YAMAHA Soavo 2
Stand mount monitors
Yamaha proves once again that it continues to be a big name in audio. The Soavo 2 jare a serious candidate to a 'good buy of the year' as they managed to marry musicality with monitor-like precision. Add their high-end appearance and you have a winner.
Function and form
The trapezoidal design of the Soavo 2s combats standing waves inside their cabinets and makes the boxes less prone to resonances. The tweeter (2.5cm aluminum dome) is mounted into an aluminum subpanel that is fitted into the front baffle. The midbass driver (13cm polymetylopenten) is supported by a rear firing bass reflex port. The port pipe's surface is covered in felt to suppress laminar noise.
Bass management
With a recorded low tone generator (Sheffield Lab's My Disc) the real low-end limit of the Soavo 2 in my room was around 45Hz. With music tracks the bass was tight and dynamic, with decent weight that was sufficient for both a bass guitar and a double-bass, if you do nt require the punch-in-stomach feeling.
Clarity & delicacy
The sound of the Soavo 2 is clean and sparkling, with good resolution across the whole frequency range. When I reviewed the Soavo 1 floorstanders I liked how analytic they could be with some recordings. I would expect even higher sound-dissecting capabilities from the Soavo 2's, yet I was wrong, the microdetail was a bit suppressed despite the tweeter's agility.
Tonal accuracy
The Soavo 2 exhibit even more seamless connection between the tweeter and midbass driver than their more expensive sibling, the Soavo 1 floorstander. However, the latter's sound was more relaxed to my ears; the tiny cabinets of the Soavo 2 yield a bit of dynamic compression. I also felt that the Soavo 2's highs were a bit more forward that the ones in the Soavo 1 - not necessarily a bad thing if you seek a tad more light in your audio system.
Spatial resolution
No wonder that to enjoy precise soundstaging the listener needs to pay attention to the speakers' proper placement and toe in. I liked them the most when the drivers were firing straight to my ears. The more paralel the speakers were the less tactile the sound was. I do not why it is like that but I found the Soavo 2 to be quite directional so please spend some time to optimize them in a room.
Recommended resellers
K+B Expert, Praha tel. +420 272 122 259,
Manufacturer's website: http://www.yamaha-hifi.cz/
Gallery
AQ Passion Orca
The Passion Orca is an improved version of the Acoustique Quality’s flagship stand-mounted speaker. Alike any other top model the Orca received meticulous attention to detail with only one exception: it was not designed as a ...
Recommended resellers
AQ s.r.o., Červenka, tel. +420 585 342 232
ATOHM GT 1.0
These Atohm monitors are like a magnifying glass that lets the listener look deep into music. Despite their size they provide explosive dynamics against clear and quiet backdrop - not unlike premium headphones that let you hear a ...
Recommended resellers
Nisel SK, Bratislava, tel. +421 905 203 078
AURUM CANTUS Leisure 3SE MkII
The craftsmanship is immaculate - the glossy finish is spotless and seamless, this Aurum Cantus monitor is like a supersmooth monolith. There are several layers of hand-polished lacquer on the cabinet that is assembled from extremely ...
Recommended resellers
Hifi studio MeLissa, Brno, tel. +420 777 04 1313
BOWERS & WILKINS 805 Diamond
Unlike the previous generations of B&W’s the new Diamonds are real diamonds. Within its price range they rank amongst the best available loudspeakers and in certain aspects (airy detail, excellent soundstaging, responsiveness and ...
Recommended resellers
Eurostar Ostrava, Dobřejovice u Prahy, tel. + 420 323 606 877
Jasyko, Brno, 541 210 108
Profimedia, Opava, 553 759 017
BOWERS & WILKINS PM1
The PM stands for "Prestige Monitor". Bowers & Wilkins ventured into Bugati and Bentley's world with the timeless and luxurious design, sleek aerodynamic curves and premium technologies. It has been long since I had such a exquisite ...
Recommended resellers
Eurostar Ostrava, Dobřejovice u Prahy, tel. + 420 323 606 877
Jasyko, Brno, 541 210 108
DALI Katch
The Dali Katch is a piece of beauty. The reviewed Cloud Gray unit with its smoky pink-beige finish was an ultimate eye-catcher for any female visitors. VThe visual appeal of a luxury handbag easily overcomes any objections of your ...
Recommended resellers
CZ: Horn Distribution, Praha, +420 272 656 485
DEFINITIVE TECHNOLOGY Demand D9
The size of the D9 does not allow to pair the dynamic abilities of these small monitors with a sense of scale and weight, yet they can play impressively loud without any stress. And you bet I played them loud. Add crystalline highs ...
Recommended resellers
CZ: Horn Distribution, Praha, +420 272 656 485
