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Monitor Audio Gold 100 6G

It’s been 36 years since Monitor Audio first introduced its ‘Gold’ range of passive speakers. The new ‘Gold’ range, launched last year, is the sixth generation, which means it’s averaging a refresh every six years. There are six models in this sixth-generation line-up, including the Monitor Audio Gold 100 6G. Monitor Audio, it would seem, has some sixth sense where the ‘Gold’ range of loudspeakers is concerned. 

Of the six 6G models, this Monitor Audio Gold 100 6G is the largest of the two stand-mounters. And ‘stand-mounter’ it most definitely is. It’s 448 x 230 x 357mm (HxWxD) dimensions, it’s 14 kg per side weight and its gaping rear-firing bass reflex port make it about as bookshelf-unfriendly as any speaker not supplied with spikes can be. At a pinch, perhaps you could position it on a wall bracket. Port bungs are provided in the packaging (along with a couple of magnetically attached grilles per speaker).

Big box

But while there’s plenty of it, not a huge amount has gone on where ‘design’ is concerned. The Monitor Audio Gold 100 6G is, fundamentally, a big straight-edged box of almost exclusively parallel lines. Only the top of the cabinet has come in for even the most cursory ‘designing’. It’s a ‘mid-pod’ steel enclosure, positioned behind an aluminium baffle. This contains both a high-frequency transducer and a midrange driver. That driver sits just fractionally proud of the top edge of the cabinet. A substantial strip of die-cast aluminium flows backwards from the top of this ‘mid-pod’ along most of the length of the top panel. It is also home to what is the only overt branding on the cabinet. However, that branding offers just a hint of very welcome visual relief.

The way Monitor Audio builds and finishes the Gold 100 6G is excellent. It doesn’t matter if you choose the high-gloss black finish, the satin white of my review sample of the artificial Macassar wood veneer. The standard of construction is beyond reproach. This is just as it should be when you’re asking £3,000 for a pair of stand-mounting speakers. The bolt-through technology Monitor Audio has deployed here means the front baffle looks clean. There are no distraction from the suggestion of visual drama provided by the driver array.    

More than striking looks

And it’s a driver array with more than just striking looks going for it. The high-frequency transducer positioned at the top of the Monitor Audio Gold 100 6G ‘mid-pod’ is the latest version of its ‘MPD III’ design. It draws inspiration from the transducer used in both the company’s range-topping ‘Platinum’ series of speakers and the flagship ‘Hyphn’ loudspeaker, which I reviewed here.

MPD III is a micro-pleated diaphragm tuned for dog-bothering treble extension (Monitor Audio reckons it’s suitable for 60kHz). It features a square radiating area intended to deliver equal response in both the vertical and horizontal planes. This should subsequently result in more open, better-defined and more convincing soundstaging. The rear volume of the MPD III arrangement has been optimised in a drive for minimal ‘ripple’ in the audible frequency range. In front is a waveguide designed for even greater control of directivity and, theoretically, even more confident soundstaging.

Mid Pod

Both the 76mm midrange driver, which is the other occupant of the ‘mid-pod’, and the 203mm bass driver positioned below it are of a new design that Monitor Audio calls ‘HDT’. This ‘hexagonal diaphragm technology’ owes plenty to the RDT III (‘rigid diaphragm technology’) Monitor Audio deployed in the Platinum and Hyphn loudspeakers, it’s true. However, it owes even more to the decades-old bee in its bonnet Monitor Audio has about metal driver technology. 

Monitor Audio has been finessing its preferred ‘C-CAM’ (ceramic-coated aluminium magnesium) cone material since the early 1990s. Its Nomex/carbon fibre/aluminium sandwich construction is one of the fundamentals of the RDT III drive. For its reimaging as HDT, Monitor Audio has stamped an asymmetrical hexagonal pattern on the surface of the driver. It’s designed to thwart the breakup characteristics inherent in a symmetrical cone design. The fact that it looks pretty good, especially when (as it is here) surrounded by a quantity of high-quality brushed aluminium, doesn’t do any harm either.  

Less visibly busy

And the company has been equally busy with the less visible aspects. Each of the HDT drivers benefits from a new spider design, fully optimised driver surrounds, increased voice-coil lengths and larger, more powerful motor systems. The little midrange driver has a high-strength neodymium bucking magnet for improved control and optimal power-handling. It also features increased voice-coil venting for sensitivity improvements. All of these improvements make the HDT design the strongest, most piston-like cone Monitor Audio has ever delivered.

 

Monitor Audio has scrutinised its crossover network, too. The company positioned the crossover points at 700Hz and 2.6kHz, where they oughtn’t be readily apparent, and fitted pricier, high-performance capacitors. The net result is a pair of three-way loudspeakers with a ‘HiVE II’ reflex port tuned to 38Hz. They claim a frequency response of 32Hz—60kHz, nominal impedance of 4 Ohms, and sensitivity of an unremarkable 86.5dB.

It certainly doesn’t present any difficulty to a Naim Uniti Star when used as an amplifier and network streamer. Attached via a couple of lengths of QED XT50 speaker cable, the Monitor Audio Gold 100 6G seems to genuinely revel in music of all styles and all degrees of complexity.

Not a dry tool

They’re certainly no dry tool for analysis. Oh, they can peer deep into a dense or complicated mix and return with all sorts of pertinent observations about the minutiae of a recording – transient occurrences don’t elude them, and they have no problem putting them into convincing context. But the Monitor Audio Gold 100 6G seem far more concerned with engaging on a purely musical level – they can do the ‘scrutiny’ thing, but it’s never at the expense of ‘entertainment’.

The fact that the frequency response is so smooth and even despite the relative number of crossover points doesn’t do any harm in this regard, and neither does tonality that’s very carefully one notch to the ‘cool’ side of neutral. Low-frequency presence is considerable, as the ample cabinet and large bass driver suggest. The Monitor Audio speakers exhibit significant variation in bass sounds. Rhythms sound confident because of that overall control. For example, the fast-moving bass-line of ‘LesAplx’ by Floating Points [Ninja Tune] sounds as lithe as can be. 

Air and space

There’s air and space at the opposite end of the frequency range, as well as admirable bite and shine. Treble sounds have substance as well as brilliance. They enjoy the same sort of harmonic variation as the rest of the frequency range. And that little(ish) midrange driver does sterling work with a well-recorded vocalist. The amount of character and attitude it loads onto Syd Staw’s performance during Future 40’s (String of Pearls) [Virgin] is prodigious. If it’s a window into a singer’s emotional state, as well as the secrets of their technique, you’re after, then the Monitor Audio Gold 100 6G will delight you.

The soundstage on which all of this good stuff happens is large, properly organised and entirely convincing. Even a recording as dense and instrument-heavy as Shostakovich’s Scherzo for Orchestra in F-Sharp Minor (Guennadi Rosdhestvenski/USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra) [EMG Classical] is easy to follow. The Monitor Audio provides ample ‘elbow room’ for every participant. This means individuals are easy to isolate and examine. It should be noted, though, that there’s nothing remote or estranged about the way these speakers present this recording. Its handover is a singular occurrence. This is a performance, not a collection of discrete events.   

Chink in the Armour

This recording does make one little chink in the Monitor Audio Gold 100 6G’s otherwise impregnable armour apparent, though. It’s a piece that contrives to sound quite loud and intense even during its quieter passages. When Rosdhestvenski releases the metaphorical hounds, the Monitor Audio don’t quite breathe deeply enough to make the shift through the gears explicit. The broad dynamics of ‘quiet/loud/REALLY LOUD’ are required to make the recording as vibrant and colourful as possible. The Gold 100 6G can sound slightly inhibited in this regard.

I’ll concede that this is something close to nitpicking on my part, though. In almost every regard, and to a nearly complete extent, the Monitor Audio Gold 100 6G get the job done in some style. Smaller three-way speakers are becoming a rarity these days. Monitor Audio keeps this flame burning so brightly. Congratulations to the company for doing so. 

Technical specifications

  • Type: Three-way, three-driver, stand-mount speaker with bass reflex alignment
  • Driver complement: MPD III micro-pleated diaphragm tweeter; 76mm HDT C-CAM hexagonal diaphragm technology midrange driver; 203mm HDT C-CAM hexagonal diaphragm technology bass driver 
  • Crossover frequencies: 700Hz; 2.6kHz
  • Frequency response: 32Hz – 60kHz
  • Impedance: 4 Ohms
  • Sensitivity: 86.5dB/W/m
  • Dimensions (HxWxD): 448 x 230 x 357mm
  • Weight: 14kg/each
  • Finishes: High-gloss black; satin white; Macassar wood veneer
  • Price: £3,000, $4,200, €3,600/pair

Manufacturer

Monitor Audio Ltd

www.monitoraudio.com 

+44 (0)1268 740580

More from Monitor Audio

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Out of The Box – Omega Audio Concepts

Our advertorial ‘Out of the Box’ Series features companies that might occasionally slip through the net. These are companies with more than just hot air —makers of loudspeakers driven by a rare passion that influences both their design and manufacturing processes.

Omega Audio Concepts is an Italian company founded in 2013, but our research started in 2001 when one of the two owners, Renato Filippini, designed his first loudspeaker. 

Today, we are one of the few companies in the world that builds an entire Hi-Fi system chain from source to speaker, and our products follow three main principles.

 For us music is a space-time event because every piece of information has a right space and time that has to be respected when reproducing music on a Hi-Fi system. 

We also respect Ohm’s laws, so our speakers have as little resistance as possible to the passage of electricity and therefore to the information transported by it. The concept of a theoretical limit refers to the inherent limitations in our technology for reproducing music that we can’t overcome. However, we strive to get as close as possible by offering our customers products that are our state of the art. 

We believe that respecting silence is essential to respecting music. To achieve this, we hold two patents: one for the wiring system and another for the crossover filter. Additionally, all our loudspeakers are made from aluminium, with panels ranging from 20 to 50 mm thick, precisely machined with CNC machines. 

At the moment, we have three models available: Easy One, ESSENZIALE and MUSA. Each model has a dedicated crossover, built with our patented technology. Crossover is internal for Easy One and ESSENZIALE and external for MUSA. All three have the mid-woofers, midranges and tweeters in the front. These are spherical dome speakers made in magnesium-aluminium or titanium, and the woofer is in the back in ESSENZIALE and on the side in Easy One and MUSA. Our speakers always work in their reference bands like a rigid piston. Finally,  all the cables that connect the speakers to the crossover are made with our patented technology of the wiring system.  

www.omegaudioconcepts.com

Music Interview: Phil Manzanera

Roxy Music guitar legend, record producer and musical collaborator, Phil Manzanera, is marking his 50-year solo career with an extensive new CD box set.

Called 50 Years In Music, it features guests such as Brian Eno, David Gilmour, Neil and Tim Finn, Andy Mackay and Robert Wyatt. It includes 10 of Manzanera’s original studio albums, plus a bonus disc called Rare Two, a collection of never-before-released demos, radio sessions, and rare European singles.

The box set serves as a companion piece to his colourful and fascinating autobiography, Revolución to Roxy, which was published at the start of this year. This could be ego-driven –Manzanera’s musical contribution is the stuff of legend – but that’s not how Phil Manzanera is in real life. 

