The crossover cabinets are un-spiked – although I believe there is a plan to offer threaded holes in future. That’s a good thing, because different supports had both a big and each had its own distinctive impact on the system’s sound. I ultimately opted for three Neodio B1 footers between each crossover cabinet and the floor, with a fourth on top, although HRS Nimbus with a damping plate on top, or Nordost SortKone TCs each offered effective alternatives. I also got to try the speakers with a variety of different amps, from the VTL S-200 and S-400 to the Moon 860A v2.0, the Levinson 585 integrated to the CH Precision M10s. If the standard 5s like to be bi-amped, in the case of the signatures I’d say that it’s almost essential. Likewise, change the amp and you will be both moving and resetting the speaker positioning to rebalance the bottom end. This is no case of a small, compensatory nudge. For example, swapping the Moon amps for the S-400 meant moving the speakers around 15mm away from the listening seat, dropping them 2mm closer to the floor and then restoring their rake angle, azimuth and checking the loading on the spikes. Those are big shifts: Not quite a complete re-set – but pretty close! In fact, not since the Wilson MAXX 2 have I had a speaker that demands such precise matching to room and system. Virtually all speakers WILL respond to this level of attention: if you want to get the best out of the Alumine 5 Signature, you don’t get the choice…
In turn, that brings us to another aspect of the Signatures’ presentation – another indicator of its monitoring DNA. For many listeners, the phase switch on their CD player or pre-amp is a nicety that generally gets ignored. Well – not any more. Although phase coherence on modern, studio recordings is something of a lottery, almost all discs will exhibit a preference when it comes to absolute phase – if you go looking for it. If you use the Signatures, there’ll be no “if” about it. With these speakers on the end of my system, I found that absolute phase became a make or break contributor to musical enjoyment.
The perfect example of the phase sensitivity of the Signatures is the Pixies’ Doolittle (MoFi 4AD UDSACD 2033). Tee up ‘Here Comes Your Man’ and the familiar, muscular opening chords and propulsive bass line seem oddly soft and aimless, lacking the edgy drive that brings the song alive. The Black Francis vocal, already recessed in the mix is submerged in the mush and the first few lines of the Kim Deal backing vocal has disappeared completely. The whole song has collapsed in on itself, an indistinct mess that sits, lethargically between the speakers. This is definitely not the Pixies that I know and love. But reversing the absolute phase is like hitting the stage lights. Everything locks into focus, spreads out and wakes up. The energy and drive are back, that characteristic curl to the lips forming the Francis vocal, the thinness to Kim Deal’s voice. This is no “well, I think I prefer that” shift. This is a make or break decision – the difference between a great record, a memorable musical encounter and a shapeless, impenetrable and unintelligible mess. I could cite other examples – some not as severe, others just as dramatic – but you get the picture. With the Alumine 5 Signatures hanging on the end of your system, checking absolute phase will become another essential step in the music replay process.
Decisions, decisions…
You’ll also notice that most of the examples I’ve chosen to illustrate the Signatures’ characteristic strengths are SACDs. That reflects the speakers’ penchant for clarity and separation, resolution and transparency, but I suspect that it is also a reflection of M. Gaberel’s preference for high-res formats. Whether it is a function of the difference in spectral balance between CD and SACD versions of the same recording I was unable to decide. Close comparison simply demonstrated that I couldn’t make the CD sound as good as the SACD, whether you are talking different discs or different layers of the same disc. The third way – that being vinyl – proved equally divisive: set the speakers to play records and you’ll compromise the performance on digital formats. Of course, for many listeners that won’t be an issue, but it is perhaps the clearest possible indicator of the knife edge judgement that informs this speaker’s tonal balance, the relationship between its extraordinary separation and clarity and the harmonic weight and color of instruments. This is not so much a case of ‘Nothing added, nothing taken away’ as ‘Nothing added – period!’
