Alma Music & Audio's Room 266 featured the Boenicke W8 SE speakers ($18,254/pair), from Switzerland—the smallest of the W lineup's three towers. Speakers in the W series—W is for wood—have cabinets made of that substance, American Walnut in this case. Each W8 SE rested on a patent-pending "SwingBase" suspension, which allows the speaker to move more freely within the horizontal plane, the company says.
Designed by Sven Boenicke, who in addition to designing speakers has been a recording engineer for more than 20 years, the Boenicke speakers appear small in scale but contain unique, specific acoustic configurations within the cabinets to direct the soundwaves. The driver configuration deploys a wideband driver and a midrange with an apple tree phase plug (each with its own 16cm parallel resonator), a rear "ambient" tweeter, and a crossoverless, long-throw side-firing woofer tuned to 28Hz. Passive filters are used for each driver's tuning, along with a "proprietary phase linearization network" in this SE version.
Another Swiss company, Nagra, was also represented. Amplification, from the Nagra Classic series of smaller-footprint components, including the Classic Amp ($19,500), Classic Preamp ($19,500), Classic Compact Phono phono stage ($4950), and Classic PSU power supply ($16,900). Digital sources were a Nagra Classic DAC II ($18,500), a Nagra Streamer ($4950), and an Innuos Statement music server ($11,900).
The system was set up on an Artesania Panzerholz rack ($22,790 as configured); cabling was Kubala-Sosna. Decorative acoustic panels, with reproductions of iconic photos, were from Decorac by Nemesis ($800/each).
The analog source was a Luphonic H2 turntable with K2 tonearm ($4995) with a Hana Umami Blue cartridge. The Luphonic's H-shaped platter is made of solid-surface material (like Corian) with a neoprene layer between in a sandwich construction, for damping. The gimbaled Luphonic K2 tonearm has Japanese-made ball bearings and a carbon fiber tube. It is adjustable for VTA/SRA and azimuth.
Perhaps the turntable's cleverest design element was the novel digital speed controller. You place the Luphonic's smallish, coin-like disk in position to start the rotation, then move it aside or pick it up to stop it. To change between 33 ⅓ or 45rpm speeds, you flip the coin from black side up to white side up respectively. Red LED indicators flash, then stop when the speed is achieved.
The presentation resolved details well and delivered 3D impressions of instruments. On an LP of the Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor ("Appassionata"), performed by Ikuyo Kamiya, the Bösendorfer piano's timbre sounded natural across its extensive frequency range. The metallic tones of the thumb piano on tracks from my A Delicate Motor LP rang true. Even a Peter Gabriel "Biko," on 12" single, a German pressing with bagpipes (regrettably slightly warped) packed a punch, with notably good bass extension.
The most striking and memorable about this system was how much larger the speakers sounded than they were.
Another Swiss company, Nagra, was also represented. Amplification, from the Nagra Classic series of smaller-footprint components, including the Classic Amp ($19,500), Classic Preamp ($19,500), Classic Compact Phono phono stage ($4950), and Classic PSU power supply ($16,900). Digital sources were a Nagra Classic DAC II ($18,500), a Nagra Streamer ($4950), and an Innuos Statement music server ($11,900).
The analog source was a Luphonic H2 turntable with K2 tonearm ($4995) with a Hana Umami Blue cartridge. The Luphonic's H-shaped platter is made of solid-surface material (like Corian) with a neoprene layer between in a sandwich construction, for damping. The gimbaled Luphonic K2 tonearm has Japanese-made ball bearings and a carbon fiber tube. It is adjustable for VTA/SRA and azimuth.
Perhaps the turntable's cleverest design element was the novel digital speed controller. You place the Luphonic's smallish, coin-like disk in position to start the rotation, then move it aside or pick it up to stop it. To change between 33 ⅓ or 45rpm speeds, you flip the coin from black side up to white side up respectively. Red LED indicators flash, then stop when the speed is achieved.
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The presentation resolved details well and delivered 3D impressions of instruments. On an LP of the Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor ("Appassionata"), performed by Ikuyo Kamiya, the Bösendorfer piano's timbre sounded natural across its extensive frequency range. The metallic tones of the thumb piano on tracks from my A Delicate Motor LP rang true. Even a Peter Gabriel "Biko," on 12" single, a German pressing with bagpipes (regrettably slightly warped) packed a punch, with notably good bass extension.
The most striking and memorable about this system was how much larger the speakers sounded than they were.