As well as his music career, the book also documents his eventful childhood – he was born in London in 1951, to a British father and Colombian mother, but grew up in Cuba, Hawaii, and Venezuela, before moving back to London in 1960.

Phil Manzanera
Image © JC Verona

hi-fi+ spoke to Manzanera, who was awarded an OBE for Services to Music last summer, at his studio in North West London, where five of the albums in the box set were recorded.

SH: So, you’re celebrating your 50-year solo career in music with a new box set. It follows on from your book, which came out earlier this year…

PM: That’s right – I’ve collected and collated all my thoughts in the book. I’m not only trying to make sense of my musical career, but I’ve also gone way back to 1492… (laughs). That was mostly for my cousins – I have 50 Colombian cousins, and they discovered that if you could prove you had specific lineage, you could get a Portuguese passport, so that was the main driver. They were excited by that. 

The box set is putting together 50 years of my music that wasn’t from Roxy. It was never about trying to establish a solo career – it was just about trying to fit in all this other kind of music and having the opportunity to do it. 

Once I was out of the grip of a multinational and had built my own studio – the first studio – having owned the means of production, like Karl Marx, said, you don’t have to ask permission. I could then just do whatever I wanted, subject to the bank manager saying: ‘If you do one more recording, I’m taking everything away from you, because you can’t just keep on doing this…’

I don’t think of myself as a songwriter – I think of myself as a musician. So, the box set is me getting together with people who can write songs. OK, I did do three albums where I wrote all the songs and sang them, but it was never intended. It was just that I knew no one else could sing those lyrics because they were too personal.

So, the box set is just me and the various musicians I’ve worked with before, during and after Roxy, and friends I’ve met. Five of the albums were done here, in this room. 

It’s nice to put it all together – it’s like a life in music. It felt like the appropriate time, and I can say: ‘Right – that was then, now I can look forwards…’ I’ve got new things coming out next year.

How does it feel celebrating 50 years? Does it feel that long?

No – it’s gone by in a flash. 

You were one of the early pioneers in the UK music scene to embrace what we now know as world music…

I guess that was because when I started playing guitar, I was in Havana, and what I was learning were South American songs – boleros – that you could sing along to.

I was brought up going to nightclubs where all the people who ended up at the Buena Vista Social Club were in their prime and singing. I was a six- or seven-year-old with my head on the table, probably fast asleep, but all that shit – all those rhythms – was going into my brain, and sooner or later it would come out in some shape or form somewhere.

For me, it wasn’t Bert Weedon’s Play In A Day – it was all that South American stuff to start with…

But then you got into rock ‘n’ roll when you moved to Caracas, in Venezuela – you heard it through some American kids who were on holiday there, and your dad had a Zenith radio, on which you heard The Shadows and Chuck Berry… 

Yeah – and The Beach Boys… And an English boy showed me some Chuck Berry riffs – they were incredibly difficult to play because you had to stretch your fingers… It used to be called R & B in those days. 

That’s how all my influences came into being in my brain and then I got to London and, wow, everything happened – The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, The Kinks, Jimi Hendrix…

When I was in Venezuela, at a British school, I begged my parents to send me to England – I was speaking half-English and half-Spanish, and it was a mumbo jumbo language.

My brother, who was eight years older than me, was at a boarding school in South London. I wanted to go there – I felt like an only child… I wanted friends… 

So, aged nine, I turned up in South London, in Dulwich, in September 1960, and I was there until ’69.

I went straight into the British public school system, and I was wearing pinstripe trousers and a funny starched shirt and thinking, ‘Well, what’s this? This is weird…’ 

But I loved it, because it was so different – I’d been a little South American boy, but now I was a little English boy and there was fog everywhere and it was freezing cold. 

It was all new and I loved the food – I was fed up with rice and beans… I wanted baked beans and spam fritters. 

Lots of the boys at school played guitar and they showed me how to play this or that – so, it was a way of learning, and then I became best friends with Bill MacCormick and his brother, Ian, who went on to become the famous music journalist, Ian MacDonald.

Me and Bill were given almost a university course in pop, jazz and classical music by Ian. We were number one Soft Machine fans, and we were into early Floyd, and then all the bands, like The Who, turned up, and we were like: ‘What the f*** is this amazing destructive art thing?’ It was just so exciting. 

You’ve overseen the box set and you’ve worked with Barry Grint at Alchemy Mastering, in Air Studios…

Absolutely – I originated the project about three years ago. Universal own the copyright of four of the albums – they inherited it – and I’ve got seven that I put out myself: six and the album of extras. So, I rang Universal and said: ‘Will you license me the four?’ 

The guy there, Johnny Chandler, said: ‘Why don’t we do it [the box set] together, Phil?’ 

So, I said: ‘Hmm, OK – that sounds great.’ But then it took three years… I then remembered why I’m wary of multinationals… I could’ve had it out sooner… 

Originally, I wanted it to come out the same time as the book, but when you’re in the machine, that’s what happens. But it’s great that it’s coming out now. 

Has it been a hard project to work on?

There was a lot of graft – I had to go through every bloody track and listen to it again with Barry, and we had to go back to the original half-inch tapes… 

Technology has changed so much in 50 years – some of the tracks were on half-inch tapes, some were on DAT, ADAT, Pro Tools… It was great that Barry then unified the whole thing by sticking it through his gubbins… You can always make whatever you’ve got 10 per cent better through mastering, but it can take a long time for people to realise that – what actually happens in a mastering room…

I’ve delved into the box set and there’s so much in it – lots of different styles and genres. It’s a melting pot: Latin, pop, funk, ambient, electronica, psychedelic stuff, disco, prog, rock… It’s a sonic adventure, isn’t it?

It is – there’s a lot of music in me. You listen to all this wonderful music from the twentieth century, it goes in, and it gives you a huge palette to draw on.

Whereas some artists make an album that’s in a certain genre, you often explore lots of different ideas and styles on individual records… 

It’s a mixture… I guess that’s because I love all kinds of different music. So, if I did one type of music on one album, it might be more focused and sell more, but it was never about that. It’s just about being free. It’s not designed to be in the charts – it’s designed for me to express myself, and then find other ways to make money. (Laughs).

Like getting one of your songs ‘K-scope’, sampled by Jay-Z and Kayne West on their track, No Church in the Wild?

Exactly – that came out of nowhere. 

The box set starts with Diamond Head, which was your first solo album – you joined Roxy Music in 1972 and Diamond Head came out in 1975. Guests on that record include Brian Eno, Robert Wyatt, Paul Thompson and Andy Mackay, and you recorded it at the Basing Street Studios, which Island owned – Free and Bob Marley had recorded albums there… 

Bob Marley was recording Exodus there either just before or just after Diamond Head. I was doing the first Split Enz album – Bob Marley was in Studio Two, which had round windows. When you looked in, it was full of smoke… There was a little football table outside and we all used to congregate there. It was great.

I knew that if I had the chance to do a solo album, I wanted Robert Wyatt… When I was 16 or 17, my heroes, whom I met, were Robert Wyatt and David Gilmour – I met David the week he joined Pink Floyd. Obviously, I wasn’t going to get David on my first solo album, but Robert was my first choice. 

Robert wrote some Spanish lyrics for the track Frontera, which opens Diamond Head. It’s a colourful and joyous song – very upbeat and exotic, with a Latin-American feel…

I knew he knew some Spanish, so I asked him if he could write some lyrics – I think he just got a phrase book, picked out six phrases and sang this thing… Although it wasn’t grammatically correct, I went with it, but some Spanish people I knew said: ‘What the f***is he singing about?’ 

I said: ‘It’s very Dada,’ which was very Robert Wyatt… It sort of makes sense… I’ve had to explain it in South America and all over the bloody place and give it a little extra spin. But, because it’s Robert and he’s a national treasure as far as I’m concerned, I just adore it.

That track is quite trippy and mesmerising, and the big guitar break in the middle is very psychedelic and out there…

It is, and the use of echo is my sort of trademark – I had it before in my band Quiet Sun, and I brought it to Roxy as well – it was a way of trying to beef up the rhythmic side of things, and I’m still doing it.

How do you listen to music these days?

I use every combination. In our cottage in the country, I’ve developed a strange combination of an old-fashioned Sonos with a new one and I blend the two. I have a very satisfying sound. 

Have you still got all your old vinyl?

Yeah – and I’ve got all the Roxy acetates and white labels going right back to ‘72, but it’s not catalogued properly. 

If I had more time I’d offer you my archiving services, but I have a wife and two young kids at home…

My wife, Claire, says: ‘What the f*** is going to happen to all that stuff if you peg it?’ I say: ‘Leave it with me…’ 

50 Years of Music was released on November 1, 2024 (UMR).

www.manzanera.com

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MJ Lenderman: Manning Fireworks

For those of you yet to come across this exciting young talent, MJ Lenderman is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for his distinct blend of indie rock, country, and Lo-Fi. Emerging from the DIY music scene in Asheville, North Carolina, Lenderman’s music captures a raw, unpolished sound, characterised by gritty guitar riffs and emotionally resonant lyrics. His songwriting often explores themes of love, loss, and the everyday struggles of life, delivered with a straightforward, almost conversational tone that has earned him comparisons to artists like Neil Young and Jason Molina. The latter is also a guiding light to the excellent Waxahatchee, on which Lenderman contributed guitars and vocals on her excellent Tiger’s Blood album, reviewed here previously. 

Lenderman gained significant attention with his 2022 album Boat Songs, which showcased his ability to meld introspective storytelling with an alt-country aesthetic. The album was well-received for its authenticity, with many praising Lenderman’s ability to evoke a sense of place and mood through his music. His work also stands out for its lo-fi production quality, which adds a layer of intimacy and immediacy to his sound.

Manning Fireworks is MJ Lenderman’s fourth solo release, and, spoiler alert, it is comfortably his best yet. Not that his previous offerings weren’t great, it’s just that on this record, both his songwriting and his ability to perform reach a whole new level. 

The opening title track appears to set the album’s stall out: this is simple, country-infused Lo-Fi, and all the more beautiful for it. However, don’t be fooled, because what follows is thirty-something minutes of altogether richer, more varied material. For starters, the two tracks that follow, ‘Joker Lips’ and ‘Rudolf’,  put us immediately in mind of the sadly departed Mark Linkus’s Sparklehourse. This isn’t meant in any way disparagingly – to my mind this is a VERY GOOD THING!

‘Wristwatch’ follows, and ably displays Lenderman’s ability to pen a catchy-as-heck country-rock toe tapper. It’s one of the highlights on the album, and an instant, timeless classic in waiting. ‘She’s Leaving You’ continues in the same vein, and in an album full of well-rendered, snarky lines, stands out as one of the best here lyrically – boy, it sounds bitter. 

‘Rip Torn’s full-on fiddle opening cuts across the country rock comfort zone in a way reminiscent of the great Gram Parsons. It’s a fantastic song too, but the way it adds some shade to the album makes it even better in context. 

