Two Gems from Joachim Gerhard - Elusive Disc

Equipment
Report
Two Gems from Joachim Gerhard
SONICS ANIMA AND ARGENTA LOUDSPEAKERS
Neil Gader
The gold plaque on the front of the
Anima loudspeaker reads “Sonics
By Joachim Gerhard.” Giving equal
billing to the designer and the company
is certainly not unique. It even implies a
potential marketing synergy. However,
my take is that Mr. Gerhard is actually
providing a clarification. First, that he is
no longer associated with or a driving
force behind Audio Physic, where he
once laid claim to authoring some of the
industry’s most acclaimed speakers. And
second, that in his new gig as designer
and part owner of Sonics he has been
able to renew his passion for speaker
design. If Sonics’ new mini-monitor, the
Anima (an intriguing choice of names) is
any indication of what’s in store, Gerhard
30 June/July 2007 The Absolute Sound
is clearly serious about getting back to his
roots.
The $2600 Anima is a conventionally
ported two-way. It is also unusually well
built. Gerhard has rejected conventional
MDF construction and chosen expensive
birch ply (also known as marine ply) for
the front, back, top, and bottom panels.
He favors this many-layered “sandwich”
of materials because he considers it to be
less resonant, yet capable of dispersing
resonances more evenly across the
frequency band. The tweeter uses a very
small diaphragm membrane with a wide
surround that increases output and raises
the resonant frequency above 40kHz.
The 6" woofer has a chunky magnet for
its size and an extended throw. But that
also makes it a tougher load to drive. The
Anima likes quality power amplifiers and
electronics. Anything less and it grows a
bit lifeless and dry.
From the opening movement of
Previn’s recording of Benjamin Britten’s
Four Sea Interludes and Passacaglia from Peter
Grimes [EMI] the Anima conveyed a skillset
that I’ve come to expect from Joachim
Gerhard—a signature that expresses itself
regardless of size or combinations of
drivers. First, there is the Anima’s boxless
transparency, its absence of cabinet
coloration—which obviously owes a
great deal to the speaker’s narrow baffle
and rigid construction. Second, there is
the slightly laid-back tonal balance and
hints of lower-midrange warmth, which

Sonics Anima and
Argenta Loudspeakers
favor classical music where soundstage
dimensionality helps define the venue
and the performance. Then, there is the
sensation of detail and microdynamic
energy that gives the Anima an ability to
tickle the air as, for instance, when Jennifer
Warnes’ angelic vocal overdubs on The
Hunter [Cypress] hover and shimmer
with crystalline definition around the
soundstage. Transients are not merely fast
and intense—they arrive fully connected
to their respective instruments, part of a
greater harmonic whole and lacking any
artificial edginess. Finally, there is the
difficult to describe “liveliness” factor.
Whether you describe it as “jump,” pace,
or mere listenability, this is a speaker with
a heartbeat.
At a mere thirteen inches high—not
much bigger than a mere “point” in
space itself—the Anima achieves nearpoint-source
coherency and laser-specific
imaging that would be show-stoppers
in any league. Although the soundstage
is scaled down in size and images are a
bit miniaturized, the Anima carves out
dimensional space like a legendary few.
(The Wilson WATT and the original Pro
Ac Tablette come to mind.)
Unlike most mini-speakers that are
thinly disguised head-units looking for the
“body” only a subwoofer can grant them,
the Anima reveals all kinds of colors and
details in the midbass and gives a very
satisfying impression of low-frequency
muscle. Of course, it doesn’t have the
subsonics to summon humpbacks from
their Baja breeding grounds, but it will
also give you much more than a taste of
the lower octaves. Most of the time, I
didn’t miss a subwoofer.
However, the strongest impression that
the Anima imparted was the sense that it
cannot be so easily defined as a dynamicdriver
bass-reflex design. Particularly in
the upper frequencies, the Anima delivers
harmonics and speed that are more akin
to a ribbon. It’s as if music isn’t being
pushed forward but is simply flowing,
liquid smooth, until it engulfs the ear.
