tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29661145315326595172024-03-14T08:57:26.517-07:00Blog Mr.EkoapriadiArri Alexahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00067833942831269241noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966114531532659517.post-4719853424042823382018-11-11T05:25:00.003-08:002021-08-19T09:06:43.625-07:00Sonus faber Serafino Tradition In-Depth Review<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Anyone familiar with Sonus faber will love the superlative
craftsmanship of the Vicenza- based company’s loudspeakers. Although pretty
much all high-end designs are extremely well turned out these days, this
Italian company remains on another level – producing speakers that resemble art
pieces, rather than just big boxes trying to look expensive. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<div id="timer"></div>
<div class="text-center">
<button id='getlink' class='btn bt-success hidden' disabled=''>Get Link</button>
<!-- Kode iklan di sini -->
</div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
For a while, some thought that the brand had become too
synonymous with visually arresting designs – almost acquiring the sense that
form overrode function. In recent years however, the sonic performance bar of
Sonus faber loudspeakers has been raised significantly, and they’re right there
in the fray – fighting it out with the very best of the rest... <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRsNMG1zddcnhMofF9qY_asY_ZZZgfH1mxAM4QSKLJBZczN6TPZn5DUsk0_sbbNLbbQsN_fDNEA4tviv_T9tNdgNpgAQyko_NUfihCO19sJl9So6tEBXijUFbfqbf_Pe0hXw6hu1eaa_3r/s1600/Sonus+Faber+1.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sonus faber Serafino Tradition" border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="187" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRsNMG1zddcnhMofF9qY_asY_ZZZgfH1mxAM4QSKLJBZczN6TPZn5DUsk0_sbbNLbbQsN_fDNEA4tviv_T9tNdgNpgAQyko_NUfihCO19sJl9So6tEBXijUFbfqbf_Pe0hXw6hu1eaa_3r/s320/Sonus+Faber+1.png" title="Sonus faber Serafino Tradition" width="102" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sonus faber Serafino Tradition</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
LA BELLA FIGURA It is loudspeakers such as the Serafino that
carry this solemn responsibility. Its name literally translates as ‘seraph’ in English
– a celestial or heavenly being. Costing a whisker under £18,000 per pair, it’s
a beautiful high-end product for which no excuses need be made, the very embodiment
of the Italian aesthetic of la bella figura. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The woodwork is flawless, with deep colour, superb texture
and an immaculate lacquer surfacing. Reminiscent of a luxury yacht’s exquisite
wooden hull, there’s a choice of Wengè finish with maple inlays, and a Red
finish. This counterpoints with brushed aluminium in a choice of titanium or
black finishes respectively, with Sonus faber’s traditional front baffle
finished in coffee or black leather. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Serafino may look like a slightly smaller version of the
Amati Tradition [HFN Oct ’17] but in the flesh it still feels big, and it’s
soon obvious that a lot of work has gone into its design. A large 3.5-way system,
it is said to be a full para-aperiodic vented box and has a striking rear end treatment
– the back panel is an aluminium extrusion that forms both part of the speaker’s
exoskeleton, and also part of its so-called Stealth Ultraflex system where the port
ducts are lined to reduce turbulence. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The drive units are all Sonus faber’s own of course, the
tweeter being the H28 XTR-04, which many audiophiles will surely know is a 28mm
silk dome, complete with a natural wood ‘acoustic labyrinth’ rear chamber. This
crosses over to the M15 XTR-04 midrange unit at 2.5kHz – this being a 150mm
diameter design complete with neodymium magnet system. At 250Hz the first of
two Sonus faber W18XTR-08 woofers pitches in, both with 180mm cones made from a
syntactic foam core between external surface skins of cellulose pulp. At 80Hz,
the second joins the party. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As it’s such a sizeable thing, you might expect the Serafino
to be fairly efficient, and the manufacturer does indeed claim a sensitivity of
90dB that was largely met in our tests [see Lab Report, p65]. Alongside its
350W power handling rating, the speaker is obviously designed to go very loud.