‘You Don’t Know The Shape I’m In’ sees the album take another twist back into Lo-Fi, with what sounds like a dime store drum machine leading the way and perfectly delivered backing vocals from Karly Hartzman. And I know I have mentioned a few souls who are no longer with us – Linkus, Molina, Parsons – but please allow me one more, as this song puts me in mind of David Berman of the Silver Jews, which again should be taken as a compliment. Even the title could come straight off of American Water!

‘On My Knees’ takes us back to country rock, before the closer ‘Bark At The Moon’, which is a ten-minute show stopper, the last seven minutes of which are a Neil Young-like feedback fest! Unexpected, but not unwelcome. 

Manning Fireworks was recorded at Asheville’s Drop of Sun studios during multiple four-day stints whenever Lenderman had a break from his hectic touring schedule. Still, it doesn’t sound disjointed in any way. 

Yes, there are plenty of diversions, both sonic and subject-related. Still, Manning Fireworks is only going to cement his reputation as a truly exceptional talent, and one who will continue to grow with each passing release. 

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Tannoy Super Gold Monitor SGM12

The Eagles, Michael Jackson, Elton John, Billy Idol, Depeche Mode and Christine Aguilera. What do they have in common? Their albums were all mastered in recording studios using Tannoy monitor loudspeakers such as the Tannoy Super Gold Monitor SGM12.

That’s quite an impressive pedigree. But the company did not make inroads into professional studio monitoring until the 1970s. Its story started long before that. Guy R Fountain founded Tannoy way back in 1926, originally as the Tulsemere Manufacturing Company. It changed its name a couple of years later. It chose ‘Tannoy’ to reflect the materials used in its rectifiers – TANtalum and lead allOY. Its first speakers were aimed at the public address market. This gained it such brand awareness that ‘Tannoy’ is still a household word in the UK today. It moved into domestic speakers in the 1930s.

The right kind of retro

There’s no denying that retro is ‘in’ right now: retro motorcycles, furniture, bathrooms, kitchens, vinyl and valve amplifiers. But there is retro for its own sake, that focuses more on style than content. Then, there’s the kind of ‘retro’ that makes sense. In the case of the Tannoy Super Gold Monitor SGM12, you could call it retro. I prefer to think of it as authentic heritage that has stood the test of time.

Image_SGM-12-Listening-for-Hours-on-End.jpg

Tannoy’s heritage in loudspeakers is undeniable, and the company will soon be celebrating its 100th anniversary. It joined TC Group in 2002, which became part of Music Tribe in 2015. However, Tannoy has remained true to that heritage.

Late 2023 saw the introduction of the Tannoy Super Gold Monitor SGM12. It is a modern reworking of the Monitor Gold concentric range launched initially in 1967. I reviewed the SGM12’s little brother, the SGM10 stand-mount (£5,995), in issue 230. It has a bigger brother too in the shape of the SGM15 floorstander (£11,495).

First in seven years

After appointing Symphony Distribution as its new UK distributor, 2023 saw Tannoy’s first new speaker launches for seven years. In May, a new Stirling III LZ Special Edition model launched. It is an homage to the 1960s III LZ Monitor Red. Then the Super Gold Monitor range (including the Tannoy Super Gold Monitor SGM12) came in September. Global brand category leader David McCaffrey said the appointment of Symphony had “revitalised the UK market” for Tannoy. This heralds a period of growth for the company, which he confirmed has “major plans for the future”.

At the heart of all of these speakers is Tannoy’s legendary dual-concentric drive unit, originally launched in 1947 and brought thoroughly up to date in its latest speakers. The SGM10 has a 10in, the Tannoy Super Gold Monitor SGM12 has a 12in, and the SGM15 has, you guessed it, a 15in variant.

SGM all three range shot

Before looking at the Tannoy Super Gold Monitor SGM12 in detail, it’s worth looking at what advantages Tannoy claims for the dual-concentric driver. As its name suggests, at the centre of its 12-inch paper pulp mid-bass cone sits a 1.3-inch aluminium/magnesium alloy dome tweeter. Having high- and low-frequency sound waves emanating from a single point results in a more coherent and accurate reproduction. This is also said to help rectify the phase and time alignment anomalies that occur when the sound from two separate drivers arrives at the listener’s ears at different times. 

When two become one

One of the main benefits, says Tannoy, is that the dual-concentric driver provides better dispersion and a wider ‘sweet spot’, which means the listener does not have to sit dead-centre to get the best experience. A further claimed benefit is that it achieves a smoother frequency response as it minimises interference between separate drive units on the same baffle.

The new Super Gold Monitors have seen certain upgrades over the originals. The cabinet of the Tannoy Super Gold Monitor SGM12 uses thicker 19mm chipboard with MDF inserts and internal plywood bracing. In contrast, the front baffle uses a twin sandwich construction to reduce vibrations. The cabinet also gains a second reflex port to help reduce internal standing waves.

The SGM12’s dual-concentric driver uses a tulip waveguide and modern ferrite-type magnet system with copper demodulation rings and a high-flux magnetic circuit. The original had an Alnico magnet with a pepperpot waveguide. The tulip type, says Tannoy, means that some 10kHz could extend the frequency response to 30kHz.

Hard-wired

The hard-wired crossover uses premium-grade polypropylene capacitors, low-loss inductors and high-power resistors, all hard-wired, to provide a 12dB/octave low-pass filter and a 6dB/octave high-pass filter. 

Like its smaller sibling, the Tannoy Super Gold Monitor SGM12 also provides fine-tuning of the treble response using a knurled screw on the front panel that can be shifted from hole to hole to give a Treble Energy adjustment over a range of 1kHz to 30kHz. It comes set to FLAT, but can be adjusted to +1.5dB and +3dB or -1.5dB and -3dB. Similarly, Treble Roll-off from 5kHz to 30kHz can be adjusted in steps of +2dB, -2dB, -4dB and -6dB, or left ‘FLAT’.

In my 19ft x 13ft listening room, the sweet spot for speakers is generally around 18in from the rear wall and 12in from the side walls. It worked for both the SGM10 and the SGM12. Although the SGM12’s low frequency response extended only 2Hz lower (38Hz) than the 10, the larger cabinet audibly produced more bass energy in my room. So whereas I had set both the treble roll-off and treble energy to ‘FLAT’ on the SGM10, the Tannoy Super Gold Monitor SGM12 worked best with treble energy set to +1.5dB, which helped to balance out the sound. This demonstrates the usefulness of these controls, and I strongly advise any owner to experiment for themselves.

The fun factor

I hooked the Tannoy Super Gold Monitor SGM12s up to the same system I used for the SGM10, with an Audio Note TT3 turntable/Arm Two/Io1 and S9 transformer through Audio Note’s Meishu Tonmeister integrated single-ended valve amp. The same company’s CDT-Five transport and DAC Five Special converter took on the CD-spinning role.

As its smaller sibling did before it, the Tannoy Super Gold Monitor SGM12 put a smile on my face from the very start. The sound was dynamic, exciting, detailed and had great impetus and rhythmic integrity while deftly dealing with subtle musical detail and layering.

Starting with ‘Smiles and Smiles To Go’ from guitarist Larry Carlton’s Alone But Never Alone album, I was impressed with the dynamics and control on the drum kit. This is an area where the SGM10 excelled, too. Carlton’s guitar was well voiced, and the Tannoys let me hear the nuances of how each note was played and shaped. The bass line was tight and weighty, moving well. I listened on into the next track and was again impressed how I could hear his fingers moving along the strings, and again the drum sound was tight and dynamic.

Emotion conveyed

Next up was ‘It Didn’t All Come True’ from jazz singer/songwriter/pianist Ben Sidran’s superbly recorded Bop City LP. The Tannoys conveyed the emotion and phrasing in Sidran’s vocals and the speed and dexterity of his piano playing. At the same time, the drums were explosive and snappy. They have a significant impact from the snare, delicacy, and fluidity of the cymbals. That wonderful bass line also had the walk, growl and weight it should. The track is fast-moving, and the Tannoys kept up the impetus and drive, giving it real excitement and energy.

I greatly admire George Benson as a guitarist. I wanted to see how the Tannoy Super Gold Monitor SGM12 would handle the track Johnnie Lee on his That’s Right CD. It’s a gentle and touching tribute to the late John Lee Hooker. Benson’s guitar was beautifully voiced on the Tannoys. The masterful yet understated way he packed emotion into every note, how he bent and shaped it, and the beautiful chord structure, were all laid bare. The bass line was deep and moved well, and the tracked flowed rhythmically. Tannoys can handle a slow track like this as well as they can a raunchy rock number.

Retro-modern

The Tannoy Super Gold Monitor SGM12 may have retro looks, but its sound is thoroughly modern. They took everything I threw at them in their stride. From ZZ Top to beautiful acoustic tracks like singer Sarah Jarosz’s ‘Build Me Up’ from Bones, or raunchy sax of David Sanborn or Eric Marienthal. They are pacey, delicate, and detailed. But when they need to be, they can be wonderfully tight, dynamic, and exciting. And with a sensitivity of 91dB, they are the perfect partner for a low-powered, single-ended valve amp like the Audio Note Meishu Tonmeister.

If you are in the market for some speakers around £8,000, put Tannoy’s Super Gold Monitor SGM12 on your shortlist. 

Technical specifications

  • Type: Two-way reflex-loaded floorstander
  • Driver complement: One dual-concentric driver with 12 12-inch bass/midrange cone and a 1.3-inch dome tweeter 
  • Frequency response: 38Hz-30kHz ±6dB
  • Treble adjustment: shelving ±3dB over 1kHz to 30kHz, +2dB to-6dB slope over 5kHz to 30kHz
  • Crossover frequency: 1.2kHz
  • Impedance: 8 ohms
  • Sensitivity: 91dB/W/m
  • Dimensions (HxWxD): 86.3 x 30.8x 44.7cm
  • Weight: 29.4kg
  • Price: £8,249 per pair

Manufacturer

Tannoy 

www.tannoy.com

+44(0)1236 420199

UK distributor

Symphony Distribution

www.symphonydistribution.co.uk

+44(0)7776 511691

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Merason Reuss DAC

Merason is a small but dedicated Swiss company whose creations (including the Merason Reuss DAC) are all of the digital-to-analogue converter persuasion. Not only that, but it also makes dedicated PCM-only converters, such as the Reuss tested here. That is a niche within a niche that the company has had some success with over its eight years. 

Daniel Frauchiger runs Merason. Frauchiger originally trained as a mechanic. He has always been a hi-fi nut (as they probably don’t call them in the Cantons). He spent 30 years doing a ‘proper’ job. Finally, he realised that the meaning of life rests in the sound of great music. So, he dedicated his time to making a digital audio source. A source that could “keep up with analogue when it came to musicality and emotion”. The original Merason DAC1 was a thrilling device. It brought much of the musical reward associated with analogue sources to the digital world. The DAC1 had an acrylic and stainless steel case with minimum frippery in electronic or design terms. It made a strong impression on listeners.

Today, Merason makes three DACs: the DAC1 MkII, Reuss, and Frerot. The latter is the least expensive and offers the option of a power supply upgrade. Reuss (pronounced ‘Royce’) is a slimline beauty that maintains the less-is-more ethos inherent in all Merason converters. The Merason Reuss DAC has all the usual input types, including AES and USB. The latter runs into an Amanero input board that offers low jitter thanks to a pair of crystal clocks. All the other inputs are galvanically isolated and feature jitter-reducing transformers and capacitors.

