Cadence Avita

myriad schrieb:

Hello Folks, I am thinking of uprading my Cadence Divas with Avitas.

excellent idea! The Divas are a POS speaker, probably the worst in the Cadence line-up. I've heard them several times & I cannot think of 1 good thing about them. Well, maybe 1: nice cabinet finish!
sorry in advance for such a strong opinion on the Divas.

myriad schrieb:

But before making any jump i want to clear few doubts regarding the compatibility of Avitas with my associated equipment and room. 1. The amp is Cayin TA30.

I believe that the Avitas "match" the best w/ tube amps. I'm assuming that TA30 implies 30W/Ch? The Avita sensitivity is 86dB. That's low! If you have a 30W/ch, you'll probably not get the SPL you are looking for. If you do crank it up, the amp is likely to go into compression, which'll manifest itself as 2-D/flat soundstage & restrained sound.

myriad schrieb:

2. Room size - 24' x 17' x 10.5' (though i sit 7 feet from the speakers)

That's a large room! If you are looking to pressurize this room w/ an 7" woofer, good luck!
BTW, I think that you might enjoy the music a bit more if you are 8-9 feet from the speaker. you seem to be a bit too close for the drivers to integrate. If you get a bigger speaker, then 8-9 feet is almost a must. just my opinion.

myriad schrieb:

3. Do ESL panels have a fixed life ?

Not that I know of. If you are susceptible to power surges, unplug the ES panel when you are not listening. Don't poke it! If you do need to clean/dust it, use a soft bristled paint brush (new one of course!).

myriad schrieb:

4. Will Avitas have the same bass depth as Divas? Though Divas have a bigger bass driver. Thanks in advance

Hmmmm....are you a boom-boom bass nut? If yes, then "no"! This is also a ported speaker & if they have tuned the port correctly, the 7" woofer should give you adequate bass for the immediate vicinity of the speaker.

Thanks Bombaywalla!

Few more questions:

1. Do SS mate well with electrostats. I have a Nad C370 which is currently relegated to perform HT duty. Soundwise i find Cayin much superior to Nad.

2. How much minimum power do i require to drive Avitas at moderate and high volumes in my room?

hi myriad,

just to add....the avitas will work very well with a solid state as well. Finally you want a clean amp as the panel is a very transparent one. The avitas have that magic midrange which is almost bewitching.....

The 7" Eton driver is fast and will give you decent amount of bass but a 30 watt amp will not bring the house down with the avitas.

As bombaywalla stated, you push the cayin too hard and you may end up with a compressed soundstage. I have heard the avitas with the cadence 36 watter valve amp and it goes pretty loud.

The diva's are 88db compared to the avitas 86db so the diva's play louder. The Diva's are rated at 42hz +- 3db but the avitas are rated at 40hz +-3db. The bigger bass driver of the diva will fill out your room better, no doubts about that but if your listening position is approx 7-9 feet from the system then I dont see much of an issue with the bass. BTW you could also try the combo of using your cayin as a pre and powering the avitas with the power section of the NAD.

BTW all cadence speakers are gentle on the amps, especially tube amps) so the cayin/avita combo may just work out for you. Any chance of you getting a home demo ?

Manek.

Hello Manek,

I won't get a home demo but the dealer has agreed to take my Cayin and try out at his outlet (that i will be doing today). The only problem is the listening room of the outlet is 1/3rd of my room size.
Regarding power, i don't listen to very high volumes. It's occassionaly, when the kids play some hindi music like Rang De Basanti they crank up the volume little higher.
In fact i have almost made up my mind to buy these speakers because im getting a very good deal. If possible, i will upgrade my amp in near future to mate with the Avitas.

I tend to agree with bobmaywalla regarding the divas. I have heard them alongside, proacs, AP 301's, Dynaudio audience 52 in the same room and they are just too bad for the money you pay.

You are in for a big jump in quality with the hybrids. I have not heard the avitas but I have heard other models in their line and they sound much better and are a treat to the ears.

myriad,

the right way to go.

manek.

myriad schrieb:

Thanks Bombaywalla!

welcome! glad i could be of some help.

myriad schrieb:

Few more questions: 1. Do SS mate well with electrostats. I have a Nad C370 which is currently relegated to perform HT duty. Soundwise i find Cayin much superior to Nad.

