CES 2009

Vivid Vivids

John Atkinson  |  Jan 14, 2009

Although it was shown in protype form at the 2008 CES, the Giya from South African manufacturer Vivid ($58,000/pair) is now in production and was being demmed in US distributor On A Higher Note's penthouse suite at the Mirage hotel with Luxman amplification, Nordost Odin cabling, Quantum power conditioning, and open-reel tapes from The Tape Project's second batch of releases played back on a Tim de Paravicini-modified Technics deck.

The Giya's composite enclosure may look strange but it is a strict case of form following function: the twin side-firing woofers are each loaded by a long tapered transmission line that is curled over to reduce the speaker's height. Designer Laurence "Dick" Dickie used transmission-line loading for all four drivers in his B&W Nautilus but in the Giya modifies it by adding a port just behnd the driver. (He has applied for a patent on this topology.) Like the original Nautilus, the Giya's drive-units all use metal diaphragms, the goal being to achieve perfect pistonic behavior in each of their passbands.

The room at the Mirage, with one wall glass, which reduced LF extension by an octave, but the sound was otherwise everything I expected from an audition I had had of the Giyas playing the hi-rez masters of my own recordings in the importer's home just before Christmas: silky, smooth, extened highs, uncolored, delicate-sounding mids, astonishingly tight, deep, powerful lows, and soundstaging that was accurate, tightly defined, yet expansive.

"Oh Momma!" as we say in my home country.

The Giyas really do need a bigger room than mine to work their best, so I will not be reviewing them for Stereophile. But one lucky member of my team will be doing so!

COMMENTS
Bill's picture
Submitted by Bill (not verified) on January 15, 2009 - 10:02am

I hope to see a review of their more room-friendly speakers like the B-1 soon.I finished demoing a pair about a month ago and they were absolutely wonderful, certainly one of the best speakers I've ever heard at their price point, making comparably priced coned speakers such as the Wilson Sophia 2 sound boxy by comparison.

texanalog's picture
Submitted by texanalog (not verified) on January 15, 2009 - 7:12pm

This loudspeaker's appearance reminds me of the alien opera singer in the movie The Fifth Element.

John Atkinson's picture
Submitted by John Atkinson (not verified) on January 15, 2009 - 8:04pm

Doesn't it just, texanalog?

Anonymous's picture
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on January 16, 2009 - 4:26pm

Yep, it does indeed. img src http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/ba/Fifth_element_2.jpg >

Anonymous's picture
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on January 16, 2009 - 4:30pm

Try again... img src http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/ba/Fifth_element_2.jpg />

Bob Gould's picture
Submitted by Bob Gould (not verified) on January 17, 2009 - 9:58am

Greetings texanalog, Paint them puppys blue,and you're there!!!

Mervin Pearce's picture
Submitted by Mervin Pearce (not verified) on January 18, 2009 - 2:03am

I have been fortunate to visit the production facility in Durban, South Africa. Philip Guttentag took me on a view on the production, stages and the testing and documenting drivers. Absolutely fantastic design concepts and 'I am here' looks. One of the issues that we always have to contend with is the WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) of a speaker. Well, the wife was with me and she really loves the GIYA.With the whole Vivid range breaking new speaker design criteria, hopefully not long before I can have a pair at home.

Robert Deutsch's picture
Submitted by Robert Deutsch (not verified) on January 18, 2009 - 7:05pm

For Bob Gould: http://www.pbase.com/phile/image/108291919

texanalog (Thomas Balmas)'s picture
Submitted by texanalog (Thom... (not verified) on January 21, 2009 - 9:22pm

Bob Gould and Robert Deutsch,Thanks for blue paint idea and blue version image. Now if we can just get Vivid to demo them with the Fifth Element soundtrack at the nex RMAF show.

Tamás Sándor's picture
Submitted by Tamás Sándor (not verified) on February 26, 2009 - 8:34am

The G1 is the best sounding speakers of the world. The sound is exactly living, in any room.One classical musician, and jazz fan from Hungary.

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