I was so intrigued about how the IKON 6 would sound with those fab ribbon tweeters. I was lucky enough that EPOY and CHAD, was there to entertain me in the 30 short minutes I was present. So there I was still dripping wet from the downpour, I initially inspected the finish...I initially thought it was real wood veneer due to its texture but it was a high grade wood vinyl. The drivers looked fabulous without the grill and gold plated bi-wirable binding posts served for maximal cabling flexibility.
I listened to SERENADE OP.6 (with the wonderful song of the nightingale) CD on the IKON 6. This is my reference for focus, detail and sibilance. I was transfixed in my chair when it started and finished the whole 6:00 track with a smile in my face...why? This was the first time after 3 weeks of auditioning that the highs were VERY SWEET and NATURAL. Viva Ribbons!
The next was the solo piano of THE NOTEBOOK soundtrack. The glare of the mids which was usually present and sometimes irritating was non-existent. Again I finished the whole 4:00 track.
Next was Friday Night in San Francisco. Very good separation of Di Meola and de Lucia, depth was evident and soundstaging was fine. I thought it would have been better had it been placed in a better room to improve the soundstage.
Last was K. Rankin's Professional Dreamer - That's All, on this track the IKON 6 showed its prowess in male vocals and presence which was very slightly laid back making it a very convincing LIVE performance.
At this point I was also curious how the Helicon series would compare to it. I just played SERENADE OP.6 on them and noticed FEW differences in soundstaging, accuracy, detail and deep bass all in favor for the HELICON. It took me to another level of performance but this was expected considering the difference in placement and electronics used, not to mention the price!
Just my 2 cents!
At this time I was being called to meet my wife in 10 minutes for dinner, forgetting the real reason I was there. I was on the hunt to upgrade my HT set-up to be able to listen decent 2 channel audio in an HT setup. Epoy said, try out the CONCEPT SERIES. This was very hastly done but I know it has lots of potential compared to my aging HT system. I'll be back soon Epoy. Thanks so much for your time.
Jen, thanks for the recommendation as well, as I said my options are still very open.
