Roughly the same size as the Stenheim, although with less internal volume, that beefy, critically braced, laminated HDF cabinet with its hard-wood skin combined with the modest 90dB sensitivity and twin bass drivers should tell you which way this speaker leans. The Peak delivers deeper, more substantial and far weightier bass than either the Göbel or the Stenheim. In turn that translates into a more developed and coherent acoustic, a warmer overall balance and greater dimensionality. It’s the sort of presentation that has you reaching for big works with natural soundstages – hence my choice of the Barbirolli/RPO Sibelius 2. Originally recorded for the Reader’s Digest Record Library, it was re-issued by Chesky, their third ever (and quite possibly their finest) release – Barbirolli and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sibelius Symphony No.2, Chesky CR3. The recording was captured at the famous Walthamstow Town Hall by the hybrid Decca/RCA pairing of Kenneth Wilkinson and Charles Gerhardt. Given the assembled talent, it’s hardly surprising that it remains one of the very best Sibelius 2 recordings to this day, with a beautifully developed and proportioned soundstage, naturally instrumental warmth and a real sense of power and musical substance when required – all qualities that the El Diablos deliver in full, with gusto.
Having said that, such is the Peak’s even-handed musical generosity that I could have selected the Kertesz New World (on Decca SXL 2289), the Previn/Shostakovich 5 (on RCA SB-6651), Tilson Thomas conducting Mahler 3 (on SFS Media SACD 821936-0045-2) or even Cheap Trick (Live) At Budokan (Epic Japan 25.3P-5)! This is a speaker that loves scale, loves a challenge and has the enviable talent of extracting the maximum music possible from the widest range of recordings. It’s down to an almost obsessive concern with wide-bandwidth phase coherence and, the ability to capture the atmosphere and emotional slant in the performance. Play that Sibelius 2 on the Peaks and you’ll hear Barbirolli’s impeccable sense of pace, orchestral organisation, timing and dynamic control. The sporadic, almost fractured score is welded into a single musical path, the layers and emotional intensity melding into a single whole, a whole that advances, climbing inexorably by stages to the shattering finale. Along the way, the sparse instrumentation, the extended pizzicato opening to the second movement, the gently building musical momentum, are deftly handled by Barbirolli’s adroit direction – and deftly delivered by the El Diablos. Just as deftly as they deliver the percussive cannonade and searing guitar riffs of ‘Ain’t That A Shame’ or the slab-sided synth bass and electro beats of DeadMaus. Whether it’s the emotional depth of the Sibelius or the borderline hysteria of the Cheap Trick gig, the El Diablo has an uncanny ability to capture the mood atmosphere in the music and the performance. Playing without fear or favour is the Peak’s stock in trade and it makes them a truly versatile, entertaining and rewarding speaker.
