Green Mountain Audio - Europa-Testimonials

Wednesday

Oct222008

Email |

Europa: Testimonials

Home > About > Classic Designs > Stand-mounts > Europa - Gallery - Testimonials

Stand-mount_Speakers

Reviews, awards, comments

Comments

Share your experiences! Send us an email or upload comments / photo(s) to our dropbox.

"...WOW! I have been blown away a second time."

"I've enjoyed a set-up designed around a pair of wonderful Europas for a few years now. They are driven by a modest Blue Circle CS integrated amp and used with a Parts Express 12" subwoofer. Thus far, they have been in a massive 25x40x8' room. They have always sounded good there but I knew they were not suited for that sort of environment.

"They are now properly set up in a much smaller, more acoustically-friendly room -- and WOW! I have been blown away a second time. They sound incredible and life-like. I can't say enough good things about the speakers or your company. Just another enthusiastically-satisfied customer..." --Eric B.

............................................................................................................................................................................................................

"I'm hearing new parts of music or background detail every time..."

"I just want to write to say that I really really really really hate you!! I've got so much to do this bank holiday weekend and your (correction......my) Europas are just so absolutely wonderful that I can't draw myself away from them!!!!! :-) They knock out the B&W P5 speakers I was using for six years, and then some... I'm hearing new parts of music or a new background detail every time I play a CD or DVD. Cymbals are the best.

"I've not yet had the chance to break these beauties in or set them up 100% as per your enlightening guide either. One month from now I think I'll be even happier! How on earth can you get away with selling these superb speakers at such knock-down prices! Many thanks to you and all at GMA, from a new MountainEar."

"Clear, articulate, transparent, involving, great sound staging, tight bass, nice extended airy top end without being harsh, and amazingly coherent. The timing of my music has changed a bit, for the better, and I think it's because of how well integrated they are. I hear things I used to miss with other speakers."

.....................................................................................

"I actually like the aesthetic qualities...and so does my wife. They have a very Bauhaus feel..."

"The Europas are astounding! I can't believe that a monitor speaker could sound like they do...and I'm only around the 70-hour mark. Each listening session gets better and better.

"Every minute detail is revealed and the sound stage is remarkable. The presentation of each instrument is honestly and accurately described. The musical information within the recording is effortlessly projected into the listening space. The Europas will accurately reveal or expose an inferior recording. At times, this can be very discomforting, but I'd rather have an honest presentation than a colored one. The Europas never induce listening fatigue and one can get lost in the music. I can listen for hours, and do.

"Thank you for creating such a beautifully and sonically-rich speaker. My hat's off to you, Roy. By the way, I actually like the aesthetic qualities of the speaker and so does my wife. They have a very Bauhaus feel to them which I admire and connect to. I guess everyone has their own cup of tea. Again, many thanks and I wish you success and happiness in the years to come."

"...vocals have just the right amount of bite that lets the music breathe..."

"Music is portrayed with a clarity that leaves me breathless, neither laid back or aggressive. Highs are very detailed and exceptionally delicate. Roy got the midrange right, instruments and vocals have just the right amount of bite that lets the music breathe, almost stat-like.

"Sound stage and imaging all are handled well with the Europas, the speakers disappear completely. Bass is fast, tight, and punchy, no low bass to speak of with sub off...for me the Europa makes beautiful music at a most attractive price. Rock is handled quite well also...I've spent many nights listening to them at background volume levels and during the day at much higher levels and have never encountered listener fatigue, buzzing in the ear, etc."

"They finally arrived and the fear that I just sold a great sounding pair of other speakers for ones I’ve never heard is beginning to fade. I still have 200+ hours of break-in ahead of me to really know...but some things I can tell already. There is a sense of ‘more power’ and less effort for the speakers to produce more sound."

"I applaud the Europas. I congratulate Roy for finding a way to produce these speakers at this retail price point. It’s a tribute to great design and smart production that he can do this. It raises the bar for other speaker manufacturers out there. The cast marble enclosure not only provides significantly better performance from a sound perspective, but also allows for an extremely competitive price point. I'm thrilled that great audio can be had for less than a fortune. It’s products like this that can reach a significantly larger audience and turn more people on to the joys of great sounding audio."