I think that Manek has already answered this one (& he has more experience w/ Cadence speakers than I do). I echo his words. Although I have not seen the impedance curve, it appears that these speakers are fairly benign loads to the power amps. That's the only way that Cadence's own VA-1 EL34-based 36W/ch power amp can mate so well to all their speakers & sound so good.

myriad schrieb:

2. How much minimum power do i require to drive Avitas at moderate and high volumes in my room?

well, "high volumes" is a nebulous phrase. for you, how much is loud? it depends on each individual.
Some rough calculations:-
Avita is 86dB SPL at 1m (3.3') away with 1W input
If you are sitting 7' away, I would estimate that the SPL there would be 79.3dB with 1W input to the speakers.
If you want 82.3dB SPL at your listening seat, you will need 2W.
If you want 85.3dB SPL at your listening seat, you will need 4W.
If you want 89.3dB SPL at your listening seat, you will need 10W.
You have to add 3dB to all the above numbers because there are 2 speakers (stereo).

89dB SPL is pretty damn loud! If you use the TA30, that should leave 2/3 the power output for dynamics, which should be plenty for rock, pop, Hindi songs, Jazz, blues. Could be marginal for large symphonic classical works.

Today i went to the dealers shop with my amp, few cds and a pair of VDH D102.

The system configuration at shop was something like this:
1. Cayin TA30
2. Cadence Avita
3. Samsung DVD player
4. VDH D102 interconnects
5. Local speaker cables.

The Avitas were placed side by side with B&W 603 and some JBL Towers which i didn't bother to ask. the speakers were connected through a switch box which made me easier to evaluate all 3 speakers with the same amp and source.

Hitting the first cd didn't get me much excited. The speakers were somewhat sounding like Divas. Then i asked the guy to pull in the Avitas a foot inside the room as all the 3 speakers were placed side by side. After pulling in the speakers with a little toe in the things got interesting. The whole sound changed. I was listening what i had been trying to get all these years, silky highs, clear mid, and deep bass. The Cayin was driving them effortlessly in a 12' x 16' room. I instantly decided to buy them though i was little apprehensive of my room size.
But then i had made up my mind.
Back home the first note i heard got me amazed. These speakers were sounding much better what they had been sounding at the shop. I could feel someone singing right in front of me. Everything turned better. the soundstage, the highs, the lows. This upgrade has turned out to be the most gratifying for me. I had never thought music could sound so good at home. The sound was miles ahead what i heard with Proac, Brystons and Audio Note combination last year.
And now the best part. The price i paid for these beauties:- 62 ks

Thank you everyone for your valuable advice

myriad schrieb:

Today i went to the dealers shop with my amp, few cds and a pair of VDH D102. The system configuration at shop was something like this: 1. Cayin TA30 2. Cadence Avita 3. Samsung DVD player 4. VDH D102 interconnects 5. Local speaker cables. The Avitas were placed side by side with B&W 603 and some JBL Towers which i didn't bother to ask. the speakers were connected through a switch box which made me easier to evaluate all 3 speakers with the same amp and source. Hitting the first cd didn't get me much excited. The speakers were somewhat sounding like Divas. Then i asked the guy to pull in the Avitas a foot inside the room as all the 3 speakers were placed side by side. After pulling in the speakers with a little toe in the things got interesting. The whole sound changed. I was listening what i had been trying to get all these years, silky highs, clear mid, and deep bass. The Cayin was driving them effortlessly in a 12' x 16' room. I instantly decided to buy them though i was little apprehensive of my room size. But then i had made up my mind. Back home the first note i heard got me amazed. These speakers were sounding much better what they had been sounding at the shop. I could feel someone singing right in front of me. Everything turned better. the soundstage, the highs, the lows. This upgrade has turned out to be the most gratifying for me. I had never thought music could sound so good at home. The sound was miles ahead what i heard with Proac, Brystons and Audio Note combination last year.

