San Marcos, California's Audience AV and old friend Ralph Karsten of Atma-Sphere bought a fresh system to T.H.E. Show. The setup included an Exemplar Audio eXpression DUAL ES9028PRO DAC with outboard power supply ($5500) and a Sony UPBX-1100ES Disc Player ($700). Karsten's Atma-Sphere MP-1 Vacuum Tube Balanced Line Stage ($7850) and Class-D Monoblock Amplifiers ($6100/pair) drove a pair of Audience ClairAudient Bellare Loudspeakers in a debut ($36,000/pair).
An Audience Adept Response aR6-T4 power conditioner ($6900), Audience FrontRow Reserve HP PowerChord ($7600), Audience Forte V8 Power Strip ($980), and Audience FrontRow Reserve cables completed the setup.
The Audience AV Bellare Loudspeaker has two 3" full-range cone drivers, which look like tweeters to me. The design is said to eliminate "the need for a crossover and its subsequent undesirable effect on the signal throughout the mid- and high-frequency bands." A DSP-assisted, active bass system handles the deepest notes, powered by an internal 300W amplifier module, which also drives the midrange unit. The low-end –3dB point is specified as 28Hz
The system's rendition of Cat Stevens's "Wild World" transported me, triggering a powerful, misty-eyed nostalgia, a flashback to teenage nights drumming along to the tune on plastic trash cans with knitting needles. The sound quality was immediate and engaging, with palpable pressure and "whole cloth" unity. The treble had a subtle edge with this music, but, the speakers largely vanished from the soundstage, allowing this listener to bask in the weight and natural texture of Stevens's voice, highlighting the emotional core of his tale of warning and loss. The presentation had naturalness and depth.
An Audience Adept Response aR6-T4 power conditioner ($6900), Audience FrontRow Reserve HP PowerChord ($7600), Audience Forte V8 Power Strip ($980), and Audience FrontRow Reserve cables completed the setup.
The Audience AV Bellare Loudspeaker has two 3" full-range cone drivers, which look like tweeters to me. The design is said to eliminate "the need for a crossover and its subsequent undesirable effect on the signal throughout the mid- and high-frequency bands." A DSP-assisted, active bass system handles the deepest notes, powered by an internal 300W amplifier module, which also drives the midrange unit. The low-end –3dB point is specified as 28Hz
The system's rendition of Cat Stevens's "Wild World" transported me, triggering a powerful, misty-eyed nostalgia, a flashback to teenage nights drumming along to the tune on plastic trash cans with knitting needles. The sound quality was immediate and engaging, with palpable pressure and "whole cloth" unity. The treble had a subtle edge with this music, but, the speakers largely vanished from the soundstage, allowing this listener to bask in the weight and natural texture of Stevens's voice, highlighting the emotional core of his tale of warning and loss. The presentation had naturalness and depth.
