To Jeff Fritz,
I am writing about your quest for new speakers, and your final pick: the Vimberg Tonda. I heard the Vimberg Mino at RMAF this year and spent quite a bit of time in that room discussing the new brand with a few of my friends and with Doug White of [Vimberg US dealer] The Voice That Is.
I currently own Wilson Alexia Series 1s, which are speakers I have aspired to own for years. I never felt like I was missing anything with them, but the Vimbergs really impressed me and my friends. They are some of the most musical speakers I’ve heard. Horns were bright and powerful but not edgy or shouty. Piano sounded like the real thing. Bass was tight and deep. Soundstage was huge. All this in a crappy hotel room!
I’ve heard people denigrate Wilson as “colored” and not neutral. I’ve usually dismissed these criticisms, but I admit the Vimberg sound seems truly neutral. I’ve heard similar sound from other speakers that utilize Accuton drivers. There must be something to these drivers . . . they never fail to impress me.
I am curious how you would characterize the Tonda vs. the Alexia from what you currently know. I realize you didn’t spend a lot of time with the Tonda, but you’ve probably heard the Alexia a million times and are likely familiar with its capabilities. I’m going to follow your articles and I am looking forward to your thoughts once you spend some time with them. What I’m really looking for is an educated opinion on whether they constitute an “upgrade” from such a well-regarded speaker as the Alexia. Maybe you could compare against other well-known speakers that you have a lot of experience with? Do you have any thoughts regarding speakers employing Accuton drivers?
Thanks in advance and I look forward to following your journey.
Marc
United States
First, let me address your question about Accuton drivers. I do think they are very good drivers, and that is certainly borne out through the measurements that Accuton publishes. However, a raw driver that is well designed in no way automatically translates into a great, or even competent, final loudspeaker product. In fact, I can say that I’ve heard a number of Accuton-based loudspeakers from brands other than Vimberg and Tidal that have not impressed me, just as I’ve heard a number of excellent drivers from other OEMs in really poor commercial speakers. The bottom line is that all Accuton-based speakers are not created equal -- not even close.
Do I think the Vimberg Tonda would be a proper upgrade path for you? I do, actually. I’ve heard the Alexia a number of times at shows and it has some strengths, dynamics being one. Neutrality is not, however, a strength that I would attribute to the Alexia. You can examine the measurements that John Atkinson posted on Stereophile’s website and draw your own conclusions, which may or may not support what you hear in your own room with your electronics. From what I’ve heard, as well as from what I’ve seen from measurements of the Vimbergs (and Jorn Janczak-designed speakers in general), these are exceptionally neutral loudspeakers. My educated guess would be that you would experience a more neutral sound than you have now, but also one that is higher in resolution.
I am not reviewing the Vimberg Tonda because, at this point, I’m not a neutral observer. I bought a set of Vimbergs, as you know, so clearly I’m biased. That bias comes honestly though: I think the Vimberg speakers are tremendous performers and are better than many well-regarded, five-figure speakers on the market today, which is why I laid down my money. . . . Jeff Fritz
