Many loudspeakers try to dazzle us with an exceedingly

H I G H E N D AUDIO PHYSIC
A U D I O P H Y S I C YA R A 2 S U P E R I O R
A world full of
Many loudspeakers try to dazzle us with an exceedingly pleasant sound. They
are likely to capture our attention for the moment, however this does not have
much to do with authentic sound reproduction as such. The Audio Physic Yara 2
Superior does not try to blind us and yet it does not beat around the bush when
it comes to how it sounds. A truly remarkable loudspeaker.
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colours
Colours have a strong influence on our daily lives
without us being aware of it. They play an important
role in our well-being, they influence our living
environment as well as our dress code and they
even determine our behaviour. What if you went
through a red traffic light? This could have serious
consequences. Even sound colours have a power
of their own: designed for a wide range and with a
rich bouquet, they bring us to a higher level of sonic
bliss. In the case of a limited range, the sonic
impression is flat and colourless, fading into the
background and minimising the potential for
entertainment. If we are blinded by sound colours
glowing as bright as neon lights without the velvety
texture and sense of warmth provided by natural
tonal hues and timbres, our attention may be
temporarily captured, but in the long run we will
notice the lack of depth and down-to-earthness.
What defines the true greatness of a
loudspeaker and sets it apart from other top-class
models in their own right? It is less the
loudspeaker’s quantitative features such as “more”
bass or a higher level accuracy than the ability to
naturally reproduce sound colours and the finest
details. It is important not to overdo it, making sure
to deliver the dark and full-bodied sound of a
Guarneri as well as the bright and vibrant vivacity of
a Stradivarius taking into account the specific
characteristics of each particular violin. A number of
loudspeakers as well as amplifiers and other
equipment are not able to get past that hurdle. In its
class, the new Audio Physic Yara 2 Superior moves
the benchmarks usually applied up to another level.
This is all the more remarkable since the slim,
column-like loudspeaker is far from being the
flagship of the German based manufacturer –
rather it is introduced as the new top model of the
Yara series for newcomers to the audiophile world.
Speaking of “newcomers” I do not wish to give you
the wrong impression here. Let us not forget that
only a few years ago the 3 series was considered
BMW’s entry level model into the range of the
German car manufacturer from Bavaria. I guess
that no-one would have ever thought of the BMW 3
series as a newcomer model subject to
compromise. The same applies to the Yara 2
Superior. The loudspeaker is elegant in
appearance, well-proportioned and manufactured
with exemplary care. A vintage Audio Physic
product and a fine piece of furniture rather than a
cold, technical product. The Yara 2 Superior is
available in five real wood veneers enabling you to
perfectly match the loudspeaker to your living
environment. If you have a knack for things
technical, choose the new look brushed-aluminium
veneer. The Yara creates a world full of colours
either way.
A look into the interior of the loudspeaker
underlines the high quality approach. Rigid
structures are used to provide a stiffer cabinet
where Audio Physic generously provided the
midrange driver with its own sub-enclosure.
Therefore, driver performance is not adversely
affected by the two woofers which are mounted in
the sides of the cabinet near the floor. Without such
a configuration, problems are likely to arise from the
interaction between the midrange driver and the
woofer where it is the reproduction of fine dynamic
structures as well as the naturalness of tones and
H ome Vis ion
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12/07
Audio Physic Yara 2 Superior
www.audiophysic.de
Loudspeaker
Sound quality
Naturalness
Resolution
Spatial image
Vitality
Bass precision
Bass volume
Level accuracy
Features
Design
Material
Impression
Overall (72%)
495 max. 700 P.
max. 100 P.
max. 100 P.
max. 100 P.
max. 100 P.
max. 100 P.
max. 100 P.
max. 100 P.
40 max. 70 P.
190 max. 240 P.
95 max. 120 P.
95 max. 120 P.
725 max. 1010 P.
Test Result
Price/Performance
überragend
75
75
75
75
65
65
65
good
outstanding
lively and colourful reproduction
great imaging
deep and dynamic bass
superb finish and choice of
veneers, long warranty
A solidly engineered loudspeaker
that will seduce you with its
delightful yet honest charm.
