PIO SOUND Eagle
Floorstanding loudspeakers
The mids are perfect, beguilingly tonally rich and very neutral if I may say so. The speakers were not pushing the sound to me, rather they were inviting me through an open door to take a part in the performance. For the Eagles it was easy to create a link between the audio system and the listener. In the end I listened because I wanted to, not because I had to.
Function and form
The Eagles provide an uncluttered modern and clean look. A brushed aluminum frame is combined with a black fabric grille (other colours available) in a very flat design (5cm is the thickness of the panel) that is very chic.
The Pio Sound Eagles must be plugged in. If they do not detect any signal on their inputs they switch off into a stand-by mode. This saves some costs for you and stops the electrostatic field attracting dust.
I have also big criticism for the Eagle: it uses WBT binding posts that can be found in the flat plinth. The posts are in a recession very close to each other and very close to the floor. To connect banana terminated cables is not an issue but when I tried to use my own thick cables terminated with lugs I was not able to manipulate them into the posts. The Eagles just refused to accept them.
Bass management
There was not much difference between the Pio Sound Eagles and good monitors as far as their bass was concernedd. With Stereophile's Test CD3 (STPH 006-2) I could hear the last bass note at around 50Hz, with steep roll-off below this frequency. However, there was a difference.
Even the best monitors need to face inevitable floor bounce that is dictated by the distance of a woofer (or a midrange driver) from the floor. The direct and reflected sounds interact with each other which can be heard as a rather severe peak or a null, depending on the acoustic environment. The electrostatic panel eliminates the floor bounce so, though the bass is not deep, it is more even across octaves. Thus with the Eagles I could enjoy very balanced mid and upper bass without usual loudness fluctuations.
Clarity & delicacy
With the Eagles I felt like behind a window in a control room: they succeeded to replace all the visual stimuli by sound clues so I was always perfectly informed where the instruments and interprets were in the given moment, what was ambiance and what added reverberation... The same way they could readily differentiate between a CD and its copy.
Tonal accuracy
The mids are beautiful with correct timbres and neutral voicing. Tranzients are maybe not as dynamic as they are through the best dynamic speakers but they are as good as the best dynamic speakers in their price category. The Eagles are not merciless fingers pointing to imperfections on recordings, rather they convey beautiful music with certain tolerance to not so successfull mixes. This is not to say they are obscuring subtle differences - when Tom Petty puts his Gibson aside and reaches for the Fender Stratocaster you immediately detect the difference in timbres.
Spatial resolution
The Eagles are electrostatic speakers so any discussion about imaging is useless. They do not have to try hard to create a perfect illusion of a stage in front of you. The music just exists with you in the room, wall to wall and way beyond. It is a highly absorbing experience.
Recommended resellers
High-End Audio Studio, Praha, tel. +420 224 256 844
Associated components
- Sources: Primare CD32
- Amplifiers: Primare i32 integrated, Primare A34.2, Pathos Logos
- Interconnects and speaker cables: Kubala Sosna Expression a Fascination
- Power conditioning: IsoTek Orion|Gemini
Gallery
ACOUSTIQUE QUALITY AQ Passion
Acoustique Quality has been around since early 90’s. The company’s loudspeakers were always close to what can be characterized a good value for money, with a bit of pre-2000 vibe. Speaker by speaker the guys in Acoustique Quality ...
Recommended resellers
AQ s.r.o., Červenka, tel. +420 585 342 232
ANTE Supersonic One
The Supersonics were visually inspired by Lamborghini Countach racer. The functional elegance of the Lamborghini does not come at budget costs and neither the Ante does. The price tag of €160,000 keeps the Supersonics in the company ...
Recommended resellers
Media Control, Bratislava, SK, +421 905 613 928
AQ Canto 5
An experience that moves your soul. This is how Czech loudspeaker manufacturer presents the brand-new Canto range. For the company, the Canto is a milestone, so important that they decided to dedicate a special website to it. The ...
Recommended resellers
AQ s.r.o., Červenka, tel. +420 585 342 232
AUDIO PHYSIC Avantera
The Audio Physic’s HHCM midrange drivers are fantastic. The realism of both male and female vocals through the Avanteras is nothing short of magic. The Avanteras skillfully blend a cocktail full of colors, sonority, textures, ...
Recommended resellers
CZ: High-End Audio Studio, Praha, tel. +420 224 256 844
SK: Platan Audio, Hlohovec / Bratislava, tel. +421 905 409 802
AUDIO PHYSIC Cardeas Plus+
Audio Physic's original Cardeas was like an album of a respected band that was recorded just because it had to be recorded due to a contract. Not like the album that was recorded because the band wanted to. I sighed with relief that ...
Recommended resellers
CZ: High-End Audio Studio, Praha, tel. +420 224 256 844
SK: Platan Audio, Hlohovec / Bratislava, tel. +421 905 409 802
AURUM CANTUS V6F
The Aurum Cantus V6Fs have the ability to dissapear from your ear-view - they move an orchestra to your living room instead and let you bathe in an expanding and transparent soundstage. After listening to the V6Fs you'll find ...
Recommended resellers
Hifi studio MeLissa, Brno, tel. +420 777 04 1313
AVANTGARDE ACOUSTIC Uno Fino
Should your priority is to blend the speakers with your interior and make them visually disappear, the Avantgarde Acoustic Uno Fino is not for you. I am not in favor of color lacquers on speakers and prefer natural veneers where ...
Recommended resellers
HI-FI studio TYKON, Ostrava, tel. +420 723 449 894
