You do your content. I understand more after watching your vids. People complaining about you talking about expensive equipment...pfft. You do you. Keep knocking out the great content 👍
I have these speakers and these are for the money the best souding speakers you can buy. I play all kind of music (rock,blues,classic music). I had a listen at my dealer and compared them with Kef speakers, Monitor Audio, Bower and Wilkins, Sonus Faber. I had the change to take them at home and have a listen and a hour later I orderd a pair. These speakers are easy to drive and for me no sub needed. A British Audiofile use these speakers as a reference in their price range. Greatings Ludo Belgium
Always wanted to try Amphion but usually prefer, based on my experience some form of paper driver over aluminum and kevlar. I would be interested in how the Helium series compares? I would expect the Argons to have better resolution and perhaps punch but paper can do some things well. Either way, not a popular brand in the US and it takes time and discounting to resell, from what I have seen. I have used Focal 807W speakers which were favorably compared to a floorstanding argon years ago. But Focal has changed their drover material so moved on to Dali Opticon 1 which is pretty good. I use a budget Triangle Zeta with similar materials to the Helium 1, a titanium and paper driver and if it improved on note weight, resolution, control of sibilance/glare and stage depth without losing separation, naturalness, and the spacious stage I get with these budget speakers, I think they would be an option. Preferred the inexpensive Zetas to Quad S2, Dali Menuet SE among others. They perform like a less capable 807W in some regards. I even like the Opticon 1 over the Menuet SE, give up some resolution and better edges for more transparency. Overly refined speakers may sound smooth but shouldn't at the expense of detail retrieval.
@mattmiller4978 i suggested he start another channel, he should have done that awhile ago. As much as I could critique and review, I only do bookshelves and still wouldn't want the hassle of swapping gear in and out. A PITA for sure but a dedication. He also needs to present in a more sophisticated way with these speakers, few reviewers do that in a way that resonates with their intended target market.
Cheap is a term with room for higher priced products.. Quality for money is "cheap". You guys just focus on the low end sh.. that in the long run really won't satisfy anyone
Jesus the comments on here. Boys, if you want to tell people how to run a channel and what content should be on it, start your own channel. I love any and all reviews. Cheap is relative and joy is available at all price points. As far as I'm concerned, this was a solid review of a higher end bookshelf. In fact, when compared to something like Franco Serbin Accordo Bookshelf Speakers they ARE cheap.
Yeah true but I’ve never seen this channel until now. looked at the name and watched the video. It didn’t add up. I get the audiophile world is full of snobs and pretenders living in their parents basement but for a newcomer cheap and this review doesn’t really go together.
@@Cully97218 The only critique I would have for him is to keep new viewers like you in mind when he does these more expensive components and guide the newqcomer to the huge back catalog of cheap audio. I suspect he thinks "they can see them on the channel if they just took a second and looked" but it doesn't work that way.
One can run a channel how they want, but one has to question if a $2,000 product on a channel named cheapaudio isn’t a little deceptive. If that’s cheap, many of us need to look for a channel named something like “audioforthepovertystricken”.
Wow, nice to see a pair of Amphion Argons being reviewed! I have owned the Argon³ since 2012 (with a birch finish which is longer available). I bought them in Sweden and when I moved to Brazil a few years ago they obviously had to come with me. I cannot see myself changing them anytime soon. I agree that they are very neutral sounding. For that reason I pair them with a DAC and an amplifier that are both on the warmer side.
Great take Randy. Axpona ‘24 I met the CEO of Amphion. I didn’t know it was him. Gave me 15 minutes of his time and I respect that. My dealer had the Amphion line and I heard enough to know they are a good loudspeaker. That Finnish build quality.
I have owned and loved Amphion Argon 2's and Heliums (older Argon-1) for over 10 years now! I fell in love with their beautiful neutral sound as soon as I heard them. I just wish they were a bit more efficient... My Argon 2's hit solidly down to 40hz...
I just finished my listening room with mint condition Boston Acoustics CR9s that I got at Goodwill for $16. I thought they sounded pretty awesome until I compared them to the Argons. But then I imagined that I paid $4K for the CR9s and bam, they sounded just as good.
I have these Amphion Argon 1 together with Lavardin ISX Reference (amplifier), Primare CD15 Prisma (CD-player & streamer), Lejonklou Slipsik 8 (RIAA) and REGA P6 (cables from AQ and Transparent). The sound from these speakers are soooooo freaking awesome. I've had a lot of similarly priced stand mounts (B&W 705 S2, KEF LS50 Meta, DALI Menuet SE, Focal Aria 906 , Monitor Audio Silver 100 G7). These are the best up to $2000 in my book. They work with all kinds of music and feels very neutral without ever becoming dull. The dig deep but are really tight and fast, which makes them easy to place (they even work really good close to the back walls). I must say the Randy’s description are pretty much spot-on. One of the keys to the great midrange is probably due to the really low cross-over point at 1600Hz… If you feel they are too pricy, check out the cheaper Helium range, which sports the same tweater but a simpler paper cone woofer. You get 90% of the Argon sound for 30% less money. Both ranges of speakers are Highly recommended.
I have the Amphion Argon 3S in a stereo setup. This brand is very well known and respected in Finland (where I live) and very easy to get. Almost all of the Hi-fi stores resell them. I got them in ”stormtrooper” color scheme: white with black speaker grilles. Looks and sounds awesome.
Outstanding as always Randy and so nice to see a review on the Argon 1's. I've admired these speakers for a couple of years now as Tarun at "A British Audiophile" has uses them as one of his stand mount reference speakers. It's nice to see you confirm what makes these speakers so special. It's also nice to hear a company owner with true passion for his products. If it wasn't for the price, the Argon 1's would be on my short list. Thank you and keep up the great work.
Amphion is great. Florida expo had those. Really long history and use in Studio for mixing. ... They need some more love ..and im glad you are able to show your large audience.
Yes! I am starting to understand audio! Thanks bro! 👍 Keep going! I think you're good at this stuff. For me, your evaluations are technical, yes, but not as technical as ASR. For me, your explanations of the hard-to-capture qualitative stuff is just right. When Guttenberg says, "fun" it means something different from when you say, "fun." ... just sayin' 😂 Finally, as a kid I used to disassemble my mom's kitchen appliances to see how they worked. 👀 Your discussion of this metal tweeter thing was satisfying in about that way. I think you may be the only source for ... whatever we call that... 👍☕️works good!
CAM has earned his right to have fun cavorting in the field of high end audio. He's built one of the best audio channels out there by the sweat of his brow. But I've never myself had vicarious fun reading (or viewing) material about products I could never afford; like $2k speakers. Some folks enjoy that, for me a waste of time. My only hope is that CAM keeps covering the cheap stuff that ordinary blokes can conceivably buy-and that built his channel.
The bigger brother to these is what made me realise my system was worthy of something better than what I currently had. I was totally happy until my friend who had borrowed them asked if I'd like to hear them on my much more modest system. Ignorance is so much cheaper 😂
Well, if the Binding posts are mounted with steel nuts etc...press on steel connections for posts to speaker are an audio issue. The steel in the signal path creates smearing.
The aluminum woofer speakers I have used in the past, Monitor Audio Silver 100 6th gen., Martin Logan 15i just didn't sound right with music compared to my paper cone variation speakers. The Silver 100s got muddled in the upper mids and were to much, for me anyway where I had to constantly adjust volume. The 15i were more a toned down Silver 100 that was alot of fun with movies and shows, clear and present dialogue without sibilance. In that regard they were better than my tow paper type woofer speakers I use. However, when it came to details in the soundtrack and spatial cues, my other two speakers did better. So, a tradeoff with movies but the reason I sold the 15i was it never really seemed natural with music particularly musical instruments. Human voice was good but something like a piano didn't sound right. The paper driver speakers, while both different presentations did better for me on music. So, I may be jaded over speakers using Al woofers, such as these, Revel speakers, etc. Something about paper, whether infused, fiberglass, etc ., for me seemingly sounded more natural. I can do metal or softdome tweeters, each has their own merits. Amphion does have a lower end speaker in the Helium series, that uses a paper woofer. Would like a comparison between the two to see what is more natural with music. I expect the Argon to have better resolution, bass and punch vs the Helium but how each differs is uncertain.
I almost bought the helium 410’s. I was picking up some Wharfedale Diamond 12.0’s for $250 from my local hifi shop and they had the helium 410 on display and did a quick demo, ok whatever, but when I heard them I just stopped, how is that sound possible from that, they were incredible. I could have gotten the pair for $600 too, half price. Real reason I didn’t buy them was their blue grills would just look odd in my office and I wasn’t planning to spend $600. Still kind of kicking myself a little though. Also saw the Teac/Amphion rig at Axpona and that was excellent.
Love your videos, baught a few of your suggestions already. Do you want to do a video that focusses more on tweeter material? I''ve always gone for soft domes in my cars when aligning them on axis, metal when they're off-axiss, like my focal setup in my "tiny car😅 now". On axis desktop type monitors have always been a "Gifted pair" of ribbon tweeter, 4.25 mids in Cherry wood boxxes, and also running a bunch of tiny mission speakers in different setups. BTW. Thanks so much for suggestion Fopsi Audio. It's truly a game game changer!
Hi Randy , another great review and is a great speaker at the premium for the price point , as another subscriber said already been reviews by British audiophile and had a great review too. Regards mark
i have the Argon 1's, they are quite good speakers. i did some a/b testing between them and a pair of diy speakers i made using Mark audio alpair 11ms drivers, i prefer the sound of the Mark audio but it was very close. the mark audio had a bigger soundstage and air up top but tonality was very similar. the price of the mark audio drivers was $320 AUD for the pair and i had to build boxes for them. my testing was above 250hz and i was crossing over to a pair of Satori 6.5 inch papyrus drivers in large floorstanding cabinets for bass duties. this was done with a dbx active crossover. so in conclusion the amphions are excellent but i am extremely impressed by the Mark audio drivers. please check them out if you get a chance. cheers
There a many people in here that say these are the best speaker or the speakers they have are the best. The best speaker is the one that sounds best to the individual. We're all have different tastes and hear a bit differently. Thx Randy !
Thank you Randy for this review. I think it's a good thing that you also evaluate some more expensive gear, and I think it puts things into some kind of perspective. It seams you liked these fine. For sure I would like to hear them with my amp... well, there's something to work for I guess. PS: what is that watch you're wearing in the video, I like it very much. Thanks
I own these speakers. They are terrific for my small room application. Very resolving with a tight, fast base response. They are sensitive to pairing equipment. They do not pair well with a lean amp or a delta sigma DAC. Too austere. I finally found a good match with the Schiit Aegir 2 (monoblock) amps and an Arcam DAC.
They look a bit like a copy of my Technics SB-F2 speakers that i bought when i was 15 years old. I am 62 now and still have them. They sound good and were 250 Dutch guilders back then. They are made of aluminium...Okay they are a lot smaller.
Many Finnish speakers are expensive because labor is expensive in Finland. However you get what you pay for. With Amphion the Helium line is a bit more affordable if you are looking for more affordable speaker. Other Finnish manufacturers worth of looking into are Gradient and Genelec.
