Be kind, T Cobe...ya have to remember, Rick is an ancient specimen, long bouts of travel are hard on his frailness. Nuff said...Rick, get off your rear end and start wowing us with some fabulous reviews, you can put your "search for Ole Folks Homes" on hold.

OK, OK. I get the message. hehe.

I got home late the 19th. Yesterday, I first listened to my system as is, to reacquaint myself with how it sounds. And today, I started experimenting.

First, the Venom Defender power conditioner and surge protector. I plugged it in on the circuit feeding the fronts, center and stack, and noticed a slight improvement in clarity. Nothing dramatic, even pretty hard to detect. Then I plugged it in on the circuit feeding the T2 surrounds. Again, a slight improvement in clarity. Enough to leave it there. Every little bit helps, plus I'll take the extra surge protection as a bonus.

Next I tried the Venom 3 power cords. I decided to try them on the T1's first. I couldn't really detect a big change, maybe because the T1's are already so clean, clear, tightly controlled, plus they're fed through an external amp. Then I put them on the surround T2's, which are fed directly by the NAD AVR. Aha! A very noticeable uptick in clarity, smoothness, bass tightness and punch. It's like the T2's took several steps closer to the T1's in sound quality! I don't know why the effect was so noticeable to me on the T2's and not so much on the T1's. T1's have upgraded electronics to begin with? T2's didn't have an external amp to help them? Don't know. But 2 of the Venom 3's are staying right there on the T2's. I really am enjoying listening to them! While listening to some surround music, I kept walking back to the T2's, thinking these babies are really sounding good! Thanks anthem and dilletante for the suggestion!

I'll try the third Venom 3 on the receiver next and see how that affects all speakers including the T1's also, and make some decisions from there. The cords are easily stuffed behind the T2's and mostly out of sight. If I decide I want them on the T1's also, I'll have to rethink what outlets to use. The cords aren't long enough to be fed back to the outlets behind the entertainment console, and the alternate outlets I used for the test kind of leave the cords dangling out there. Probably not a wife friendly arrangement. Any Venom 3's for the stack would be no problem. More to follow.

The last thing I did today was test the SCXXL. That baby is NOT going back to the dealer! Oh, my. Someone on this forum said that it was like having the top part of a T1 in the center channel. I totally agree. Such clarity! Dialogue in movies just gets so clear. I used to turn up the volume sometimes to understand what was being said. I don't have to with this speaker. i watched a football game tonight and the announcers' voices never got lost in the stadium noises. I had the crossover on the SCXL at 80 HZ, which seemed to help dialogue clarity, but I can go lower on the SCXXL without a hint of losing dialogue clarity. I have it at 70 HZ at the moment. Can't wait to hear the set-up with some action movies.

And when playing surround music, the SCXXL just fits in perfectly. The whole front soundstage is so smooth, seamless, powerful, enveloping. The SCXXL completely holds it own with the T1's and invites being turned up some. I used to play the SCXL at -5 db gain in surround music mode, in part because I didn't want to detract from the exquisite clarity of the T1's. I keep turning up the SCXXL because it can match that clarity and sound quality. It really wants to play with the big boys! Again, I heard detail I've never heard before.

Still looking forward to speaker cable upgrades, and the availability of the new Marantz SR 7010. Patience, Rick, patience.

Happy listening!


Rick

Rick,

Great report! Exactly what I was expecting/hoping to hear on the SCXXL. I'm glad you are happy with it and that it is a significant improvement over the SCXL. You have me convinced.

Regarding the Venom 3s, I know what you mean about wanting to hide those things... They are ugly! Being caught with those is like getting caught riding a moped. I'm glad to hear they make a noticeable difference on your T2s. I'm eager to hear what difference they make on your receiver. If possible, you may want to test them on your amps as well. I'd really like to hear if you notice an improvement there.

Thanks again, Rick! I'm glad that you have been reunited with your system after being deprived all Summer. Nice bonus to have the new SCXXL and Venom 3s making your system sound better than ever. I'll stay tuned and look forward to hearing more. Happy listening!

