Audiophilepure

The next track is Yello’s ‘Rubberbandman,’ which places more value on being ultra quick and the ability of a speaker to reproduce deep male vocals without chesty tones nor with weakness of palpability. The song is toe-tapping, rhythmic, and challenging for lesser speakers. Again, the Sonetto VIII’s are fabulous. These are a speaker that challenges for an excellent value, high-end two-channel reproduction machine. The Bass Cello on ‘Night Train’ is exceptional in its rendering, right down to hearing the strings striking the body with complete transparency. If you want detail without harshness, the Sonus faber Sonetto VIII G2 is something you must hear.

We will finish the listening portion of the review with ‘Power,’ a live cut from Marcus Miller. The bass line, percussion, and brass sections combine for a macro-dynamic fest for the ears. It was time to crank up the volume and test out the mettle of these towers when things get really tough. It was no problem for the now termed ‘mighty 8’s’. These are a speaker that can deliver on anything from classical to jazz to rock and yes, even country.

The GoldenEar is a technically very proficient speaker. It delivers high resolution and levels of transparency that are off the charts. Couple the high resolution with the black background and you get yourself superb imaging abilities. With the GoldenEar you can pinpoint each instrument in the constructed room. The sound stage it creates is well stretched into width and depth. Its height is also taller, making way for a grand soundscape. 

Where the BRX shines to me is in dynamic range. It handles loud and intense passages with ease. The BRX portrays details with care, delivering the finest nuances of the music.

The treble of the GoldenEar is fast, agile and detailed. It breathes loads of air into the rest of the sound spectrum. Highs are precise and clear but can sometimes come across as a touch too forward for my personal taste. At times, the GoldenEar is on the edge of hotness. The detailed response, however, is aiding music that relies on them, like Classical.

Cube Audio speakers excel in expanding evenly into the listening space, radiating sound across both the horizontal and vertical planes without distorting the image focus or compromising dynamic impact. They operate in close proximity to where the music’s “gravity” is, making the listening experience feel more interconnected and natural.

With the Jazzon V2, the music emanates from the submarine depths when positioned correctly within the room, the reproduced music makes sense, has a tactile presence, and flows effortlessly.

Unlike many similarly sized speakers, there are no gaps in the frequency spectrum, no sacrifice of harmony or counterpoint. Jazzon V2 speakers are perfectly balanced, delivering a coherent and immersive listening experience.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/quad-revela-1-loudspeaker

No matter what I threw at it, recordings or ancillary gear, the Revela 1s made me forget my cares and get happy. Sparkling, pure highs meet rich, warm bass for a very satisfying sound. Forget harsh treble; the Revela 1’s treble is smooth, see-through, and revealing, and allied to rich, flowing, surprisingly impactful bass.

Serious fun and a solid value, this speaker comes with stands and, though modern in appearance and features, boasts the vintage pedigree of one of audio’s most respected brands. Recommended without reservation.

Musically, the Buchardt S400II stand-mount loudspeakers have neutral yet natural tonality, refined and accurate reproduction of vocal and instrumental timbre, a controlled and defined bottom-end, natural yet but exceedingly engaging musical presentation that conveys a lifelike and very engaging presentation. I’ve enjoyed the experience of listening to these wonderful recordings on the S400II speakers. Some of their most notable attributes are their tonal accuracy and timbral sophistication, presenting the music with sophistication, nuance, and finesse. In addition to delivering excellent detail, the S400II speakers refrain from overemphasizing this to the detriment of the overall musical presentation. Instead, they seamlessly integrate all these musical attributes into a greater whole, creating a listening experience that is dynamic and lively, lifelike and natural-sounding, and most importantly, musically engaging. These musical attributes are capabilities that are not showcased simply as standalone virtues but are seamlessly integrated into “a whole” that is greater than the sum of the parts in their reproduction of the overall musical experience.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/sonus-faber-sonetto-v-g2-loudspeaker

I had these speakers in my living room system for nearly two months and thoroughly enjoyed them with a wide variety of music. I drove them with two high-quality rigs: my reference system and the T+A R 2500 R streaming receiver I reviewed in the August issue. The Sonetto V G2’s were at home in both setups, presenting full-range music at room-filling volume. Given their relatively modest list price of $6499 for the pair, that’s impressive.

To my ears, the Sonus faber Sonetto V G2 is an enjoyable, well-sorted speaker capable of producing full-range room-filling sound and bringing forward subtle details, with all the types of music I sent them. Given their price, this may be extraordinary. They don’t sound bright or glaring. Their low end is ample and satisfying. They rock, swing, and can reproduce a full orchestra.

Keep the Magnepan 2.7x speakers operating in their optimum zone with music that plays to their strengths delivers an experience few speakers can match. There’s a truth in the mid 85% of the musical spectrum that is hard to ignore. Where similarly priced MartinLogans will play louder and go deeper (because they are a hybrid design with a DSP crossover and two active woofers) but that’s not really an apples to apples comparison, just as comparing an older Porsche Boxster with a six-cylinder normally aspirated engine to the current model with a higher-torque, four cylinder turbo model. They are still the same car from the same company, but the way they deliver the experience is very different – though each will be highly satisfying to a certain customer.