If it ain’t broke

The Reuss uses two Burr-Brown 1794A converter chips to turn the incoming bitstream into an analogue signal. You will find these hybrid multi-bit/sigma-delta devices in all Merason DACs. Frauchiger considers the 1749A the ‘ne plus ultra’ converter chip. In a world where new is generally considered better, using a DAC that originated in 2004 with the A update in 2015 in a high-end converter is quite a statement. However, Merason is not alone in appreciating the qualities of such chipsets. Many smaller brands prize similar chips, including CAD and several in the tube tech world.

Merason Reuss DAC internal image

The drawback with the Burr Brown 1794A converters, however, is that they don’t do DSD. This one-bit format is still highly regarded in some quarters of the high-end universe. Although most streamers can convert from DSD to PCM, I suspect that there are enthusiasts for whom only native conversion is acceptable. And don’t even think about MQA. I have always preferred the sound of PCM. I even find DVD-Audio to be a more musically compelling format than SACD. So this is not a hurdle for me. Your mileage may vary.

Less is more

Build quality is very much up to Merason’s Swiss origins. The casework is simple but attractively designed with a row of input buttons, a lock light, power, and input selection buttons. The slim sans serif font and brushed aluminium front panel appeal in simplicity. Meanwhile, the absence of filters, upsampling, and volume control indicates that the designer has made all the choices. The end user can sit back and enjoy the music without worrying that there is a better setting somewhere in the submenus. While having no user adjustments means you can’t tune the Reuss to musical or sonic taste, the absence of such options can often benefit the sound quality produced; fewer switches are usually better. 

Controversial opinion time: DACs with volume control are overrated! Volume controls on DACs are great for headphone users and have a place with powered speakers. However, for those in pursuit of the absolute, they are a compromise that’s best avoided/bypassed.

Merason DACs have a quality that sets them apart from many others. The Merason Reuss DAC has a lightness of touch that is very appealing and brings out the musicality in digital sources. I used the Reuss with a Lumin U2 Mini streamer, which had a Network Acoustics power supply upgrade, and connected it to the Reuss using that brand’s muon2 USB cable. A Melco N10 server and the Qobuz streaming service brought the music signal to the party. Amplification was Townshend Allegri Reference preamp and Moor Amps Angel 6 power with loudspeakers including Vivid Kaya S12 and PMC twenty5.26i, a system which went a long way to revealing the qualities of this converter.

Digging deep

It’s a subtle device. The magic in digital music resides in the minutiae, the low-level details that combine with the fundamentals to recreate the sense of acoustic realism. Any smartphone and Bluetooth speaker can do the fundamentals well enough for background listening (well, almost any), but if you want to immerse yourself fully in performance, then the quiet stuff matters. Merason’s Reuss does these with a fluency and coherence that is highly gratifying, pulling out the nuances of phase and timbre that make sounds into something alive and inspiring. It is particularly good at reproducing three-dimensionality where it exists, one modern recording revealing a degree of spatial solidity that was surprising given its almost entirely in-the-box creation. 

Acoustic imagery is likewise well reproduced, with reverb unfolding back behind the speakers in a very natural and coherent fashion. I particularly enjoyed the Liv Andrea Hauge Trio’s ‘Istid’ (Ville Blomster). Merason’s Reuss reproduced this piano trio with a solid three-dimensional soundstage, with the instruments being exceptionally full-bodied. 

Coherence degree

Reuss’s degree of coherence made this and many other pieces enjoyable. The converter chosen for this DAC is robust in timing. It’s the area where digital usually lags behind its analogue adversary. That lag is tiny with this Merason Reuss DAC. With an excellent recording like this, it’s hair-splitting stuff.

Of course, it can only work with what you give it. King Crimson’s ‘Starless’ sounds thin and aggressive, but likewise, it’s incredibly intense. The compression is evident in the small scale of the audio picture, but that doesn’t get in the way of the musical message. It’s about as good as this record gets without resorting to a plush-sounding turntable. The Reuss has a leaner-than-average balance, but it makes the better recordings, often the more recent ones, sound spectacular. 

Some old analogue recordings did not translate to digital all that well, hence the market for remasterings on better studio hardware. The flip side is a visceral impact on transients, such as the drum kit on The God in Hackney’s ‘Interstate 5’. The God in Hackney track is a decent modern recording that uses effects but not to squash or dirty the sound. Instead, it enhances the drum sound, and the Reuss revels in the results, producing large-scale imaging and a strong sense of presence from the vocal.

In spirit

The Merason Reuss DAC did a beautiful job with acoustic recordings, such as Chasing the Dragon’s Locrian Ensemble playing Mendelssohn Octets. The open, melodic presentation flowed easily and drew me into the performance. The Reuss is a refined DAC in all respects. It digs down into the bitstream and reveals the finesse of the playing and the timbre of the instruments in a relaxed and engaging fashion. Likewise, the acoustic guitar and double bass of Baden Powell’s Solitude on Guitar were vibrant and spirited, and the live nature of the recording was immediately apparent alongside the quality of its performance.

Merason_Reuss_rear panel black

I used the Reuss with and without a Mutec MC3+ USB reclocker, which sits between the server and DAC and delivers an AES signal to the converter. This Mutec reclocker can often sound better than the Lumin streamer, but not on this occasion. One conclusion is that the USB input, with its upgraded input board, produces a better result than the other inputs, but there are other possible explanations.

Narrow the divide

I enjoyed the Merason Reuss DAC. It narrows the divide between analogue and digital sources to the point where one doesn’t need to purchase vinyl copies of great albums discovered through streaming. Well, not every time. The quality of timing and imaging is superb. This DAC is an excellent choice for anyone who enjoys immediacy and realism in their music. Its tonal balance is far from lush but does not emphasise shortcomings in lesser recordings. The music always comes first; I only noticed the tonal balance occasionally. Anyone looking to discover why streaming is the most engaging variation on digital audio for the hi-fi enthusiast should check out the Merason Reuss. 

Technical specifications

  • Type: Solid-state high-resolution PCM digital-to-analogue converter.
  • Digital Inputs: One AES/EBU, one Coaxial, one Toslink, and one USB 2.0.
  • Analogue Outputs: One stereo single-ended (via RCA jacks), one balanced (via XLR connectors). 
  • DAC Resolution/Supported Digital Formats: All PCM from 44.1KS/s to 192KS/s with word lengths up to 24-bit.
  • Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz, ± 0.5dB
  • Distortion (THD + Noise): <0.015%
  • Output Voltage: 3Vrms max via XLR, 1.5Vrms via RCA.
  • User Interface: front panel buttons.
  • Dimensions (HxWxD): 50 x 450 x 290mm
  • Weight: 4.2kg
  • Price: £4,950, $5,500, €4,900

Manufacturer

Niedal Audio Lab  

en.merason.com

UK distributor

Auden Distribution

www.audendistribution.co.uk

+44(0)791 768 5759

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PMC Active twenty5.22i

PMC is as big in the studio world as it is in our slightly larger niche. The company has consistently made active speakers, but as a rule, those models have been large and black. They have often used the amplification and crossover in separate cases—in other words, ‘pro’ models. I was under the impression that PMC makes active versions of its big ‘se’ models. However, I can’t see them on the company’s website. This leaves the PMC Active twenty5.22i from the Active twenty5i range as the only examples produced for the domestic market.

Launched at the Bristol show in February 2024, this line consists of active versions of all the two-way models in the twenty5i range. It starts with the 21i bookshelf and rises to the 24i floorstander. These are four models, including the PMC Active twenty5.22i stand-mount tested here, which share a 6.5-inch woofer. The slimmer 21i and 23i models run a 5.5-inch main driver. They share the same active power pack built into the brushed stainless crossover panel.

This pack upgrades existing passive versions of these models. The pack can also drive the previous twenty-five series (before the i series). Owners of these models can purchase the Active twenty5i upgrade kit for £1,795. To install it, remove the existing back panel and disconnect the driver cables. Next, connect the components to the Active kit, and then replace the panel on the cabinet. Dealers or end-users can do the upgrade, says PMC.

No DSP

This apparent universality suggests that the active crossover is identical for all models, which would certainly facilitate their building. Still, the crossover points are different for each model, as they have different internal volumes or different-sized main drivers. The active kit consists of an electronic analogue crossover and two 100-watt Class D power amplifiers made by ICEpower. The latter was chosen because PMC has extensive experience with these Bang & Olufsen-designed amp modules in its more manageable studio monitors, including the result6. The use of an analogue crossover is what differentiates the PMC Active twenty5.22i from many competitors. The more affordable examples of the breed all use DSP, or digital signal processing, to split up the signal. Results vary significantly depending on how well this is executed. Still, few sound as good as the analogue alternative.

PMC twenty5.22i active or passive

The benefits of active operation are numerous. A key advantage is that the amplifier is connected directly to the drive unit. This allows for significantly more control over the driver compared to passive designs. Oliver Thomas at PMC said, “It improves transient response through increased damping factor and reduces colouration for greater resolution and detail.” Having the crossover before the amplifier also means each amp only deals with frequencies appropriate to a specific driver. This means that in most cases, the amps will have headroom to spare.

Pros and cons

The active pack features balanced and single-ended inputs, a power inlet with a switch, and a gain switch with plus and minus settings. Consequently, connecting the PMC Active twenty5.22i’s up requires the use of long interconnects and suitable mains cables. The latter are supplied in the box, but not the signal cables. Connection can be to any component with a volume control, such as a preamplifier or a one-box streamer/DAC with a variable output.

The beauty of active systems is that they eliminate boxes and offer a matched combination of amplifier and loudspeaker. When you consider that this match is one of the most critical in any system, that’s quite useful. The drawback with them is that you can’t upgrade the amplifier. This has often been a barrier to popularity in the past, especially when dealers look to sell future upgrades.

The Active twenty5.22i is a medium-sized stand-mount loudspeaker. It features PMC’s Advanced Transmission Line loading with a Laminair ‘spoiler’ on the vent underneath the drive units. The tweeter is a 19mm Sonomex soft dome in a 34mm surround. It sports a grille that not only protects the dome but also aids dispersion. Therefore, it’s best not to remove it. The main driver is a 17cm unit with PMC’s preferred woven construction cone in a cast alloy chassis. This driver’s long-throw capability, allied to the ferrofluid cooling in the tweeter, means that those who enjoy a bit of level are unlikely to cause any damage. Ultimately, this is pretty much a pro loudspeaker in fancy attire.

Active all the way

Experience has taught me that active speakers don’t play nicely with passive preamplifiers; they work, but you don’t get the complete active package. For these PMCs, I used an ATC CA2, which is both price-appropriate (£2,150) and comes from a similarly pro-influenced background. I put the PMC Active twenty5.22i on a pair of Hifi Racks wooden stands and connected them up with fancy Ansuz power cables and decidedly unfancy Van-Damme balanced interconnects. My cable armoury is limited when it comes to the 2.5-plus metre runs required for active speakers. However, this decent down-to-earth cable worked well. I found some obscure silver cables to compare and went back to the Van-Damme quickly.

PMC Active twenty5.22i rear panel

What first made an impression about the PMC Active twenty5.22 is the scale of sound they are capable of. With a decent recording and a bit of level, they throw up a three-dimensional soundstage that surrounds the speakers. They almost seem omnidirectional. I tried the Irresistible Force’s ‘Nepalese Bliss’, which has recently resurfaced in the record collection, and was carried away by its sheer scale and glorious, fulsome juiciness. There are four mixes on the disc, with Amon Tobin’s delivering the crunchiest bass and deepest notes. Let me tell you, these things go very low for such compact boxes.

Monitor-like ability

The PMC Active twenty5.22 also have a monitor-like ability to reveal a lot about each recording, another old 12-inch in The The’s ‘Sweet Bird of Truth’ having a powerful 80s character alongside its apocalyptic forebodings. I also tried some much older vinyl, including Marty Paich, Charles Mingus and Jimmy Giuffre and heard clear and distinct characteristics on each, albeit alongside some very persuasive music; those guys were not making it up as they went along. 

Active operation done this well confers clear advantages when it comes to dynamics; the absence of components between the amp and drive unit means that they have a degree of grip that is rare in passive speakers. It means you get muscular, controlled bass and precise level tracking across the board. The PMC Active twenty5.22i’s jump when the signal says ‘jump’. It’s enough to make many passive systems seem limp by comparison, and those looking for the electric energy in their music will find an awful lot to enjoy. Especially if they like to play at higher levels, this is when the sound escapes the box and inhabits the room.

Small trade-off

There is a small trade-off for all this power, and that’s a degree of delicacy. A good amplifier and a pair of passive twenty5.22i’s sound more refined and are better suited to similarly inclined music (but cost more). However, achieving the same level of detail resolution and control as the PMC Active twenty5.22i would be a significant ask, and it cannot be completed within the same budget. 

Despite what I said earlier, it’s possible to use a passive preamplifier with active speakers, and that ushers in all of the delicacy you could ask for, albeit not the dynamics, and it’s the latter that makes this such an entertaining system. It delivers the visceral in a way that few amp/speaker combos at this price can approach; there’s no blurring of detail and oodles of speed. Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Alright’ has the iron fist/velvet glove edge that it requires alongside a spaciousness that I didn’t expect. Nils Petter Molvaer’s ‘Quiet Corners’ has become the reference bass track in these parts of late, and it delivered its brooding menace with considerable extension and power. 

Filth

Jeff Beck and Jan Hammer’s ‘Freeway Jam’ has mountains of atmosphere but needs a remaster to deliver the bass that it requires. The guitar, however, is pure filth, raw and dirty in the way that only Beck can provide. This was one of a few tracks that required tonal tweaking, and it would be nice if these speakers had a similar feature. However, such adjustments can often compromise transparency, making them better suited for later in the chain.

I had an absolute ball with the PMC Active twenty5.22i. They have a degree of grip and energy that is very hard to achieve in a passive design. They can do refinement, too. However, the combination of transmission line loading and absolute control over the drivers means they deliver thrilling dynamics and bottom-end grunt. Anyone who enjoys playing their music at higher volumes should give them a blast. 

Technical specifications

  • PMC Active twenty5.22i
  • Type: Two-way, two-driver, bookshelf speaker with active drive and transmission line-loaded enclosure.
  • Driver complement: One PMC/SEAS, 19mm twenty5i series, SONOMEX fabric soft dome, Ferrofluid cooled, with 34mm surround and dispersion grille tweeter; one PMC 6.5” / 170mm long-throw g-weave cone with cast alloy chassis mid/bass driver.
  • Crossover frequency: 1.75kHz
  • Frequency response: 39Hz – 25kHz
  • Amplifier output: 100W mid/bass, 100W HF.
  • Input sensitivity: 1Vrms = 99dB SPL @ 1m (low setting) / 109dB SPL @ 1m (high setting).
  • Dimensions (HxWxD): 410 x 192 x 357mm
  • Protection: Optional grilles.
  • Weight: 10.15kg/each
  • Finishes: Walnut, Diamond Black, Oak.
  • Price: £5,275, $6,999, €6,695/pair, Active update kit £1,795, $2,499, €2,095

Manufacturer

The Professional Monitor Company

www.pmc-speakers.com

+44(0)1767 686300

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DS Audio DS-E3

DS Audio’s range of optical cartridges has long intrigued me. So, when they updated and upgraded their entry-level model, the DS Audio DS-E3, I could not pass up the opportunity to review it.

Introduced this summer, the new ‘third generation’ DS-E3 replaces the old DS-E1, costing £2,295 for the cartridge and equaliser package. You need an equaliser to ‘decode’ the unique output of the cartridge. The cartridge does not generate a signal using a conventional moving coil or magnet. Instead, it has a purely optical system of LEDs and photodetectors. The equaliser also provides power to those LEDs.

The nitty gritty

Before delving into the details of how the system works, it is worthwhile to examine its origins. DS Audio, part of Digital Stream Corporation (DSC) in Japan, was founded in 2013 by the then 27-year-old Tetsuaki (‘Aki’) Aoyagi. Aoyagi heard the quality of vinyl firsthand while listening to a friend’s system that included a Toshiba optical cartridge. He even disassembled one! Aoyagi was confident he could improve it using modern materials and technology. The Toshiba cartridge pre-dated the introduction of LEDs and used a filament lamp and phototransistor. This caused a problem with heat build-up.

Aoyagi could draw on DSC’s considerable knowledge and experience. DSC invented the optical mouse with Microsoft. It also has a 25-year track record in laser optics for medical testing systems and laser-based optical instrumentation. He also tracked down and recruited the original designer of the Toshiba optical cartridge. 

The company now manufactures six optical cartridges, ranging from the DS Audio DS-E3 to the flagship Grand Master EX. This last features a one-piece diamond cantilever and stylus. It’s priced at £18,995 or £55,000 with the Grand Master equaliser.

Step into the light

So, how does this tiny package of hi-tech wizardry work? Well, you need to throw out everything you know about cartridges. Sure, it has a stylus attached to a cantilever in the conventional way. And, yes, this traces the record groove as you’d expect. But that’s where the similarities end. So, strap in and bear with me… 

DS Audio DS-E3 cartridge body

A DS Audio optical cartridge features no coils or magnets, instead utilising two infrared LED lights and two photo sensors, one per channel. Attached to the end of the cantilever is what they call a shading plate made from beryllium. As the stylus traces the record groove, the shading plate moves in front of the LEDs, causing changes in the light reaching the photodetectors. The photocells detect these changes in brightness, which alter the output voltage. The angular movement of the shading plate ensures that each photodetector can only pick up information from its corresponding channel. DS Audio points out that the output of the photocells is purely analogue, not digital. 

Advantages

You might think it’s very clever, but why bother? DS Audio claims that the optical system has some significant advantages. For one, the moving mass is significantly lower, with the beryllium shading plate weighing just 0.74 mg, which they claim is approximately one-tenth the mass of a conventional magnet or coil assembly. This, allied to eliminating any magnetic damping effect of a coil/magnet system, is said to leave the cantilever/stylus assembly freer to follow the modulations of the groove.

DS Audio also claims that the optical system eliminates the non-linearities and distortions in an MM or MC generator system caused by a phenomenon called hysteresis, which is the lagging of the magnetisation of a ferromagnetic material, such as iron, behind variations of the magnetising field.

Although the output from an optical cartridge requires a dedicated equaliser, DS Audio says the output requires less manipulation than traditional moving coils or moving magnets, as it is flat across the entire frequency range. This means the circuitry can be kept simple. The DS-E3 equaliser uses an op-amp to minimise the number of components in the signal path and keep the unit small. It connects to a line input on your amplifier.

Third generation

As mentioned above, the new ‘third generation’ DS-E3 entry-level replaces the old DS-E1 introduced in 2019. However, the E3 also draws on technology developed for the flagship model.

DS Audio Equaliser

It features two independent LEDs and photodetectors for the left and right channels, whereas the previous model had just one. This, it states, has dramatically improved channel separation by as much as 10 dB at high frequencies. It is also said to have eliminated crosstalk, increased the cartridge’s output from around 50mV to 70mV, and significantly improved the signal-to-noise ratio.

The DS-E3 features a reshaped shading plate, now made from beryllium rather than aluminium, which reduces its weight by more than 50% from 1.56mg to 0.74mg. DS Audio claims this is one-tenth the mass of a typical core and coil system in a moving coil cartridge. The cartridge’s internal wiring is also 1.6 times thicker to reduce impedance.

The cartridges and equalisers are hand-made by DS Audio in their factory in Sagamihara. Ogra and Namiki make the cantilevers and styli.

Proof of the pudding

Now you know how this optical cartridge works and why DS Audio believes it is an improvement over conventional design. But you and I want to know what it sounds like. My local retailer had often waxed lyrical to me about DS Audio’s optical cartridges, so I was particularly excited to try one myself, finally. So here goes…

I mounted the DS-E3 in a Tracer arm on a Clearaudio Innovation Compact turntable, playing through my Audio Note Meishu Tonmeister integrated valve amp and Russell K Red 120Se speakers. 

The Clearaudio turntable also allows two arms to be fitted. I procured a second Tracer into which I mounted a well-respected moving coil. The Tracer’s price, including a phono stage, was similar to that of the DS-E3 and its equaliser. 

The first track I played was the fast-paced ‘No One Emotion’ from George Benson’s brilliant 20/20 album. What struck me straight away about the DS-E3 was its life, pace and openness. Benson’s vocals were packed with emotion and pleasingly accurate, while the driving synth bass line was tight and moved this track along. It also allowed you to listen to the various layers of this lavish production. The moving coil cartridge sounded mellower, more laid-back, less insightful on drums and percussion, and lacked the sheer verve and excitement of the DS Audio DS-E3.

Impressive openness

Moving on to a masterful jazz singer/songwriter/piano player I have seen many times in concert, I played ‘It Didn’t All Come True’ from Ben Sidran’s superb Bop City album. The DS-E3 impressed me with its openness to Sidran’s vocals, allowing me to listen to his fleet-fingered piano play. His piano sounded open and dynamic, while the drums had a real kick and presence, and more subtle cymbal detail was well separated. When the track’s tempo picked up with the bass line moving it along, the DS-E3 was no slouch. The conventional MC cartridge was suitable, but it lacked the detail and energy of the DS Audio.

The DS-E3 also proved its worth with a superb rendition of ‘Red Lights in the Rain’ from Stephen Fearing’s The Secret of Climbing album, conveying the nuances of his vocal delivery and the skill in his guitar play. On ‘Human Nature’ from Miles Davis’s You’re Under Arrest, the DS-E3 captured his enigmatic style and sublimely understated phrasing with more allure and impact than its MC rival. It allowed me to hear more about what makes Miles unique.

Recordings from the Seventies vary tremendously in quality, but Hasten Down the Wind by Linda Ronstadt is superb. On ‘Lo Siento Mi Vida’, the DS-E3 conveyed her vocals’ nuances and power without making her sound like she was shouting. The drums and the percussion were also compellingly detailed and punchy, and the track had a more emotional impact and inner detail than its MC rival.

