The StereoTimes

StereoTimes - Commentary
1 de 8
http://stereotimes.com/munich2010O.shtml
09/07/2010 19:58
StereoTimes - Commentary
2 de 8
http://stereotimes.com/munich2010O.shtml
Best Sound? The Audio Consulting crew of Switzerland setup that
featured a slew of battery-powered electronics and loudspeakers from
Jean Hiraga did a number on me last year. That wasn't simply the best
09/07/2010 19:58
StereoTimes - Commentary
3 de 8
http://stereotimes.com/munich2010O.shtml
sound at the show, but among the best I ever heard. This year, I was
very disappointed to find they were not in attendance at this year's
event (my hunch is the terrible fire that occurred in their room
probably left unresolved issues surrounding safety and insurance. See
my report here). Their website shows some of the funkiest looking
loudspeakers I've ever seen called the Rubanoide Dvaijnoy (which
uses a midrange driver that's an off-shoot of Paul Paddock's Lineaeum
driver technology). I could only imagine what something like this
sounds like considering the quality of performance they achieved in
Munich last year.
My heart skipped a beat when I saw a loudspeaker that closely
resembled the Rubanoide upon first blush. Upon entering the room did
I realize the company was an unknown company (at least to me), from
France called AudioNec. I immediately asked Francis Chailett,
AudioNec's designer if he or this design had any affiliation with The
Audio Consulting guys of Switzerland. He answered "No, and they do
not own the patent nor a monopoly over this driver technology." I then
sat and listened intently to why a loudspeaker like this - aptly named
the Answer - that if so excellent sounding, can be literally invisible here
in the US. Essentially, the sound seemed possess no source much like
real instruments. There was a freedom of colorations I don't remember
ever encountering from any loudspeaker with the exception of perhaps
open-baffle designed electrostats and maybe the big Magnaplaners.
But those designs always sounded somewhat light in dynamic output
and bass. No pun intended, but that wasn't the case with the Answer.
This loudspeaker produced a bass that might have been its most
impressive feature. The bass drivers are also quite unique in that their
composed of four 75 cm square (and flat) panels with an operating
range of 15 Hz to 200 Hz. And like those aforementioned breeds, this
too is a dipole, box-less design that Chailett states boasts a sensitivity
rating above 100-dB! The more I looked (and more importantly,
listened) the more impressed I became. This system was an all-active
09/07/2010 19:58
StereoTimes - Commentary
4 de 8
http://stereotimes.com/munich2010O.shtml
system, open-baffle, dipole configured speaker system boasting
amplifiers at each driver with their own dedicated active crossovers.
Oh, I should also mention the system was also using their own version
of room correction.
Not to mention their own (model SDV-3) music server ($25k) that was
set up only to play their own music. Sad, considering the type of music
I am familiar with I could not evaluate this otherwise remarkable
sounding system on. Fortunately, I did recognize bassist Christian
McBride's Night Train (from his Gettin' To it CD), which probably
sounded better: faster and with more harmonics and articulation than I
remember ever hearing it. Please visit their website for info at
http://www.audionec.com/
09/07/2010 19:58
StereoTimes - Commentary
5 de 8
http://stereotimes.com/munich2010O.shtml
09/07/2010 19:58
StereoTimes - Commentary
6 de 8
http://stereotimes.com/munich2010O.shtml
09/07/2010 19:58
StereoTimes - Commentary
7 de 8
http://stereotimes.com/munich2010O.shtml
Ok, what are the odds that I would hear another excellent system
employing their own media server in a fully active (800-watt
self-powered loudspeakers) system? Wadax is high-end manufacturer
from Madrid, Spain and their expertise is in designing fully integrated
systems. Here on display was the Speak-1 active loudspeakers($70k),
Pre-1 preamp (with built-in DACs) and the Hermes: a sophisticated
and very handsomely built media server.
Their website info reads: As Wadax understands it, speaker design and
manufacturing is an art that needs a synergy of different skills... The
SPEAK1 is an active, two-way design that applies new acoustic loading
principles; musIC chip, which performs all signal processing with
09/07/2010 19:58
StereoTimes - Commentary
8 de 8
http://stereotimes.com/munich2010O.shtml
unparalleled accuracy never achieved before; Mechalock* mechanical
design and assembly that ensures vibration is channeled away from
critical parts, customs drivers, etc. These unique performance abilities
are mated with a top-quality design that should seamlessly integrate
with different lifestyles and trends. *[20 custom-machined parts of different
levels of hardness and materials that ensure vibration- energy - is released and
channeled where it should be: away from critical places.]
Using all Absolare Echole cabling featuring their European version of
the Bybee AC purifier, I was smitten by the overall naturalness that
was immediately evident upon entering this room. Most impressive
was the Speak-1's top-end extension which appeared to absolutely
devoid of distortions. I don't know if this is the advantage of having
zero cables between the amps and loudspeakers (and of course a very
good media server), but I can personally attest to the end
results/rewards: it was as believable and wonderful sounding as I
remembered from my first experience with the all-active, all-aluminum
Sonicweld Pulserod/Subpulse ($100k) loudspeaker system heard back
at CES in '08 (here). In the end, the AudioNec system produced a
sound that was more dynamic and thus realistic, not to mention their
system I think was also less expensive. In the end, pick your poison
because we're all going to die from something. These two systems, for
me ushers in what is possible in the here and now from such no-fuss
setups where you need nothing more than a listening chair and your
own music. How simpler can it get?
See you next year!
Don't forget to bookmark us! (CTRL-SHFT-D)
09/07/2010 19:58