So while you’ll need a large-ish listening room for these 52kg cabinets it’s worth
knowing that their bass is readily ‘tuneable’ by positioning. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCUMWaLKenB7F6Xbr5IY5bAXCq9zUZfWsvcHJnSr8nEwU_F2IIH3N6UE6nAKUH775ZeItLY2qx8RaHaRB5d6vZiBsbl0-ZjYm88XyWgGNGwRRsQqBIL6wCy8RWhe51EksGCPXu67QGJiU/s1600/Sonus+Faber+2.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sonus faber Serafino Tradition" border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="203" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCUMWaLKenB7F6Xbr5IY5bAXCq9zUZfWsvcHJnSr8nEwU_F2IIH3N6UE6nAKUH775ZeItLY2qx8RaHaRB5d6vZiBsbl0-ZjYm88XyWgGNGwRRsQqBIL6wCy8RWhe51EksGCPXu67QGJiU/s320/Sonus+Faber+2.png" title="Sonus faber Serafino Tradition" width="108" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sonus faber Serafino Tradition</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />BRISTLING WITH DETAIL From the moment you fire up this loudspeaker,
it’s clear that you’re listening to something special. It simply does not sound
like most examples of the breed, regardless of size or price. There’s a certain
vibrancy that makes pretty much any type of music you play through it unerringly
good fun. Recordings feel alive, bristling with detail and nuance – with the
Serafino, Sonus faber appears to have mastered the secret of making highly
transparent loudspeakers that are nonetheless extremely musically engaging. It
is powerful, shows great poise, and yet is also the life and soul of the party.
This isn’t the most common of combinations, as many will know. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="text-center">
<button id='gotolink' class='btn bt-success hidden' disabled=''>Go to Link</button>
<div style='margin:auto;display:inline-block'>
<!-- Kode iklan di sini -->
</div>
</div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
ROCK-SOLID For example, feed it a clean slice of well-recorded
classic pop music, such as Malcolm McLaren’s ‘House Of The Blue Danube’ [from Waltz
Darling; Epic 460736 2], and one is instantly struck by the physicality of the loudspeaker.
It is not one of the largest I’ve encountered, yet it appears to be able to
shift vast amounts of air with utter ease. The song’s thumping electronic bass
line – beautifully syncopated with snare drums and hi-hats from the drum machine
– proved a joy to listen to. This speaker is able to excavate from deep down
low and pound out huge amounts of low frequency information. Yet it remains
rock-solid, as if the drive units were set into the cliff face of some windswept
coastal cove! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Life is made all the more fun by the Serafino’s excellent,
lens-like midband, highly focused and detailed yet delicate. It doesn’t assault
the listener with midrange detail, rather it dissolves and lets the recording
speak for itself. This classic ’80s Trevor Horn production sounded really pacy,
and with a lovely lustre and sparkle to the proceedings. Swap to more modern electro
from Gorillaz’ ‘Clint Eastwood’ [from G Sides; Parlophone TOCP-65932] and the
same attributes shine through. This recording is dramatically different, instantly
showing how dated the previous one is, yet the Serafino works the same magic.