The light fantastic

This first acquaintance with DS Audio’s optical cartridge technology has whetted my appetite. Suppose this model is anything to go by. In that case, the optical cartridge offers a more open, dynamic, pacey and detailed sound, delivering excitement and energy while capturing subtle nuances in the mix and individual musicians’ contributions.

The DS Audio DS-E3 gave a superb performance, and I highly recommend it. 

Technical specifications

Cartridge 

  • Type: Optical pickup cartridge with dedicated equaliser
  • Body material: Aluminium
  • Cantilever material: Aluminium
  • Stylus: Elliptical
  • Output: >70mV
  • Channel separation: >26dB (at 1kHz)
  • Tracking force: 2.0 – 2.2g (2.1g recommended)
  • Weight: 7.7g

Equaliser

  • Input: RCA
  • Outputs: 2 x RCA
  • Output 2 has a subsonic filter (20Hz, -6dB/oct)
  • Impedance: 120 ohms
  • Pre-amp input impedance: >10k ohms
  • Dimensions (HxWxD): 260mm x 69mm x 195mm
  • Weight: 1.86kg
  • Price: £1,270, $1,375, €1,495. Equaliser £1,270, $1,375, €1,495. Package price: £2,295, $2,750, €2,990

Manufacturer

Digital Stream Corporation

www.ds-audio-w.biz 

UK distributor

Sound Fowndations

www.soundfowndations.co.uk

+44(0)118 981 4238

More from DS Audio

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Accustic Arts TUBE PREAMP V and AMP IV

For those unfamiliar with Accustic Arts, it is a German audio manufacturer based in Lauffen am Neckar, close to Stuttgart. Lauffen am Neckar is commonly regarded as the birthplace of alternating current electrical transmission. It’s a fitting home, then, for a maker of power amps. Accustic Arts was founded in 1997 and has its roots in Professional Audio, encompassing both recording studios and P.A. systems. This heritage lends the equipment a robust quality in the build of its products. Alongside the TUBE PREAMP V preamplifier and AMP IV power amplifier tested here, Acoustic Arts also makes CD players, transports and DACs.

The TUBE PREAMP V comes either as a line stage preamp or, if needed, with a Phono stage. The sample I was sent is the former. I am curious to hear what the Phono stage does, having spent time with the line stage version. 

Goo-free

While the power amp is transistor-based, the preamp is a hybrid design, utilising four ECC83S tubes. I usually use a passive preamplifier with a valve power amplifier. I have obtained some of the best audio results when valves are used in one stage of the playback process. However, I find that when two or more parts of the chain use valves, the sound can be too rich and gooey for my taste. This combination keeps to my observed rule!

The TUBE PREAMP V is constructed with solid aluminium and weighs 16kg. The front panel features two knobs to meet the amp’s requirements. The left knob controls the input, as indicated on the Hi-Res screen. Pressing it switches the input off, selects the active input, or navigates the menu. The right-hand knob controls volume, the mute function, or the ability to switch off the tubes to extend their lifetime.

Two minutes

In everyday practice, it takes two minutes to warm up the unit. A solid bar shows the progress of the warmup. Switching off the tubes throws you back into a two-minute wait. A button on the front panel activates the headphone amplifier section and cuts off the speakers. As I learned later, the headphone section is no afterthought: it’s genuinely excellent.

ACCUSTIC-ARTS-AMP-IV

The circuit design is fully balanced, with a Class A output stage. There are three balanced XLR inputs, three unbalanced RCA inputs, a surround bypass input, two fully balanced outputs, and two unbalanced outputs. These last can be configured to be AC or DC coupled. Importantly, the AC coupling prevents the possibility of sending DC down the speakers and the damage that can be caused.

Rather massive

The AMP IV is a rather massive affair, weighing in at 44 kg, so it is not my greatest friend, having just had a hernia operation! It stands 34cm high, almost triple the height of a standard piece of audio gear. It is a dual-mono construction and features both balanced and single-ended inputs. Notably, there is a double set of speaker terminals for biwiring. 

An exciting and novel feature is the ability to select the type of damping control. When switched on, the amplifier’s damping factor is lowered and linearised over a wide frequency range. I appreciated this function in practice, and it provided a greater grip on the bass.

On the front panel, a blue light shows operation, and two red LEDs show protection during warm-up. The power rating is a massive 2×610 Watts at 4 Ohms and 2×400 Watts at 8 Ohms.

Connecting up

Connecting the two amps to my Bowers & Wilkins 802d4 speakers (with a dCS Bartók APEX DAC and a classic Naim Audio NAT01 Tuner, together with a PS Audio PS10 Power regenerator and Townshend cables throughout) and listening to Sir Simon Rattle conducting the Berlin Philharmonic in Beethoven’s ‘Fidelio’, I’m immediately impressed by the amp’s ability to do scale. The bass is punchy, and the presentation is colossal sounding. It has real weight to the textures in the orchestra. However, this is combined with a light, airy, sweet, and highly detailed treble. 

The amps are fast, too, and the transients are razor-sharp and highly dynamic. When the texture gets thick in the Fidelio Overture, lesser amps will err on the side of confusion. To use that contemporaneously overused phrase, I sense ‘clean power’ here. There is an absence of distortion, and the amps enable the dCS Bartók APEX to shine. 

Honest combination

I am accustomed to some high-end valve power amps, which tend to overdo it to a greater degree. There is something very honest about what the combination is doing. It is very accurate and provides more stygian bass than I usually hear. I also hear a great line in the singer’s voice. The soprano possesses bell-like clarity, is free from artificial additives, and exhibits genuine power. 

ACCUSTIC-ARTS-AMP-IV-REAR

Next, Wynton Marsalis and his new album Louis Armstrong’s Hot Fives and Hot Sevens and the track ‘Skid-Dat-De-Dat’ beautifully reproduces this tribute to the great Louis Armstrong. Marsalis’ trumpet is bell-like, tight and powerful. When he comes to the Skat, there is a real sense of Marsalis in the room. The space of the performances is fabulously etched, and the backing ragtime band is stunningly portrayed. I note that the dCS output needs to be cut to the recommended 2V from my usual 6V, which I use with my passive preamplifier, the Townshend Allegri. 

Percussion test

A great test of percussion, one of the great dividers in the audio world, is the Varèse Ionisation piece for solo percussion, conducted by Zubin Mehta on Decca. It’s a bizarre piece, all about sonic textures and plenty of struck percussion. There is a cleanness of attack to the whole track that the Accustic Arts combination achieves; the notes start and stop on a dime. It is remarkable to hear the sheer tautness of the snare drums and the amount of sonic information. I haven’t listened to this track more convincingly reproduced. The piece’s sheer humour, with its police sirens, is also notable.

Barenboim’s cycle of Mozart Piano Concert playing and conducting the Berlin Philharmonic on the Elatus label contains many moments of pure chamber music joy. Listening to the Rondo K382, I am struck by just how well the colours of the Steinway are portrayed: a piano is not just a piano; it can be played to produce many different colours, moods and textures, and these are in abundance. Because these amps aren’t getting in the way, they serve as a conduit between Mozart, the performers, and me, the listener. The orchestra sounds crisp and superbly defined.

Curveball

I like to throw capable power amps a curveball sometimes, in the form of a pair of Quad 63 electrostatic speakers, which are notoriously tricky loads to drive. I use some Trilogy Valve amps for these, and sometimes I find the sound is too muffled and lacks bass grip. Hooking them up to the AMP IV yields some spectacular results. Using the Oscar Peterson Trio audiophile favourite, We Get Requests and the song ‘You Look Good to Me’, the track starts with the piano and a double bass playing long notes with a triangle in the background. The quality of the double bass is breathtaking.

On the valve amps, the bass sounds muted and out of control. The AMP IV grips the bass to make my Quad 63’s sound better than I’ve heard them before. And that’s quite apart from the quality of the sound of brushes on the snare drum: drop-dead realistic!

Premier league

The amplifier has transformed the 63’s into the league of the best contemporary speakers. The piano has lost its old-world sound, which I hear on most systems, and the Amp is digging deep down into the piano’s sonorities to create a much more detailed sonic scape. The sound I am hearing is far beyond the capabilities of the Quad 405 amplifier, with which the 63s are often paired. 

Turning now to the headphone output of the TUBE PREAMP V, which is pure Class A, and listening to the ‘Dance of the Ethiopians’ from Delibes’ ballet ‘Sylvia’, the sound is crisp, detailed and spacious on my Sennheiser HD800S. It ranks up there with the best headphone amps I have heard. The timing of the bass is excellent, the colours warm and generous, and it is clear that the headphone section is no afterthought. It has been designed and built with the same care as the rest of the preamp. 

Goat Rodeo Jazz

Finally, I donned a pair of headphones to listen to ‘Your Coffee is a Disaster’ from Yo-yo Ma’s Not Our First Goat Rodeo, a bizarre but rather wonderful collection of jazz musicians seemingly improvising. It’s beautifully recorded, and with the inclusion of a dCS Lina clock, the sheer presence of the musicians in the space is incredible. It feels like being in the booth of a recording studio. The tightness of the double bass and the clucking of the string’s pizzicato, fast and furiously accurate, demonstrate what high-end audio is all about for me!

The Accustic Arts TUBE PREAMP V and the AMP IV pack a punch as a combination. Superbly conceived and engineered without compromise, I have hugely enjoyed my time with these products. They uncovered layers of the mix I had not heard before, proving quite an education. They also excel at handling difficult-to-drive loads, such as electrostatics, and by extension, planar magnetic speakers. For those looking for audio through rose-tinted spectacles, this may not be for you. However, for those seeking superbly accurate and true high-end audio, this is the ideal choice. I would like you to please give it a listen. You may be in for a surprise! I certainly will miss them when they go back. 

