Audiophilepure

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/audiovector-r6-arrete

We’re pleased with the stereo imaging. That rear-firing midrange is subtle in operation but helps to give the R6’s soundstage a lovely sense of air and space. Image focus is sharp and the speakers have the ability to layer the soundstage well and keep the image stable even when the music becomes demanding. 

Oh, and the R6s play loud without issue, keeping their composure even when listening levels rise to party levels. Of course, your amplifier has to be able to deliver the grunt necessary for that to happen. A rather specific claimed sensitivity of 91.5dB/W/m and a nominal impedance of 8 ohms certainly suggests that these towers aren’t going to be particularly awkward to drive. But, the rated power handling of 450 watts indicates that Audiovector expects customers to partner them with some beefy electronics.

The Gradient 1.4s are thrifty, indeed, in the realm of high-end prices. And there really are no other speakers that I know of that can do exactly what they do. Like their ancestors, the Gradient 1.3s, they present the sound of recordings in a unique way. They are available in the USA, but not very widely as yet. When shows resume, I hope many people will get to hear them. Meanwhile, if you are really serious about getting your room out of your system and hearing recordings as they actually are, the Gradient 1.4s are, in the words of the Michelin Guides, worth a journey.

Swapping out the hard floor bolts for a pair of tall carpet spikes resulted in an easy gap, and filled out the bass to more preferable levels as well as improving the mid range response just a tad. One might consider that out of the box Zu speakers take a little more tinkering than your average speaker, but even the most basic setup efforts require adjustments of some level to achieve any type of bespoke experience. Roughly a quarter inch to ⅜ off the top edge of carpet provided plenty of balance to the sonic equation, allowing for the bass to reach deeper and with obvious benefits to the overall presence. How much bass exactly? Pumping a full range paper cone driver does have its limits on both sizes of the frequency range. With the coaxial tweeter, Zu looks to make up a lot of the compromises with the supplemental driver.