"Something I find rare about the Europas is that you can find them in solid but modest systems like mine and also in very expensive, truly high end systems. This in itself speaks to the value these speakers represent. Roy is a pleasure to do business with, an added bonus. At this price point you won’t find better service and advice."

"The truth was that rock sounded anemic on my system before the Europas..."

"Something unexpected happened to me during this break-in period. I’d previously been getting away from listening to rock and listening to more acoustic jazz, finely detailed electronic recordings, and even classical music. This suited me fine as I was getting off on the detail and the complexity of the music that I was listening to.

"I just assumed that this was a natural progression in my musical tastes, which was only partially true. The truth was that rock sounded anemic on my system before the Europas and most of my listening to the rougher stuff would take place in my truck.

"I was sitting in an adjacent room about halfway through the break-in period when I noticed the low frequency energy from the bass moving through the walls. It was this surprising bass response that made me get up and start pulling out discs like The Who, Thin Lizzy, Gentle Giant, Soundgarden, Van der Graaf Generator, the Pixies, Urge Overkill, Roxy Music (Viva), Tin Machine, Snakefinger, and well, you get the idea.

"I’m not saying that all of this stuff suddenly sounded great, but I could actually listen to a lot of it and enjoy it. My collection is much more accessible now with the ability to play discs that got little play before."

"...they play very loudly without distortion or boxiness."

"I’ve finally hit the 200-hour mark on my Europas and the changes have been dramatic, to say the least. At first the mids were a bit congested and the micro-dynamics a bit constrained, but after 100 hours the speakers really opened up with extremely clear and transparent mids.

"The ability of the speaker to play at low volumes after break-in is unsurpassed in my experience. The treble as stated is very smooth and airy with no hint of hardness or glare. Subtle variations in cymbals and brushes are rendered very well. The bass is tight, fast, and extends to the upper 40’s in my room.

"What’s also remarkable is they play very loudly without distortion or boxiness. The speakers are neither lean nor warm. They just sound right. I’ve listened to many fine speakers in the past 20 years and in my opinion, the Green Mountains rank first in transparency, vocals, sound staging (especially depth), low level playing, micro-dynamic shadings, and most importantly, are the most live-sounding speakers I’ve heard. With the Europas, I actually feel that I’m in the studio or at the live event."

"There's a natural ease to the presentation that allows my brain to relax..."

"I’m not sure how this time/phase-aligned, marble-encased 45-lbs., two-way mini-brute manages to sound so good, but it does. There's a natural ease to the presentation that allows my brain to relax and enjoy listening to music not only on the cerebral level, but also on the gut level. The experience is similar to the one that I had while listening to a friend’s Continuum 1.5s, which impressed me enough to purchase the Europas in the first place."

"I've found little to compare with the Europas."

"I've been doing audio consulting for several years, have been in hi-end for 25, and am a part-time musician. I've found little to compare with the Europas. I can't listen to speakers for long that are not phase correct. If you have a good ear you'll eventually hear the crossovers in speakers that are not; I don't recommend speakers with a lot of drivers, either. They're also extremely musical, surprisingly full range, dynamic, and detailed yet easy to listen to, good looking, inexpensive, and easy to drive. They never fail to sound satisfying, yet revealing."

"I now find myself listening to more music..."

"I've owned over 55 pairs of speakers and have demo-ed many others. None that I can recall can match the low volume performance of the Europas. Detail, air, ambience, resolution, large sound field, etc., etc. The Europas have it all at low volumes, everything is there, just not as loud. I now find myself listening to more music after the family retires. They seem very easy to drive and will play very loud without compression, assuming the amp is powerful enough."

"I'm constantly shaking my head in amazement every time I fire them up..."

"I've had these speakers for a close to a year...and they simply get better with age...I'm constantly shaking my head in amazement every time I fire them up (such as the live harmonica sounds on Neil Young’s Unplugged...wow!).

"This speaker is approaching legendary status...and with good reason...in the most simple terms...not only does it compete with far costlier speakers...in many ways it outperforms them...it's hard to get around the true time/phase coherency of this speaker...mated with a very unique resonate-free enclosure...well...this type of thinking is hard to surpass at any price...this is the most money I've ever spent on any one audio component...and unlike a vast majority of high-end products that come with endless veneer/cosmetic options, wiring options, pointless rhetoric marketing, inflated costs, and sub-par performance...these are the real deal...I don’t even bother frequenting my local hi-end stores...there is nothing I've come across in a monitor that is more transparent, liquid, and musical...music flows like water!

