AudioNervosa
Systemic Development => Speakers => Topic started by: Bigfish8 on October 30, 2009, 06:25:02 PM
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Guys:
I am the lucky person that Shane is allowing to break-in his brand spanking new Usher Mini Dancer 2 Speakers. Shane delivered the Mini Dancers this afternoon and while small as compared to the Usher BE-20's they are not tiny speakers. I hope to be able to post pictures tomorrow but they are roughly 10" wide across the face, approximately 48" tall, have a beautiful walnut cabinet and weigh approximately 95 lbs. Of course my wife loves the way they look in the room with the comment "they look like a fine piece of furniture."
Prior to bringing in the brand new, unopened speaker boxes Shane and I spent a few minutes listening to my system with the Timepieces. Since Shane last heard the system I have moved the speakers to a near field listening position and have added the dedicated 20 amp lines/outlets. Shane commented it was the first time he had heard the Timepieces with a distinct sound stage that was 3 feet behind the speakers. Trust me, when I say my system sounds the very best it has ever sounded.
We bring in the Mini Dancer 2's and move the SP Tech Timepieces to the rear of room. My Timepieces are in the studio black finish and to be honest have a plain monitor speaker appearance. The initial reaction to the Mini Dancer 2's is that they are very distinctive looking. Black Face with two dark cloth covered (approximately 7") speakers in the upper half of the speaker face with a silver accented tweeter between the two cloth covered speakers. The entire rear portion of the speaker is a curved walnut wood. As stated earlier my wife thinks they are beautiful.
I should note I have never had any speakers in this system other than the SP Tech Timepieces. Shane offered me the opportunity to break-in these new speakers for him and he wanted me to have the opportunity to hear different speakers in my room. They are new and tight out of the box and you quickly realize the Mine Dancer 2's do not have the bass of the Timepieces but they seem to have a more refined midrange. Position wise, the Mini Dancers are moved back into the original position that I had the Timepieces until very recently. In this position the Timepieces did not have a distinct sound stage, in this room, while the Tiny Dancers do and they are brand new.
I wanted to post some initial thoughts about the Mini Dancer 2's and will continue to post updates as I spend more time with them. I am hopeful that Shane will allow me to keep them for 2 to 3 weeks and until just before I have to part with them I will not put the Timepieces back into the system. I spoke with another friend today and he told me I should let my brain adjust to the new sound and then put the Timepieces back into the system.
My initial reaction to the Mini Dancer 2's is:
1. They are beautiful with very high WAF.
2. They do not over power the room with boomy bass but they produce a full range of sound.
3. They produce sound in a relaxed, enjoyable style.
4. They have excellent midrange and upper-end detail.
5. I enjoy listening to them.
I really appreciate the opportunity Shane has provided to me and encourage anyone interested to contact him and arrange an audition of these speakers.
Ken
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Ken...
You should change your thread title to .... Usher Dancer Mini Two ...that's what it's called. :thumb:
http://www.usheraudiousa.com/products/loudspeakers/dancer-series/dancer_mini_two
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Ken...
You should change your thread title to .... Usher Dancer Mini Two ...that's what it's called. :thumb:
http://www.usheraudiousa.com/products/loudspeakers/dancer-series/dancer_mini_two
Hi Chris:
Thanks for the catch and I have made a correction.
Ken
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8) .....I think you'll have fun Ken.
They are similar to the Acoustic Zen Adagio speakers in design/style....but the Usher's sound better. :thumb:
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I look forward to read what you think of these as they break in. If they are better than the Adagios I really want to hear them.
Regards,
Mike
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Ken
What gear are you running with the Ushers? A friend a mine has the Be-718 and he has not stopped raving about them. You are surely in for a treat. With a little time for break-in, they should be a keeper. If I were you I would keep a tight hold on my wallet. Beware of Shane bringing over stuff for a listen. If these Ushers sound better than my Adagios (that shane brought over for a listen), you and your wallet are in trouble. Hehehehe.
Henry
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Ken
What gear are you running with the Ushers? A friend a mine has the Be-718 and he has not stopped raving about them. You are surely in for a treat. With a little time for break-in, they should be a keeper. If I were you I would keep a tight hold on my wallet. Beware of Shane bringing over stuff for a listen. If these Ushers sound better than my Adagios (that shane brought over for a listen), you and your wallet are in trouble. Hehehehe.
Henry
Hi Henry:
I have never heard the Adagios but have only read very good things about them. Yes, I am worried about my wallet but Shane has kind of emptied my funds recently through selling me JPS ICs and SCs. :duh
My system is composed of the following:
Odyssey Mono SE's
Mapletree 2A SE -- Sylvania VT-231s (6SN7 Tubes)
ModWright Modified Transporter -- EML 5U4G Mesh Rectifier and 6SN7 Tung Sol Round Plates
JPS SC-3 SCs and ICs
Black Sand Silver MK-V PCs to AMPs, Preamp and Transporter
Dedicated 20 AMP Outlets fed by 10 guage Romex
Room treated with bass traps and wall panels.