Cheers,

T Cobe

T Cobe wrote: Rick,

Great report! Exactly what I was expecting/hoping to hear on the SCXXL. I'm glad you are happy with it and that it is a significant improvement over the SCXL. You have me convinced.

Regarding the Venom 3s, I know what you mean about wanting to hide those things... They are ugly! Being caught with those is like getting caught riding a moped. I'm glad to hear they make a noticeable difference on your T2s. I'm eager to hear what difference they make on your receiver. If possible, you may want to test them on your amps as well. I'd really like to hear if you notice an improvement there.

Thanks again, Rick! I'm glad that you have been reunited with your system after being deprived all Summer. Nice bonus to have the new SCXXL and Venom 3s making your system sound better than ever. I'll stay tuned and look forward to hearing more. Happy listening!

Cheers,

T Cobe

Hi,T Cobe

An interim report. Yes, I know you want to know about how the Venom 3's affect stack stuff, like AVR's and amp's. Believe it or not, even retired guys get a little busy, especially after just getting back

It looks like I'll get a window to test the Venom 3 on stack stuff on Thursday afternoon. Maybe Thursday night I can report something.

In the meantime, I've had a chance to do some more listening to the changes I've already made

Re the Venom 3's on the T2's: those babies continue to impress me. The Venom 3's woke up something (I've had questions for a long time about the AVR/powered Triton interactions). In any case, the T2's are playing sweet! The Venom 3's are staying.

Re the SCXXL: I've played a bunch of stuff since I added the SCXXL. Awhile back, I said that for some music, I just had to play the T1's in pure direct analog stereo mode because only they could deliver the nuance, clarity of that moment. Well, guess what. I've now played any number of songs with the T1's, SCXXL and Venom 3 fed T2's playing in enhanced stereo mode vs, the normal 2 channel front speakers only . And the the T1 fronts/SCXXL/T2 combination absolutely blows me away. I am now officially done with 2 channel/front speaker only stuff in any guise (yes, Wayne, I agree that surround is SO GOOD). (Sorry, 2 channel analog only purists, but this digital surround option just explodes on these speakers.)

The T1//SCXXL/T2 combination just envelops/surrounds/mesmerizes me! I have listened to lots of music over the years, including being at concerts, and ABSOLUTELY NOTHING comes even close to what I've been listening to with this speaker combo. I had tears in my eyes listening to what this combo produced. I told my wife there are some things I just cannot give up, and this system is right at the top of the list! (she of course said she agreed and loved it too.) (T Cobe, you are only 2 decisions away from this combo: SCXXL and T2 surrounds). I can honestly say that NOTHING I ever envisioned comes even close to what I can now listen to. How can it get any better? I'm going to install a Marantz SR 7010 when it's available to add back my ceiling speakers, change out some speakers cables, maybe add Venom 3's to my stack, and then sit back and just enjoy the the sound marvel I have discovered.

Thank you again, GEt, for creating the most amazing speakers that just love being fed good music!

Rick

This is good information. You guys are awesome and yes GEt is awesome speakers. Happy listening!!

Rick,

My to do lists are long enough after being away from home for one week. I can't even begin to imagine how much there would be to do after being gone an entire Summer! I appreciate you humoring us with such a quick and thorough responses.

It's really good to hear that you're enjoying your system again. I usually miss my setup after a few days... Reading your posts has me excited for future upgrades. The SCXXL is definitely on the list but I'm still undecided about the surrounds. Since my Integra receiver is dropping the picture more and more frequently, my next investment will be a surround sound processor. The Wife and I are going to Italy in a few weeks, so that is going to delay any upgrades for a bit. Maybe Santa will bring me a Marantz 7702 mkII...

Thanks again for taking the time to share you experiences with us despite everything you must have to do after returning from your Summer vacation. I look forward to hearing more. Happy tweaking and listening!

Cheers,

T Cobe