"Outstanding job by Roy...he gets my vote for designer of the year...and the Europas as product of the year."

"I was hearing things...that I hadn’t in the past."

"Initial impressions -- with a variety of music ranging from Mark Lanegan, Rickie Lee Jones, Beethoven, Chopin, New York Rock N Soul Review, and Peter Gabriel -- were that they are MUSICAL. That’s the biggest impression I got -- they are very very musical.

"It was hard not to just close my eyes and lose myself in the music. The highs were crystal clear without being etched (non-fatiguing), very, very airy extended top end -- midrange was luxurious -- sweet, clean, immediate, and present. Male and female vocals were hauntingly clear. Every breath was audible. I was hearing things on these recordings that I hadn’t in the past. The sound was coherent and integrated -- that was one of their finer traits as well. The sense of unity was astounding and cohesiveness was impressive.

"So far, I think these are giant killers. I’m going to be very satisfied with these little speakers!"

"These babies are in sync with the dynamics of music."

"I’ve got about 60 hours on the Europas now, and have had them about a week. I expected clear, defined sound but was worried about brightness in my rather hard room. Well! I got clear, defined sound aplenty and not even a hint of brightness from the Europas. The highs are sweet and delicate and can pull out details of old recordings I hadn’t heard before.

"Today I was listening to an old Cream song (yes, I said Cream) and was blown away to hear the articulate presentation of Ginger Baker’s cymbal work from the next room. If anything, the top end is gaining in open airy texture as time goes on. The bass has excellent definition and it's easy to track the acoustic bass tracking up and down a scale note by note.

"I was playing Dave Brubeck’s Take Five and the drum solo in the middle of this piece just bounced out and hit the floor right between the amp and CD player. When the sax fell in, the air coming out of that horn was breathy and just plain scary.

"So the Europas are clear and defined, delicate and present, but there’s more. These babies are in sync with the dynamics of music. No analytical sound or theoretical dissertation. The sound is big and room filling (12x22x8), and I believe they could easily handle a larger room than mine. The presentation is wide and deep and the dynamic peaks are surprisingly powerful. With the clarity they possess, the Europas maintain the background performers’ info all through those 'stage front' dynamic peaks. They bring through the drama and emotion of the music. Man, that Brubeck piece just plain knocked me out! Thanks to Roy for a great job."

"...the Europas are here to stay."

"I change speakers all the time. I get a new pair almost every year. However, the Europas are here to stay. I’ve never heard a speaker sound more like actual instruments and voices like these do. I don’t care if I get a new system, I will not get rid of the speakers. I’ll keep them in a system somewhere in my house...as long as they’ll play, I’ll be happy to listen. Of all the speakers I’ve owned, these are the only ones I’ve ever felt this way about. Awesome speaker at any price."

"...‘oh wow, that’s what it should sound like’..."

"I'm still constantly amazed at them. I was playing Donald Fagen’s Kamakiriad the other night and, once again, was noticing instrumental lines and background vocals that I hadn’t heard before -- and the timing -- certain instruments lead into the music more than with other speakers and the integration of the music seems better -- more coherent.

"It’s funny when you hear a lot of this stuff and say to yourself -- ‘oh wow, that’s what it should sound like,’ or ‘boy, was I missing that all these years?’ They're truly a remarkable speaker."

"They're musically very involving and have a very articulate character. This is a tough balancing act. Just as a frame of reference, these have replaced a pair of speakers that garnered rave reviews in quite a few of the hi-fi rags. While they had some qualities which were superior to the Europas (mainly transparency -- sound staging is a tough call -- it’s close), the Europas are better at many things (musical involvement, coherence, off-axis response, less maintenance) at about 1/10 the price."

"The Europa is a real sleeper of a monitor, and the technology and parts are way better than the competition at its price point. In terms of speed, precision, and detail, these speakers are unmatched in my listening experience. I’m really enamoured with these speakers. They're an incredible value. I listen to mostly jazz and classical, with some blues thrown in, and this type of music is very well served by these speakers."

