Recently I had my second extended visit to hear Macondo system.  I decided to post my listening impressions because this is one of the two best in home installations I have ever heard.  The pictures you have seen of the Macondo system look quite freakish.  When sitting in front of them they are large imposing figures that look like a museum display of an ancient attempt to recreate sound.

I cannot liken the sound to any other speaker I have heard.  You not only hear the music but feel it viscerally.  My sensory perception somehow feels heightened while listening. The first impression is one of extreme clarity.  There is no veil over the music at all.  Also there appears to be nothing that holds the music back as if it must break through some barrier to be heard.  This is especially evident when listening to very soft musical passages.  You don't feel the need to increase the volume.  The delicacy is there but with all fullness. When the program calls for it bass notes can be shocking!!!  These results apply to all genre's music.  We have listened to classical, jazz, blues, Russian balakika and a wild Jimi Hendrix attempt by a classical guy playing cello to out do Hendrix. Stunning.

If you have not "gotten it" yet fm live broadcast are the bomb!  Macondo playing live broadcast is the creme de la creme of in home listening.  This is addictive.

What are the downsides of Macondo?  For me the downside is I don't like listening to my home system very much anymore. Actually I mostly listen to table radio now.  The Macondo experience is burned into my brain and I keep hearing the shortcomings at home.  I hope I can get over this.

When I have more time I will post my impressions of the mini me system that sits side by side with Macondo.  For now I will say that with all Macondo's virtues, mini me may be the David that slays the giant goliath!

Stay tuned.

Regards,

montepilot

I intentionally do not play MiniMe for visitors but not because I not willing to divulge the Doliath’s David status.  I know what attracted you in MiniMe and I do agree that for whatever it is the MiniMe an interesting speaker. Well I like it and this is why I stopped where it is after the multiple versions. Still, MiniMe plays a Special Olympics and starting from a certain level of objectives the MiniMe is stop to be serious. In part your love to MiniMe was due to alleged intelligence of …me, who played on MiniMe the only simplistic material that might be played on MiniMe and did not play anything the would be outside of the MiniMe’s capacity. In the end, even in context of simple music and with all your excitement about MiniMe I disagree that MiniMe is properly sounding speaker.

Saying all of it I admit that MiniMe does some attributes that I find interesting and that in a way push some extra demands for Macondo. In the thread “Exceptional loudspeakers drivers “I wrote the following:

“…in fact there is something insanely beautiful in this tweeter and from a certain perspective (narrow-certain) I like it even more then the HF of my Macondo.”

Does the MiniMe’s HF  more proper then Macondo? Absolutely not. Does MiniMe’s HF have “something” that I would like Macondo to learn? I would say that yes, to a degree, and for a last two weeks I slowly looking into it. Something I have discovered and accomplished.

montepilot wrote:

When I have more time I will post my impressions of the mini me system that sits side by side with Macondo.  For now I will say that with all Macondo's virtues, mini me may be the David that slays the giant goliath!

Romy the Cat wrote:

Does MiniMe’s HF have “something” that I would like Macondo to learn? I would say that yes, to a degree, and for a last two weeks I slowly looking into it.

Romy the Cat wrote:

This is about the Focal Utopia TN51 tweeter.... in fact there is something insanely beautiful in this tweeter and from a certain perspective (narrow-certain) I like it even more then the HF of my Macondo.

Romy the Cat wrote:

So, I went for 3rd order and it was immediately clear that it was very right direction to go. The standard “sit down” test made Water Drop and S2 to sound absolutely undistinguishable – very very impressive!

If you follow my thread about the latest Water Drop modification then you might be assures that did something VERY interesting with Macondo HF that now in a way partially mimic what the MiniMe tweeters did. Thai effect of sudden “opening” (I am sure that it was what you were attracted) what was when you switch sound from Macondo to Mini Me is not there anymore.  Now the Macondo Water Drop has the right amount of “punch” only it does it VERY clean, very “smartly” and without all MiniMe’s coloration. I can’t explain what “the smartly” is, if you hear it then you will know…

montepilot wrote:

This past weekend I was able to have an extended listen to the revised Melchiades amplifers.  My previous listening session left something to be desired with midbass punch and dynamics.  Had I not have heard mini me it may not have been noticeable.  But mini me had drive and mid bass punch that made blues and jazz recordings extremely satisfying in a way that full Macondo system could not capture.  That is why I drew the analogy of David (mini me) slaying Goliath (Macondo). My host was already familiar with the inadequacy of Macondo in this particular area of performance and went to work to remedy the problem. The results were beyond just satisfactory.  Now the system has mid bass crunch, dynamics and excellent texture that was wonderfully rewarding in every way.