Technical specifications

PREAMP V Audiophile reference preamplifier 

  • Class A output stage
  • 3 x fully balanced high level inputs (XLR) and 2 x unbalanced high level inputs (RCA)
  • 1 x unbalanced input (RCA) configured as “SURROUND-BYPASS”
  • 2 x fully balanced outputs (XLR) – 1 x AC coupled, 1 x DC coupled
  • 2 x unbalanced outputs (RCA) – 1 x AC coupled, 1 x DC coupled
  • 1 x headphone output, switchable (1/4″ stereo female jack)
  • 2 x unregulated, switchable output for the connection of an external headphone amplifier (1 x RCA/ Chinch), 1 x (XLR) Phase switch for 0° and 180°
  • Front panel, cover are made solid aluminium; turning knobs are made of chromed brass
  • Dimensions (WxHxD): 48.2×12.8×39.3cm
  • Weight: 16kg
  • Price: £25,500, $28,500, €25,500

AMP IV power amplifier

  • Dual-mono reference power amplifier with completely isolated power supply for each amplifier channel
  • 2 magnetically shielded and encapsulated toroidal core transformer of premium quality for highest output reserves
  • High damping factor for perfect speaker control
  • ACCUSTIC ARTS® damping factor linearization (switchable)
  • Professional protective circuit against clipping, HF oscillations and excess DC offset
  • Integrated switch-on current limitation for highest operational safety
  • Balanced Input (XLR) and unbalanced input (RCA) – the inputs are switchable
  • WBT loudspeaker terminals
  • Massive aluminium housing; inlay made of massive, high gloss polished and chromed brass
  • Minimum impedance: 2 Ω
  • Voltage gain: 25,0 dB
  • Power consumption without load: approx 120 watts
  • Power supply capacity: approx. 160,000 µF
  • Input impedance: balanced (XLR): 2 x 16 kΩ
  • unbalanced (RCA): 15 kΩ
  • max. 2 x 810 Watt at 2 Ω
  • max. 2 x 620 Watt at 4 Ω
  • max. 2 x 400 watts at 8 Ω
  • Dimensions (WxHxD): 47x34x44cm
  • Weight: 44kg
  • Price: £29,700, $35,000, €29,700

Manufacturer

ACCUSTIC ARTS Audio GmbH

www.accusticarts.de

UK distributor

Audio Emotion

www.audiemotion.co.uk

+44(0)1592 407700

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Gryphon Audio EOS 5

Loudspeakers are everywhere. You can find good loudspeakers from a range of companies in every hi-fi shop on the planet. However, outstanding loudspeakers are scarce. What’s more, extraordinary loudspeakers from companies best known for audio electronics are as rare as hen’s teeth. The Gryphon Audio EOS 5 floorstander is one of the rare exceptions.

Gryphon has made loudspeakers for years. The three-way, four-driver EOS 5 stands 1.3m tall, weighs over 50kg, and costs more than £40,000 per pair. It’s no lightweight. Still, compared to the mighty Kodo, the EOS 5 is a more realistic prospect. Kodo costs around £400,000, weighs 1,354kg and stands over 2.3m tall. It comes packed in eight huge wooden crates.

Go almost everywhere

The EOS 5 builds on the strengths of Gryphon’s ‘go-everywhere’ EOS 2. Munich High-End 2023 saw the launch of that two-way floorstander. It features front and rear ports, one of which is sealed depending on the room acoustics and size. The ‘go-almost-everywhere’ EOS 5 is more physically imposing and less accommodating of smaller rooms. However, the scaled-up similarities are impossible to ignore. Both use the company’s ‘Stealth’ enclosure. ‘Stealth’ features a front baffle sculpted to act as a diffuser for in-room standing waves. It is also engineered to ensure good dispersion and uniform energy output. In some loudspeaker systems, that means less of a ‘sweet spot.’ Gryphon claims ‘Stealth’ improves soundstaging. I suspect it probably does both.

Gryphon EOS 5 full length

Stealth is a deceptively complex design element. It is not simply a set of grooves etched into the front baffle for aesthetic reasons. And yes, that’s where I went when first looking at the EOS 5. Those curves and grooves resemble design cues from Gryphon’s electronics. However, the closer you look, the more you notice this isn’t the case at all. From a sonic standpoint, that rigid baffle could efficiently act as a reflective surface. The grooves help break that up.

Although there is no provision to direct the port to the front baffle, the EOS 5 shares the EOS 2’s advanced (and proprietary) ‘Line porting’, a special method of ‘tunnel-damping’ the rear sound of the bass driver towards the ports.  This ensures a direct path for the low frequencies to reach the port while providing an efficient damping of frequencies above the 60-80Hz region, without creating artefacts in the upper frequencies. 

A good box

A good enclosure is only as successful as the drivers and crossovers within. The reverse is also true: poor drivers in an excellent cabinet will never amount to much more than a mediocre performance. The EOS 5’s drivers are all unique to the design, made specifically for the task. These are once again based on the designs developed for the EOS 2. The Gryphon Audio EOS 5 features a 29mm beryllium dome tweeter; this is smaller than the 34mm design from the EOS 2 because the EOS 5 is a three-way design and therefore has a higher mid-treble crossover point. 

The tweeter is joined at the midrange to a 165mm driver, featuring the company’s TPCDTM (Thin-Ply Carbon-fibre Diaphragm), which is also used for the diaphragms in the twin 240mm bass units. Some make these woven carbon-fibre cones from the best people in the business —the teams that fabricate the carbon fibre used in Formula 1. 

We’re accustomed to seeing bass and mid-bass units equipped with either a phase plug or a simple dust cap to keep the pole piece and voice coil free from contamination. The best phase plugs improve the upper registers of a driver on-axis, while the best dust caps improve the structural integrity of the cone. 

Acting on impulse

However, by introducing what Gryphon calls an ‘impulse optimiser ring’ placed directly above the voice coil, the Gryphon gets very close to achieving both at once; it strengthens the bond between cone and voice coil, improves impulse response (as the name suggests) and makes the driver act closer to being purely pistonic, enhancing its performance outside its normal crossover point.  

Gryphon Audio EOS 5 driver detail

Speaking of the crossover, Gryphon once again pulls from the EOS 2 with its Progressive Rounded Slope network. This creates a slope with a very soft initial roll-off – for optimum overlap and blending between drivers – but becomes progressively steeper to remove the out-of-band distortion from both drivers in that network. Perhaps most importantly for Gryphon, this crossover also preserves and aligns the phase.

Gryphon has long been concerned with accurate phase response in its audio equipment, and having a crossover network that aligns the phase and impulse response across the frequency range should be the ideal blend of pace and space in a loudspeaker. 

This crossover network and driver combination delivers an actual full-range performance (20Hz-40kHz, ±2dB) in a room, which is almost unheard of in a loudspeaker of the EOS 5 size and driver complement. This is achieved at an efficient 90dB sensitivity. However, this is countered by a nominal impedance of four ohms, which dips to a minimum of 2.9 ohms, so using the EOS 5 with a flea-powered single-ended triode amplifier design is not feasible. Given that I suspect many EOS 5s will be paired with an all-Gryphon system, which likely means the Diablo 333 integrated amplifier or the Class A Essence power amplifiers, power will not be a problem. 

A quiet place

Finding the correct position for the loudspeakers is more demanding than finding the right amplifier in the Gryphon catalogue. The loudspeakers have adjustable spikes and dampers, but spike shoes are also provided, making it easy to move the loudspeakers into position and fine-tune their placement. However, these loudspeakers require precise interaction with the room and the listener’s position. In particular, the centre image is pinpoint accurate. Get one of the speakers a few millimetres off in any direction, and any central instrument moves to the left or right. Toe-in and height adjustment are similarly demanding but rewarding.

Moving the loudspeakers also highlights something almost like an audiophile optical illusion to the Gryphon Audio EOS 5. While not as backswept as the EOS 2, the front baffle does tilt back slightly. As a result, we naturally assume that the weight distribution of the loudspeaker is toward the rear of the loudspeaker. It isn’t. As you might discover when unpacking the loudspeakers and suddenly finding the drive units experiencing a spot of gravity-related potential entropy, the polite, less sweary way of saying I took the speaker out of the crate, and it almost fell forward. Consider this a warning.

Ready to roll

The Gryphon comes extremely well-packed and ready to roll. A set of jumper cables is provided in the crate. Even the grille strings come pre-fitted. There is a set of Gryphon-designed, chunky bi-wire links located at the bottom of the rear of its cabinet. The combination of ‘Soul Red Crystal’ or gloss black enclosure with the contrasting matt black front baffle, or the ‘S-Mat Black’ matt black paint finish used for the first time here, looks even better in the flesh. Sure, they are large loudspeakers for those of us without man-caves, but they aren’t imposing in the flesh.

The sound quality of the Gryphon EOS 5 ticks so many boxes. The obvious one is the bass; this is a full-range design for a real-world room, and deep, powerful bass is usually rare in such environments. Here, it has both punch and precision. It doesn’t matter if you sidle up to deep bass by being surprised at the depth of a kick drum or throw yourself in at the deep end with organ music, Mahler’s ‘Symphony of a Thousand’ or some wubby electronica. The result is always the same: a half-second realisation that you are in the presence of classy, powerful bass notes, followed by a slightly dumb-looking smile as you revel in all that bottom end.

Phase obsession

Deep bass on its own is fun, but the EOS 5 brims over with dynamic range and headroom. That obsession Gryphon has over phase pays off when you play the same piece of music at a whisper or a scream. You get the same frequency response and dynamic range, all set against a very still background. And yet, the music tracks with a fine sense of scale. That Mahler recording is given a big space, but switching over to Dylan singing ‘Masters of War’ [The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, Columbia] and the sound shrinks to just a young man with a guitar, a harmonica, and lots of talent.

Gryphon Audio EOS 5 port

Whichever aspect of musical performance you pick, the Gryphon Audio EOS 5 leads the field at its price. Soundstaging is holographic, detail is little short of magnificent, and coherence (both in musical terms and from driver to driver) is excellent. Even vocal articulation is first-rate to the point where you feel like you are peering at some of the best vocalists in the music business. And yet, for all that, the Gryphons never lose sight of the task. You end up playing a lot of music through the EOS 5 purely for the pleasure of it.

Subtlety and elegance

The EOS 5 is a speaker of subtlety and elegance. It can do gusto – and do it well. But when you’ve exhausted those show-off albums, the Gryphon Audio EOS 5 keeps coming back. It makes a sound that’s never fatiguing and always exceptionally musically communicative. It combines the precision and speed of a small monitor with the power and depth of a giant loudspeaker. It’s on the warm side of neutral, but not so warm that it holds back the music being played.

I should find something negative to say about the Gryphon Audio EOS 5. However, I was too busy listening to music. Sure, it requires careful feeding and positioning. You get that right, and the floorstander rewards you. It creates a truly beguiling sound that draws you into the music and keeps you there. This might be a heavyweight loudspeaker, but it still punches up. This is ultra high-end audio for real-world listening rooms. 

Technical specifications

  • Type: Three-way, Linear phase, floorstanding loudspeaker
  • Drivers: Tweeter: 1x 29mm, Beryllium Dome, Midrange: 1x 165mm, TPCDTM cone (With Gryphon proprietary impulse optimiser ring). Woofer: 2x 240mm, TPCDTM cone (With Gryphon proprietary impulse optimiser ring)
  • Principle: Rear reflex-ported (Line-dampened, Linear Impulse)
  • Frequency response: 20Hz – 40kHz (±2dB)
  • Sensitivity: 90dB @2.83V
  • Impedance: 4Ω (2.9Ω min. @ 80Hz)
  • Crossover: 500Hz 2nd order, 2.5kHz 4th order, progressive rising slope
  • Adjustment: Switch at 12kHz: 0dB, +2dB, +3dB (off-axis dispersion)
  • Feet: Adjustable spikes with integrated dampers (Removable)
  • Finish: Soul Red Crystal, High Gloss Black and Stealth Grey
  • Dimensions (W x D x H): 46.8×47.2x130cm
  • Weight: 50.6kg per loudspeaker
  • Price: £41,500, $49,800, €42,800 per pair

Manufacturer

Gryphon Audio

www.gryphon-audio.dk

UK distributor

Harmony HiFi

www.harmonyhifi.co.uk

+44(0)1707 629345

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Erland Cooper: Carve The Runes Then Be Content With Silence

Music as conceptual art can leave many people cold – I may even be one of those people. However, Erland Cooper has an impressive track record of creating interesting and engaging music, and it’s worth giving his latest project, Carve The Runes Then Be Content With Silence, a fair crack of the whip. It is a fascinating exploration of sound and silence. 

