I have given awards to Gershman Acoustics for the last few shows. This year at AXPONA, I got to spend time listening to their Grand Studio speakers that I have seen in their rooms at other shows, but I had never been by when they were playing them. The Grand Studio is exactly the same as their Studio speakers except the stands are built into the speaker for the Grands, adding mass and stability.
A VAC Statement 450S iQ dual mono amp and a VAC Master Preamp with an internal phono option were the electronics. The source was a VPI Avenger turntable and cables were from Nordost.
The sound was incredibly big, and the bass had great authority. Images didn’t float around in space with instruments on black felt. Instead, the images had real substance with a real sense of height, especially tall loudspeakers.
These Gershman speakers were descriptive in the sound they produce from such a small box. I asked for a pair to review sometime after Munich.
Later in the show when Becky and I went back by the room, they were playing their Grande Avant Garde loudspeakers that sell for $13,000 a pair. These have to be one of the best sounding and best-looking speakers out there for under $20,000. They also produce one of the best soundstages of any speaker for any price. With either speaker, this was one great room.
That’s a VPI Avenger , not an Oracle. re: Axpona 2019/ Gershman Grand Studio II, Gershman Grande Avant Garde, Gershman Studio II, Nordost, Oracle, VAC Master Preamp, VAC Statement 450S iQ
We stand corrected. Great eyes!