Raidho D1 or C1.1 opinions

[Rufus McDufus]

Hi folks - I'm hoping to audition these puppies soon and am wondering what people think of them or if anyone's living with them? They get great reviews but I'm always a little suspicious when things sound so glowing! Are they decent on bass or is it noticeably lacking?

I'd use them in a small room, only 10' x 11', replacing (possibly) my Audiovector Si3s which are a tiny bit on the big side for the room (but fantastic). Other gear is Linn KDS/1, Klimax Kontrol, Lejonklou Tundra Mono power amps - which aren't very powerful (24W ratiing I believe) but pretty efficient - they've been know to drive much larger speakers, including everything in the Linn range (not at the same time obnov).

I'm also looking at other smaller speakers including Wilson Duette (2?) or Magico S1. I'm kind-of testing the water to see what some of these highly-rated brands give and whether they really are highly-rated for a good reason. I'm also looking at other approaches such as Devialet electronics or perhaps a high-end integrated amp, so it's not completely fixed in terms of my current equipment.

 

[def]

C1 - C1.1 are my favourite small speaker, in the right system they deliver incredible transparency and open up the music in a way few speakers are capable. You don't tend to miss the bottom octaves as much as other small speakers because they hit the tonality of the lower registers spot on. The spec sheet says 50hz at the lower end though I know of a guy who has measured them in his room delivering 36hz up to about 95db (c-weighted) with moderate output down to 30hz. Might need some work on room acoustics to get them to work in a 10x11 room.

I've heard them sound lean driven by Bel Canto while on the other hand Nordost has demonstrated them with modest Sim Audio equipment to great effect in a very large room, with Ypsilon they were staggeringly good. So, as with any great speaker they'll reflect whats put in front of them for better or worse.

 

[Rufus McDufus]

Cheers def. The room is pretty damped, carpet and lots of soft furnishing. I have a bit of trouble taming the bass on the Audiovectors as they have to go a little close to the wall than would be desirable, but they're really tight in the lower registers too so I can live with a tiny bit of boominess. In fact placement sounds like maybe the problem I might have with Raidhos as they sound (from reviews) a little fussy about where they're put too, and it sounds like they prefer being further apart than most speakers would be which I'm definitely limited with (each side of a chimney breast).

I initially looked at the D1s but the C1.1s seem so highly regarded it seems a lot more logical to go s/h with C1.1 and save a heap of dosh as the new prices are eyewatering.

 

[Amuseb]

Hi Rufus McDufus,

Openning up a bit of an old thread here.

Did you finally get to compare C1.1 and D1?

I see you own the C1.1, was that the conclusion?

Are you living happily with it?

Cheers,

Oren.

 

[Rufus McDufus]

Hi Rufus McDufus,Openning up a bit of an old thread here.

Did you finally get to compare C1.1 and D1?

I see you own the C1.1, was that the conclusion?

Are you living happily with it?

Cheers,

Oren.

Hi - yes, I went with a pair of secondhand C-1.1s and absolutely love them! I only managed to get to listen to the speakers at the house of the distributor which wasn't particularly ideal but at the time I recall not hearing a huge difference between the D-1s and C-1.1s, and he had a pair if used C-1.1s at around half the price of new D-1s so it was a bit of a no-brainer. I'm sure if I spent more time with the D-1s the differences would become apparent. Both types of speaker are significantly better than the Audiovectors, and don't really seem to lack bass in comparison either considering the AVs are full range. I loved the AVs but these speakers are really special.

The C-1.1s are fussy about floor surface (but this might have limited my Audiovectors a bit too reading my old comments above). I have a late 1800s house which has a thin suspended wooden floor and the Raidhos don't seem to like this. I added some underfloor bracing to firm the floor up, and also have the speaker stands on small carpet sections (marble slabs are even better but I'm worried about the stands getting knocked off them and the speakers toppling). This has made it much better. I also can't get the speakers away from the rear wall enough due to room constraints so I'm not really getting the full benefit if the Raidho's incredible imaging, but they're still good enough.

 

[Amuseb]

Thanks for the reply. Very appetizing. My Paris late 1800s apartment has probably similar wooden floors but I do have the marble slabs already for my current speakers. I'm tempted to pull the trigger on these C1.1. Cheers.