9 replies to this topic

[atavid]

I’ve had my SGR CX3B’s for several months now and while I know there have been a lot of reviews on SNA about these and other model SGR speakers I thought I might be able to contribute my own story with some pics as well. I’ve also held back till now because there has been a lot of threads/discussion about the SGR speakers generally and I didn’t want to overdo the forum with another SGR thread, but it seems as time goes on, so do the threads. So what it’s worth here is my (slightly different) take on the SGR CXB3’S.
I first heard these speakers at a GTG evening organized by Anthony from Audio Marketplace at his house here in bayside Brisbane last October 2010. He is the Queensland rep for SGR up here. I had read a lot of posts here on SNA about them, but that wasn’t what spurred me on to make my first personal contact with Anthony .
Many many years ago I was fortunate enough to hear a set of Meridian M10’s ?(long ago, not sure model)anyway they were active, or ”powered “ I think they called them back then. I was struck by their sound. At the time they were quite different to a lot of the other speakers I had seen and heard. I don’t know exactly what it was in audiophile terms, I liked, but I always remembered them and their effect on me and the idea of a ‘built in’ amp really appealed to me as well. So I took the opportunity to hear these active SGR’s when the offer was made.
Rewind to late 2010 early 2011.
I was having a bad few months with my audio equipment.
First off my preamp went DC on me and I sent it off to Trevor(Zaphod Beetlebrox)at Rage audio to see if he could resurrect it after being told by a dealer up here that it was beyond any help at all, at any price(was charged for the privledge too The fault was a two edged sword because I lost my preamp for a while, but Trevor fixed and modified the preamp and really made a very nice improvement to its sound. Then a couple of months later my power amp lost its left channel. I couldn’t believe my luck. Again I sent this off to Trevor, and he did a fantastic job of repairing ,modifying and improving the unit. Upon its return I took the lid off and peeked inside and it looks brand new, fantastic.
But as fate would have it, a month or two later the preamp then faulted again. I was beginning to believe I was jinxed. But Trevor fixed the issue at no charge to me even though it wasn’t necessarily a fault related to his previous work. The pre is 20 years old so I wasn’t surprised. Thanks Trevor, great service. Has worked faultlessly since.
Anyho I was getting a “little jaded “with my system by now as you can imagine. As well as all the recent problems, I had for some time been unhappy that my then speakers needed to be pumped up to unacceptable(especially for my wife) volume levels to push the sound out into my room. I knew I wanted a change but didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I had been out and around listening to whatever speakers I could find in the few shops left in Brisbane. One place had a lovely set of Sonus Faber Guarneri Memento’s for sale around the $5500-$6000 mark. I had recently heard a set of Sonus Faber Toys in another SNA member’s set up and they sounded fabulous. I was particularly struck by their beautiful mid bass. Thanks Goopie. really nice sounding system you have there .So I knew I couldn’t settle for something less than that nice sound and so the Guarneri’s were in my sights.
Then I saw the notice here on SNA about a GTG at Anthony’s house (Audio Marketplace) and I thought it might be interesting to again listen to some active speakers, and also a chance to meet some SNA members at last.
The first speakers I listened to were the CX4’s.They sounded as great as everyone else has said here many times. But just way out of my league pricewise. Later in the evening we fired up the CX3B’s and they were pretty astonishing, especially given their relatively small size. The difference between the 3’s and 4’s were there but I think were more obvious due to where each pair were placed, the settings on the 4’s at the time, and the choice of music(was different for each pair).I can honestly say that as impressed as I was with the 4’s, I was as equally impressed with the 3’s. I knew almost immediately that I could be quite happy with their sound (something of an understatement), but for me the CX3’s were still a lot of money and with my wife recently made redundant , I couldn’t see me affording them in the near future.
I went home somewhat despondent and of course started thinking about my system, what it was that was bugging me about it and what I could do to get over the disillusionment I was feeling as a result of the recent troubles I was having, and, the necessity to push the volume up to get the full sound I wanted from the speakers in my listening room.
I thought about the Toy Sonus Fabers… affordable for me, but then I reckoned that they justified a better amp than I had, and if I got a good amp I would surely need some good(probably expensive)speaker cables. Then I wondered about how I could select an amp that had the right “synergy” with the Sonus Fabers, especially up here in Brisbane with fewer and fewer hi fi shop demo facilities. Then I thought about the cost of all these new parts and pretty soon it was just “doin’ my head in” and I decided to put it all on the backburner. It was all just too hard.
As fate would have it, a few months later ,we came into some unexpected cash and suddenly I was in a position to consider some new gear. Almost simultaneously Anthony contacted me(must be psychic) about my previous interest in the SGR’s, and not long
after I was the proud owner of a set of CX3B’s. [ATTACH=CONFIG]38898[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]38899[/ATTACH]


