Vivid Impresses Web Monkey

CES 2012

By John Atkinson • Posted: Jan 20, 2012

Source Interlink Media's Home-Tech Group's self-styled "Web Monkey" Jon Iverson (center) focuses his attention on the new Vivid G3Giya loudspeaker ($40,000/pair), which is scheduled to start shipping in April. Driven by a Luxman amplifier and hooked up with Kubala-Sosna Emotion cables, the G3Giya is a 2/3 scale version of the G1Giya that so impressed Wes Phillips in July 2010, with twin aluminum-cone 7.5" woofers loaded by the same proprietary ported transmission line, this time curled over more severely because of the speaker's reduced height. (The G1Giya used 11" woofers.)

Phillip O'Hanlon, of Vivid's US distributor On A Higher Note, played us first the original Dusty Springfield version of "Just a Little Loving," from a QRP test pressing, then the Shelby Lynne remake. (What he didn't play was what I requested, which was Dusty singing with the stunningly sparse Shelby Lynne arrangement.) Other than some tubbiness in the upper bass, which was very much sitting position-dependent—the bass was better-defined from where I was sitting, behind Jon Iverson—this was one of the best sounds I heard at the 2012 Show.

Comments

O'Hanlon's Demo

Submitted by Jon Iverson on January 20, 2012 - 5:55pm.

O'Hanlon's demos are some of the best - and this year was no exception. He creates both an emotional and audiophile tour de force with his carefully selected set of songs and steady, yet relaxed pacing.

I go home every year trying to get my system to sound more like what he achieves in this hotel room.

Show Business

Submitted by John Atkinson on January 22, 2012 - 9:45am.

What Philip O'Hanlon realizes and too many others don't is that the exhibitor at CES (or any show) needs to put on a _show_, choosing and sequencing the music both to demonstrate what the system can do but also to enhance the experience for the listener, just as a professional DJ or a good radio station's program director does. The choice of music and its sequence tells just as much a story as does the handouts and white papers, perhaps an even more important story.

John Atkinson

Editor, Stereophile

And after the demo has gotten you in the mood...

Submitted by Jaques Fish on January 21, 2012 - 8:56pm.

O'Hanlon thoughfully supplies you with a double bed and a throw inscribed with the phrase "Luxman". Hubba, hubba!

He thinks of it all!

Vivid

Submitted by Metalhead on January 23, 2012 - 4:26pm.

Hey Jon,

If you have time to answer do you still use your Martin Logan Prodigy's in your system?

Yes

Submitted by Jon Iverson on January 23, 2012 - 7:04pm.

But whenever I hear the Vivids in O'Hanlon's demo, I get itchy.

Thanks

Submitted by Metalhead on January 26, 2012 - 5:07pm.

I have ML Summit's and love them but was curious as I know you probably get to listen to an unbelievable amount of gear. I personally have not heard anything that would make me want to give them up other than a couple of old school horn systems with custom TAD drivers and crossover upgrades. But I do not get out much and suspect you do.

I know that logans are the rodney dangerfields of stats and although I fit the description of the weird old guy playing with his tubes and vinyl in the cave when youngsters and visitors come over I get a lot of positive feedback on the system/summits. I had a musician from RI up and he had me play his work over the system and then some of his idols like the Ventures and Cat Stevens and was very complimentary. I think he was sincere as he sat and listened for a few hours.

No matter as they still turn my crank. Thanks for responding and happy listening!