Randy, if you ordered that A1 clone, be sure to do the volume mod on it. That really makes the imaging a LOT better and the center image gets super strong. It only takes like 15 minutes and a allen wrench.
Hey Randy, would you consider doing reviews on some DIY speaker kits? I'm considering building some tower speakers but im curious to hear your thoughts on how DIY speaker kits compare to commercially available speakers.
@@patfrederick7327 I'm considering the "Midnight sensation" TMM by Paul Carmody, im also looking to make the cabinets using oak, however if im not able to source that ill used a nice 18mm mdf and laminate that, it may not be as fancy as solid oak, it still makes great speaker enclosures since its consistent density makes it very nice for sound. Ill use some nice laminate to get the fancy look for it.
Just a type I heard about test tracks that makes sense is not just listen to one part of the same song over and over because your brain will start singing it in your head and your brain will start telling you how it remembers it and not the source. You need to listen through the whole song and change it up.
Lots of small speakers and the difference in how each sounds can be totally different, require certain amplification, dacs and room to sound their best. Some are easier to make work and some more difficult. Lots of choices up to this price point before choices start to narrow. The less expensive gear uses a bit cheaper parts and a vinyl wrap, better parts to a degree and are either wood veneer or a higher quality gloss paint finish. When you get past the less expensive gear and are ready to move up in price, these are the kind of speakers one can consider. Probably not the next move up from cheapest but maybe the second move up. Could be an end game for someone, or not. So Randy, maybe you could have started another channel apart from this one as the next step up audioman or something to that effect. The Upgradingeaudioman perhaps, etc.? That way, people who aren't ready for the next moves up or feel jaded from their own personal budgets won't give you too much flak. It gets confusing as you move outside your YT branding. I think the CAM brand was made to both give people an idea of the least expensive but most performance product within their pricing and to get people involved in audio gear when they otherwise wouldn't or couldn't whatever the reason. But, as you move up, you'll need to get more sophisticated in reviews, a more serious approach and perhaps use measurements to explain what a speaker is trying to achieve as an upgrade. Better explain what is meant by the audio terms everyone uses. What one is potentially getting when spending more. Then there's the commensurate examples to system match with amps and dacs, etc.
i have a pair of helium plus from them...Had to replace the tweeters because the previous owner somehow blew them up. Tweeters are French and easily found and cheap. I love them but opening them up and replacing those tweeters i find it hard how they come to this price they were sold for. That said....best near field monitors i ever had...bought them for 100 euro i think and spend 80 euro on the tweeters.
Thank you for the review! Would you or anyone else know how they compare to the PMC Prodigy 1? From TH-cam samples i would say Amphion are more polite, PMC more attacking and forward but I am struggling to audition the Amphion. Thank you!
I understand that ESS of the famed Heil Air Motion Transformer has been and still making various forms of them for other speaker manufactures. Have you already made a vid on any? Thanks
Nice Speaker. Question How can companies and or People call a Rear Ported Speaker this Size, a " Bookshelf " Speaker. If it could actually be Put in or on top of a Bookshelf Where it is Normally Against a Wall Ergo that port would be as well. Then why would it have the Port if it didn't Need it to function " Correctly? Time for companies to Call these Speakers What they should be called. That being a " Pedestal Speaker " Pedestals/Stands Which mimic a Tower ( That also May be Rear ported ) which it to would be away from the wall to Function Correctly . Interesting what people get use to calling something that Shouldn't be called that in the 1st place
The "not so cheap" audio man. Well, as per George Harrison, "All things must pass". I wish speaker websites would clearly state that their price is either "per speaker" or "per pair". Click on the "Amphion Argon 1" link provide above and let me know if I'm missing something.
@tomcat1109 It's partially our fault. With our support, our beloved CheapAudioMan is no longer, but I hope he remembers his roots. As long as the majority of his reviews are affordable for common men, I will dream about these beyond affordable (sensible?) products from time-to-time.
Have had a pair in my system for past 3 years... They just get better the better the amplification you feed them; same w/ DAC, etc. Absolute keeper of a speaker!!
In England +/-£1200 (pair), which is fairly good value for what you get. Imports are a problem for us too; I can't get Tekton, Zu for anywhere near U.S. prices.
diminishing returns calculated over a lifetime is pretty good, I cycle through stuff like most audiophiles and and all i have to do if I feel a speaker upgrade bug bite me is bring my amphion helium 520's in to my main listening room and after a few hours I realize how close they are to my open baffles speakers and my planar magnetic speakers and go book a vacation with all the money they have saved me with the realization that the diminishing returns stops right there.
Bookshelf speakers in this price range are for suckers. For desktop use, save yourself $1k+ and just get something like Kali monitors. The LP-UNF's are small, cheap, and insanely good.
because of you and others got the bug and bought some speakers dayton 4 inch and the sony cheap but good amp tunner, seinheizer 560 head ph and a headphone amp. all nothing special but for years only used a sony bluethoot sbs32 with sony smartphones as my way to listen to music. great small speaker never eard better. very happy. sony nw 306 coming too
@@Final_Resolution Good point. I haven't seen the review yet so I hope he liked them as much as the title ... kinda implies. I'm headed to Bangkok for end-game stereo shopping on Friday and a gently used pair of the Argon 3 are on the radar for that trip. (I live in Phnom Penh.)
I wonder if Randy would prefer these or the Operas? I can buy a gently used pair of Opera Prima 2015 Bookshelf or a gently used pair of Amphion Argon 3 -- for *about* the same money.