W el l w e i g h e d : A u d i o
Physic delivers the Yara
with a spirit level which
is very helpf ul when you
w a n t t o p e r f ec t l y a d j u s t
the loudspeakers .
timbres that suffer the most. The midrange driver is of the works of August Macke and Edouard
fitted with a treated paper cone in order to combine Manet may give you an idea of what we are
high rigidity with a low weight. It comes with a talking about. Loussier loves challenging
powerful ferrite magnet as well as a 1.3’’ (32mm) performances. W hen he hits the keys, even a
voice coil, an unusually large design for such a mellow pianissimo thrills with the joy of life. W ith
midrange driver, which ensures accurate power the Yara 2 Superior, this joy came through
transmission to the cone. As a general rule, voice precisely in our listening room and we did not
coils for midrange drivers have a smaller diameter need to rely on high levels to achieve this. It was
in order to save weight. Manfred Diestertich, Audio amazing how quickly a solid sound stage started
Physic’s chief designer, opted for the larger size to unfold when music was reproduced at low
configuration in order to achieve an ideal levels. Even when hooked up to the Magnat RV
compromise as well as improve the electrical 1 tube amplifier (page 58), the Yara 2 Superior
behaviour, and he turned out to be right. When put
made a formidable impression.
to the test, the mids never
sounded compressed and
The Yaras are able to reproduce the very own character of a
the full details came through,
Steinway or Bösendorfer, a Guarneri or Stradivarius.
even at high levels.
The woofers are able to hold
a candle to the midrange drivers. In fact, woofers
Do not make the mistake of underwith such a design and configuration cannot be estimating the power of the Audio Physic loudbought at bargain prices, nor can they be found speaker. We threw Supertramp’s “School” into the
in the bargain box of the world-wide chassis player, cranked the volume knob of the amplifier all
market. A generously cut drill hole through the the way up, and the Yara 2 Superior came through
pole piece as well as holes drilled into the coil with visceral clarity and impact - at which point you
former allow for good ventilation. This design heard a “wow” from one of the reviewers. At Homefeature speeds the removal of heat, generated at Vision we know that there are similar-priced loudhigh volumes, from the voice coil. It is the first speakers offering a more “dirty”, raw and earthy
time that Audio Physic has revamped a sound, however we asked ourselves whether they
loudspeaker from the Yara series with the could also produce such a wide soundstage, such
favoured metal cone bass drivers. Due to the free and lofty highs and such a wide variety of tonal
woofers being arrayed on each side of the colours and timbres. The answer is no. What sets
loudspeaker, cabinet width can be reduced to a the Audio Physic loudspeaker apart is the manner
slim 5.9'’ (15cm). Can it also be that the Yara in which it is capable, in every situation, of focusing
sounds thin? Not at all. During the first listening on and communicating the essence of the music
session when Mozart’s variations on a minuet by instead of just reproducing sound events which are
Duport (Divox) were played on the Burmester happening at a particular moment.
reference CD player, the Accuphase E 450
handling the signals, the Yara 2 Superior was
Résumé
able to reveal the authority of a Steinway even
While the price of the Yara 2 Superior is not
though top pianist Atsuko Seki barely touched
peanuts, it is still possible to save up for. The
the low keys of the piano. The loudspeaker
loudspeaker offers great value for money: Sonic
precisely kept up with sudden changes of mood
bliss combined with magnificent and authentic
as the pianist’s fingers glided across the keys,
sound colours, well-balanced and grown-up. In its
crisp and delightful moments alternated with a
class, the Audio Physic Yara 2 Superior
more restrained, almost contemplative feel while
establishes a new benchmark for sonic perforat the same time taking account of the very own
mance and superb finish.
sonic character of the Steinway. There are only
few loudspeakers in this class which can actually by Knut Isberner
achieve this. The Yara 2 Superior’s rendition of
Jacques Loussier playing Bach truly created a
small sensation across our team of reviewers. A W el l t e s t e d :
few moments before the loudspeaker had A f t er t h e f i n a l
accurately portrayed the brilliant, brisk timbre of i n s p ec t i on , a
the Steinway and now it was just as capable of c er t i f i c a t e i s
delivering the elemental, darker and almost i s s u e d t o c o n earthy sound of the Bösendorfer responding to f i r m t h e q u a l i t y
Loussier’s touch. The difference in colour intensity of t h e Y a r a .
TEST LAB RESULTS
Dimensions (WxH xD) 5.9’’ x 39.4’’ x 12.6’’
W ell c onnect ed:
T he eas ily
ac c es s ible jac ks
allow f or s afe
c onnections even
in the c as e of
s trong c ables .
(15 x 100 x 32cm)
Weight 19 kg
Design 3-way bass reflex
Warranty 10 years
Loudspeaker Positioning: Due to Audio
Physic’s excellent solution for coupling the sidefiring woofers to the cabinet, the Yara can be easily
positioned where the distance to the side walls
may be different for each loudspeaker. In heavily
damped rooms, the Yara should be adjusted
towards the listening place or just slightly angled
towards the listening place,
The frequency response curve shows ripples over a
narrow band, however the overall picture is wellbalanced with a slight peak in the brilliance range.
The bass extends very low in frequency.
The frequency response measures a loudspeaker’s ability to reproduce sound across an audible range of
20Hz to 20KHz with the same level. An ideal frequency response would be a nearly flat line.
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