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I've had a pair of Slant 8
speakers for about 3 years now, but only recently have the upgrades to my
other components all come together with the synergy to produce a sound
that is truly magnificent. My components are as follows:
Preamp Conrad Johnson PV-12 (phono) with new tubes into Cardas Neutral
Ref. cable
Amp Conrad Johnson MF-2200 into 10' MIT 750 Shotgun bi-wire;
Phono VPI Mk III / ET-2 arm / Grado Ref. Master into Cardas Cross cable
CD California Audio Lab Icon Mk2 (HDCD) into Cardas Cross
Tuner Magnum Dynalab FM101 with Van-Den Hul 1 cable
support Target rack / Symposium phono isolation / isolation transformer
& EMI/RFI tweaks on mains;
assorted sand bags, cones etc. on and under components.
Room 22' x 13' x 8': concrete/carpet floor, speakers 6' apart & 6'
from rear wall, normal furnishings.
I had a pair of Centaurs in my main system for a number of years and was
very happy with the sound they developed. My system at the time was of a "Stereophile" grade C
caliber. When I decided to upgrade to a B level in late 1997 I stared with Slant 8 speakers. A friend told me of a dealer that would
sell a new pair for less than $2,500.00 out the door.
After a few weeks of break in they still sounded shrill except at low
volume. Out went the Muse 100 amp, in went the CJ-2200. Much improved bass
but midrange & treble still edgy. Went to Monster M2.4 bi-wire. Now we
were making real progress. The whole spectrum was cleaner. More bass with
no flab...smooth open midrange... extended treble. The soundstage depth
and imaging were where I expected them to be. But....there was still a bit
of glare in the treble which was most apparent on CD's and early
digital-mastered LP's. I figured wire was the culprit but now we're
getting into the price range where you don't want to make a mistake. With
the help of Bob at the 'Cable Company' I sampled speaker wire and
interconnects for weeks. By the time I'd made up my mind I knew why
reviewers got paid to do this.
I put the Cardas Neutral Ref. on the preamp output, (moving the Cross
cable to the CD), and MIT 750 Shotgun from the amplifier. This finally
produced sound that was a revelation. The bass is physical, the midrange
smooth and incredibly revealing, the treble was silky smooth and extended.
Imaging is pinpoint. Soundstage is wide, with a layered depth to it. These speakers disappear with your eyes open. Vocals
are so realistic you look for the singer in the room. The down side, poorly recorded material sounds more like crap
than ever. The true test is that of time. After 6 months I'm still
marveling at the sound. Trips to high end audio dealers are now mostly
disappointing. Sound systems that grab you for a while fall apart after an
hour or so. In the future I might go for a better amp. I just hope that
the Apogees keep working and that I can get parts if needed.
If I must gripe about the Slant 8's its the finish. The cabinets are very
dead and I'm sure the "anti-skid" finish they have contributes
to this, but boy are they dust magnets!!!!
Thanks for creating this web site. Maybe ADS will fund a restart of this
magnificent speaker line.
PS... The old Muse amp and
Centaurs are in an A/V system in the den and still sound good.
Update 5th March 2001
Last year in my Slant 8 system
description/review I mentioned I might be upgrading the amp from the
Conrad Johnson MF2200. I found a deal on a Mark Levinson 334, (thru
Audiogon), and the sound only gets better.
More "inner detail" throughout the band but especially
noticeable in the lower registers.
Treble is even smoother and more extended. A match made in heaven. My
experience has shown that to drive the Slant 8 properly requires an amp
capable of mucho current into low impedances and a high damping factor
throughout the band. Speaker connections should be bi-wired with high
current capacity even on the mid-treble pair.
Richard Meier |