I hope you review the new q concerto from kef. Seems like an awesome speaker! And would be great if you could compare them with the ubr62s from Elac as they have same configuration, similar size and price.
Yeah, I’m fairly new to cheap audio man. And after watching this last video, I was thinking the same thing what happened to cheap LOL. I think the problem with audio is there’s only so many cheap items to review. I won’t be hanging around long if he keeps reviewing expensive things like this. I love audio, but I’m retired and can only afford so much.
I got the Sony hi def certified bookshelves for $150 Cad shipped a few years ago. Have them mounted on the wall maybe 3 inches away, being fed 140 wpc in a 5.2 setup, and they sound so good and get LOUD but clean and crisp. Go ahead and turn the treb down a few db's and throw a 10 and 6 inch sub and just smile. I have no desire to "upgrade" because is anything really that much better? You get used to a speaker and if you like it, you like it.
You act outraged yet you enter a world of sound reproduction where $100k can be gobbled up handily by a long list of speakers. I'm not saying that your ambitions lie in such pursuits, but acting as if it's unheard of is just... patently naive.
For around the same price, the KEF R3 Metas are objectively the better choice. R3s have better directivity and lower distortion at high spl listening levels. The bass goes low as: R3 Meta -6dB: 35Hz Argon 1 -6dB: 45Hz The Ascend Acoustics Sierra-1 V2 ($1000.00 a pair) seems like a similar performer as the Argons 1s.
Finland makes incredible products. My Rukka Motorcycle gear cam from their . U really need to get a REL to compare with some of these speakers like these or the arendhals u mentioned
How about buy 2x nice full range speakers (Audio Nirvana) and knock up some nice cabinets - The quality is still relatively cheap...... John Inlow has a transmission line cabinet design for these. Nice - Really nice. Inexpensive !
My friend has the Argon7LS, they sound good but I’m not blown away. A lot of studios in Hollywood use their studio monitors. For $3500 each I rather get the Sonus Faber Lumina V
Definitely notice a difference between studio and more colorful, "musical" speakers for the fun factor. Personally, I like a bit of both, enough resolution, transparency and accuracy of tone with more airiness, stage sizing and the effects coming out of the stage when its able to in the material. Can't stand lose bass, harshness in the upper mods or glare in voices. Hard to balance to get everything I want without omitting something else.
![ลองสุ่มไอโฟน 990 โกงมั้ย? [ โกงมั้ยครับ ep.101 ] | DOM](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/bfsWe0j492k/mqdefault.jpg)
You do your content. I understand more after watching your vids. People complaining about you talking about expensive equipment...pfft. You do you. Keep knocking out the great content 👍
I have these speakers and these are for the money the best souding speakers you can buy. I play all kind of music (rock,blues,classic music). I had a listen at my dealer and compared them with Kef speakers, Monitor Audio, Bower and Wilkins, Sonus Faber. I had the change to take them at home and have a listen and a hour later I orderd a pair. These speakers are easy to drive and for me no sub needed.
A British Audiofile use these speakers as a reference in their price range.
Greatings Ludo Belgium
Always wanted to try Amphion but usually prefer, based on my experience some form of paper driver over aluminum and kevlar. I would be interested in how the Helium series compares? I would expect the Argons to have better resolution and perhaps punch but paper can do some things well.
Either way, not a popular brand in the US and it takes time and discounting to resell, from what I have seen. I have used Focal 807W speakers which were favorably compared to a floorstanding argon years ago. But Focal has changed their drover material so moved on to Dali Opticon 1 which is pretty good.
I use a budget Triangle Zeta with similar materials to the Helium 1, a titanium and paper driver and if it improved on note weight, resolution, control of sibilance/glare and stage depth without losing separation, naturalness, and the spacious stage I get with these budget speakers, I think they would be an option. Preferred the inexpensive Zetas to Quad S2, Dali Menuet SE among others. They perform like a less capable 807W in some regards. I even like the Opticon 1 over the Menuet SE, give up some resolution and better edges for more transparency. Overly refined speakers may sound smooth but shouldn't at the expense of detail retrieval.
Randy painted himself into a corner and now the villagers are lighting torches and sharpening pitchforks 😮😄😋
Stay away from windmills.
LOL He did make himself the cheap audio man, and is now bored to tears with what is actually low tier audio.
@mattmiller4978 i suggested he start another channel, he should have done that awhile ago. As much as I could critique and review, I only do bookshelves and still wouldn't want the hassle of swapping gear in and out. A PITA for sure but a dedication. He also needs to present in a more sophisticated way with these speakers, few reviewers do that in a way that resonates with their intended target market.
I guess Fosi cannot come out with new $3 boxes with knobs that are nearly the same as the last $3 box with knobs they released fast enough.
Cheap is a term with room for higher priced products.. Quality for money is "cheap". You guys just focus on the low end sh.. that in the long run really won't satisfy anyone
Used the studio version in my studio for years. They're all SEAS drivers and you can build them for very affordable pricing if you're into diy
Jesus the comments on here. Boys, if you want to tell people how to run a channel and what content should be on it, start your own channel. I love any and all reviews. Cheap is relative and joy is available at all price points. As far as I'm concerned, this was a solid review of a higher end bookshelf. In fact, when compared to something like Franco Serbin Accordo Bookshelf Speakers they ARE cheap.
Yeah true but I’ve never seen this channel until now. looked at the name and watched the video. It didn’t add up. I get the audiophile world is full of snobs and pretenders living in their parents basement but for a newcomer cheap and this review doesn’t really go together.
@@Cully97218 The only critique I would have for him is to keep new viewers like you in mind when he does these more expensive components and guide the newqcomer to the huge back catalog of cheap audio. I suspect he thinks "they can see them on the channel if they just took a second and looked" but it doesn't work that way.
