Rosso Fiorentino Elba 2
All you RF fans. Looks like Skip's managed a favorable review in TAS...
https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/rosso-fiorentino-elba-2
"Conclusion
The Rosso Fiorentino Elba 2 isn’t a great loudspeaker for the money. It’s a great loudspeaker, period. It possesses virtues of speakers costing far more, most notably the realistic reproduction of instrumental timbre that combines ease, warmth, and harmonic richness with palpability, resolution, and musical vividness—a trick that few speakers of any price get right. This is a speaker that doesn’t sound like a hi-fi component. Rather, it expresses the beauty of music in a way that defies expectations at the price.
The Elba 2 is the kind of speaker that will benefit from high-quality sources, amplification, cabling, and AC conditioning. Even if your speaker budget is up to $15k, you should audition the Elba 2. You may be pleasantly surprised at how much performance you get for $5k, not to mention having $10k left for upgrading your associated equipment.
Owning the Elba 2 is like bringing into your living room a taste of the classical elegance and passion for beauty that Florence exemplifies. You may even find yourself exclaiming, “Bellissima!”"
https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/rosso-fiorentino-elba-2
"Conclusion
The Rosso Fiorentino Elba 2 isn’t a great loudspeaker for the money. It’s a great loudspeaker, period. It possesses virtues of speakers costing far more, most notably the realistic reproduction of instrumental timbre that combines ease, warmth, and harmonic richness with palpability, resolution, and musical vividness—a trick that few speakers of any price get right. This is a speaker that doesn’t sound like a hi-fi component. Rather, it expresses the beauty of music in a way that defies expectations at the price.
The Elba 2 is the kind of speaker that will benefit from high-quality sources, amplification, cabling, and AC conditioning. Even if your speaker budget is up to $15k, you should audition the Elba 2. You may be pleasantly surprised at how much performance you get for $5k, not to mention having $10k left for upgrading your associated equipment.
Owning the Elba 2 is like bringing into your living room a taste of the classical elegance and passion for beauty that Florence exemplifies. You may even find yourself exclaiming, “Bellissima!”"
➀Speakers: Polk1.2tl's (Uber Mods) ➁Pre/Amp/DAC: PS Audio BHK Signature & 250, DirectStream ➂Cables/IC's: MIT S1Bi-Wire/S1 Balanced +Avel Lindberg 1000VA "Dreadnought" ➃Power Conditioner: PS Audio P15 Power Plant ➄Power Cords: Core Power Technologies Gold, DH Labs Power Plus DIY w/Neotech NC-P301 & P311ends ➅Streaming: Roon ROCK on wifi'd NUC, TP-Link WAP, & Uptone EtherREGEN, AfterDark, Emperor Double Crown Clock, Black Modernize LPS, PS Audio AirLens⟿Ω☯☥☮⟿🔊♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬
Comments
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There's no doubt they are a fabulous speaker. I found they excel at most everything.
(Edit)
I never tried hip hop or rap.
They may be good at that as well -
The only thing I did not try on them was metal like Metallica or Iron Maiden and as Ivan pointed out, rap but, everything I heard on them sounded fantastic.Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
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I have tried Metallica on my volterras and it sounds goood
Amplifiers: Norma IPA 140, MasterSound Compact 845, Ayre v6xe, Consonance Cyber 800
Preamp: deHavilland Ultraverve 3
Dac: Sonnet Morpheus 2, Musical Paradise mp-d2 mkIII
Transport: Jay's Audio CDT2 mk2, Lumin U1 mini
Speakers: Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II
Speaker Cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Organic Audio Organic Reference 2
Interconnects: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Argento Organic Reference 2, Argento Organic 2
Power Cables: Argento Organic Reference, Synergistic Research Foundation 10 and 12 ga.
Digital cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2 bnc, Tellurium Q aes, Silnote Audio Poseidon Signature 2 bnc
Puritan PSM156 -
What I noticed listening to the Elba 2 is how similar they sound to my modded SRS SDA 2.3TL, of course sans the SDA and thunderous bass.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
What I noticed listening to the Elba 2 is how similar they sound to my modded SRS SDA 2.3TL, of course sans the SDA and thunderous bass.
High praise.
They are definitely a great speaker and should be on anyone’s list who’s looking in the $5k+ price range. I would think WAF would be pretty high as well since they’re not too large.Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.-John Wooden -
I’d love to give them a whirl …
Did the reviewer say he pulled ‘em out NINE feet from the rear wall?
I don’t have the luxury of that kinda RE 🙄AC Regenerator PS Audio PerfectWave Power Plant 10
Source Lumin U1 Mini into Lampizator Baltic 4 DAC
Pre Cary SLP-05
Power Rogue M180 Dark monos
Mains Salk HT2-TL
Rythmik F12 -
Mine are less than 3' out from the back wall...in fact, I am pretty sure they are less than 2', And they work wonderfully.
The soundstage is definitely extended beyond the physical dimensions of the room in all directions. I physically do not have the room for a set of SDAs in my 2 channel system and it has been some time since I sold my 2.3TLs so my memory reference may be a bit stale but I haven't felt wanting for anything since receiving my Elba 2s."Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."
"Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip -
Appreciate the input…
Can anyone venture a guess on the minimum distance from the rear wall?
TIAAC Regenerator PS Audio PerfectWave Power Plant 10
Source Lumin U1 Mini into Lampizator Baltic 4 DAC
Pre Cary SLP-05
Power Rogue M180 Dark monos
Mains Salk HT2-TL
Rythmik F12 -
I've had these Pienzas for a while now and I still get a tingly feeling in my nether regions when I listen to them.afterburnt wrote: »They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.
Village Idiot of Club Polk -
Great review ! And from hearing all the positive remarks from the community I bet these are every bit as great as what’s being said!"if it's not fun, it's not worth it & remember folks, "It's All About The Music"!!
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I would guess at least 18 inches, but honestly that's pretty room dependent. If your room is very wide where you're not loading a corner, I'd imagine you can get them a little closer. But if you've got a lot of side wall interaction I think you'll need them further out.Appreciate the input…
Can anyone venture a guess on the minimum distance from the rear wall?
TIAAnalog: MoFi MasterTracker > MoFi UltraDeck > Sutherland 20/20
Digital: Cambridge CXC / Streaming > Cambridge CXN v2
MastersounD Dueventi > Rosso Fiorentino Certaldo or Arcam rHead > Hifiman HE4XX
Discogs -
I listen to enough Metallica and similar music that I always test speakers with a couple tracks because some speakers just kill the excitement of that music by ripping apart the admittedly poor recordings, especially on their first few albums. I usually rely on Master of Puppets and Black Sabbath - War Pigs to test the classic rock energy. The Elbas don't quite give it the magic that some JBL horns do, but it's close. Nothing seems to match a good horn for Metallica and Zeppelin. But given how much better they do most other music, it strikes a nice balance for me. That applies to not only Elbas, but most Rossos from what I've heard. I'd much rather have the across the board balance from a Rosso, especially the vocal intimacy from a well recorded female vocal track, than the one trick pony of a speaker that nails those classic rock tracks.The only thing I did not try on them was metal like Metallica or Iron Maiden and as Ivan pointed out, rap but, everything I heard on them sounded fantastic.
As a side note, rap is very fun with the Elbas. On classic rap it's always a little fun because some stuff has very obviously sampled older vinyl tracks, paired with some surprisingly decent recordings of the vocals. It's an interesting mix. But select tracks from Dr. Dre's 2001 will show you the best that rap can sound. There is much more detail in that album than a lot of people realize.Analog: MoFi MasterTracker > MoFi UltraDeck > Sutherland 20/20
Digital: Cambridge CXC / Streaming > Cambridge CXN v2
MastersounD Dueventi > Rosso Fiorentino Certaldo or Arcam rHead > Hifiman HE4XX
Discogs -
(Edit)
I never tried hip hop or rap.
They may be good at that as well
Don’t worry.........
I got you covered *shock* (but on a previously version)..
Sounded great! I need to get ears on them again.
Would love to throw on some DMX or Biggie on em again lol...."....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
Yep, Polk got it right 30 years ago.
Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Haha. Can’t argue with that.Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.-John Wooden -
Ya sure? They got it right stock?Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es
Game Room 5.1.4: Denon AVR-X4200w; Sony UBP-x700; Definitive Technology Power Monitor 900 mains, CLR-3000 center, StudioMonitor 350 surrounds, ProMonitor 800 atmos x4; Sub - Monoprice Monolith 15in THX Ultra
Bedroom 2.1 Harmon Kardon HK3490; Bluesounds Node N130; Polk RT25i; ACI Titan Subwoofer -
Ya sure? They got it right stock?
Basically, yes. Swap the higher end crossover components in the RF for generic ones and the sound won't be anywhere near the same.
Here's an example with a current speaker, the sound of the regular Buchardt S400 is meh, IMO. The Signature version, in which the only difference is the higher end crossover components is stellar sounding. In fact, I'd call it world class.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
And so you’d think that they would bring back the Signature version, despite the increased cost.
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They bought it back.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
What I noticed listening to the Elba 2 is how similar they sound to my modded SRS SDA 2.3TL, of course sans the SDA and thunderous bass.
...Sitting in a pool of bass..... -
All good with some bait and a fishing pole...and a beer2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC
erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a -
Ya sure? They got it right stock?
Polk got the basic design right. It's not their fault that the design was decades ahead of electronic parts quality and amplifier quality. Polk had to use the parts that were available in manufacturing lot quantities at the time.
Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country! -
Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Are you going to revisit them?See my profile for list of gear. -
I looked…and they did, but the available finish is, um, not for everyone.
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I looked…and they did, but the available finish is, um, not for everyone.
I commented on the cabinet finish in another thread. It's butt ugly.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
I was planning on buying a pair, but see my post above.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
I totally get it. I’m not super fussy when it comes to how a speaker looks,however there are some very well reviewed speakers that I couldn’t force my self to put in my shed if they were given to me!
I do however find the RF Elba 2’s a gorgeous speaker. Out my price range though.
See my profile for list of gear.
