This easy sense of inner musical balance is never more apparent than on the track ‘Strike The Viol’. The group is small enough that the speakers can match them for scale and acoustic power, the recording good enough to match the musical energy to a natural sense of presence and perspective. From the hollow, textured beats of the opening drum, through the vocal gymnastics of Raquel Andueza, to the equally acrobatic lines of Gianluigi Trovesi’s clarinet, the Stenheims never miss a beat, easily traversing the potentially awkward, mid-song rhythmic stutter that introduces the clarinet, tracking the astonishing vocal dexterity of Ms Andueza with an enthusiasm and focussed energy that brings her performance vividly to life, right there, in the same space, right in front of you. This record on these speakers is one of those go-to combinations you reach for when faced with an audio-sceptic or newbie, or simply want to show (or wallow in) what’s possible.
Of course, the speakers can’t do it on their own and certain aspects of the matching system need to be right. The Stenheim A5s (SE and SX) like to be vertically bi-amped. They also like to have their cabinets grounded, something facilitated by the binding post fitted to recent models. Beyond that and beyond the normal care and attention to detail when it comes to providing a coherent approach to cabling (something that applies to any decent system, but that’s particularly relevant in systems used with speakers as capable and musically coherent as the three we’re talking about here) the Stenheims are surprisingly system agnostic when it comes to partnering equipment. They’ll work with tubes or solid-state, high or low-powered amps. I’ve had great results with VTL, TEAD, CH Precision, Nagra (Classic) and Gryphon amps – which pretty much covers the major topological options. In plain stereo, I’ve also had great results from the Trilogy 995R monos, the 200W OTL Berning Quarature Zs and the Jadis JA30s – a mere 20Watts of Class A. The A5-SX isn’t a genuinely high-efficiency speaker, but its sensitivity is high enough to work with a wide range of capable amplifiers. What really makes the difference is the easy drive characteristic. Despite the low minimum impedance, the load is essentially non-reactive, with gentle dips and peaks. You can’t ignore amplifier power, but quality and (ultimately) having four channels is the way to go.
Follow those rules and the Stenheim A5-SX will reward you with a bold, vibrant and immediate musical experience that’s big on life and vitality, colour, energy and musical purpose. If a sense of real people playing real instruments and doing it with enthusiasm is your thing, get the Stenheims doing their thing and it will be right up your street.
The Peak Consult El Diablo and Barbirolli/The Royal Philharmonic performing Sibelius, Symphony No. 2
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue: The El Diablo manages to be all four at once! Founded close to 30-years ago, the current product line looks almost indistinguishable from earlier models, but appearances can be deceptive. Justifiably renowned for the quality of its cabinet work, Peak Consult recently went through not so much an acquisition as a rebirth. Under new ownership, including the indefatigable Wilfried Ehrenholz, the man who built Dynaudio into the brand it is, new thinking and new investment has brought acoustic design and crossovers onto the same level as that storied woodwork. The result is a whole new product line that benefits from the expertise of the founder, the outside experience of both its new owners and consultant designer Karl-Heinz Fink and a healthy injection of ambition. The El Diablo has long been Peak Consult’s most popular and successful model, ticking the ‘biggest you can afford, biggest you can accommodate’ boxes. But make no mistake, despite its almost identical appearance, this El Diablo offers a very different sound and a whole lot more performance than those earlier versions. This is a whole new speaker. It’s also a very different speaker to the other two models here.