One can run a channel how they want, but one has to question if a $2,000 product on a channel named cheapaudio isn’t a little deceptive. If that’s cheap, many of us need to look for a channel named something like “audioforthepovertystricken”.
Wow, nice to see a pair of Amphion Argons being reviewed!
I have owned the Argon³ since 2012 (with a birch finish which is longer available). I bought them in Sweden and when I moved to Brazil a few years ago they obviously had to come with me. I cannot see myself changing them anytime soon.
I agree that they are very neutral sounding. For that reason I pair them with a DAC and an amplifier that are both on the warmer side.
Great take Randy. Axpona ‘24 I met the CEO of Amphion. I didn’t know it was him. Gave me 15 minutes of his time and I respect that. My dealer had the Amphion line and I heard enough to know they are a good loudspeaker. That Finnish build quality.
I have owned and loved Amphion Argon 2's and Heliums (older Argon-1) for over 10 years now! I fell in love with their beautiful neutral sound as soon as I heard them. I just wish they were a bit more efficient... My Argon 2's hit solidly down to 40hz...
I just finished my listening room with mint condition Boston Acoustics CR9s that I got at Goodwill for $16. I thought they sounded pretty awesome until I compared them to the Argons. But then I imagined that I paid $4K for the CR9s and bam, they sounded just as good.
What a deal!! Whatever happened to Boston Acoustics anyway?
Boston got gobbled. I think VC own and still trade under the name. Speaker biz is competitive and tough. Innovate or die
I have those CR 9’s , bought them new. Still sound great
@@Drackleyrva Paul at PS Audio has a short video about them. His opinion, used to be great for the price.
The only "good sound" produced by money is when you fan that fat stack O' bills.
I have these Amphion Argon 1 together with Lavardin ISX Reference (amplifier), Primare CD15 Prisma (CD-player & streamer), Lejonklou Slipsik 8 (RIAA) and REGA P6 (cables from AQ and Transparent).
The sound from these speakers are soooooo freaking awesome. I've had a lot of similarly priced stand mounts (B&W 705 S2, KEF LS50 Meta, DALI Menuet SE, Focal Aria 906 , Monitor Audio Silver 100 G7). These are the best up to $2000 in my book. They work with all kinds of music and feels very neutral without ever becoming dull. The dig deep but are really tight and fast, which makes them easy to place (they even work really good close to the back walls). I must say the Randy’s description are pretty much spot-on. One of the keys to the great midrange is probably due to the really low cross-over point at 1600Hz…
If you feel they are too pricy, check out the cheaper Helium range, which sports the same tweater but a simpler paper cone woofer. You get 90% of the Argon sound for 30% less money.
Both ranges of speakers are Highly recommended.
I have the Amphion Argon 3S in a stereo setup. This brand is very well known and respected in Finland (where I live) and very easy to get. Almost all of the Hi-fi stores resell them. I got them in ”stormtrooper” color scheme: white with black speaker grilles. Looks and sounds awesome.
Outstanding as always Randy and so nice to see a review on the Argon 1's. I've admired these speakers for a couple of years now as Tarun at "A British Audiophile" has uses them as one of his stand mount reference speakers. It's nice to see you confirm what makes these speakers so special. It's also nice to hear a company owner with true passion for his products. If it wasn't for the price, the Argon 1's would be on my short list. Thank you and keep up the great work.
Amphion has always garnerd my interest. Using small Dali and Triangle now, both do things different.
Amphion is great. Florida expo had those. Really long history and use in Studio for mixing.
... They need some more love ..and im glad you are able to show your large audience.
When is the Florida Expo? Is it near Miami? For all the money down here you would think a decent stereo community would exist.
Nice!
You can remove the grill for the mid-woofer quite easily, even without tools sometimes.
Oh, this is one of the reference speakers from "A British Audiophile" chanel, if I'm not mistaken.
I believe these speakers were Tarun’s speaker of the year a year or so ago and I think he does still use them in his comparason reviews. 🤘
@@garymayes4881 The main speakers indeed!
@@garymayes4881right. He still does! I was even thinking to have Argons for my own. Maybe, maybe...
Beautiful speaker. Interesting company. Thanks!
Yes! I am starting to understand audio! Thanks bro! 👍 Keep going!
I think you're good at this stuff. For me, your evaluations are technical, yes, but not as technical as ASR. For me, your explanations of the hard-to-capture qualitative stuff is just right. When Guttenberg says, "fun" it means something different from when you say, "fun." ... just sayin' 😂
Finally, as a kid I used to disassemble my mom's kitchen appliances to see how they worked. 👀 Your discussion of this metal tweeter thing was satisfying in about that way. I think you may be the only source for ... whatever we call that... 👍☕️works good!
CAM has earned his right to have fun cavorting in the field of high end audio. He's built one of the best audio channels out there by the sweat of his brow. But I've never myself had vicarious fun reading (or viewing) material about products I could never afford; like $2k speakers. Some folks enjoy that, for me a waste of time. My only hope is that CAM keeps covering the cheap stuff that ordinary blokes can conceivably buy-and that built his channel.
I have a pair of 7ls, with atoll and a geshelli dac (that I got from you) and these go down to 25hz.. everything else is exactly how you described.
The bigger brother to these is what made me realise my system was worthy of something better than what I currently had. I was totally happy until my friend who had borrowed them asked if I'd like to hear them on my much more modest system.
Ignorance is so much cheaper 😂
Well, if the Binding posts are mounted with steel nuts etc...press on steel connections for posts to speaker are an audio issue. The steel in the signal path creates smearing.
