Legacy Audio: Product Impressions
SPECIAL GUIDE NOTE: Since this article was first posted, Legacy Audio has changed the design of their website and changed the way their site is accessed. As a result, the former individual "deep" links within this article may not work. However, once you access the site, you can access all the product information and other references listed in this article. To get to Legacy Audio's Start Page, Click Here.
The Loudspeaker is one of those things that we, as consumers, either give too little thought to or too much thought to. We spend all this money buying our expensive audio and video components and then, when it comes time to buy speakers, we have either wiped out our budget and have to settle for an inadequate speaker system or we go so overboard that we end up spending thousands on a speaker system that is maybe just a notch better than a basic system that we could have purchased at the local electronics chain store.
With this in mind, Legacy Audio, headed by owner-founder-designer-engineer Bill Dudleston, has been producing some excellent, albeit expensive, speaker systems since the mid-eighties, but there is a difference. These speakers are of unparalleled value, despite their high price.
No, I don't work for Legacy and have not been solicited or paid for this article.
Let's start at the beginning. In my work I often get invitations in the mail for product previews and the one for Legacy Audio attracted my attention. Since I have never heard or seen their products in person (It turns out they only sell their products by direct order and through a limited number of Regional Audition Sites and Roadshow Presentations), I was curious about their product line.
So, I grabbed my invite and drove down, on a Friday night, to the hotel in San Diego where this presentation was supposed to occur. I didn't know quite what to expect, there was nothing special about the room used for this presentation, just your plain old hotel meeting room with less that stellar acoustics. Despite the lackluster facilities, this turned out to be one of the best listening experiences I have ever had.
The crowd was very small (about 20 people), but Legacy had pulled out all the stops for this presentation. Not only did they have their Speaker Line set up, but they also had their new
Two absolute stand out segments were shown. First, the live DVD version of the Eagles' Hotel California was shown, showing off Legacy's Empire Series Speakers. Having heard this cut many times on other systems, I expected to hear the booming bass intro once again, followed by the groups blended harmonies. I ended up getting much more than I expected. I got the bass alright, but instead of it being the usual boom-boom bass we all seem to be getting used to these days, there was a very, very deep, but absolutely tight, distortion-free bass that was not fatigueing to listen too. Then when the Eagles started singing the chorus, I could not only hear them as a group, but the speaker definition and imaging were so good that I could easily identify the voice of each individual in the group. This was truly speaker heaven.
The other outstanding cut presented was the DVD version of the IMax film Speedway, in which Mario Andretti takes us on a virtual ride in his driver's seat at 150mph. Once again, the Empires were employed, but added was the impact of Legacy's Grand Central (this has to be the ultimate subwoofer). Not only did we get the whole surround sound experience of being in the race car, but we could FEEL the road beneath us. At first I thought something was going on in the room below, but sure enough, it was the road under the race car!
Other segments were played off of a variety of CD's and DVD's, from Classical and Jazz selections, to video clips from movies such as The Fifth Element, showing off the versatility of the Legacy line. All the speakers in the Legacy lineup produced excellent sound. Although my favorite spakers were clearly the Empires (which I liked more than their highly-touted-twice-as-expensive flagship speaker the Whisper), others that I liked were the more affordable Classic and the Focus.
My impression; the only Speakers I have heard that sound even close to these were Klipschorns. I have never heard non-hornloaded speakers deliver such realistic undistorted bass response, distinctive midrange, and crystal clear highs. Legacy speakers are well-rounded in every respect.
Each speaker in Legacy's line is hand tuned and hand finished before leaving the factory . Although not cheap (the Empires are $6,250 a pair), they do have excellent speakers that are much less expensive that will satisfy even the most critical Audiophile. Its also a good idea to have excellent components to complement these speakers, and Legacy has some great amps and sound processors. Of course, a wide range of other branded audiophile-class components would work well with these speakers, but even a good mass-produced Yamaha Receiver, Intergated Amplifier, or other well constructed audio components that have low distortion levels and are able to drive 4 OHM loads would work well with most speakers in the line. One other note--they didn't use fancy Monster Cable or other esoteric speaker cables, just plain old off-the-shelf speaker wire was employed in this presentation.
Now, this doesn't doesn't mean that I feel Legacy is your only speaker option; I don't own any myself, yet, but their Accen is priced at an attractive $1,995 a pair. There are many excellent Loudspeakers on the market, however, if you are assembling an expensive audiophile or home theater system and want speakers that are deserving of your other components and listening environment, you certainly owe yourself a look and a listen to what Legacy Audio has to offer.
For photos, specifications, and prices of Legacy's complete product line, including Amplifiers and other Components, click here.
For other reviews on Legacy products, click here.
For a list of upcoming Roadshow presentations, click here.
For other Loudspeaker product options, check out my Loudspeaker Resources.
Any and all comments, or rebuttals, to this article are more than welcome and should be posted at my Home Theater Forum.
If you have a direct question for me,
email me at hometheater.guide@about.com.
