Audiophilepure

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“Those 20 hours didn’t change the Fortys’ sound enough to make them sound like a different pair of speakers, but the improvements were significant. The first 30 seconds of “Misguided Angel,” from The Trinity Session, told me that the bottommost octave was still missing — only to be expected with a speaker of this size and driver configuration — but also that the octave just above now sounded fuller and even tighter than before, and no longer thuddy. And the clarity of the bass was astounding — playing at fairly high volumes such kick-drum-heavy tracks as “Objection (Tango),” from Shakira’s Laundry Service (16/44.1 FLAC, Epic/Tidal), or the title track of Jackson Browne’s Running on Empty (16/44.1 FLAC, Asylum/Tidal), I found the bass much cleaner than I’ve heard from any other stand-mounted two-way. Furthermore, when I push most two-ways very hard in my big room, I can often get them to make nasty sounds through their ports — chuffing and/or other nonmusical noises that are audible at my listening seat. Not the Special Forty. Pushed to pretty high listening levels, their sound remained clean through the bass and the rest of the audioband.

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“Although, like most audio reviewers, I tend to throw around a large number of descriptors to convey the sounds of products, that doesn’t guarantee that the reader is left with clear senses of those sounds. While I can (and do, below) use many adjectives to describe the aural character of the Axiom M5HPs, much of what I heard from them can be summarized in three words: clean, effortless, neutral.”

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“The Dynaudios captured Bebe’s voice with a rare quality of immediacy and razor-sharp focus that would do credit to far more expensive loudspeakers. But what was equally impressive was the way the Special Forty’s revealed not only the subtle sound of the bassist’s fingers on the strings of the instrument, but also the sound of the amplifier—clearly positioned a few feet away from the bassist—reproducing the amplified sound of the performance. The result was one of the most intensely realistic hi-fi moments I’ve experienced in quite a while. I felt almost as if I had been permitted to sit within the studio as Bebe and her accompanist rehearsed the enchanting song.”

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“A final test of the MMGi’s came when I sought to re-create an event recently experienced in New York City. A month before this review was submitted, my significant other and I were treated to the Joe Lovano Nonet performing just a few feet from our ears in the claustrophobic cellar of Max Gordon’s iconic Village Vanguard. With ten musicians — five saxes (including the leader), trumpet, trombone and rhythm cutting loose on tunes inspired by the late, great Tadd Dameron, the sound came close to overpowering the room. It was hair-raising, but in a good way. Nothing went unheard, including the occasional subway train.”

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“The charms of the Manger crept up on me almost subconsciously. I found myself giving the p1 priority over other speakers I had in the listening queue. Like the Fleetwood Mac hit that urges you to “Go Your Own Way,” so, too, does the Manger p1. Rather than seeking to become the center of attention like so many high-fliers in this industry, the p1 defies high-end orthodoxy by standing back and putting the emphasis squarely where it should be—on the music. It opened a window onto the live event like few other floorstanders in its segment. In sum, I would urge every upstanding music lover to make a date to have a serious listen to the marvelously involving Manger. There’s really nothing else quite like it.”