Stand Loudspeaker Reviews

The sound
Experience with the Accordo Goldberg has reacquainted me with Franco's pursuit of truly natural timbres. From the first few notes, I heard an unstressed, communicative delivery that quickly drew me in. While rock and electric jazz played as well as most designs of this size, power handling, and compact category, such material could not reveal the full measure of the quality on offer here.

It was with simple recordings of natural sounds that these speakers' true excellence was revealed. Here, the Accordo Goldberg proved capable of effortlessly differentiating recording and production methods and the resulting sound quality. Fine recordings with dense orchestration exploded into life, belying the compact size of the reproducers. At times, it was much like experiencing a top-class laser projector in the domain of sound; it felt very close to sonic holography. Even with a large orchestra, the perception of individual-instrument focus and perspective was compelling. The Tony Faulkner recording of Arvo Pärt's Fratres (CD, Telarc 80387) was sumptuous, demonstrating a huge soundstage filled in with an extraordinary quantity of microdetail. Near-pinpoint imaging was heard over the whole soundscape.

Additionally, a convincing sense of scale and power belied these loudspeakers' compact dimensions. The musical performance was highly expressive—at times near heartstopping. Here was a seductive recreation of a shimmering acoustic space with image depth in spades, extending way beyond the confines of my room. Not one of my listeners dared speak until the conclusion. Microdynamics were state of the art and beautifully nuanced. I could not stop listening to these loudspeakers and expended many more days than I anticipated. There was a dynamic expression and naturalness to the midrange akin to a full-range electrostatic.

The Goldbergs are ruthlessly transparent and read the quality of all that was used with them. Sources, amplification, supports, cables, and formats were easily differentiated. We heard less an analytic dissection of the shortcomings of our equipment and more a clear exposition as to how it all could be better. While not wholly neutral in the manner of a top-class studio monitor, the Goldbergs are more than sufficiently revealing to be used in acoustic recording sessions with smaller forces. They tell you much about hall acoustic, microphone placement, floor and wall reflections, and the rest.

I learned still more about my favorite recordings with these modestly sized speakers, even excerpts that had been played hundreds of times in multiple sessions involving many products.

My practiced listening partner requested that old Decca (Argo) warhorse, the vinyl Vivaldi Four Seasons conducted by Neville Marriner. And we thought that we knew this recording to the last semiquaver—Ouch! How wrong we were! We were reminded of that Goldmund Reference turntable review when we first experienced this work in its full glory decades ago—or so we thought at the time. Now, from that same recording (and at CD resolution), it was evident there was still more music to experience. There is the first onset of a note, a steep transient as the bow excites a string. There is then that rich, nasal resonance when it sings into life. Then there's the power and timbral authority as "Summer" builds and as the Goldbergs transport the band into your room with vibrant musicality.

Simply put, these speakers do not sound like audio machinery working. That subtly nuanced harpsichord continuo and its body casework was perfectly imaged, almost as a solo piece. You could almost feel Summer's shimmering warmth. The violins were not just voiced; they sang with a rich sonority and natural dynamic expression, seducing listeners and demanding their attention. Was this thanks to the complex curved musical-instrument-related casework?

While sounding lovely on rock, including "Gravity" by Rickie Lee Jones (on CD), with no added hardness or cone "shout," the Goldberg does not quite deliver the punch and bassline drive required for a full rock experience. It fights back with extraordinary introspection and vocal clarity. So, while rock may be compromised in terms of the sheer power of the live stage experience, the Goldberg rewards handsomely by transporting the listener to the musical event. Vocals are notably more intimate and less electronic, less mechanical sounding. The female singing voice in particular is something of a revelation, in purity, dynamics, and expression. The Goldberg brilliantly showed off Suzanne Vega's stunning performance on Solitude Standing, played here on the original LP issue (A&M SP-5136).

The Franco Serblin Accordo Goldberg effortlessly reveals recorded technique details including mike placement, plus the hall acoustic in considerable scale, illuminating far boundaries. Sampling the Dorian issue of the Mozart Organ Fantasy in F Minor, K.608, with the wonderful Jean Guillou recorded at the fantastic Cathedral of St. Eustache Paris, the Accordo Goldberg sounded unusually dynamic and excellently expressed the truly cavernous acoustic. Here was transparency in spades (with room lights off for the best effect). I was amazed by the magnificent dimensionality matched by the almost hyper-real voicing of the tin-alloy pipes, even if the full weight of the tallest flutes was a little muted.

I tried a heavy dance track that had succeeded with the Magico A5. At more than moderate volume, the Goldberg said no thanks. Few individual recordings could show all that is possible from the Accordo Goldberg, but on "A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square" from We Are In Love (CD, 466736 2), Harry Connick Jr. shows off amazingly communicative vocal skills, and that string bass solo is near heart-stopping in expression and presence. You can enjoy the sound quality and the musical performance in equal measure. Rhythm and timing are as good as they get.

"Lightning," sung by Janice Pendarvis on Philip Glass's Songs from Liquid Days (CD, CBS MK 39564), was notably unstrained, well timed, and rewardingly expressive. Many loudspeakers trip up on this recording. We also played Pyramid, by the Modern Jazz Quartet (Atlantic 1325-2), on CD. This minimalist 1960 stereo recording was stripped bare by the Goldberg and was all the better for finding the musicians starkly illuminated, with superb focus and timing. This famously dry 1959–60 Rudy van Gelder analog-recorded acoustic was faithfully portrayed, sounding entirely authentic in reproducing these fabulously upbeat performances captured more than half a century ago. This band sounded as if it was starkly present in my room, immediate, superbly focused, and captivating; the sense of excess dryness on this recording was quickly dispelled. Also on CD, "Cross the Heartland" by Pat Metheny, from American Garage, sounded lyrical, sympathetic, and utterly engaging.

Choral music was exceptionally well rendered, including "There is a flower" from Songs of the Nativity by the Cambridge Singers and the City of London Sinfonia, John Rutter conducting (CD, Hyperion CSCD510). Here, the hall acoustic and choir were beautifully placed and balanced.

I listened to the Accordo Goldberg over many days and almost every evening for weeks.

Conclusion: Quality not quantity
A summary of this loudspeaker's qualities cannot do justice to the actual listening experience. While it is not the loudest in its class, nor does it have the deepest bass, it might just be the most beautifully made and finished speaker I've encountered. But the Accordo Goldberg manages to transcend the build technology and the machinery within to build a closer relationship with your ear. It plays with a superbly natural timbre, especially violin, piano, and voice, while defining wide, deep, and well-focused sound images that almost breathe with life. With the Goldbergs, you can readily distinguish wholly analog sources from digital.

But that is as nothing compared with their supremely tactile microdynamic and seductive quality, which draws the listener into the musical performance. On its own terms and at a modest scale, there is more satisfaction to be derived here than with many a larger, far more costly technical powerhouse. Highly Recommended.