Audiophilepure

https://www.hifinews.com/content/ps-audio-aspen-fr5

Therefore, as also evidenced by its joyful, snappy handling of Artemesia’s ‘Bits And Pieces’ [Hooj Choons HOOJCD031], PS Audio’s loudspeaker is great for when you want your listening room to feel like a nightclub at 1am. But what of more audiophile concerns? Given Maria João Pires’ recitals of Chopin’s ‘Nocturnes’, a ‘4D audio’ recording at both Munich’s Musikhochschule and London’s Henry Wood Hall [Deutsche Grammophon 447 096-2], it convincingly evoked the sense of listening at a distance, as piano notes smoothly decayed into an echoey ambience.

On this solo piece the music ebbs and flows at Pires’ command, but on Wagner’s Das Rheingold [Decca Music Group; 192kHz/24-bit], it is Georg Solti (figuratively) pulling the strings of the whole Vienna Philharmonic. Listening to both pieces back-to-back proved the FR5’s chameleonic nature, as it widened its focus on Wagner’s prelude (‘Vorspiel’) to dig deep into the low basses, convey the moving air of the horns, and let the mass of strings build up, and up, to the memorable crescendo. This is a small speaker that makes a big impression.

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