Stop watching that snake oil salesman 😂
Sounds like a great set of speakers - thanks for the review, Randy! Don't know how I would have heard of these otherwise
The aluminum woofer speakers I have used in the past, Monitor Audio Silver 100 6th gen., Martin Logan 15i just didn't sound right with music compared to my paper cone variation speakers. The Silver 100s got muddled in the upper mids and were to much, for me anyway where I had to constantly adjust volume. The 15i were more a toned down Silver 100 that was alot of fun with movies and shows, clear and present dialogue without sibilance. In that regard they were better than my tow paper type woofer speakers I use.
However, when it came to details in the soundtrack and spatial cues, my other two speakers did better. So, a tradeoff with movies but the reason I sold the 15i was it never really seemed natural with music particularly musical instruments. Human voice was good but something like a piano didn't sound right. The paper driver speakers, while both different presentations did better for me on music.
So, I may be jaded over speakers using Al woofers, such as these, Revel speakers, etc. Something about paper, whether infused, fiberglass, etc ., for me seemingly sounded more natural. I can do metal or softdome tweeters, each has their own merits.
Amphion does have a lower end speaker in the Helium series, that uses a paper woofer. Would like a comparison between the two to see what is more natural with music. I expect the Argon to have better resolution, bass and punch vs the Helium but how each differs is uncertain.
well wood has a natural sounds with it comes to the comb of a speaker so i'm not surprised no cap
Enter Sandman will always be my go to song for testing speakers. Nothing beats the mix on the black album
The way you felt that port up was intense.
haha seriously. sexy 😂
I almost bought the helium 410’s. I was picking up some Wharfedale Diamond 12.0’s for $250 from my local hifi shop and they had the helium 410 on display and did a quick demo, ok whatever, but when I heard them I just stopped, how is that sound possible from that, they were incredible. I could have gotten the pair for $600 too, half price. Real reason I didn’t buy them was their blue grills would just look odd in my office and I wasn’t planning to spend $600. Still kind of kicking myself a little though. Also saw the Teac/Amphion rig at Axpona and that was excellent.
These look like my Paradigm founders 40B, also made in house in Canada.
Yes. Canadian company that makes excellent speakers. Mirage was my favorite Candian company
Paradigm doesn’t seem to get much love from the TH-cam community. They make some of the finest speakers I’ve ever heard.
Hey! Isn't Amphion a Finnish company? My inner Finn is being proud here.
@@missing1102Focus Audio was also a great Canadian speaker company. Still enjoying a pair of their floor standers, FR6T.
Love your videos, baught a few of your suggestions already.
Do you want to do a video that focusses more on tweeter material?
I''ve always gone for soft domes in my cars when aligning them on axis, metal when they're off-axiss, like my focal setup in my "tiny car😅 now".
On axis desktop type monitors have always been a "Gifted pair" of ribbon tweeter, 4.25 mids in Cherry wood boxxes, and also running a bunch of tiny mission speakers in different setups.
BTW. Thanks so much for suggestion Fopsi Audio. It's truly a game game changer!
Nice review! Got a pair of Amphion Creon 3 floor standers. Payed noting. Also very neutral, great bas and superb midrange, and space to die for....
Hi Randy , another great review and is a great speaker at the premium for the price point , as another subscriber said already been reviews by British audiophile and had a great review too. Regards mark
i have the Argon 1's, they are quite good speakers. i did some a/b testing between them and a pair of diy speakers i made using Mark audio alpair 11ms drivers, i prefer the sound of the Mark audio but it was very close. the mark audio had a bigger soundstage and air up top but tonality was very similar. the price of the mark audio drivers was $320 AUD for the pair and i had to build boxes for them. my testing was above 250hz and i was crossing over to a pair of Satori 6.5 inch papyrus drivers in large floorstanding cabinets for bass duties. this was done with a dbx active crossover. so in conclusion the amphions are excellent but i am extremely impressed by the Mark audio drivers. please check them out if you get a chance. cheers
There a many people in here that say these are the best speaker or the speakers they have are the best. The best speaker is the one that sounds best to the individual. We're all have different tastes and hear a bit differently. Thx Randy !
Thank you Randy for this review. I think it's a good thing that you also evaluate some more expensive gear, and I think it puts things into some kind of perspective.
It seams you liked these fine. For sure I would like to hear them with my amp... well, there's something to work for I guess.
PS: what is that watch you're wearing in the video, I like it very much. Thanks
Was wondering why I have never heard of them, now I know👍👍
I own these speakers. They are terrific for my small room application. Very resolving with a tight, fast base response. They are sensitive to pairing equipment. They do not pair well with a lean amp or a delta sigma DAC. Too austere. I finally found a good match with the Schiit Aegir 2 (monoblock) amps and an Arcam DAC.
That is so true about the toilet paper roll. I've had several over the years.
They look a bit like a copy of my Technics SB-F2 speakers that i bought when i was 15 years old. I am 62 now and still have them. They sound good and were 250 Dutch guilders back then. They are made of aluminium...Okay they are a lot smaller.
Do they disappear? Do they? Or can you hear the boxes? Do the tweeters make themselves heard on certain passages? Do they disappear?
Many Finnish speakers are expensive because labor is expensive in Finland. However you get what you pay for.
With Amphion the Helium line is a bit more affordable if you are looking for more affordable speaker.
Other Finnish manufacturers worth of looking into are Gradient and Genelec.
Next level to strive for after cheap audio (but reasonably good) class, hopefully before we die or our poor ears fail.
As a finn it is hard to pick the right speakers. Gradient, Amphion or Genelec?
Do you still have the Unison Research Primo in the house. Wonder what this combination would get you.
