Here we go! Get ready for a wall of text!
The Conways arrived 2 days ago, so I moved the RA-04SE and the Beresford in my living room (the NFB-2 DAC still hasn't arrived... damn customs!!).
I hooked 'em up and used my sony dvd player (which curiously have quite a nice mechanic for a budget dvd player) as a source and played some of my favorites.
I started with Eric Clapton, Wonderful Tonight.
As soon as the music started I couldn't resist: I cranked up the volume to 10 o'clock.
The bass was just a bit bloated (I wasn't using the spikes provided because they would have ruined the marble floor and err... well... in the heat of the moment I hooked up the speakers inverted - the left one on the right and the right one on the left
) but tuneful, the vocals were ridiculously "real", full of emotion, looked like Eric was there, singing in front of me (well, I could tell it was a bit on the right, not exactly at the center). The music filled the room, it was magic.
Afraid that the bass might become boomy I continued with Let It Grow. This music has very low tonalities and can be a nightmare in a wrong environment because the mid-lows will just bounce from wall to wall.
Luckily, it seemed that the mid-lows where not the problem, as the vocals were clean and tight, no boom.
Next up are Dire Straits with a classic: Sultan of Swing.
This music has great pace, awesome rhythm, clean tight bass, great guitars.
The Conways despatched them effortlessly.
I admit it: I cranked up the volume to 11 o'clock. And the Rotel started tapping on my shoulder saying "man, give me a break".
When really pushed, the RA-04SE showed its limits in power, but then 11 o'clock volume is very, VERY loud.
I lowered it back to 10, which was more comfortable.
The bass was very controlled, tight, tuneful, while the guitars where great, very detailed but not too forward: they were "in place".
I continued with a song I really love: Romeo and Juliet.
I couldn't resist: I turned the volume just a tiny bit up.
The guitar at the start were outstanding but I heard some strange noise, a bit like cracking, coming from the left tweeter. I panicked thinking that I had done some damage, stopped the music, lowered the volume and then tried again, but that little noise was still there.
So I approached the tweeter to listen more carefully and guess what? It wasn't a noise. It was Knopfler's fingers ticking the chords of his guitar.
Insane.
The amount of detail that these speakers are capable to dig is just plain ridiculous.
And I'm still running the old, modest Beresford TC-7510 DAC.
Back on the track now: Knopfler's voice was rendered very softly, just like the way they were intended to be.
The attack with the drums was precise, firm, without slouch.
Next in the mix is Peter Gabriel.
Here Comes the Flood, reinterpreted in the Shaking the Tree is an excellent benchmark: its subtlety may reveal the limits in transparency and accuracy of a speaker/amp.
The song is made of a piano base and Gabriel's divine voice.
The Conways did an excellent job, just as expected.
The piano was a bit forward but, being a (not so good) pianist myself, I appreciated it. The vocals were great, precise and alive: they almost left me breathless.
But at a certain point in the song a very high hiss started! Argh!! That was something like a 18 Khz hiss which was driving me crazy! It was audible only when Gabriel singed more loudly so it must be the microphone's fault during the registration since it wasn't audible during the rest of the song, nor during other tracks.
Again, that was just plain insane.
Then I moved onto something more recent: Linkin Park's "A Thousand Suns" album.
The Requiem (album's first track which serves as intro) was reproduced effortlessly: delicious, sweet (synthesized) vocals, lot of texture and detail.
Then I skipped to the sixth track: Robot Boy.
I'm definitely in love with this song.
It is so delicate yet so energic, full of pathos and with a great crescendo at the end.
The bass in this track is capable of pulling down an entire house: it is very low and enveloping.
After the little piano intro, the bass kicked in and the room started to shake.
It did matter little as the vocals where really clean, not contaminated by low frequencies.
Yes the bass were a little boomy at some points but man, that crescendo near the end really left me breathless.
At the end of the listening session my mother, who was theoretically watching the tv in her bedroom at the opposite side of the house, said "That sounded really good. Please, play more."
Next day I had to find a way to decouple the speakers from the room without using the spikes that would ruin the marble floor (and got me killed).
So I just went to the nearest hardware store and bought some... err... "blind dices"? I'm literally translating from italian, I mean these:
http://www.vibierre.it/upload/dadi-ciechi.jpg
Anyway, I put them under the speakers with some scotch tape so that I could adjust them.
Again, I forgot to swap the speakers left-right.
It was time for another listening session.
First off is Mr. Oldfield with Moonlight Shadow.
I bet you all know the song, so I'll just skip the description.
The bass was still there, very very tight and precise, really tuneful. If possible, the speakers sounded even more transparent and clear.
The guitar attack was reproduced effortlessly and, as you would expect, the vocals were amazing.
Then it came the time to check on that boomy bass.
Again Mike Oldfield was the chosen author, this time with his last (awesome IMHO) creation: Music of the Spheres.
This album sounded a lot like Tubolar Bells, but with more power.
The music is full, poweful, almost overwhelming.
Starting with the first track, Harbinger, I could definitely tell that the bass was finally under control: boom's not allowed in my house, sorry.
The music was very powerful, rich in details, but the instrument separation wasn't top notch: I think I'll have to wait for the new DAC to arrive to unleash the true marvel of those speakers.
I skipped then to Shabda, which has a part with terrific drums, very very loud and very low.
Luckily the boom was extremely reduced but I'd underline that that drums are the lowest and louder I've ever heard in a track, so it's ok.
Finally, I put in Jimmy Somerville's Dare to Love album.
I admit that I only really like the first track, the rest of the album is a bit garbage in my opinion.
So I played heartbeat.
It starts with some electric piano and (surprise!) a heartbeat base.
They were both rendered very well.
Jimmy's vocals were treated properly and were a bit forward, but that's ok because he has a very expressive, high pitch voice.
When I'll get the DAC I'll write another review to let you know how the ensemble works.
Meanwhile, I'll try to remember to switch the speakers' position
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram