Hi Bundy,

I trailed the 18's and 9's to upgrade from my 8000's and lab2. The 18's are very nice, but the naturalness of the 9's and the integrated sound of a full range speaker made the 9's an easy winner for me. The 9's also made me realize how the lab 2 can "overspill" a bit in the bass. Also I like the change to the more organic shape of the 9's having had 8000's for 10 years. I tried to paste in a photo of them all but I am not sure if I managed it !

luthier wrote:

Hi Bundy,

I trailed the 18's and 9's to upgrade from my 8000's and lab2. The 18's are very nice, but the naturalness of the 9's and the integrated sound of a full range speaker made the 9's an easy winner for me. The 9's also made me realize how the lab 2 can "overspill" a bit in the bass. Also I like the change to the more organic shape of the 9's having had 8000's for 10 years. I tried to paste in a photo of them all but I am not sure if I managed it !

elephant wrote:

Just saying ...

 

 

Listening to this on my BL20s and I am in bliss

 

 

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"The Curse" is one of my all time favorite Agnes Obel songs. So haunting!

Sal wrote:

"The Curse" is one of my all time favorite Agnes Obel songs. So haunting!

Bundy wrote:

Well the topic says it all. I haven't found any direct comparison in this forum yet. I like smooth sound and would like to avoid speakers that tiers the ears.

I've had both. Definitely - definitely - the 9s. Far wider range! 18's were very bright and need a decent sub (which is built in to the 9s).

Hi Bundy,

I don't think there were any changes in the design audio or otherwise in the 9's. Mine are 2007 which were when they first came out and are excellent. As regards the visual aspect of the design I find them very attractive and compact, the ALT I think is on of the most interesting visually - it looks as if carved out of a sphere, but the interesting intersection of curves create an unusual but compelling piece of sculpture, at the same time as being purely functional.

Here are is a photo of the 8000's, 18's and 9's (hopefully).

Hi Elephant,

The 8000's and lab2 are the speakers I originally had before trialing the 18's and 9's, I should have made this clear in the post but I referred to it a few posts back.  I had the 18's and 9's for a couple of weeks to compare against the 8000's and lab 2. It was very useful to hear the differences before settling on the 9's - I didn't  play them all together, although I did try the 18 as rears at one point. Also I accidentally suggested you post as an answer which I didn't intend.

luthier wrote:

Hi Elephant,

The 8000's and lab2 are the speakers I originally had before trialing the 18's and 9's, I should have made this clear in the post but I referred to it a few posts back. I had the 18's and 9's for a couple of weeks to compare against the 8000's and lab 2. It was very useful to hear the differences before settling on the 9's - I didn't play them all together, although I did try the 18 as rears at one point. Also I accidentally suggested you post as an answer which I didn't intend.