No one it seems can talk about SGR without mentioning the great service, and it was no different in my case.
Anthony helped set them up in my house and spent a great deal of time getting the positioning just right, he also did some magic with a sound sweep and frequency ‘thingamabob’ to make sure we were getting as flat a response as possible. We experimented with my subwoofer settings and generally tweaked things here and there. I was really impressed with his attention to getting things perfect.
As it turned out SGR (Stuart) had apparently just made some changes to the amplifier modules for the CX3B’s and Anthony received two of these to replace the existing units in my CX3B’s.(I thought this very impressive that they would update the speakers even though I had already bought them, after all, I would have been none the wiser).Anthony again came to my place and spent a couple of hours changing over the amps and the new BIGGER power supplies, once again spending a lot of time getting everything right with the setup.
It was about this time that my preamp faulted the second time. I mentioned my bad fortune to Anthony and he contacted Stuart and they flew up a second hand pre amp Stuart had in Melbourne and loaned it to me just so I could have something to keep my system going while the repairs to my own preamp were happening. It was a great service and much appreciated.
Living with the CX3’s has been one revelation after another as I play my music collection through them. You think you know a recording ,then you play them through the SGR’s and hear them in a totally different light. Even my wife likes the noises they make, and that’s saying something.
I ‘m not confortable trying to describe what I’m hearing in audiophile terminology, (I’m no “ripping dragon”)however I do know when I’m hearing something not only new AND MORE OF IT, but also more pleasing than I was hearing than before.
What I am hearing is lots of extra detail right throughout the range, and while I can pick out these details they arn’t there in isolation, the sound is very together, very cohesive. This is especially the case when I listen to a recording with instruments placed about the recording space. It’s so easy to pick where they are but at the same time it all sounds so together(i know that probably doesn’t make sense but it’s what I think I’m hearing)
The mid and upper bass don’t have the trademark sound of the Sonus Fabers , but the CX3’s ability to differentiate between these two levels makes listening to that ability a real joy to the ears for me.
If it’s one overall quality I have really noticed with the CX3’s it’s the expansive soundstage. When I first experienced this it sounded like instruments were placed not just outside the speakers, but right to the side of me on some recordings. It’s an exhilarating effect.
I don’t know if this is related to the soundstaging ability, but at last with these speakers, I can enjoy them at much lower volume levels. Something that was becoming a ‘bone of contention’ with my other speakers and my wife.
A few weeks ago I bought some interconnect cables from Anthony and I picked them up from his place. He invited me in for coffee and of course the conversation immediately turned to hi fi. He fired up the CX4’s and invited me to listen to some music. It was great to hear them again because it gave me a better opportunity to compare the two models now that I was more familiar with the CX3’s.I was curious to know if, and how much I was missing out on by not stretching to the CX4’s. They sounded fantastic, but to me I only felt I was missing out on some bass extension. I can live with this as I have a very good subwoofer in my system, although as Anthony first predicted, I now find myself turning down my subs level more and more as I grow to like the quite exquisite bass of the CX3’s. Ok when I want a real head banger experience it’s good to crank up the sub, but that’s less and less these days.
Would I buy the 4’s if I could afford them…in a heart beat, but not because I think I’m missing out on something with the 3’s, but because I like the idea and look of the floor standers, and that extra bass if I want it without a sub.
After I left Anthony’s I didn’t feel that I would go home and think that my system was lacking something compared to what I had just heard, it was a nice feeling. I’m sure you have all experienced “system envy” at some stage of your audio journey so you will understand what I mean.
I’m not going to go on anymore about how good these speakers reproduce music, suffice to say that I have experienced all the qualities others have written about them as well. They are quite superb.
