I don't quite know what I expected, but YGA's "factory" was not what I expected. I put factory in quotes because that sounds all automated and industrial, whereas YG's speakers are essentially built by hand. The speakers are constructed of aircraft grade 6061 T651 aluminum and the baffles are milled out of ballistic-grade aluminum/titanium alloy. On the day I arrived, the factory was being prepped for the delivery of a huge CNC station and a ceiling-mounted crane system to move large sheets of stock from station to station. At the moment, large panels are turned into speaker-sized parts by an outside contractor, but Geva prefers to do everything in-house so that he can assure himself that things are done to
his specifications.
Geva wasn't quite what I expected, either. That intensity I noticed at shows? That's always there, but Diamond was right, the crazy circus environment of a show is no place to take YG's—or YGA's—measure. In his own environment, Geva was casual and confident, even dimming down some of his hyperbole.
"Best loudspeaker in the world? Well, maybe that should be best measuring loudspeaker in the world, which it is by
my measurements. Or maybe I should just say it belongs in the company of the best loudspeakers of the world."
With that, he led me into YGA's very large listening room and showed me what he'd brought me there to observe: Two identical systems were set up in the room, each set up precisely to focus on different sweet spots, one incorporating Wilson Alexandrias ($135,000/pair) , the other YGA Anat Reference Professionals ($105,000/pair).
Uh oh, I thought,
I'm going to trapped here until I admit I have a preference—if I say I like the Wilsons better, did I tell my wife who I was visiting on my trip out west?
"I'm not trying to prove the Anat Reference Pros are better than the Wilsons, I'm simply trying to illustrate that our speakers deserve to be compared to the best on the market," Geva said. "I chose the Alexandrias because I admire David Wilson immensely and because his speakers are so widely respected. I won't even ask you which speaker you prefer, all I want is for you to listen and decide for yourself if the Anat Ref Pros are 'ready for prime time.'"
Short answer: Absolutely. I'll be getting a pair for review in September, at which time I'll write the usual lengthy listening impressions. For now, suffice it to say that Geva made his point.