Cooper hails from the Orkney Islands, a remote archipelago in northern Scotland. His work is deeply influenced by the landscapes, nature, and heritage of his homeland. He first gained recognition as part of the band The Magnetic North. This band released albums inspired by British locations and folklore.

As a solo artist, Cooper began exploring the connection between music and nature with a trilogy of albums, each focusing on a different element of Orkney’s environment. Erland Cooper’s work culminated in Carve The Runes Then Be Content With Silence, demonstrating his artistic evolution. 

The first, Solan Goose (2018), is an ambient, neoclassical album inspired by local birdlife. It was followed by Sule Skerry (2019), which focuses on the sea and maritime culture. It blends orchestral arrangements with field recordings. 

The final album in the trilogy, Hether Blether (2020), is a tribute to the land. It incorporates spoken word and elements of folk music to evoke a sense of homecoming and personal memory. In addition to this trilogy, Cooper has worked on several experimental projects, including Music for Growing Flowers (2021), which came complete with seeds. 

Cooper’s work blends classical, electronic, and natural soundscapes. His music reflects his deep connection to place and the natural world. For Carve The Runes Then Be Content With Silence, we see Erland Cooper’s first composition for solo violin and string ensemble. It’s also a celebration of Orkney poet George Mackay Brown. Cooper decided to attempt a more intense collaboration with the landscape. 

In 2021, the centenary of the poet’s birth, Cooper and the Studio Collective string ensemble recorded the work onto tape. The ensemble was led by solo violinist Daniel Piaro. Cooper then buried the recording, with no protection, in a secret location on Orkney – at the same time, he DELETED all digital files. Later, he provided clues in a treasure hunt for those interested in finding it. This encouraged exploration of the land. 

The plan was always to dig it up in 2024. In 2022, they started selling tickets for a reveal at the Barbican – your reviewer was lucky enough to get a ticket. The idea was that he would then play the tape for the first time. The string ensemble would play it EXACTLY as it came out of the ground – warts and all! If there were nothing left on the tape, it would have made for an excruciating evening of silence. 

As an aside, what is it with musical performance art and Scotland? For example, the KLF burned a million pounds on the island of Jura in 1995… is it the whisky?

In the end, Cooper’s tape only stayed in the ground for a year. A couple following the clues dug it up, remarkably unscathed. There are moments of wear – the level sometimes drops down a little on one channel or another. This is particularly noticeable when listening to the album on headphones. However, don’t let this put you off a fantastic piece of music. View it as patina rather than a fault. 

Set across three movements, Carve The Runes Then Be Content With Silence has a joy and verve that carry you along on a wave of enthusiasm. The recordings of George Mackay Brown, which are interspersed throughout the work, are incredibly engaging. They perfectly complement the music, and the musicians’ performance is first-rate. 

The question about whether Erland Cooper’s Carve The Runes Then Be Content With Silence is a piece of conceptual art or an album of music is null and void – it is both, and all the more enjoyable because of that. 

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Acoustic Energy AE309²

There was a time, not too long ago, when affordable floorstanders were ubiquitous. Any speaker company that produced an affordable range would have at least one model in the lineup. There would often be room for more than one. In more recent years, however, the number of these speakers available has diminished considerably. The Acoustic Energy AE309² stands out as a product that reflects a notable pedigree in this area. It is one of the companies that has maintained its commitment to the concept. 

The 300² Series is the second tier of speakers produced by the company. The 100² models are even more affordable. It also marks the first product range to incorporate design thinking and insights gained from the creation of the flagship Corinium. This is most evident in the range-topping AE320². This features the same driver configuration as the Corinium. However, all 300 models have benefited from the expertise acquired during the development process. Acoustic Energy AE309² represents a significant reworking of the previous AE309, rather than a completely new design. This is logical, given that there wasn’t much wrong with it. 

Speed selector

The tweeter is a new soft-dome unit that Acoustic Energy has selected for its speed, clarity, and low distortion. It is a more conventional material than the unique device used in Corinium. However, the principles of reducing mass without compromising stiffness remain intact. Behind the dome is a neodymium ring magnet, which allows for a large vent in the copper-shielded pole. This, in turn, allows unwanted energy to radiate backwards rather than out the front of the dome.

The mid-bass drivers have undergone a significant rework. This latest generation of drivers is reinforced with coconut fibres. This is a material I have not seen used in audio applications before now. The 120mm cones incorporate a substantial amount of these fibres. They offer improved stiffness and reduced breakup modes. The motor structure features an extended copper pole shield to minimise midrange distortion. Meanwhile, a non-conducting voice coil former enhances extension and dynamic range. Upon examining the drivers, there are no obvious visual clues that this material is in use. 

AE309²-Matte-White-scaled

These drivers are housed in a cabinet that operates on principles similar to those of other recent Acoustic Energy speakers. The company remains a strong advocate for enhancing cabinets with stiffening material, and the Acoustic Energy AE309² is no exception. Like the 500 Series, the cabinet utilises RSC (Resonance Suppression Composite) to minimise unwanted vibrations and losses within the enclosure. It feels impressively inert considering the price point. A slot port on the rear, which is rapidly becoming a hallmark of Acoustic Energy, vents the cabinet, and the crossover supports a single set of connections.

Sober and attractive

Aesthetically, the AE309² is appealing in a subtly sober manner. The company has diligently preserved sufficient styling elements from its past to provide the new speakers with a distinct visual identity, resulting in a fundamentally modern and tidy appearance. Additional details, such as the pointed dust caps, evoke specific Acoustic Energy themes. The curved front panel and right-angled edges are both distinctive and compelling. They contribute to proportions that are elegant and suitable for any room. 

Colour options include a ‘Walnut’ finish, which I feel might be a touch too dark for some tastes, but it’s well-executed and supported by black and white, both in a sheen rather than a high-gloss finish. I like the grey, almost tweed effect grilles, which are a nice touch. The unboxing is painless, and I appreciate the details, such as the included spike shoes, which allow the spikes to do the job without damaging a wood or laminate floor. 

The standout feature of the Acoustic Energy AE309² is the low-end extension it offers. The lower roll-off is specified at 33 Hz, without a quoted ± dB figure. However, even considering it can be achieved within a 3dB tolerance, it still provides a noticeable 10Hz of additional low-end punch over any comparably priced stand-mount. It is stated to have a six-ohm impedance with a sensitivity of 89dB/w, meaning it should pair well with the wide range of £600 to £1,000 amplifiers currently available on the market without exerting undue strain on them. 

Three days in Bristol

The samples that arrived for testing were the same units that had been on display for three days at the 2025 Bristol Show, where they were played at ‘lively’ volumes throughout. This led me to give them the benefit of the doubt regarding whether they were run-in, so I connected them to a Rega Brio Mk7, which had recently passed through the review process, and began to listen. 

AE309²-Matte-Black-scaled

What resulted was impressive from the outset. Under the guidance of Designer and Managing Director Mat Spandl, the company has walked a careful and well-judged line between bringing a level of accuracy and control to modern Acoustic Energy products without losing the slightly ballistic nature of the speaker that encourages you to nudge the volume up and nod along to the music. The utterly lovely Hallucinating Love by Maribou State [Ninja Tune] demonstrates this in fine style. The AE309² effortlessly captures the infectiously groovy nature of the material. Still, it does so with a grasp of tonal realism that, and I say this as a fan of old school Acoustic Energy, wasn’t always the brand’s forte. 

Focal point

This means that Holly Walker’s brilliant vocal performance in ‘Otherside’ becomes the track’s focal point, supported by the deliberately simple backing material. The efforts Acoustic Energy has invested in its tweeters have also reaped rewards. There is abundant treble energy, yet it is complemented by a degree of refinement and forgiveness that older models would have struggled to achieve. The stereo image is spacious without being hazy; it radiates from the cabinets themselves while never creating any noticeable gap in the centre. It’s a seamless handling of scale that very few similarly priced stand-mounts can approach, and, equally importantly, it’s something that adapts effortlessly to the material being played. 

That promised bass extension is realised in fine style as well. The Acoustic Energy AE309² reaches areas that smaller speakers simply cannot, and it does so impressively, with nuanced sound. The huge low note at the beginning of ‘Song of the Stars’ on Dead Can Dance’s Spiritchaser [4AD] is delivered in a manner that is felt as much as heard; however, the control and definition of what the Acoustic Energy is doing ensure that it never feels like a blunt instrument. 

The bass integrates exceptionally well into the lower midrange, leaving the speaker sounding usefully balanced. Even when you ask for something genuinely complex like Cheb Runner’s Jawgana [Rebel Up], which has a time signature quite unlike… well, anything else I’ve ever heard, the Acoustic Energy can make sense of it and deliver the frenetic energy of the track in the manner needed for it to shine.

More power!

Although the partnership with Brio is good, there are clear indicators that the Acoustic Energy AE309² would benefit from additional power if available. I had the opportunity to run with the Roksan Caspian 4G, which provides both enhanced power and improved current delivery. This unlocks a higher level of performance from the AE309². It suggests that some of the more powerful amplifiers on the market, priced just over a grand, might be a better match. This is especially true in larger rooms. I would be hesitant to label the Acoustic Energy as hard to drive. Still, I can understand why the company uses a Rega Aethos for show demonstrations. The extra weight helps the speaker deliver their best. 

You won’t need to spend $3,000 to get a tune out of the Acoustic Energy AE309². Even allowing for the dwindling number of affordable floorstanders available, this one should be considered for any shortlist. In the manner of any self-respecting Acoustic Energy device, it is Hi-Fi when you need it to be. But it’s also simply good fun when you want to turn up the volume and be transported from the present. It looks and feels extremely smart while doing so. This is indeed an excellent loudspeaker and one that continues Acoustic Energy’s impressive run of form. 

Technical specifications

  • Type: 2.5-way, bass reflex floorstanding loudspeaker
  • Drive Unit: 120mm paper cones
  • Tweeter: 29mm fabric dome
  • Frequency Range: 33Hz – 29kHz
  • Sensitivity: 89dB
  • Peak SPL: 112dB
  • Power Handling: 120w
  • Crossover Frequency: 285Hz / 3.8kHz
  • Impedance: 6 ohms
  • Grilles: Slim, cloth magnetic fit
  • Spike Thread Size: M8
  • Finishes: Walnut, ‘Silk-Touch’ Matte Black or Matte White
  • Dimensions (mm): 900 x 170 x 270 (HxWxD, 920mm inc. spikes)
  • Weight: 18.5kg (each)
  • Price: £1,199, €1,500. $2,199

Manufacturer

Acoustic Energy

Homepage – https://www.acoustic-energy.co.uk

Product – https://www.acoustic-energy.co.uk/products/acoustic-energy-300-series/#AE309

Where to buy – https://www.acoustic-energy.co.uk/stockists/uk-stockists/

+44(0)1285 654432

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