"I was skeptical that a speaker that could play rock like this could actually pull off a lights-out, late night listening session with the more intricate recordings, so I put it to the test. The sound stage is a very wide one, really remarkably so. All of the nuance, inner detail, depth, and complexity that I’ve come to expect from familiar recordings were there along with a more authoritative delivery and even some detail that surprisingly, I hadn’t heard before."

"Often consumers use great products, ignoring the people who make them possible. I’ve owned Europas for a year, and am extremely pleased with them. They have to be the best value in all of audio. Thanks for providing quality audio at an affordable price."

"Greetings, O Master of Aural Delight...Received the Europas Wednesday and hooked them up last night just after the Democratic Convention. I think I went to bed about 2:30am only because I had an early work day ahead today. Listening to the speakers right now when I should be packing for my trip. Just can't get over all the detail, layers and layers of music beneath the sound that my old DCM Time Windows revealed. The detail and imaging are simply astounding! Thanks!"

"I love mixing with the Europas!"

"My perception of the listening window is that when I am not in it, I know it in a nanosecond, clear as a bell. All kinds of strange shifts occur. When I settle myself back in the right spot, everything gets illuminated. The smile on my face widens. I can feel it.

"I'm mixing a nine-song project with the Europas. Prior to starting the mixing, I did a lot of listening to dial in the placement and get acclimated to the new speakers. Such fun! I played a bunch of old favorites, and heard so much I never did before (what an audiophile cliché).

"The speakers convey in each recording a unique sound field consisting of clearly defined 'objects.' However, this clarity is not the result of some kind of added brightness, which would be fatiguing. These things cause absolutely no listener fatigue. I love mixing with the Europas!

"They're forcing me to pull the most color and texture out of the tracks I recorded. They give me such a clear view into the song. My client and I both love the mixes. I'm particularly impressed with how easy they are to drive. My old Musical Fidelity A-1 integrated is just cruising along. Eventually the electronics will get upgraded. For now, this amp will work just fine. Thanks for such a great product -- at once an outstanding analytical tool as well as being a portal to the truth of my favorite recordings."

"I find these little speakers to be sensational."

"I am sitting down for my first serious listening session with my new Europas, and all I can do is smile. All the usual audiophile cliches apply -- hearing things I never heard before, imaging beyond and behind the speakers like a planar, speed like an electrostat, bass is clean, tight, with amazing extension for such a small system. Acoustic spaces are clearly delineated. Instrumental timbers are real. Dynamics pop.

"I've heard lots of fine systems, and I find these little speakers to be sensational. Great to find something so good that's so small and inexpensive, making a state of the art surround system possible at a relatively reasonable price. I hope you won't mind selling me three more in the not too distant future. Thanks!"

"I've never been more pleased with a product and so blown away as I have with this purchase."

"Hello. I've just purchased one of your wonderful speakers via Audiogon sight unseen. The seller raved on and on about them. He said 'better than Triangle VR-1,' etc. Well...I was floored when I heard the speakers. Incredible sound staging. Just beautiful.

"I had a friend over and we were supposed to see a movie. Well, she and I just kept pulling out CD after CD trying out the sonic qualities of your product. All I can say is that it's now 1:41am, she's gone, and I'm still up listening to the Eagles Live CD. (We skipped the movie!)

"I've never been more pleased with a product and so blown away as I have with this purchase. I did something rare that I haven't done in so long. I sat there and truly LISTENED to the music. Not music in the background while I watched TV, or while I was ironing. Just sitting in space listening to Dave Gilmour's guitar playing as it soared across the room.

"Thank you for making a stunning product! Once again...fabulous, jaw dropping, misty-eyed (my friend was listening to Carol King and got misty. She said she'd never heard her like that before)."

"I just received them today and put them through their paces with a little jazz and female vocals...my initial impressions are that they sound incredibly natural. My other speakers sounded bright and harsh on some music. The Europas have tamed probably 95 percent of this and the other five is likely due to other system issues. I’m impressed with the bass. They provide a solid, low-end punch. I’m looking forward to the rest of the break-in and seeing what they can do."

"The coherency of voices, of pianos, the complete-bodied sound of snare thwacks, is just marvelous. But then I start trying to pick apart what I am hearing, and everything goes sideways..."

