VIVID AUDIO Giya G3 S2
Floorstanding loudspeakers
The second (S2) generation of Vivid Audio’s Giya has arrived and once again it features the tapered teardrop enclosure that curls at the top. Whereas the looks of the G3 may be a subject of love-or-hate opinions, the way they sound won’t be – it is phenomenal.
Function and form
The tapering is a sort of fractal topology found everywhere in Giya G3 S2 and it has its purpose: to dissipate and absorb the rearward energy from the drivers that is otherwise reflected back and may color the sound. The taper tubes are filled with wool; in the enclosure the curled shape helps control the energy of dual bass drivers, in the tweeter and midrange drivers the rather long tubes suppress resonances.
The Giya G3 S2 has five drivers in total, all aluminum alloy: domed 26mm high and 50mm mid frequency units, 125mm lower midrange cone and two 135mm bass cones. The drivers are crossed over at 220, 880 and 3500 Hertz. Vivid Audio claims 36Hz to 33kHz frequency response and 87dB sensitivity. The G3 S2 speakers are specified at 6 ohms nominal.
So far nothing really exceptional. The Giya’s secret is in small things – the drivers’ magnet assemblies, composite material (carbon, glass fiber and balsa reinforced) of the enclosures, silicone decoupling of the drivers from the cabinet or mechanically coupled bass drivers that cancel the action and reaction forces of the baffle. The same principle is applied to two bassreflex ports that fire to opposite directions. The only issue I found is how the speaker cables are connected: the binding posts are placed at the bottom and recessed so to connect the cable you need a second person who tilts the cabinet. It is OK if done once and for ever, it is pain of you want to experiment with other cables.
The G3 is available in two standard finishes - pearl white and piano black – and any other colour is available at additional costs.
Bass management
With the firm, airy and dynamic sound the Vivid Audio G3 S2 are a real sonic treat. Actually it is a very difficult job to find a benchmark for the effortlessness of the sound of this Giya. Few bars into Rimsky-Korsakov’s Snowmaiden (Reference Recordings, Eiji Oue, Exotic Dances from the Opera) made it clear enough: the Giya G3 are nothing but excellent speakers. Interestingly, any comparison to a live performance fails here. I am in a concert auditorium twice a month, different halls, different seats. Often I find myself wiggling in discomfort – how does it come that that the orchestra sounds so bright? Why the flutes are so unpleasantly shrieky? Why is the piano so muted and veiled? Are these strings made of nylon or what? Each hall and each seat within it has its own sonic signature, like all electronics, speakers and rooms included. Yet, any live performance has its own set of unbeatable virtues as well as it can be beaten by a competent home audio set up. With the Vivid Audio’s Giya G3 S2 I arrived to the moment that I wished I could have the same sound in a concert hall.
Clarity & delicacy
The Giya G3 S2s are quite understated in their sonic delivery, there is no show-off effect. Yet they let you hear immediately how good they are. For example, the stroke of a big drum is not presented in a cinematic soundtrack fashion, big, bold and explosive. It literally blooms, from the initial precisely (not sharply) defined transient through the vibrating skin that sends ripples towards the edge of the drum, then the whole drum’s body thunders in a very controlled and somewhat dry manner, yet with beautifully correct tonality. Or take a tuba’s resonant cadenza that stays not a fraction of second longer in the speakers than necessary. Whatever you may think of the unusually shaped enclosures of the Giya G3 they do not resonate and thus they do not color the sound. In short, the bass that the new generation Vivid Audio generates is impeccable and it is up to your listening room to handle it.
Tonal accuracy
During the listening session I often found myself forgetting taking notes, just because I was so enthralled by the music. It is a chore to write about speakers that have no obvious flaws nor do they show off. Audio reviewers are supposed to rave about something rather than saying this is as good as life. So let me rave about how the Vivid Audio Giya G3 S2 stayed composed up to almost unbearable volume levels – no change in tonality. The same happened during excessively low volumes – everything just became quieter. A-ha, I hear you saying, this means that the Giya’s are forgiving speakers. Not really. When I tried to feed them with burnt CD-R of Slayer’s Season In The Abyss the sound was terrible as it deserved. The G3 S2 will let you hear any nastiness in the recording or the playback chain. For example, they let me hear readily differences between interconnects that linked the preamplifier and the power amplifier. In a second it was clear whether I listened to Nordost (V2 and Odin) or Ansuz (C2 and D2).
Spatial resolution
I was lucky to audition the Vivid Audio Giya G3 S2 in quite a large room where the speakers were several meters from the front wall. This way I could enjoy fantastically spacious soundstage, the best I had ever heard. But it is not only about abundant meters – other well regarded elite speakers at very same positions failed to conjure something similar. The Giya G3 S2 disappeared and let me stare into the depth of a real concert venue. I could sense the air shimmer and the softly played instruments – like barely touched piano strokes – were conveyed with astonishing accuracy and delicacy. And I will rave again: when I moved a meter to the left or right the soundstage did not collapse. The sweet spot became a sweet strip with the Giyas and the speakers kept being invisible in the enormous soundstage.
To conclude, if you like how they look then the Vivid Audio Giya G3 S2 are the reference. For me, personally, they became a part of my top 10 listening experiences, with classical music they would score in top 3. Now, looking at their asking price, I would say they are not expensive either.
Recommended resellers
RP Audio, Ostrava, +420 737 366 831
Manufacturer's website: http://www.vividaudio.com
Associated components
- Sources: Soulution 746 SACD
- Amplifiers: Gryphon Antileon Evo, pre Gryphon Zena
- Interconnects and speaker cables: Gryphon VIP, Nordost Odin, Nordost Valhalla V2, Ansuz Signalz D2
- Power conditioning: Gryphon VIP, Ansuz Mainz8, Ansuz Mainz C2
Gallery
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