SoundStage! Global | SoundStageGlobal.com

May 15-18, 2014

All prices in euros or US dollars unless indicated otherwise

Details: Written by Jeff Fritz Jeff Fritz; Parent Category: High End 2014 High End 2014; Created: 18 May 2014 18 May 2014

Variations of the Superspeaker, Part Two: Tidal Audio, Sonus Faber, and Gryphon Audio Designs

I was telling Tidal Audio designer Jorn Janczak that I thought the Contriva G2 (€41,000/pr.) was the perfect-sized loudspeaker. It is large enough to have generous internal air volume for support of a pair of 9" woofers, but also small enough to fit most real-world listening rooms. And let's face it: most audiophiles want a loudspeaker that can produce enough bass to make them feel the music -- a pair of nines will do that. At the same time, we all know that real-world speakers need to be able to fit in an average room -- not just relegated to a large dedicated listening room, which are not all that common these days. The Contriva G2 fills the bill better than most.

Killer Colors: Sonus Faber, Crystal Cable, Vivid Audio, KEF

It wasn't that many years ago when most speakers were available in only a limited number of finishes -- all that you had to choose from were usually a small number of wood-type finishes (real or vinyl) or glossy black paint, which everyone had. Only a handful of companies were pushing beyond that limited selection. The rest were, well, boring.

Variations of the Superspeaker, Part One: MartinLogan, Estelon, and Magico

High End 2014 was a study in contrast on the superspeaker front. Vast technological differences separated the most ambitious participants, and no clearer contrasts could be found than with three of my favorite models: MartinLogan's Neolith, Estelon's Extreme, and Magico's Ultimate III.