LOUDSPEAKERS

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go to: Contents | Features | Bookshelf, Stand-Mount and Desktop | Floorstanding | Editors' Choice Awards design, fit and finish, and European manufacture all add up to one of the highest value loudspeakers in the price category. (RD, 232) Magnepan 3.7 $5495 magnepan.com Maggie’s three-way, true-ribbon/ quasi-ribbon planar 3.7 successfully addresses three issues that have long plagued “true-ribbon” Maggies: the seamless integration of that ribbon; the retention of detail and dynamic range at relatively low volume levels; and the reduction of “Maggie grain.” The solution of these problems combined with the famous virtues of true-ribbon Magnepans produces what is, in JV’s opinion, a best buy. Be aware that the 3.7s are large, power-hungry, and limited in low bass and ultimate SPLs. JV, 214 Monitor Audio Gold GX300 $5495 kevro.com Monitor Audio’s Gold GX recently added an outstanding ribbon tweeter derived from its top-end Platinum line. A true three-way, bass-reflex design, the ribbon mates with two 6.5" woofers and a 4" midrange to create a bold and upfront sound with a precise midrange, excellent midbass weight, and lots of rhythmic momentum. Though the ribbon tweeter remains audibly a step ahead of the other drivers, most listeners aren’t likely to have an issue with this. No doubt, the GX300 is a lot of fun to listen to. WG, 219 Sonus faber Liuto $5498 sumikoaudio.net The all-new Liuto may be the bestvalue speaker in the Sonus family. A three-way, vented floorstander, it combines warmth and detail with earthy low-frequencies that dip confidently into the 30Hz range. But where it really turns up the heat is in the lack of smearing during complex orchestral passages. The Liuto’s primary character shades a bit to the dark side, and in some cases it’s not as fast on transients as some others. Nonetheless, it is a highvoltage performer—entertaining and musical. NG, 199 Reference 3A Episode $5500 reference3a.com The multi-driver floorstanding Episode sounds coherent and musical—felicitous on female voice and in harmonic colors. Bass definition and extension are excellent—as good as they get at this price point. The Murata supertweeter is superb. When the speaker is driven within its dynamic comfort zone, the overall presentation is lively and engaging without being assertive. DO, 200 Harbeth Monitor 30.1 $5695–$6395 (depending on finish) fidelisav.com Released to coincide with Harbeth’s 30th anniversary, the new Monitor 30.1 is simply the best monitor loudspeaker Paul Seydor has heard. It excels in all the areas that are important to conveying the music: tonal neutrality, timbral accuracy, cohesiveness, low distortion, and that elusive impression of vitality which makes recorded music come alive. Speaking with a single voice in a way reminiscent of Quad ESLs, it is also of similar seriously low coloration and distortion, high transparency, and musical authority. The Monitor 30.1 is at once a never-ending joy to listen to and highly revealing, its supremely natural tonal balance neither accentuating the unpleasant qualities of bad recordings nor enhancing the pleasant qualities of good ones. This is one speaker for which the cliché rings completely true: You can listen to it without fatigue for literally hours on end. (PS, 232) Pioneer S2-EX $6000 tad-labs.com Making TAD technology more affordable, Pioneer offers a threeway stand-mount with pinpoint imaging and powerful dynamics that put many floorstanders to shame. The S2-EX’s coincident midrange/ beryllium tweeter is stunningly fast and accurate. Maybe a bit clinical up top, but remarkably uncolored overall. You’ll never again feel the same about a stand-mounted speaker. NG, 169 DALI Helicon 400 Mk.II $6995 soundorg.com In addition to improved finish, the Mk.II version of the original Helicon 400 offers updated woofers and better parts-quality. The design strives for a realistic tonal balance and succeeds in laying down a solid orchestral foundation without cheating the power range of 100 to 400Hz. The dual 6.5" woofers are able to generate a reasonable sense of slam and satisfying levels of lower-midrange punch. Harmonic textures are plush and vivid, especially when driven by tube amplification. Overall, a speaker you can safely “marry” for life. DO, 205 Joseph Audio Pulsar $7000 josephaudio.com What’s special and perhaps even unique about these two-way, bassreflex compacts is their ability to combine all the best sonic characteristics of a superb minimonitor with those of a larger speaker. With a midrange purity that equals ribbon and electrostatic designs and the dynamic weight of a bigger dynamic speaker, the Pulsar is the closest thing to that impossible dream of a small speaker that can generate the SPLs of a much larger transducer without sacrifices in inner detail or harmonic purity. SS, 203 Thiel SCS4T/USS SmartSub $7180 (the pair) thielaudio.com  The SCS4T is an excellent, smallerroom floorstander, equipped with coincident driver. On its own it has a fast, tight, controlled presentation that leans a bit to the dry side in the treble. Partnered with Thiel’s powered USS SmartSub the SCS4T takes on an entirely new character. Bass frequencies are delicately feathered in precisely where the towers roll off, adding greater ambience, dimensionality, and acoustic warmth. NG, 225 Thiel CS2.7 $7995 thielaudio.com This “trickle-down” speaker from Thiel’s vaunted CS3.7 brings the same coaxial driver from that flagship to a more affordable price. The combination of first-order crossovers and the coincident midrange/tweeter results in perfect phase coherence at any listening distance or