It lets the listener right into the mix, where he or she can delight in what’s
going on with heady abandon. The infectious way that it handles rhythms, down
to its great transient speed, makes it all the more seductive – as does the
great thump from the bass drivers when, and only when, it is called for. So the
Serafino is something of a gentle giant for despite being ‘big boned’, it’s
supple and agile too. The midband isn’t just excellent in two dimensions; this
loudspeaker images extremely well in three! Grant Green’s ‘Ease Back’ [from
Carryin’ On; Blue Note CDP 7243 8 31247 2 5] is a beautiful slice of late ’60s
jazz, with strong funk overtones. All Blue Note releases from that period seem
to have superb stereo soundstages, and this is no exception. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
LIKE BEING THERE Through the Serafino it was writ large in the
air of the listening room, seemingly escaping through its boundary walls. The great
midband focus really helped here, locating instruments accurately in space. The
music sounded wonderfully vibrant, funky and full sized – the recorded acoustic
was really well carried. Even at lowish volumes, the Serafino conjured up a
really believable sense of being there at the time of the recording, immersing you
in the atmosphere of a great musical event. Aside from the quality of its drive
units and the relative ‘silence’ of its cabinet, I think the tweeter’s open,
extended and spacious sound really helped out in this instance. <o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqq8_d8yv4uPwHJC86jrCsNjXG-hJOchqMD5RFGX1Dk4wwq-LxTZj-8xlEvIX2t9w73SHGK-99THPzKT9wPHFwHy-vS6Y9ngKUSA1-sLAfBT8ABmMgM9YsV_A4iaGAruzHbMxk_paBXQg_/s1600/Sonus+Faber+3.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sonus faber Serafino Tradition" border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="143" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqq8_d8yv4uPwHJC86jrCsNjXG-hJOchqMD5RFGX1Dk4wwq-LxTZj-8xlEvIX2t9w73SHGK-99THPzKT9wPHFwHy-vS6Y9ngKUSA1-sLAfBT8ABmMgM9YsV_A4iaGAruzHbMxk_paBXQg_/s320/Sonus+Faber+3.png" title="Sonus faber Serafino Tradition" width="102" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sonus faber Serafino Tradition</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />This loudspeaker’s true quality is most apparent with
classical music. The opening movement of Mahler’s Symphony No 9 [LSO/Valery Gergiev;
LSO Live LSO0730] showed the Serafino’s sublimely textured string sound playing
with vibrant woodwind and brass. Most striking of all, though, was the
marvellously three-dimensional recorded acoustic and pinpoint imaging. All this
time, the music was lilting and melodic, yet could really jump up and bite you
with its dynamic power. Only when you put it up against the very finest
speakers can criticism be levelled at the Serafino, and even here designs that
do better in one respect may be inferior in others. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
So, with 4hero’s ‘Give In’ [from Play With The Changes; Raw
Canvas Records RCRCD02] I did find the tweeter sounding just a little
‘tinselly’ – just failing to achieve that ultraquiet, fade
back-into-nothingness sort of sound that you get, for example, from a top
ribbon design. And yet the better the recording, the more this loudspeaker
rises to the occasion. And partnered with the finest ancillaries it is capable
of spectacular results. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
THAT NTH DEGREE It’s the last few percent of the recording
that it captures so well. Lesser speakers may give a good account of this, yet
the Serafino Tradition goes right in and gets the last nth degree of detail
out. At the same time, it keeps the music lilting and melodic – so I loved the
superb string timbres and tone (always a Sonus faber speciality) in the Mahler,
the delightful handling of the flute trills and the great sense of all component
parts of the orchestra playing together in the Barbican Hall in 2011. There’s
so much right with this speaker that is almost churlish to complain, and if you
want a really capable big box that covers all the bases, there’s little to
compare <o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Arri Alexahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00067833942831269241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966114531532659517.post-42844911827365619402018-11-11T04:57:00.002-08:002018-11-11T05:07:21.154-08:00ELAC Adante AS-61 In-Depth Review<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
There was a time, back in the 1980s, when much of what was
novel in loudspeaker design emerged from KEF’s R&D department in Maidstone,