it is very likely that switcher ruined the sound. it carries a high level signal from the power amp. any distortion created by the switcher adds to the overall distortion. Also, having all 3 speakers side-side would affect each speaker's output as the other non-working speakers act as a source of reflections thereby muddying the overall sound.

myriad schrieb:

And now the best part. The price i paid for these beauties:- 62 ks Thank you everyone for your valuable advice

very cool! in India, Cadence speakers are a real deal! Very good performance for the price paid. Simply unbeatable! Good to read that you are happy. Enjoy the music. Let them (woofers) break in - they should sound even better.

great show myriad.....! those are fine speakers.....! enjoy your music. The avitas are probably the most musical speaker I have heard......

So did you do a buyback with your diva's or did you pick the avitas up used ?
BTW if I'm not too inquisitive....where did you pick them up from ?

Manek.

(So did you do a buyback with your diva's or did you pick the avitas up used ?)

It was not a buy back. I still have Divas and have to find a buyer for them.
The Avitas were a demo pair.

(BTW if I'm not too inquisitive....where did you pick them up from ?)

I picked from the Cadence dealer in Kolkata.

you lucky man ! lucky lucky man ! 62 K....it was steal ! a real steal !

manek.

myriad schrieb:

Today i went to the dealers shop with my amp, few cds and a pair of VDH D102. The system configuration at shop was something like this: 1. Cayin TA30 2. Cadence Avita 3. Samsung DVD player 4. VDH D102 interconnects 5. Local speaker cables. The Avitas were placed side by side with B&W 603 and some JBL Towers which i didn't bother to ask. the speakers were connected through a switch box which made me easier to evaluate all 3 speakers with the same amp and source. Hitting the first cd didn't get me much excited. The speakers were somewhat sounding like Divas. Then i asked the guy to pull in the Avitas a foot inside the room as all the 3 speakers were placed side by side. After pulling in the speakers with a little toe in the things got interesting. The whole sound changed. I was listening what i had been trying to get all these years, silky highs, clear mid, and deep bass. The Cayin was driving them effortlessly in a 12' x 16' room. I instantly decided to buy them though i was little apprehensive of my room size. But then i had made up my mind. Back home the first note i heard got me amazed. These speakers were sounding much better what they had been sounding at the shop. I could feel someone singing right in front of me. Everything turned better. the soundstage, the highs, the lows. This upgrade has turned out to be the most gratifying for me. I had never thought music could sound so good at home. The sound was miles ahead what i heard with Proac, Brystons and Audio Note combination last year. And now the best part. The price i paid for these beauties:- 62 ks Thank you everyone for your valuable advice

Wow ! congrats man !
That dealer must be nuts to play them off a Samsung dvd player and through one of those horrid switches ! As a thump rule, never audition speakers placed alongside with others. Moving them out will make a huge difference as you experienced. What kind of a dealer is this guy ? JBL, Samsung dvd player and cadence avitas under one roof ????

Aparently a pair of Aninas for sale in the buy sell secion for 70 K
Manek ???

Arj,
It is only 50k...

Arj,
First check how old the speakers realy are. All depends on their condition,age and usage.
Delightfull speaker though.....won them the sound of the show award at an european show few years ago. They do go very low for their size(28hz+-3db). Check it out man. 88.5db efficiency woth 8 ohms nominal impedance will be easy on tube amps as well.

Myriad, since the electrostat panels are dipolar in nature, best kept a bit away from other things on the side(panels curved) and away from the walls a bit. You will get a holographic soundstage if you give them a bit of air.

Manek.

Manek,

(Myriad, since the electrostat panels are dipolar in nature, best kept a bit away from other things on the side(panels curved) and away from the walls a bit. You will get a holographic soundstage if you give them a bit of air.)

The speakers are 7 feet from the side walls and 5 feet from back wall (measuring from woofer) with a little toe in.
The dealer has hardly played them for 7-8 hrs in total so they need another 100-200 hrs to break in.
I got a good deal because dealer was not able to sell it (no takers of these beauts in Kolkata ) .
Six months back he offered me to sell them for 90 ks. That time i didn't have money but this time the offer was too tempting to resist.