listening height. The CD2.7 is characterized by an extremely neutral tonal balance that allows the speaker to serve as a transparent window on the music. A lively treble balance is coupled with smooth, tight, and detailed bass. The CS2.7 is best driven by a fairly powerful amplifier. American made and available in a wide range of beautiful wood veneers. (AHC, 232) Legacy Focus SE $8750–$9250 (depending on finish) legacyspeakers.com The massive, six-driver, four-way Focus SE is capable of creating a big sound in every sense of the word, while delivering the kind of speed and resolution from the midrange onwards that is customary in better ribbon and electrostatic speakers, as well as a seamless blend between drivers. The upper mids and treble have life and air, along with a slightly forward midrange perspective. A sensitivity of 94.5dB makes the Focus SE easy to drive. A lot of loudspeaker for the money. Anthony H. Cordesman, 215 Quad ESL-2805 $9500 quad-hifi.co.uk The addition of mass and bracing to Peter Walker’s revolutionary ESL- 63 design and improvements in the manufacture of the panels yields bass that is more extended (but not subterranean) and powerful, image focus that is even more stable, and 108 Guide to High-Performance Loudspeakers www.theabsolutesound.com previous page NEXT page
dynamic range that is enhanced. Mated to the right amplifier, this speaker is capable of reproducing music with a realism and naturalness that are compelling and addictive. Jim Hannon/PS, 169 Aerial 7T $9850 aerialacoustics.com The 7T has a dynamically vivid and revealing sound that expands the soundfield beyond the outer sides of the cabinets and well into the listening space. Fairly easy to drive, it has deep tight bass and can be used in relatively small rooms without bass bloat. Its sole potential downside is its unflinching honesty, which prevents it from flattering bad recordings. KM, 218 Verity Audio Rienzi $9995 verityaudio.com A compact, two-piece, three-way floorstanding design, Verity’s Rienzi is a model of neutrality, resolution, and transparency at its price point. A refined speaker that can also rock, the Rienzi’s unusual bass enclosure allows owners to choose either a front- or rear-firing arrangement, which adds flexibility to room placement. WG, 175 Coincident Super Victory $9999 coincidentspeakers.com 109 Guide to High-Performance Loudspeakers www.theabsolutesound.com previous page go to: Contents | Features | Bookshelf, Stand-Mount and Desktop | Floorstanding | Editors' Choice Awards A scaled-down version of the Total Victory, the Super Victory uses virtually the same mix of ribbons and cones to make for a stunning highsensitivity floorstander of considerable dynamic range and timbral nuance. The ribbon tweeter is particularly remarkable (in part because it never sticks out). SK, 200 $10,000–$20,000 KEF Reference 203/2 $10,000 kef.com The 203/2, a three-way, four driver, bass-reflex design, occupies the sweet spot in KEF’s Reference line. Except for the bottom-most octave it provides a full-throttle, full-range experience. However it’s the latest generation of KEF’s proprietary Uni-Q coincident midrange/tweeter that has the star power. This focused transducer permits timing, dynamics, and harmonics to come to full boil. Timbre rings with authority, although on occasion a darker coloration can thicken the midrange. NG, 204 Sonus faber Cremona M $10,000 sumikoaudio.net The Cremona M retains the lute-shape enclosure that Sonus faber popularized in its flagship Amati and Guarneri models. The M is powerful and passionate with a rich warm balance. Yet it’s no wallflower dynamically. In its timbral sophistication and impressive dynamic range, even at orchestral levels, it achieves the kind of topto-bottom fidelity that makes magic happen. NG, 189 Usher 8571 MkII Dancer $10,799 usheraudiousa.com An overachieving floorstander poised to eat any number of high-end sacred cows for lunch, the Dancer produces a big, finely focused, high-resolution sound that is dynamically alive. Bass power, extension, and clarity are very good, too. The overall sonics are reminiscent of Wilson’s Sophia or WATT/Puppy speakers, but at a fraction of the price. CM, 154 Quad ESL-2905 $12,500 quad-hifi.co.uk Although JV would love to own $37k TAD-CR1s or, if he really hit the lottery, $140k Raidho C 4.1s, in the real world these large Quads— the biggest ’stats that the venerable company has yet made—are one of the high-end speakers he would buy. No, they aren’t the last word in dynamic range, deep bass, top treble, or wall-to-wall soundstaging. And, no, they don’t disappear like minimonitors. All they do is sound real on just about any kind of music at rational levels. JV, 186 Acoustic Zen It’s time to... Crescendo The Crescendo is eminently musical and supremely well integrated from top to bottom. It certainly pushed all my emotional buttons and is currently my favorite box speaker under $30k. Make no mistake about it: The Crescendo is a fantastic value at its asking price. An enthusiastic five-star recommendation! Dick Olsher, The Absolute Sound, Jan 2013 Best Sound (Cost No Object) - CES Show Dick Olsher, The Absolute Sound, Jan 2013 I do not want to proceed further without these speakers. And so stay they will, exactly where they now reside: at the heart of my listening and mastering universe… a place where simple pleasure often is second to the hard work of evaluating gear, including scrupulous assessment of my own recordings. I do not want to live without the Crescendos and so I won't. Jim Merod, Positive Feedback, Issue 46 1-858-487-1988 www.acousticzen.com NEXT page
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