Dear Friends,
Did anybody have a chance to hear the recent release of Guru Audio - Guru 12 bookshelves?
The description and design look interesting but I can find no feedback/review in internet.
Hi Moorim, I have a pair of the Guru 12’s and couldn’t be happier. These are the third pair of Guru speakers I’ve had, with the QM10 mk1’s being the first, joined later by the Mk2’s, so I have always been a fan.
My 12’s are hooked up to SN3 / HiCap DR combination, with CDX2-2 on the CD front and Rega RP6 TT and Ifi Stream Zen Stream/Musical Fidelity MX-DAC.
Unsure if you have any experience of Guru speakers but these are very much cut from the same family DNA, they major on exceptional timing, just hold a tune like nothing else in my experience.
The 12’s have also added more resolution and are capable of much more volume, so all in all present a really dynamic picture of events and great partner with the SN3 in my room.
Please feel free to ask any specific questions but I took a risk buying without listening but did so with my track record of Guru and also the really positive reviews of the 28’s on a couple of Dutch websites. I couldn’t be happier with how they perform.
Erik the owner is a pleasure to deal with and by coincidence has just received my Mk1’s Guru QM10’s today which he is going to upgrade to current mk3 status, I sold my mk2’s to a mate, who adores them and solved his issues in a difficult room.
Evidently Jason Kennedy is getting a pair for a UK review soon.
I’ll attach some pictures when on phone.
Hey @Neilb1906 , hope all is well.
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Hi Adam1
Thanks a lot for your feedback! It is really great to meet here a real owner of Guru 12!
I am following Guru Audio since a long time. Do I understand correctly that you owned Q10 (which is still in Guru offer list)? If yes, I would appreacite a lot if you share your vision about the difference between 12 and Q10. I read some reviews about Q10 and heard them once very breafly, so I can have at list some point to compare the 12th with 
The 12’s are a more conventional design, like the Junior before them than the original Qm10’s.
I would imagine that the QM10’s are more costly to produce than the 12’s because of the cabinet design and composition.
Yes I’ve owned 2 pairs of Qm10’s, a pair of Mk1’s and a pair of Mk2’s. However think it’s a bit more nuanced than that as my Mk1’s were more 1.5s as they featured some of the changes that the Mk2’s had with the cabinets.
The Mk1’s had a certain magic (think of the Golf GTI mk1) vs the mk2’s in my opinion. Both superb, but my first pair juat were able to always have that bit of extra stardust.
In comparison the 12’s are just more effortless, they present music with massive scale and drama.
All gurus have really solid bass but the 12’s bring real physicality with it.
Again both speakers really excel in providing vocals with height, so projection into the room can be a stunning experience.
In simple terms both speakers and indeed the family trait is that everything feels live.
I did have a pair of the rare used Q60s (their floor stander from 10’s era) on home demo and they had the same traits but for me given the price differential and size didn’t have the magic of the 10’s. Bit like Sugar Ray Leonard vs Holmes (trying to keep boxers of same era).
I suppose the best praise I can give is that my wife and daughters all think the Gurus are special and rarely comment on any hifi, other than “turn it down!”.
The 12’s bring more of everything, but I’ll never betray the 10’s , and the 10’s in that special green colour, gorgeous.
They are due to release a lovely dark oak finish in the 12’s with a black facia, very similar to the Juniors look and I was sorely tempted by the light oak finish but am glad I went with the “fog” finish.
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I’ll be in a better position to compare current 10 to the 12 when I get them back from Erik, all updated.
However both the mk1 10’s and mk2’s were very similar in presentation to each other than the 12’s that have just that bit more of everything, but the main driver is quite significantly larger to be fair.
These look great, as did the original Juniors. Such a clean design.
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It is great to have a chance to listen to such experienced Guru Audio owner!
Adam1, my last question: how the 12th are in sound stage building and how well they are in details if talk about music reproduction? Of course the amplifier place a big role but is it “meloman” acoustics or more “audiophile”? There is an opinion, that Q10 belong more to the first segment.
Hi Moorim,
I’m not familiar with the term “meloman” so can’t really comment, but I’ve heard enough speakers that sap all the joy and life out of musical performances in the pursuit I guess of “audiophile” acclaim.
Both speakers are certainly capable of a brilliant soundstage.
I’ve also got Densen amplifiers in other systems and their motto was “life is too short for boring hifi”. I guess I tend to agree with that, Gurus make you want to dance, they aren’t sterile etched laser focussed pull the performance apart and leave a million of disconnected strands trying to impress.
They are also particularly strong at projecting a sound stage that isn’t limited to a single seat sweet spot.
My daughter commented when walking into the room with the 12’s playing “why is his voice coming from the middle of the speakers and it sounds like he is stood there? It’s freaking me out”. So that’s a reaction from a non audiophile but someone who loves her music.
Hope that helps.
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I’ve been reading positive comments regarding Guru speakers on this forum for years yet have never seen them readily available outside of Europe or at least here in Canada.
MĂ©lomane is a French term for music lover. You know, what most Naimees call themselves as opposed to audiophiles or gearheads.
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The original launch of the company was beset by issues after the initial great reception from the press to their models, which were then the QM10 (the original speaker) and the QM60 (much larger floor stander).
Had problems keeping up with production and then they launched their entry speaker, the Junior right in the midst of it all, customers were waiting forever to get their speakers.
I never experienced any problems with both my pairs of QM10’s, the Mk1 and the mk2’s (QM10two), and Erik, who was part of the original company has been a pleasure to deal with when buying my 12’s and since.
Melomaniac in English, commonly watered down to “music lover”.
Thank you Montague
The party, which love music and the party, which loves sound.
Which is a false dichotomy more often than not.
I remember not being able to get any clear picture of availability to the point of wondering if the company was legit.
I wish they had a business model similar to Buchardt that ships worldwide within very reasonable delays and also has a no hassle return policy.
Unfortunately the S400 didn’t work for me but fortunately the owner graciously accepted a free painless return.
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Guru are good speakers, for sure. Had experience with Q10 and have Junior still.
Like them. Believe 12 is good as well, although but surprised by asked price.
And shortly after placing the order I had a number of posts on this forum that made me question my own due diligence.
It was an order placed out of character for the usual caution I would normally deploy.
Pleased to say that Erik more than fulfilled ever one of his commitments and they were delivered ahead of schedule.
Furthermore, he has been exceptionally generous in offering to fix my beloved Qm10’s and upgrade them to mk3 status, guy is a genuine gent.
I didn’t think they were that expensive either. No prices on the Guru website but a French retailer is asking €2.400 for the Q10, stands are €600 extra.