Sibelius from Pearl acoustics. These are the most pitch accurate speakers I have heard in the last two years. An example of the fact that there are modern good products (in addition to Lejonklou, Linn, Naim, Rega etc.)
These Sibelius speakers have some disadvantages, they cannot play very loud and they must be set up correctly in the room (something that all good speakers are characterized by). A few centimeters misaligned and you lose a bit of the magic and the live feeling.
If you listen a lot to recordings with real acoustic instruments, you notice that the instrument characters come through very well, while the pitch of each instrument never becomes unclear.
I link to a test by Steve Huff, he gets it exactly right in his review:
www.stevehuffphoto.com
And another reviewer:
audiophilemusings.blogspot.com
” I have to declare a bias heavily against single (dynamic) driver speakers. They have never sounded good to me - boxed, open baffle, mounted in massive cabinets with intricate and extensive folded horns - they all have underwhelmed. Lacking in the frequency extremes (no real surprise there), but, more importantly, completely falling apart when the music gets complex.
But here's the first exception to that experience, the beautifully crafted solid oak Sibelius from Pearl Acoustics. They use a unique Mark Audio provided driver and cost around £5k. These are stunningly good. No, they don't go very deep, but they go deep for such a small driver and the go plenty high enough to feel like there's nothing significant missing from the experience. Musical, tuneful, dynamic, smooth and they don't fall apart when you throw something as complex as Malia & Boris Blank, despite the amount of bass the tracks contain. Excellent.”
Has anyone listened to these speakers and what did you think of the sound ?
These Sibelius speakers have some disadvantages, they cannot play very loud and they must be set up correctly in the room (something that all good speakers are characterized by). A few centimeters misaligned and you lose a bit of the magic and the live feeling.
If you listen a lot to recordings with real acoustic instruments, you notice that the instrument characters come through very well, while the pitch of each instrument never becomes unclear.
I link to a test by Steve Huff, he gets it exactly right in his review:
Pearl Sibelius Speakers can take you to Another World. | Steve Huff Hi-Fi and Photo
The Pearl Sibelius is a single driver speaker from Belgium that is quite special indeed. My full review experience is inside...
www.stevehuffphoto.com
And another reviewer:
Audiophile Musings
Its all about the music, but you need the right kit to enjoy it. From 1973 to streaming network players.
audiophilemusings.blogspot.com
” I have to declare a bias heavily against single (dynamic) driver speakers. They have never sounded good to me - boxed, open baffle, mounted in massive cabinets with intricate and extensive folded horns - they all have underwhelmed. Lacking in the frequency extremes (no real surprise there), but, more importantly, completely falling apart when the music gets complex.
But here's the first exception to that experience, the beautifully crafted solid oak Sibelius from Pearl Acoustics. They use a unique Mark Audio provided driver and cost around £5k. These are stunningly good. No, they don't go very deep, but they go deep for such a small driver and the go plenty high enough to feel like there's nothing significant missing from the experience. Musical, tuneful, dynamic, smooth and they don't fall apart when you throw something as complex as Malia & Boris Blank, despite the amount of bass the tracks contain. Excellent.”
Has anyone listened to these speakers and what did you think of the sound ?