"I am facing somewhat of a conundrum with my pair of Europas. I absolutely love the speakers, I am so glad I bought them and they may well be the best audio purchase I have ever made.

"The problem is not them. The problem is that I cannot get my head around what I am now hearing. Or, probably more accurately, what I am now NOT hearing. I can now hear the harsh, tense swath that higher-order crossovers cut through the sound of other speakers. I also understand now why the crossover-less, single-driver speakers in my $25 computer speakers and $45 boom box have always sounded so...."comfortable," for lack of a better description.

"But, I also recognize in myself that, without conscious intent, I listen to my Europas differently than I have any other "proper" speaker I have ever had. I do not understand why that is, and I am not sure exactly what that difference is. I am assuming this is some sort of psychoacoustic effect resulting from the time-alignment, but that is just a guess.

"What is not a guess is that I do not like not understanding this visceral reaction I am having, and it is bothering the hell out of me! LOL. I considered it could be because my entire lifetime's frame of reference has been with those which were out of time and phase alignment, and having those qualities corrected is something that I will just have to get accustomed to. As I said before,the speakers are not the problem, it is my reaction that is the problem.

"Of course,all of the above only happens when I think about it, LOL. If I just listen, everything is peachy. These are the first speakers I have heard properly reproduce the comb filtering of guitar amps. It is disconcerting how well they do this, and how accurately that sound scales with volume. I have to believe this is because the peaks and troughs are happening at the right times, and therefore, the harmonic interactions are at the right frequencies. The coherency of voices, of pianos, the complete-bodied sound of snare thwacks, is just marvelous.

"But then I start trying to pick apart what I am hearing, and everything goes sideways, LOL. It could be that you have created such a brilliant speaker that it has touched me. Or it could just be that I am touched in the head. To be honest, at this point I am not sure which is the case."

"...he says these speakers sound better than ANYTHING he’s heard....ever."

I’ve heard many speakers, both as a consumer and as a high-end audio salesman. The Europas do human voice as well as anything I’ve heard. I think that’s the key to these speakers. Voice range. The top end is smooth and silky, and the bass is fast and well defined (down to 40-45Hz) but the midrange these things produce is simply breathtaking.

"I have a friend here who listens to live, un-amplified music six nights a week, and he says these speakers sound better than ANYTHING he’s heard....ever. And that’s the point. The Europas SOUND like MUSIC. Not like a recording of music. Put on any live recording...or any recording with a lot going on. Imaging is top notch. Since purchasing them, I find myself listening to, and really enjoying, music I never thought I’d listen to."

"Your perfectionism and love of music has translated to my joy..."

"My new girlfriend keeps bringing over these incredible CDs...opera singers...Patsy Cline...a young man whose name I will murder that sounds like Frank Sinatra..Michael Buble...? and we just sit on the couch for hours cuddling in the sweet spot and listening. Your perfectionism and love of music has translated to my joy and the best pain killer yet other than my girlfriend. Thanks for all your time and effort, Roy. I always speak highly of you and your speakers." Thanks ever so much."

"Got my gun out, thinking someone was breaking in. The second time, I discovered it was music I'd never heard before, playing through my new Europas."

"I'm the proud owner of a pair of Europas. All I can say is...Roy, you're a genius! When can I buy stock in your company?"

"Fantastic! You now have me wondering how your larger speakers would sound with my main system. Thanks for making such a wonderful product."

"The best two-way monitor I've personally heard. Highly recommended!"

"They're fantastic speakers. To my ears they easily out perform other brands costing over twice as much."

"The Europas sound great. Still the best deal in speakers around."

"Best stand mount I've heard, and the best bargain in audio."

"I love them. I think they're an incredible value in the overpriced, high-end world."

"I’m blown away by these speakers..."

"They've bettered all monitors I’ve listened to..."

"They're a fantastic speaker that sounds very resolved and has a deep stage."

"They're extremely musical...and have a time/phase coherent design that makes them difficult to beat, at any price."

"I've had my Europas for about a month and am very happy with them. They're fast, lively, with good detail, transparency and sound staging."

"They have very balanced, natural, and detailed sound -- which sounds very good on a wide range of real world music...not just a handful of boring audiophile recordings..."

