The Lotus Group's Granada G2

I first auditioned an open-baffle Granada speaker at the 2011 Show, which used a single Feastrex driver to cover the range above 200Hz and was being driven by a solid-state Musical Fidelity amplifier. For 2012, the Lotus Group was showing the less expensive G2 ($75,000/pair), which uses a more conventional midrange unit and tweeter, but still on an open baffle, still with a digital-domain crossover and room calibration realized in DSP. Amplification this year was provided by the humongous Audio Power Labs 833T amplifier that had impressed Larry Greenhill elsewhere at the Show.

With the source an EAR CD player and the preamp the SMc Audio VRE-1C solid-state preamplifier ()$16,950, hooked up with PranaWire cables, my recording of the Jerome Harris Quintet playing "The Mooche" was reproduced with excellent dynamics but a little too sweet-toned a balance that made Marty Erlich's alto saxophone sound more like a tenor.

Steve McCormack introduced his new Iterocitor One unbalanced–balanced two-channel transformer ($1895) at T.H.E. Show, a very useful and versatile device to facilitate using unbalanced sources with components having balanced inputs only.

COMMENTS
Joseph Cohen's picture

 

John,

 

Thank you very much for taking the time to visit our room at T.H.E. Show Las Vegas 2012.

 

The Granada G2 loudspeaker is a three way active, dsp crossed over, open baffle loudspeaker with room correction. As such it requires 6 channels of amplification. This was the first time that we elected to exhibit with tube amplification for the mid range drivers and tweeters. To be precise, the APL 833TNT push-pull 833 200wpc amplifiers were driving the mid range, while the Wavac single ended directly heated triode MD805 Mk II 60wpc amplifiers were driving the tweeters. Two 500 watt solid state modules are supplied in the Lotus Group X-1 crossover box provided with the G2 to drive the woofers.

 

Other key equipment included the Wavac PR-T1 all tube 3 chassis Pre-amplifier and the SMc VRE-1C Pre-amplifier designed by Steve McCormack, which is solid state. We traded back and forth between these two units during the course of the show. Thank you for taking the time to lets us demonstrate both units for you while you were in the room. Also in use was the Wavac LCR-X2 all tube Phonostage and the Hanss T-60 turntable, Durand Talea tonearm and the Lyra Olympus cartridge. Cabling was by PranaWire.

Pro-Audio-Tech's picture

At THE Show Newport the Granada speakers were just great. I was in the room numerous times and never heard a note out of place! I had the opportunity to hear various music and was not able to get critical or concerned about anything. In fact I wasn't worried about the "sound" I was just enjoying the music.

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