Kent. Odd as this may seem as a way of introducing a new ELAC speaker from
Germany, it’s doubly relevant because the £2600 Adante AS-61 – indeed, the
entire three-model Adante range (not including the ASW-121 powered subwoofer) –
incorporates two features associated with that golden era at KEF: one that has
remained familiar, and a second that has rather declined into obscurity. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
GOLDEN ERA Before this sounds like an audiophile pub quiz,
I’m talking about the cone/dome coincident driver array (Uni-Q in KEFspeak) and
the bandpass enclosure, better known as coupled-cavity bass loading. Neither is
classic ELAC fare but the arrival of Andrew Jones as chief engineer has acted as
a conduit for them. He worked under Laurie Fincham at KEF in the 1980s, made
his name at TAD (not least with the CST coaxial driver with beryllium dome and
cone), and is now showing us that designing speakers for the deep of pocket is
not his only talent. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
ELAC has made coaxial drivers before, in the form of the
X-JET and X-JET II, but these featured a planar or almost-planar annular
midrange diaphragm surrounding one of ELAC’s pleated-diaphragm Air Motion
Transformer JET tweeters. We saw the first cone/dome coincident driver from ELAC
in Jones’ recent Uni-Fi series – the Adante variant is similar in that it too combines
an aluminium alloy cone with a soft-dome tweeter where the dust cap would
otherwise be, although here the midrange voice coil diameter is increased to
2in. The cone is flared, the flare being chosen to combine with that of the
fixed ring around the tweeter, the shape of the cone surround and the
continuation of the waveguide into the bonded aluminium front baffle to achieve
a smooth expansion (Jones describes it as ‘a blended multi-radius profile’)
which delivers wellcontrolled responses both on- and off-axis. The first cone
breakup mode occurs at about 6.5kHz, 1.7 octaves above the 2kHz crossover to
the tweeter. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9I01cWVGl-LlfgIQ9USJSqrmt1HdrxdmSOkaIGmOZ4rwO3m8dvugR4q-HZIyaRsjs1ezSrPteT_wlVd5KUr7xsKdC7Ap8Aj1Kn-gGQaBlnLOEC8wkQHTJEb_ckweXvOuWtrXDUW0Ybd8Z/s1600/x3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="ELAC Adante AS-61" border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="169" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9I01cWVGl-LlfgIQ9USJSqrmt1HdrxdmSOkaIGmOZ4rwO3m8dvugR4q-HZIyaRsjs1ezSrPteT_wlVd5KUr7xsKdC7Ap8Aj1Kn-gGQaBlnLOEC8wkQHTJEb_ckweXvOuWtrXDUW0Ybd8Z/s320/x3.png" title="ELAC Adante AS-61" width="91" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ELAC Adante AS-61</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This lower-than-typical crossover point is partly achieved
by equipping the soft dome tweeter with a large surround. A soft dome, here
formed of silk fabric with a coating that optimises its vibrational behaviour,
was chosen as more appropriate to this application than a metal dome. This choice
in turn affected the selection of cone profile as, Jones says, ‘the way a hard dome
matches into a waveguide is very different from a soft dome’. At first glance
you could easily mistake the AS-61 for a conventional three-way design,
although the absence of a port (front, back or exhausting through a plinth)
might puzzle you – surely not a closed-box speaker in this day and age? Indeed
not, for as already indicated, all the Adante models employ coupled-cavity
loading at low frequencies – but with a difference. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
COUPLED-CAVITY Cast your mind back to KEF’s Four-Two, Three-Two,
etc, models and you may recall that there was no visible bass driver, all the
bass output being delivered via a large reflex port, with the bass driver(s)
out of sight within the cabinet. Essentially the AS-61 is the same but for two
important revisions. First, an ABR (auxiliary bass radiator) replaces the
radiating port, so the bass ‘driver’ that you see is not a driver at all but a
passive cone. The real bass driver is located within the cabinetbehind the ABR,
with – the second revision – a reflex port connecting the enclosed volume
between the driver and ABR with that behind the driver. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In effect, this arrangement resembles a conventional reflex loaded
speaker with a front-firing port, to the front of which is attached the chamber
containing the ABR. Acoustically, this adds a second-order low-pass filter that
increases the upper slope of the bandpass response, at 200Hz, from second (12dB