No, the little Anima is not perfect. But
you can hardly fault a thirteen-incher
for occasionally overreaching. To be
sure, there’s a slight elevation of lowertreble
presence that adds sparkle and
detail. Thus the brass and wind section
tended to whiten slightly and grow a bit
pinched dynamically during the orchestral
fireworks of Kubelik’s reading of the
Dvorák’s New World Symphony [DG].
And during “Joan of Arc,” the duet
between Jennifer Warnes and Leonard
Cohen revealed that the port is not always
invisible—the limited deep bass output is
masked by some extra mid-to-upper bass
support from the reflex housing. But
these are issues that most small speakers
confront, and Mr. Gerhard has elegantly
resolved them.
Rarely does a speaker, small or
large, come along that is as thoroughly
satisfying as the Anima. True, at its price
it faces competition in all weight classes.
However, if you’re looking for a seriously
intentioned speaker, musically substantial
yet ultimately inconspicuous and with
the magic of a pure disappearing act, the
Anima is nothing less than irresistible.
Sonics Argenta
The Sonics Argenta ($1500) is also a
two-way reflex design, but in many
ways an entirely different kettle of fish
than the Anima. Nearly half its cost
and significantly bigger, its spirit is
defiantly retro. Just one look at its squareshouldered
silhouette and front-porting
screams “BBC control room, circa 1970.”
At first, however, the Argenta sounded a
bit strident and forward, especially after
I’d spent some time luxuriating with the
Anima. Quasi-nearfield on-axis listening
emphasized its thinner tonal balance and a
treble rise that flagrantly etched harmonic
details. However, after a few more hours
of playtime I tried firing the Argenta
squarely forward. To my relief, this
shift resulted in a tonal balance that was
much closer to what I was getting with
the Anima. Treble response smoothed
appreciably. Unlike the depth of field the
Anima creates, the Argenta’s perspective
remains tilted toward a front-row listener.
In true monitor style it presents music
in great detail by delicately straddling
the line between the neutral and the
analytical. The soundstage won’t match
the multi-layered dimensionality nor the
liquid treble extension of the Anima,
but once the speaker is properly set up,
it’s consistent with that of well-executed
two-ways in this range. The Argenta may
lack the sheer magic of the Anima, but it’s
much more forgiving of electronics and
an easier speaker to drive with less power.
With a larger internal cabinet volume
and woofer on tap, the Argenta seems to
rely less on port-tuning than the Anima
and arguably has more natural low end.
Timbre resolution—as, for instance, on
the triplet figures Stewart Copeland plays
on the kick drum during the Police’s “King
Of Pain” [A&M 45RPM]—is especially
well resolved. The sounds associated
with the mallet and the skin are superbly
defined and even at “monitoring” levels
brimming with character and lacking in
perceivable port augmentation. There
are still moments when hard piano
transients or a soaring soprano can sound
a bit glassy and brittle (e.g., “Chopin 6
Chants” from Horizons [EMI]). However,
what you get in trade is greater dynamic
headroom and the sense that this speaker
is comfortable with all musical genres—
from headbanger to Holst. TAS
Specs &
Pricing
Anima
Drivers: .75" aluminum-magnesium dome
tweeter with soft surround, 6" metal cone
mid/woofer
Frequency Response: 50Hz–33kHz
Impedance: 8 ohms
Sensitivity: 86dB
Dimensions: 7.1" x 13" x 9.4"
Weight: 16.8 lbs.
Price: $2600
Argenta
Drivers: 1" silk dome tweeter, 7" paper cone
mid/woofer
Frequency Response: 38Hz–22kHz
Impedance: 8 ohms
Sensitivity: 87dB
Dimensions: 9.8" x 15.75" x 10.6"
Weight: 22.4 lbs.
Price: $1500
Immedia
1101 8th Street, Suite 210
Berkeley, California 94710
(510) 559-2050
immediasound.com
sonicsonline.de
The Absolute Sound June/July 2007 33