Audiophilepure

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They only began to describe what I heard. I started with “Avratz,” from Israeli trance duo Infected Mushroom’s Converting Vegetarians (16-bit/44.1kHz FLAC, Hommega/Qobuz). This 2003 release is, um, infectious from the very first hearing. The bass line enters 40 seconds in, and I was absolutely mesmerized by it. The A5s’ bass was deep, articulate, and soooo easy to hear into. I’ve heard this track through other speakers, but the A5s nailed it best. Yes, the bass was deep and weighty, but it was also more tuneful than I’d heard before—not a hint of one-note, homogenized bass. Audiophiles are often forced to choose between weighty bass or tuneful bass, but the A5s in my room gave me both simultaneously—a treat indeed. At 1:50 into “Avratz,” the A5s delivered physical impact to my chest, and made me want to turn up the volume a bit more to hear if they’d reached their limit. Instead, they delivered even more impact, the sound and the music scaling perfectly with increasing volume level. Bass drives this song, and the A5s’ bass left me wanting nothing

Bowers & Wilkins 702 Signature floorstanding loudspeaker

This source proved highly engaging with a variety of records, the less smooth among them were not masked but neither were their shortcomings emphasised. For a contrast I swapped amplifiers for a Rega Elex-R integrated, a musically inspiring few days ensued with what turned out to be a surprisingly well-matched combination. The bass wasn’t as solid but it still went down low with adequate control and the mid and treble provided a spark that was hard to put down. It proved to be highly enjoyable with everything from Nick Drake to Blind Faith (the live version of ‘Can’t Find My Way Home’ is a blinder) and Terry Callier to name a few. All had three dimensionality, pace and good projection when the recordings allowed it.

Magnepan LRS planar quasi-ribbon-type dipole loudspeaker

The LRS’s articulacy and dynamic agility are outstanding, too. To appreciate what I mean by this, try Rodrigo y Gabriela’s rendition of ‘Stairway to Heaven’ from their album of the same name [Universal Imports, 16/44.1]. Folklore has it that this song has been so over-played that it has been banned in most every music store in the known world, but Rodrigo y Gabriela’s flamenco guitar interpretation is so energetic, expressive, and finely crafted that one can’t help but stop and listen. Happily, the LRS’s do their part to bring the music alive. First, they capture the sharp transient attacks and the fiery but also warmly rounded timbres of the guitars in a highly realistic way. Next, the speakers effortlessly keep pace with the performers’ often fleet-fingered runs of notes while also making it easy to appreciate differences between the guitarists’ playing styles. Most importantly, though, the LRS’s show this guitar duet is truly a conversation between two world-class musicians who both have a lot to say.