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Well, I finally got part of my Swan speakers in yesterday! The 2.1's arrived late afternoon. I did not get the C3 yet....backordered....hope it won't be TOO long.
Anyway...I'll tell you all my first impressions. Keep in mind I did NO amount of "break-in" (if that makes a difference to anyone).
First off, they are packed like Ft.Knox....double boxed, etc..well shipped. Once I got through all the packing material and pulled them out of their bags I gave them a once over. They are VERY nice looking speakers and hold up in looks against just about anything. Right along with the B & W nautilus line in terms of attractiveness. They are rock solid and very heavy. The binding posts are TOP quality and made my Paradigm posts look like something that would come on a low end radio shack speaker. I never really paid much attention to my binding posts..but now....I really wonder where my money went with the Paradigms.
Anyway, the BC vinyl is top notch and no pictures really do them justice. They DO NOT look faux....I was worried about that at first but my concerns vanished quickly after seeing them in person. They are VERY dark, almost black and blend perfectly with the rest of my equipment. I did notice to VERY SMALL blemishes in the piano black glossed caps. One is on the top of one of the speakers and the other is on the bottom of the other one. You really have to look close and if not pointed out you would never see it. By no means is it something to be concerned with and is not something I would send back. Just thought I'd mention it.
Ok..now for the listening. I went ahead and hooked them up right out of the box and pulled out some CD's. My first impressions were that they sounded amazingly clearer and bigger than my Mini-monitors. They were not bright at all but very "detailed". The imaging was amazing and very wide. They were not localized at all. I felt that they didn't have much in the lower end compared to the Minis..even though they were much more clear and had a WAY better mid-range. Upon further looking I realized that I didn't take out the foam port plugs! Anyway, after that they sounded even better!
Now for the REAL test. Before ordering these I dicussed it with my wife. She is supportive of my "hobby" but wondered how our system could sound "better" etc. I said I would like to just give them a try and see what (if anything) we are missing. Especially with the harsh highs im getting with my Paradigms. So, once she came home..we did a blind test on her. She sat in the middle of the couch (blindfolded) and I put one new speaker up on the stand and one old one, just to make sure she didn't know which one I was putting up. I put on one of her favorite CD's (Sarah McLachlan). I had the Paradigms up first and we listened to almost one song. I then put up the Swans and listened to the same thing. Keep in mind that I had a deal with her about getting these. If we could NOT tell much of a difference they would go back no questions asked. So the verdict? Without looking..after both were played she stated that speakers NO.2 sounded (in her no audio/videphile words) were.....they sounded cleaner, an clearer. They sounded very full and filled up the room with more sound that speakers NO.1. So, she took off the blindfold and saw the Swans up there! VERY COOL! I guess I get to keep 'em!
Now, once I get the C3..I will want to compare it the my CC-370....and if the results are anywhere near the 2.1's...I'll be ready to figure out how to put another pair of 2.1's as surrounds! They are huge!!!!
By the way....these were running with a Denon 2802 as a pre-amp, Parasound HCA-855a doing the rest. The sub is an SVS 20-39PC+ and was used in both comparisons.
Anyway...I'll tell you all my first impressions. Keep in mind I did NO amount of "break-in" (if that makes a difference to anyone).
First off, they are packed like Ft.Knox....double boxed, etc..well shipped. Once I got through all the packing material and pulled them out of their bags I gave them a once over. They are VERY nice looking speakers and hold up in looks against just about anything. Right along with the B & W nautilus line in terms of attractiveness. They are rock solid and very heavy. The binding posts are TOP quality and made my Paradigm posts look like something that would come on a low end radio shack speaker. I never really paid much attention to my binding posts..but now....I really wonder where my money went with the Paradigms.
Anyway, the BC vinyl is top notch and no pictures really do them justice. They DO NOT look faux....I was worried about that at first but my concerns vanished quickly after seeing them in person. They are VERY dark, almost black and blend perfectly with the rest of my equipment. I did notice to VERY SMALL blemishes in the piano black glossed caps. One is on the top of one of the speakers and the other is on the bottom of the other one. You really have to look close and if not pointed out you would never see it. By no means is it something to be concerned with and is not something I would send back. Just thought I'd mention it.
Ok..now for the listening. I went ahead and hooked them up right out of the box and pulled out some CD's. My first impressions were that they sounded amazingly clearer and bigger than my Mini-monitors. They were not bright at all but very "detailed". The imaging was amazing and very wide. They were not localized at all. I felt that they didn't have much in the lower end compared to the Minis..even though they were much more clear and had a WAY better mid-range. Upon further looking I realized that I didn't take out the foam port plugs! Anyway, after that they sounded even better!
Now for the REAL test. Before ordering these I dicussed it with my wife. She is supportive of my "hobby" but wondered how our system could sound "better" etc. I said I would like to just give them a try and see what (if anything) we are missing. Especially with the harsh highs im getting with my Paradigms. So, once she came home..we did a blind test on her. She sat in the middle of the couch (blindfolded) and I put one new speaker up on the stand and one old one, just to make sure she didn't know which one I was putting up. I put on one of her favorite CD's (Sarah McLachlan). I had the Paradigms up first and we listened to almost one song. I then put up the Swans and listened to the same thing. Keep in mind that I had a deal with her about getting these. If we could NOT tell much of a difference they would go back no questions asked. So the verdict? Without looking..after both were played she stated that speakers NO.2 sounded (in her no audio/videphile words) were.....they sounded cleaner, an clearer. They sounded very full and filled up the room with more sound that speakers NO.1. So, she took off the blindfold and saw the Swans up there! VERY COOL! I guess I get to keep 'em!
Now, once I get the C3..I will want to compare it the my CC-370....and if the results are anywhere near the 2.1's...I'll be ready to figure out how to put another pair of 2.1's as surrounds! They are huge!!!!
By the way....these were running with a Denon 2802 as a pre-amp, Parasound HCA-855a doing the rest. The sub is an SVS 20-39PC+ and was used in both comparisons.