To Jeff Fritz,
I need your opinion on my intended speaker upgrade, if it can be called that. I’m currently driving my Wilson Benesch Cardinals and their Torus subwoofer with my Gryphon Audio Designs Mephisto stereo amp and their Pandora preamp. Reading about the Rockport Technologies Cygnus intrigues me. Unfortunately, I’m unable to audition it and am solely relying on reviews and customer comments on the web to make an informed decision. Having had experiences with both, do you feel that the Cygnus would be a real upgrade from the Cardinal? If it was your decision, which path would you take? Appreciate your sincerest reply. Thank you.
Regards,
Raj
Singapore
I have not heard the Wilson Benesch Cardinal speaker, and have only heard other Wilson Benesch speakers at audio shows such as High End, in Munich, Germany. Even still, I have managed to wrap my ears around what seems to be the company’s basic house sound. I know the Rockport sound really well, though, so here’s my best shot at giving you some advice, with the caveat that hearing the Rockport for yourself is surely the best way to go if at all possible.
In a nutshell, I think the Cygnus would have deeper bass and the speaker in general would sound warmer and fuller. My recollection of Wilson Benesch speakers that I’ve heard is that they can sound airy and quick, but are not generally rich and full. You don’t say in your letter whether or not you plan to keep the Torus subwoofer, but I can say that you likely won’t need it with the Cygnus. Rockport speakers always sport deep, articulate bass, and the Cygnus -- with two of Rockport’s largest woofers -- has plenty of deep bass. Rockport speakers have typically been characterized by warmth, although I will say that the Cygnus is more open sounding than previous Rockports of my experience. Still, I believe the Wilson Benesch speakers are voiced with a touch more treble energy and might not play as prodigiously in the bass, yielding a lighter overall tonal balance.
I guess you could take most of this with a grain of salt, considering I have not heard the Wilson Benesch speakers in my room (we’ve asked many times but no review samples ever show). I hope you can hear the Rockports before making a decision. . . . Jeff Fritz