Shane has offered me a great learning experience and I will keep you posted as I spend more time with these jewels.
Ken
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Here's a review on the Mini Dancer II's by Chris Martens from Absolute Sound.
http://www.avguide.com/review/playback-23-usher-audio-mini-dancer-two-floorstanding-loudspeaker (http://www.avguide.com/review/playback-23-usher-audio-mini-dancer-two-floorstanding-loudspeaker)
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Hey Jeff! Welcome to AN! Glad to have ya!~
Rich
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Hey Jeff! Welcome to AN! Glad to have ya!~
Rich
Thanks Rich.
Actually I've been here since its inception.
I just don't get out much. :lol:
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Congrats on the new speakers too Jeff
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Congrats on the new speakers too Jeff
Thanks Rich.
The reason I paid a visit is because Bigfish told me he had posted his initial impressions on the Mini Dancer II's here. Stan and Carter set up the Mini II's they had at RMAF in my room earlier this week. Mine are broken in and sound very nice. They're going to get me the walnut model that Ken is breaking in.
I crawled out of bed at 4:30 this morning to spin some tunes.
I must like them. :thumb:
Thanks for turning me on to this thread Ken.
Jeff
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I look forward to hearing them at some point too, maybe up at Ken's after burn in.
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They're going to get me the walnut model that Ken is breaking in.
I should have said, I'm going to get a new pair in walnut like the ones Ken is breaking in. :duh
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That's good Jeff because based on Ken's initial report, Stan might need a chisel and hammer to get them away from Ken and Vera.
Oops, sorry Ken, I'm supposed to be helping to protect your wallet, not encouraging you, right?
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Methinks the hook is just about set... Have fun with them!
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Hi Guys:
Pictures located here:
http://www.audionervosa.com/index.php?action=mgallery;sa=album;id=40
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Very pretty!
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Something I always wondered because of the port is it a transmission line?
How do these compare to the be718's? When I was buying speakers I a,b,c,ed the be718's, cp6381's, and 6311's and oddly, liked the 6311's the best.
I found the be718's bass to be a little muddy..made them very forgiving of recordings...however not the sound that I like. Having said that they may not have been broken in yet.
I also preferred the coherence of the 6311's over the 81's.
Thanks,
Mike
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How do these compare to the be718's?
Maybe I am one of the few but I honestly did not like the BE 718's. They have a nice midrange and the same tweeter as in the BE 10, BE 20 and in these Dancer Mini 2's but they are not a full range speaker. At least I did not find them satisfying as I am used to a speaker that goes down below 30 Hz. Captain Humble owns a pair of Usher 6391's and told me today he prefers the Dancer Mini 2 and has ordered a pair. The Dancer Mini 2 is full range, has a great midrange and the same upper end you like in the BE 718. You should make plans to audition a pair.
Ken
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I'm glad you are enjoying them Ken... Keep them for a few weeks by all means. You're the one doing me the favor by breaking them in. I HATE having to break in speakers. Besides, it's not like I don't have another pair of speakers to listen to here :) Of course I don't have my favorite DAC or amps anymore..........
I was impressed with the Mini 2's right out of the box. In the hour or so we listened before I had to take off, they were already starting to open up. The things I love about the Usher sound and specifically the alloy tweeter (I never thought the day would come that I like a mostly titanium tweeter... but that thing just flat out sings) are maintained in this speaker. Good balance to the sound. Detail and resolution is all there, just not cringe worthy like on some other designs. We were listening right around 89-90 decibels at the listening position. While loud, it wasn't blow you over. That's about as loud as I ever want to listen in any of my systems. At that volume level, the speaker was extremely controlled and clean. No compression whatsoever. While they don't have the same scale of presentation capabilities of a Be-20, they are pretty darn great for a normal sized room. Bass was surprisingly fleshed out for stiff woofer suspensions. That will get better after some play time. I think I'm going to like these in my room. I'm excited to find something that will fit my listening room space and sound like these do. While not the Be-20s, I get to enjoy some of their qualities in a much more better half approved package.... even though she hasn't technically seen them yet.... I'm working up to that :) Yeah, even the dealer now has significant other approval factors to consider... first time in my life and I'm honestly not really happy about it... but I'm not without some capabilities to compromise I suppose...