Would love to know which speakers are good generally for male and female vocals in TV and movies.
Randy, if you ordered that A1 clone, be sure to do the volume mod on it. That really makes the imaging a LOT better and the center image gets super strong. It only takes like 15 minutes and a allen wrench.
Grills are not permanently attached. Try from opposite sides
The Klipsch RP -600M II are 1/3 the price of these, but how do they compare?
Hey Randy, would you consider doing reviews on some DIY speaker kits? I'm considering building some tower speakers but im curious to hear your thoughts on how DIY speaker kits compare to commercially available speakers.
@@patfrederick7327 I'm considering the "Midnight sensation" TMM by Paul Carmody, im also looking to make the cabinets using oak, however if im not able to source that ill used a nice 18mm mdf and laminate that, it may not be as fancy as solid oak, it still makes great speaker enclosures since its consistent density makes it very nice for sound. Ill use some nice laminate to get the fancy look for it.
In their webpage you can see that the Frequency response is rated at -6db, hope it helps!
I always like these videos instantly just to spin The algo toward Randy.
Hey cheapaudioman sony cs5 or nht superone?
Thanks Randy
Hi, this is a Johm Lindley Hood 1969 design. Cheers.
Support Finland! 😅
Amphion makes best studio monitors!
Based on the look, I wouldn't have been surprised if this had been an IKEA speaker. Glad it sounds better :)
It’s a shame you didn’t try them with the Unico Primo.
Amphions are well known among studio professionals here in Europe. A bit on the pricey side though.
I would love to know how they compare to the Sonus Faber Lumina II Amator which btw is the version with upgraded internals and a different faceplate.
Don't care about the speaker. What about that Omega watch! Look amazing on you Randy.
6:04 Bro watching you romance that bass port got me a bit excited
🤣
Just a type I heard about test tracks that makes sense is not just listen to one part of the same song over and over because your brain will start singing it in your head and your brain will start telling you how it remembers it and not the source. You need to listen through the whole song and change it up.
Lots of small speakers and the difference in how each sounds can be totally different, require certain amplification, dacs and room to sound their best. Some are easier to make work and some more difficult. Lots of choices up to this price point before choices start to narrow. The less expensive gear uses a bit cheaper parts and a vinyl wrap, better parts to a degree and are either wood veneer or a higher quality gloss paint finish.
When you get past the less expensive gear and are ready to move up in price, these are the kind of speakers one can consider. Probably not the next move up from cheapest but maybe the second move up. Could be an end game for someone, or not.
So Randy, maybe you could have started another channel apart from this one as the next step up audioman or something to that effect. The Upgradingeaudioman perhaps, etc.? That way, people who aren't ready for the next moves up or feel jaded from their own personal budgets won't give you too much flak. It gets confusing as you move outside your YT branding.
I think the CAM brand was made to both give people an idea of the least expensive but most performance product within their pricing and to get people involved in audio gear when they otherwise wouldn't or couldn't whatever the reason.
But, as you move up, you'll need to get more sophisticated in reviews, a more serious approach and perhaps use measurements to explain what a speaker is trying to achieve as an upgrade. Better explain what is meant by the audio terms everyone uses. What one is potentially getting when spending more.
Then there's the commensurate examples to system match with amps and dacs, etc.
i have a pair of helium plus from them...Had to replace the tweeters because the previous owner somehow blew them up. Tweeters are French and easily found and cheap. I love them but opening them up and replacing those tweeters i find it hard how they come to this price they were sold for. That said....best near field monitors i ever had...bought them for 100 euro i think and spend 80 euro on the tweeters.
Thank you for the review! Would you or anyone else know how they compare to the PMC Prodigy 1? From TH-cam samples i would say Amphion are more polite, PMC more attacking and forward but I am struggling to audition the Amphion. Thank you!
Hi! Can you please review Advanced Paris bookshelf speakers?the bigger once.. thx!! And have a nice day😊
My alarm has been set to intergalactic, for decades.
I understand that ESS of the famed Heil Air Motion Transformer has been and still making various forms of them for other speaker manufactures. Have you already made a vid on any? Thanks
Nice Speaker. Question How can companies and or People call a Rear Ported Speaker this Size, a " Bookshelf " Speaker. If it could actually be Put in or on top of a Bookshelf Where it is Normally Against a Wall Ergo that port would be as well. Then why would it have the Port if it didn't Need it to function " Correctly? Time for companies to Call these Speakers What they should be called. That being a " Pedestal Speaker " Pedestals/Stands Which mimic a Tower ( That also May be Rear ported ) which it to would be away from the wall to Function Correctly .
Interesting what people get use to calling something that Shouldn't be called that in the 1st place
Good review..thx
How would they compare against the Kef reference 1 meta??
Got to see the Beastie Boys on that tour in Tokyo. Was amazing!
I wonder how they sound bs klipsh rp600 similar size both aluminum speaker except can find klipsch fir $350.
A wiim ultra question. Can I use my fosi bt20a pro with the wiim?
( no idea what I'm doing as you've prob guessed)
@RandomShart brilliant thank you 👏👍😁
Disappointed that she did not compare it to the Bukhart 400s or 300s. Which model of Arendal did you infer?
Cheap audio man is no longer.
The "not so cheap" audio man. Well, as per George Harrison, "All things must pass". I wish speaker websites would clearly state that their price is either "per speaker" or "per pair". Click on the "Amphion Argon 1" link provide above and let me know if I'm missing something.
@tomcat1109 It's partially our fault. With our support, our beloved CheapAudioMan is no longer, but I hope he remembers his roots. As long as the majority of his reviews are affordable for common men, I will dream about these beyond affordable (sensible?) products from time-to-time.
