parking lot when this happened were his and mine.

You're not the only one who has had a similar experience. If that is their idea of customer service, then they truly deserve to go out of business - the sooner the better. Don't bother ripping him a new one, just thank him for letting you know so quickly that his time is much too precious to waste on a walk-in like you.

Competition from big box stores and online dealers has been around for some time now, and has seriously cut into smaller audio dealers. If these small dealers are incapable of understanding how they can compete with these other sellers, then let them sell shoes at the mall.