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i66 Crates in Melbourne for upgrade


killa

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Looking at upgrading my i66 MK I ( in beautiful Palinsander finish) to MK III and checking if anyone in Melbourne had a set of shipping crates that they look to lend me.

Plan would be to drive over and pick up then borrow while sending back to Vaf and of course return.

 

Spoke to Vaf and they can provide for a cost plus shipping, but seems like a bit of a waste.

 

Also any thoughts on the Beryllium Tweeter vs standard one versus going the full SE treatment.

 

 

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Price varies depending on whether you update from a MK I or MK2,   approx $2K to $3k.  Seems very good value to update to a $10K+ speaker.  Additional costs to go the full SE treatment.

Return shipping to Melbourne was a few hundred which seemed reasonable.  Crates are additional $600 which seems a lot, hence my question.

 

Still looking for a a set of crates . . . 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Spoke to Vaf, and they said they they had recently received some i93 for upgrade that were very well packed by Pack & Send, so have organised for them to ship.  They picked up from my home and will packed onto a pallet, and will ship via Cope (same company that Vaf uses) for $375, so seem reasonable.  Shipping via Cope worked out around $50 extra which seemed worth it.

 

So my i66 Mk I are off to Vaf for the Mk III treatment. I'll let you know my thoughts.

 

 

 

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Hi John

 

I recently had my i93's fronts  and i93 centre upgraded to SE specs at VAF.

You won't be disappointed.

Sound absolutely amazing.

That tweeter just kills.

I used to own i66's and heard the upgraded ones at a recent visit to VAF. 

It was an exponential jump in all facets of sound on the i66's I once owned.

Simon Wilde is a sound guru. He was a sound engineer at DUNTECH during their glory days.

 

 

 

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Hi Killa. I'm definitely interested in your up comming post/review of the upgraded i66s. I've visited VAF and listened to several speakers in their signature range. Was completely floored by what I was hearing. 

At one point I could hear a sound to my left and thought what the hell is that. But then I realised it was coming from the track, (It was perfect sense pt1 by Roger Waters) the imaging was just brilliant. I could hear every little tiny detail which i love, they're definitely not rolled off at the top but it's not harsh either. Even after a few tracks there was never any hint of fatigue. The stage was large and I was in the music, not in the audience looking at the band but in it with the band around me,  just loved it. Bottom end was also rich and juicy, you could get a sense of the power even at low volumes. 

Yes it's definitely on my list. 

I was listening to the mklll by the way but haven't heard the mklll SE yet. It astounds me how they could better what I heard. So I'm interested to hear from you since your upgrading to mklll se version.

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Hi Alex,

              I ended up going with the "standard" i66 MK III upgrade rather than the SE.  I'm sure it will be a great upgrade and not having heard the SE I won't know what I am missing.

 

 mackinnonrob did a review on the MK III SE and posted in this forum

 

I should receive my i66 back next week, and will have the opportunity to compare directly with my i93 MK II, which share the same tweeters and mid-range, so will make a good comparison.  

 

 

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good on vaf for providing he service and great op has got things worked out shipping wise :) Op should add to thread above your thoughts... will support others wondering if they are considering the path...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Received my i66 back from Vaf, freshly updated to MK III on Friday.  Have positioned in place and spent the weekend running these in and doing some listening.

They came back in perfect condition, and Vaf had even replaced the base plates that were looking a bit marked and scratched previously.  Have positioned next to my i93 MK II for comparison.  Will post some thoughts soon . . . 

 

 

 

IMG_1377.thumb.JPG.5486907de074e90a323f5c29d3e2974f.JPG

 

 

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Now for my thoughts on the sound. 

A recap on my setup and environment.  Have decided that the i93 are a bit big for the lounge so will swap position with the i66 MK I that were in use in the Home Theater setup.  Also a good opportunity to upgrade.  The room is not ideal from a listening perspective being a large L shaped room, with lots of windows and timber floors.

 

The i66 upgrade from the MK I to the MKIII is a great improvement, really opening up the sound with a much nicer top end.   Really enhanced the stereo separation.

 

Had the opportunity to do a direct comparison between the i93 MK II and the i66 MK III .  This is driven by the Devialet Expert 120 using Roon via Air Ethernet as the source.  I mainly listen to Acoustic, Jazz and Rock.

 

This comparison was a bit harder, they both sound fairly similar.  With closer listening the i66 MK III were more forward and had better stereo separation between speakers, maybe more airiness.  The i93 MK II had a bigger sound but seems a bit more laid back (if that makes sense).  i93 had a bit more bass but I didn't push with my music selection but again the differences weren't large.

 

I'm very happy with my upgrade, however If I was upgrading from the MK II would probably want to go to the MK III SE to get a more noticeable improvement.  Ideally get to Vaf and do a direct comparison (if you are not in Lockdown).

 

i93 MK II in the Home Theater are sounding great, just need a MK II ( or MK I or i66) Centre to go with them rather than the current i91 MK I.  Missed out on one that came up here earlier this year, but still looking.
 

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