"'Texture' is the word I’d associate with these speakers. Seems they reveal more emotion than any speaker I've listened to.....and isn’t that why we listen in the first place?"

"Unlike the majority of high-end speakers that punish all but the best recordings...the Europas have the uncanny ability of focusing on what a recording is doing WELL...even a poor one...and once you hear a truly phase-correct speaker...well...game over."

"The Europas will be the last stand mount I buy -- until Roy comes out with a new one!! After the eye- and ear-opening experience with the Europas...I wouldn’t think twice about buying a floor-standing model unheard!"

"I’ve owned dozens of other speakers in the past 20 years. The Europas, once broken in and set right, are the most musically enjoyable speakers I’ve owned. They're one of the best bargains I've come across."

"I can detect no weaknesses with the Europas. Their low level detail, transparency, and sound staging are unsurpassed in my opinion. They can play very loudly and at the same time retain all their musicality at very low levels which many speakers cannot do."

"The Europas are amazing. Most all other speakers I've listened to sound veiled or confused as I've become accustomed to hearing time- and phase-coherent designs that minimize cabinet reflections and use simple, first-order crossovers."

"They give the pitch and definition of instruments like no other speaker I’ve heard -- in one word -- 'real' is the only way to describe them."

"A quality recording "with a lot going on" is really where the Europas excel...where other speakers can sound flat and congested...the Europas have the ability to pick the best bits out."

"These little speakers are built like a brick house and sound like they should cost a lot more. I think they’re a great deal on a two-way that’s bound to leave a lot of others in the dust."

"I’m very impressed with their sound and prefer them to the many monitors I’ve listened to, some of them costing substantially more. Micro-dynamic shadings and vocals are especially noteworthy, very live sounding."

"The bass is fast, tight and deep. Quality bass!! The imaging is superb with a wide and deep soundstage. I have them in a 20x20x12 room and they can light it up. Roy really knows how to build a great speaker!"

"I heard the Europas hooked up to a modest system and I thought it was better than 90 percent of the high end audio systems I've ever listened to at any price. For that reason alone, I'm awaiting a pair of Continuum 3s."

"...the finest small speaker I’ve heard. It’s honest, clean, and non-fatiguing. It's the least box-like I know. They sound a whole lot better than they have any right to at the price (or for several times the price)."

"I received the Europas yesterday and hooked them up with great expectations. I agree with all the hype. I never expected a new pair of speakers to sound this good. They’re great."

"I've had mine six days and can’t stop listening to them. They sound perfect. I’ve felt my ears being tickled to the point of laughter. My new system with the Europas sounds so good."

"After a couple of decades in this hobby and many dozens of speakers, I find the Europas the most musically-enjoyful speaker I've owned. Roy knows what he's doing and hit the nail on the head with these gems."

"I love them. To me, their greatest quality is realism. I listened to them from another room and it sounded like a live band. That’s a test most speakers fail."

"Very few speakers...regardless of price...have that 3-D imaging magic...and that special of level of 'involvement' that only truly time/phase correct speakers seem to do...all in all...I've been very pleased with my purchase."

"Be prepared to have a sonic orgasm...and maybe a real one to boot!"

"For the money; you just have to buy these speakers."

"The Europas are fantastic and it sort of ticks me off as it has taken some of fun out of trying new speakers. Every time I listen to the Europas I know GM sound is the only sound I can probably live with at this point. Darn you Roy! :o)"

"They're musical, involving, coherent -- just an amazingly well-built speaker -- it truly puts other speakers to shame. I ditched my $5,000 speakers for these little guys and have been extremely satisfied with them."

"I’ve had my Europas a year and love them. The sound is heavenly. I’ve used a number of different amps -- new and old -- and they always sound great."

"The Europas just get the texture and harmonics so ‘right,' like a old Martin guitar. Kudos to Roy on designing an exquisite piece of art!"

"I've found sonic nirvana with the Europas."

"I'm very content with my Europa purchase...every time someone hears them,the response is always the same: 'Where did you get those speakers!'"

Europa - Gallery - Testimonials
Stand-mount Designs: Continuum 0.5 - Europa - Europa Max - Callisto
Biography - Achievements in Sound Reproduction - Classic Designs > Stand-mount Designs
Home > About > Our Designer: Roy Johnson