High End 2011 - Munich, Germany
- Details
- Written by Jeff Fritz Jeff Fritz
- Parent Category: High End 2011 High End 2011
- Created: 21 May 2011 21 May 2011
Real Performance from Kaiser and Raidho
In a previous article, I made a big deal about the fact that more and more serious speaker companies are now building their own drivers. Another example is Raidho Acoustics from Denmark, and their flagship C4.0 speaker (85,000€ per pair) was making some mighty fine music in Munich. In the case of Raidho, their driver designs consist of a proprietary sealed ribbon tweeter along with ceramic cone drivers of varying sizes featuring neodymium magnet systems. The result is a trademark sound that's both full and detailed, expertly walking the fine line between "musical" and revealing.
As good as the C4.0 is, perhaps even more exciting is that you can get the same ribbon tweeter and a more simplified version of their ceramic driver in a much less expensive loudspeaker, the new S2.0 (8500€ per pair).
The neo magnets in the C4.0 have been replaced with ferrites in the S2.0, and the cabinet is less ambitious for sure (no aluminum baffles). But I'm very curious to see just how much sound quality they can get out of this little brother at a much lower price point. All I can say is that the speakers from Raidho Acoustics are very, very promising indeed.
Although they don’t make their own drivers, Germany's Kaiser is a relatively new and exciting company. Their new Vivace loudspeaker (25,000€ per pair, base price) had to be the looker of the show. The day I visited their room I got to hear their Classic -- the big brother to the Vivace -- and it was electrostatic-like in its speed and transparency. It was as if the drive units themselves were directly coupled to the amplifier; such was the immediate nature of the sound.
Will the Vivace's Mundorf ribbon tweeter, the carbon-fiber baffle, and the top-of-the-line Scan-Speak midrange and woofer all add up to impressive sound? The design brief is like looking at the window sticker of a fine sports car -- drool inducing!
As disparate as Raidho Acoustics and Kaiser are in their speaker designs, their sounds are quite alike only in that they're completely engaging and musically relevant. Which would I prefer? Only some extended auditioning will reveal . . .
Jeff Fritz
Editor-in-Chief, The SoundStage! Network
Most-Read Last 90 Days
- Hans's Main Stereo System: KEF, Hegel, Siltech
- From Microsub to Tactical Nuke: Living with Perlisten's D15s Subwoofer
- Florida International Audio Expo 2023: TAD’s Compact Evolution One—Concentric Excellence
- Florida International Audio Expo 2023: Soundfield Audio’s Obelisk T710—The Most Ambitious Loudspeaker System at the Show
- Florida International Audio Expo 2023: High-End, Very High-End, and Extremely High-End Loudspeakers—Børresen Acoustics, MC Audiotech, and Acora Acoustics
- Florida International Audio Expo 2023: A Study in Speaker Contrasts—Endow Audio Bravura 12 and Clarisys Audio Minuet
- Florida International Audio Expo 2023: Orchard Audio, M101, Shunyata Research, MSB Technology, and Coastal Source
- Florida International Audio Expo 2023: Four-Figure Gear in a Sea of Unobtanium—Soulnote, Diptyque Audio, Audia Flight, Unison Audio, and Moonriver Audio
- The Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2023, Part 2
- The Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2023, Part 1
- Florida International Audio Expo 2023: Introduction Plus Focal and Naim Audio Product Coverage
- Florida International Audio Expo 2023: Pro-Ject Audio Systems, Rotel, RME, and Falcon Acoustics Product Coverage
- Florida International Audio Expo 2023: Avantgarde Acoustic’s Duo GT—High-End Horns from the House of Stereo
- The Bristol Hi-Fi Show 2023, Part 3
- New Noise #8: Audio Oopsies