per octave) to fourth-order (24dB per octave) – all achieved without electrical
filtering. That is one good reason for elaborating on KEF’s original layout but
there are others, described in the boxout above. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
From its dimensions, it’s clear that the AS-61 is a
standmount design, unlike the larger AF-61 floorstander. As the stand can have
a significant impact on sound quality, ELAC offers its own partnering LS30 set
for £520. A single-pillar design with steel top and bottom plates, its hollow
aluminium column can be filled with whatever damping material you prefer
(marble flour being superior to traditional sand). Finally, all ELAC’s Adante
models are available in walnut, gloss white or gloss black finishes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
You’d need a fairly substantial set of bookshelves to house
the Adante AS-61, so our tests in Editor PM’s listening room were conducted
with the aid of the ELAC LS 30 stands. Given room to breathe, these compact speakers
can really deliver the goods – namely a typically decisive and well-balanced
sound. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The whispered vocal on ‘This Woman’s Work’ by Kate Bush [The
Sensual World; EMI CDP 7950782] sounded warm and natural, and then gradually
gained in power as it built towards a hard-hitting note of despair. The piano
playing here has a precise, dramatic tone that drives the song towards the
plaintive chorus, ‘all the things I should’ve said...’, and then the knock-out
punch lands, when the Adante AS-61s gracefully caught the sudden swoop of
Bush’s voice, plunging right down to meet the sudden strike of the double-bass –
deep, rich and dramatic. They proved very effective at revealing the intent behind
the music, and the mournful sense of struggle that drives the song, presenting a
depth and drama seldom found with such modestly-proportioned speakers. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJrlo7Dt3WbMnCvaPaNikKw0VlCDOcfIuB3Z8VSh5dMX-0oxRosB_aFm6lkf_qtCiy3c6kw2ULV1gXGIAt7FlbjAQvr0pDvcogKEFIdY59l1LE0dF9kw-JW4DKX9dfP8QJKrXxvCYjpeQ/s1600/x2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="ELAC Adante AS-61" border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="263" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJrlo7Dt3WbMnCvaPaNikKw0VlCDOcfIuB3Z8VSh5dMX-0oxRosB_aFm6lkf_qtCiy3c6kw2ULV1gXGIAt7FlbjAQvr0pDvcogKEFIdY59l1LE0dF9kw-JW4DKX9dfP8QJKrXxvCYjpeQ/s320/x2.png" title="ELAC Adante AS-61" width="232" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ELAC Adante AS-61</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
That ability was no less evident with ‘The Soldier’s Poem’
by Muse [Black Holes And Revelations; Warner Bros/Helium 25646 3509-5]. One of
Matthew Bellamy’s occasional experiments with intricate vocal harmonies, the
song proved to be in good hands with the AS-61s as they balanced the
intertwining layers of vocals perfectly. The lower voices had a rich warmth
that contrasted with the higher, more urgent tones that join in as the song
progresses. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The AS-61s even managed to unravel some details that can get
lost with less precise speakers, including Bellamy’s gentle solo vocal
whispering just below the three-part harmonies. It is, as Freddie Mercury once
sang, ‘fastidious and precise’, yet the sound itself is never cold or
mechanical, and the AS-61s delivered the song with the warmth and intimacy of a
live performance. It was a relaxed, open sound too, and one perfectly able to
fill a big room, despite the compact design.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Continuing with Muse, ‘The 2nd Law’ [The 2nd Law; Warner Bros/ Helium 825646568789] sees the band entering full symphonic rock mode, but the AS-61s coped well with the contrasting styles contained in this near 9m epic. The opening swirl of strings was sharp and urgent, drawing the listener in as portentous, multi-layered harmonies entered the fray, adding to the sense of scale and drama. The AS-61s were not fazed, either, as the piece took its turn into rock, where the deep, electronic keyboards landed with real weight and power, the sound remaining well balanced and never overwhelming the lighter, faster percussion that skims across the surface and leads the song into its second ‘movement’. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1rOrjvWF6smDsrYfEP2eQZdbLBRlMI29ehKGqI9kgXK2uq_87ffszdlYDjlFCoFwur0Hhyphenhyphen1H2PY4U8HQEz6A9yJjbfWlheEr_9xw4f5f3jkE0fquno9yGD6XjtJ9a3ZKOoGMzH6JX1tX/s1600/x1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="ELAC Adante AS-61" border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="180" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1rOrjvWF6smDsrYfEP2eQZdbLBRlMI29ehKGqI9kgXK2uq_87ffszdlYDjlFCoFwur0Hhyphenhyphen1H2PY4U8HQEz6A9yJjbfWlheEr_9xw4f5f3jkE0fquno9yGD6XjtJ9a3ZKOoGMzH6JX1tX/s320/x1.png" title="ELAC Adante AS-61" width="114" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ELAC Adante AS-61</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The mood here is more
thoughtful, with the AS-61s once
again producing that clear, precise
piano sound, with the simple, repeated
keyboard phrase underpinned by pulsing
bass. The piece ends with nothing less
than the heat-death of the universe where the AS-61s held on to the last lingering note, and wrung out every dying detail as it dwindled away over the final long fade-out. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
LIFE IN THE CITY In
contrast, Freddy Kempf’s recording of
Gershwin’s Rhapsody In Blue, with the
Bergen PO/Andrew Litton [BIS SACD 1940],
is full of life and vigour. The AS-61s
delivered the famous opening clarinet
glissando with a sweet, rich tone and a
relaxed rhythm that unwound like a lazy yawn, capturing the start of the new day in bustling New York City. They revealed all the intricate detail in Kempf’s piano runs, and then picked up the pace as the strident brass woke everything up, accompanied by a crystal-clear clash of cymbals. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The speakers perfectly
navigated the rapid changes of pace,
contrasting the horns’ brash energy with
Kempf’s more delicate keyboard work. And
again, the AS- 61s captured the ideas
behind the music, delivering the final
crescendo with a swirl of driving piano
and one final blare of horns that
illustrated all the chaotic energy of
city rush-hour. It was an imposing and
impressive performance given the AS-61’s compact design, not to mention ELAC’s competitive pricing. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Arri Alexahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00067833942831269241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966114531532659517.post-7747934358943199732018-11-11T04:35:00.000-08:002018-11-11T05:07:03.894-08:00Magico A3 Loudspeaker Overview<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
‘Magico’ and ‘affordable’ are not
two words that typically find themselves in the same sentence but this iconic
US loudspeaker brand is making a concerted effort to bring its technology to a
wider music-loving audience. So the new A-series could never be described as
‘budget’ but its A3 floorstander – predicted to sell between £12-13,000 when
available in the first quarter of 2018 – is still more accessible than the
existing S-series with its extruded alloy cabinets.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMC3wUo64JMreciP4iyc7ywWFNBMBBdDAVKhv6gAkOUPyj0GqjobNO3QCEloS6N5-kv2hMvc0fZTV-uZqgwVRwv9IMQJ6ifvpOuAyp0YmjFSRoAjEtVOqtShbtKCPuRM1wUbexOecSymjU/s1600/magico+a3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Magico A3 Loudspeaker" border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="385" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMC3wUo64JMreciP4iyc7ywWFNBMBBdDAVKhv6gAkOUPyj0GqjobNO3QCEloS6N5-kv2hMvc0fZTV-uZqgwVRwv9IMQJ6ifvpOuAyp0YmjFSRoAjEtVOqtShbtKCPuRM1wUbexOecSymjU/s320/magico+a3.png" title="Magico A3 Loudspeaker" width="232" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magico A3 Loudspeaker</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Magico’s first
all-aluminium loudspeaker was the Q5, launched in 2010, and it’s this
longstanding series that has proved the inspiration for the three-way,
four-driver A3. In similar fashion, its cabinet is constructed from sheets of
6061 T6 aircraft-grade aluminium, thinner here of course, but comprehensively
braced by an internal alloy framework and finished in a brushed black
anodising. Magico rates the A3’s sensitivity at 88dB, the four drivers within
the 50kg cabinet married by a fourth-order ‘elliptical’ crossover. The tweeter
is a 1in beryllium dome, derived from the exclusive M-Project, and equipped
with a sealed back chamber. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The midrange is a 6in carbon-fibre/’Nanographene’-coned
unit with an overhung neodymium magnet assembly and 75mm titanium voice coil. The
same motor arrangement is used by the two 7in woofers with their ‘Gen 8 Magico
Nano-Tec’ cones. Like all Magico speakers, the A3 is a sealed-box design. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Arri Alexahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00067833942831269241noreply@blogger.com0