Why I think I chose these speakers was for a lot of other reasons as well. When I was pondering changing my system and thinking about buying new amps and speakers and cables etc etc etc, and how I could achieve that synergy that makes some systems just work better than others I realized that with an active system like the SGR’s I wouldn’t have to worry about all that stuff. I wouldn’t have to wonder if bi- wiring, bi or tri-amping would sound better. How many watts should I aim for to work best with the speakers I would choose?. I wouldn’t have to wonder if I should get this or that speaker cables, or if a class A or class AB or a class D amp would suit better. Then if I had all that right, what stands would suit best and add to the speaker’s abilities, how do I isolate them, should I isolate them? These were all questions that could just be dealt with in one package. So many of the things audiophiles angst over just immediately taken out of the equation.
What else do I like about the SGR’s? Well of course the fabulous finish is hard to find in anything I’ve ever seen at near this price. Some folks may say it’s all about the sound and who cares what gear looks like, but that’s not my view. As a tradesman in a previous life, I really appreciate craftsmanship and beautiful aesthetics. I get great pleasure out of looking at my hi fi gear as I sit back and enjoy the sounds it makes. My wife even reckons my turntable looks like a piece of modern sculpture, and because she like things that “shine” the CX3’s fit right in to her décor ideas.[ATTACH=CONFIG]38900[/ATTACH]
I like the thoughtful design touches on The SGR’s like where the wiring can be routed unobtrusively through the stand column, or how the sorbothane isolating pucks locate the speaker on the top plate exactly and quite securely in position. I also like that the power supplies can be located away from the speaker if one wishes. In my case I have them just behind the speaker stand base, and Stuart and Anthony were happy to supply me with a shorter connecting cable so I didn’t have extra length of it lying about the [ATTACH=CONFIG]38906[/ATTACH]base.[ATTACH=CONFIG]38901[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]38903[/ATTACH]
The ability to run them with either a balanced or unbalanced cable is great. I like that I can run and control my subwoofer through them if I wish. Another biggie for me is being able to connect my HT through them at the same time. This is another bonus feature that solves a lot of problems I’ve had in the past trying to run both a stereo and HT system in the same room. Previously I had so many sets of speakers in the room it was just ridiculous ,ugly and I don’t think helped the sound qualities of the room.
Other little touches like being able to adjust the subwoofer crossover point and the high and mid frequencies to get the response just right is just icing on the cake for me.I like that I don’t have to worry about all that matching up stuff ,no speaker cables, no amping considerations.[ATTACH=CONFIG]38902[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]38904[/ATTACH]
I liked the quality of the finely finished allen headed bolts that secure the top and bottom stand plates to the really solid, and might I add, beautifully welded columns. The way everything just lined up and screwed smoothly into place. As I say it’s the old tradesman in me ,but its these little things that indicate quality and if the little things are right then that’s a good indication that all the other stuff you can’t see will be right.
Finally I like that the CX3’s appear to be almost bomb proof with all sorts of protection abilities built in, especially important when you have young kids as i do who might switch on/off the wrong plug while my gear is powered up.
So what would I change about the CX3B’s if I could. Well not much as it turns out, just one thing.
These speakers and stands weigh quite a lot and they are not easily moved, not even up and down via the beautifully machined stainless steel adjustable spikes. [ATTACH=CONFIG]38905[/ATTACH]
What I found a little difficult was trying to level the speakers in situ. The spikes have to be turned by hand(fingers) to adjust them and there is very little room for big fingers to fit between the floor and the underside of the speaker base to make these adjustments. And because there are 4 spikes its quite a job to eliminate any tendency to rock slightly whereas adjustments with 3 points is always easier(not that I am suggesting 3 points for the SGR’s).Sure you can(not easily)tilt the speaker and stand to make the adjustments, but not safely by yourself. So much easier to do and get exact if you could adjust from the top.
If Stuart could somehow make the spikes on the CX3’s stands adjustable from the top and then just pop a small cover over the hole when one has adjusted them, then it would be so much easier to get them level.[ATTACH=CONFIG]38907[/ATTACH](In my situation i have deliberately raised the back so the tweeters fire more directly at my low seating position.)
This is not a criticism by any means, just a point about operational convenience and I’m sure it doesn’t worry most owners. I can see that the design and aesthetics of the stand base plate might be compromised by changing them in this manner.(might cost a bit more too..)
So to me these active speakers are a near perfect package of sound qualities, superb craftsmanship, beautiful finish, great mix of really useful features and excellent value for money when you consider all that you get in the package. And did I mention that they have WAF in spades.