Enjoy them Ken. I'm glad you're getting the chance to hear something else in your room to learn a bit more about what it's doing now that the panels are up and also to be able to compare and contrast the equipment itself... I'll bring the Belles stuff over once it gets some time on it and we can really have some fun swapping.... so when are you hosting the next get together? :) hehehe
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Guys:
This pair of Dancer Mini 2's now have approximately 26 to 28 hours of playing time on them. The sound stage is noticeably larger and further behind the speakers than right out of the box when Shane was here. I have heard the pair of BE-20's that Rich owns several times and I always loved their clean, clear, full-range of sound. These Dancer Mini 2's have the detailed mids and upper-end I recall from the BE-20's. They of course do not have the room shaking bass of the BE-20's but they produce a full range of sound that is about prefect for my room (26' X 14' X 8'). I am not experiencing the bass node problems with these speakers that I have been fighting with the Timepieces. The more time I spend with them the more difficult it is going to be to part with them. Melissa is going to love the appearance of these in the main room!
Ken
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Ken's quote "The more time I spend with them the more difficult it is going to be to part with them. Melissa is going to love the appearance of these in the main room!"
Ken, sounds like they are going to be too tough to give up, especially after they break-in a little more. Might as well plan your rehab strategy or just give in, avoid the agony and pain and strike a deal. Besides, I understand these Ushers comes with drool cloths for those who give them up. ( just kidding, I think)
Henry
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Great speakers, can't wait to hear what you think of them after they have about 150 hours or so on them. I have a set of the Be-20's with just a hair over 100 hours and they just keep improving! Keep us posted!
John
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Guys:
I had not heard these speakers since Monday due to my travel schedule. (I think the dogs enjoyed listening to the CMT channel everyday)! Even though one of my smoke glass Sylvania VT-231's is microphopic it is the best pair of 6SN7's I have for the Preamp and I put it back in this morning. When I turned-on the system I was just amazed at the way these speakers image and the sound stage is a good 3 to 5 feet behind the speakers. For you audiophiles looking for a very good speaker that does not break the bank should audition a pair of these.
Ken
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Yes, many of you predicted it as I was unable to part with these speakers. The Timepieces sold within an hour of listing on Audiogon and they are now on their way to the new owner. I think I fell in love with the clear detail of the Usher's soon after hearing them in my room. However, it was the relaxed presentaiton and soundstage that sealed the deal. I found the Timepieces would give a nice Soundstage but had to be in a near field listening position in my room -- very poor WAF! I am afraid to move the Ushers into a near field position as I might love them even more and Miss Vera will have none of it!
Ken
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Yes, many of you predicted it as I was unable to part with these speakers. The Timepieces sold within an hour of listing on Audiogon and they are now on their way to the new owner. I think I fell in love with the clear detail of the Usher's soon after hearing them in my room. However, it was the relaxed presentaiton and soundstage that sealed the deal.
Ken
Congratulation Ken!! You can now relax and enjoy your new speakers, forgoing the agony of regret, emotional rehab and the constant mental anguish of what might have been.
Henry
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That is awesome, Ken. Hope to hear them sometime! :)
-C
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Guys:
I just received the ultimate compliment about my system. Vera told me "that is what music is suppose to sound like." Damn, I am a happy camper! :thumb:
Ken
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Glad you're still ridin' high, Ken. And that IS a nice compliment. I can't wait to hear them. Until then, have a great Christmas and New Year.
-Carl
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Carl:
I honestly did not realize the changes I have made to this system until I was responding to the post Mike wrote asking about changes made to your system in 2009. Yes, I am happy with the way my system sounds and yes, I know it can be even better. That is what makes this hobby so exciting - you can enjoy what you have and always strive to improve it.
Ken
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Guys:
I just received the ultimate compliment about my system. Vera told me "that is what music is suppose to sound like." Damn, I am a happy camper! :thumb:
Ken
I reread this post this morning and realized I did not explain why this was such a compliment. Vera is the reason I started my journey into this hobby when we were playing some music 3 years ago and she said "I miss our old speakers because these don't sound good." Last night's comment really was special but I think if she could go back years she would probably have said, "that sounds awesome." :rofl: :rofl: She now tells me all of the time, "you are obsessed." :rofl:
Ken
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Obsession comes with a price (time and money ;-), but it also has an amazing payoff. I'd love to hear those new speakers sometime in the new year, Ken!
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Me too!! g2g at Kens!! woot!
Hey, when the most important woman in the world tells you that she likes what you did, it's hard not to feel good. (http://www.audionervosa.com/Smileys/default/eusa_dance.gif)
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Me too!! g2g at Kens!! woot!
Hey, when the most important woman in the world tells you that she likes what you did, it's hard not to feel good. (http://www.audionervosa.com/Smileys/default/eusa_dance.gif)
Guys:
Darn it, You guys are going to cause me to have to get out the paint brushes! :rofl: :rofl:
Ken
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Beer maybe, but no need for paint brushes! We wouldn't even notice once we got a listen to your new speakers!