In general, sweeter sounding speakers .... are more money. Hard to resist.
However........
Good was sick of crap chi fi with a new version every week
I did ask you about these in a previous video. Does this mean I have to get these as well. I think so.
These speakers have been out for ages
I do videos on anything that I find interesting
Have had a pair in my system for past 3 years... They just get better the better the amplification you feed them; same w/ DAC, etc. Absolute keeper of a speaker!!
That’s pretty much with any speaker
In England +/-£1200 (pair), which is fairly good value for what you get. Imports are a problem for us too; I can't get Tekton, Zu for anywhere near U.S. prices.
Yeah way cheaper here in the UK, it's normally the other way around eh!
They have been in studios for years.
US$ 2k isn't cheap. Diminishing returns past 1k for desktop speakers IMHO.
frfr
You'll be happy to know that's for just one speaker.
diminishing returns calculated over a lifetime is pretty good, I cycle through stuff like most audiophiles and and all i have to do if I feel a speaker upgrade bug bite me is bring my amphion helium 520's in to my main listening room and after a few hours I realize how close they are to my open baffles speakers and my planar magnetic speakers and go book a vacation with all the money they have saved me with the realization that the diminishing returns stops right there.
2k is the import price. In Europe it's a $900 speaker.
Bookshelf speakers in this price range are for suckers. For desktop use, save yourself $1k+ and just get something like Kali monitors. The LP-UNF's are small, cheap, and insanely good.
because of you and others got the bug and bought some speakers dayton 4 inch and the sony cheap but good amp tunner, seinheizer 560 head ph and a headphone amp. all nothing special but for years only used a sony bluethoot sbs32 with sony smartphones as my way to listen to music. great small speaker never eard better. very happy. sony nw 306 coming too
You had a video chat with Tarun, like, two years ago -- and you're just getting to these? :D
Yes, good memory. How could he not heard of them before.
Probably because nobody (not many) sell them here. They look nice.
@@Final_Resolution yeah they just want to dream. I build them and make my dreams reality
@@Final_Resolution Good point. I haven't seen the review yet so I hope he liked them as much as the title ... kinda implies. I'm headed to Bangkok for end-game stereo shopping on Friday and a gently used pair of the Argon 3 are on the radar for that trip. (I live in Phnom Penh.)
I wonder if Randy would prefer these or the Operas? I can buy a gently used pair of Opera Prima 2015 Bookshelf or a gently used pair of Amphion Argon 3 -- for *about* the same money.
that port.. i can feel it
You describe what producers and studio engineers want in a studio monitor…
These or mofi 8s?
Always wanted a pair of these, just a bit too pricey. I think they have a 'Helium' line that is cheaper.
I hope you review the new q concerto from kef. Seems like an awesome speaker! And would be great if you could compare them with the ubr62s from Elac as they have same configuration, similar size and price.
How it's twitter compared to SVS metal dome?
I'm curious about the Usher SD-500 in this price range.
Yeah, I’m fairly new to cheap audio man. And after watching this last video, I was thinking the same thing what happened to cheap LOL. I think the problem with audio is there’s only so many cheap items to review. I won’t be hanging around long if he keeps reviewing expensive things like this. I love audio, but I’m retired and can only afford so much.
$4k!?...FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR A PAIR OF SMALL BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS?...Four THOUSAND DOLLARS??.......Nope.
$1,900/pair. You seem to have doubled the price.
They are only about $2000 a pair not $4000
@@tarheels751 That makes them so much more affordable.
I got the Sony hi def certified bookshelves for $150 Cad shipped a few years ago. Have them mounted on the wall maybe 3 inches away, being fed 140 wpc in a 5.2 setup, and they sound so good and get LOUD but clean and crisp. Go ahead and turn the treb down a few db's and throw a 10 and 6 inch sub and just smile. I have no desire to "upgrade" because is anything really that much better? You get used to a speaker and if you like it, you like it.
You act outraged yet you enter a world of sound reproduction where $100k can be gobbled up handily by a long list of speakers. I'm not saying that your ambitions lie in such pursuits, but acting as if it's unheard of is just... patently naive.
For around the same price, the KEF R3 Metas are objectively the better choice.
R3s have better directivity and lower distortion at high spl listening levels.
The bass goes low as:
R3 Meta -6dB: 35Hz
Argon 1 -6dB: 45Hz
The Ascend Acoustics Sierra-1 V2 ($1000.00 a pair) seems like a similar performer as the Argons 1s.
The numbers don't tell the entire story.
This is not cheap audio, man.
Finland makes incredible products. My Rukka Motorcycle gear cam from their . U really need to get a REL to compare with some of these speakers like these or the arendhals u mentioned
Surprised you haven't heard of Amphion also surprised that you are impressed. Great speakers but also a bit overpriced.
Randy, I don't like coffee, I prefer port wine.
How about buy 2x nice full range speakers (Audio Nirvana) and knock up some nice cabinets - The quality is still relatively cheap...... John Inlow has a transmission line cabinet design for these.
Nice - Really nice.
Inexpensive !
My friend has the Argon7LS, they sound good but I’m not blown away. A lot of studios in Hollywood use their studio monitors. For $3500 each I rather get the Sonus Faber Lumina V
Definitely notice a difference between studio and more colorful, "musical" speakers for the fun factor. Personally, I like a bit of both, enough resolution, transparency and accuracy of tone with more airiness, stage sizing and the effects coming out of the stage when its able to in the material.
Can't stand lose bass, harshness in the upper mods or glare in voices. Hard to balance to get everything I want without omitting something else.