[bigears]

Quite a Stellar write up Atavid.

I hope you are enjoying fruits the CX3B's have to offer. I must admit I had a similar reaction when I heard the CX3B for the first time, they blew me away!!

I would like to see any new pics you have of the speakers set up in your room.

Cheers

Bigears

[AudioGeek]

What price range do the CX3B fall into?

[Young Skywalker]

What price range do the CX3B fall into?

AudioGeek, I would be happy to answer your question regarding the CX3B price, or any other aspect of the speaker, if you would be kind enough to shoot an email to: aaron@audiofidelity.com.au.

[atavid]

Quite a Stellar write up Atavid.

I hope you are enjoying fruits the CX3B's have to offer. I must admit I had a similar reaction when I heard the CX3B for the first time, they blew me away!!

I would like to see any new pics you have of the speakers set up in your room.

Cheers

Bigears

I must apologize for ignoring your reply Bigears,it wasnt intentional.I had completely forgotten about this particular post i made late last year. We went on holidays a couple of days after i posted this and not taking a laptop away with me i was not able to check SNA. I'm not a very good photographer and dont have a good camera handy,but i will try and post some more pics.
I see that my previously attached pics are no longer visible in the post.Not sure why that has happened ?
Here's something else i discovered about my SGR's .
Something quite amazing happened the other day. I had to move my turntable and reposition the cones under the acrylic slab it sits on.My TT weighs in excess of 50+kilos so with only me available at the time to lift it ,i had to devise a way to lift the turntable and shift the cones.
I found a plank of white painted timber about 2.5mtrs long,250mm wide and about 20mm thick and i placed this under the acrylic slab and used it to lever up one side of the TT ,then placed a couple of books under while i readjusted the cones.But in the process of sliding the plank under,i accidentally hit the side of one of my CX3B's quite forcefully.
I could feel the blood drain from my face as i looked over and saw a white mark smack in the middle of the side of the speaker.Thinking i had dented and scratched the surface i grabbed a soft cloth and began to rub away at the white mark.Unbelievably,the white mark was just the paint off the plank and not an undercoat on the speaker as i had initially thought.It just rubbed straight off.
Even more incredible is the fact that there is not even a dent in the speaker finish.That surface must be so tough that not even a decent whack from a piece of timber could harm it.I was incredibly relieved and more than that,incredibly impressed.How's that for build quality.

[JohnA]

and then people complain about chinese manufacturing

its not all bad

[Juicester]

i only opened this thread because it said pics. sad face.

[atavid]

i only opened this thread because it said pics. sad face.

Yeah its a bummer.I think they all disappeared with the changes to the website.
Is it worth finding and posting them again?

[bigears]

yeah go on atavid! I sure would like to see them mate

[atavid]

Have to wait till tomorrow night guys,my kids have used up all my internet quota and i'm reduced to dial up speeds till tomorrow when it 'rolls over'.