The idea here was to take three great speakers and look at how they present music, the differences between them, the choices to be made and the options they offer. It’s tempting in these situations to arrange the contenders along some sort of linear continuum, maybe with the Göbel at one end, the Peak at the other and the Stenheim as the middle ground, offering as it does, aspects of each of the others. But in this case, that would be less than illuminating. Instead, these speakers exist in a form of equilibrium, three points of an equilateral triangle that surround a substantial common ground. Yes, the A5-SX offers some of the scale and impact of the El Diablo, some of the dynamic tracking, speed and clarity of the Comtesse. But then the Peak and the Göbel share the same sense of proportion and seamless projection of energy…
Play the same piece on all three speakers and the results are fascinating. Using the Yepes/Argenta recording of the Rodrigo Concierto de Aranjuez (on Decca SXL 2091, replayed using the Decca curve on the CH Precision P1 phono-stage). The Göbels portray the exaggerated depth and narrowing rear of the typical Decca soundstage, playing the beautifully proportioned and scaled orchestra and soloist within it, effortlessly balancing the two. The Peak brings added scale, vivid colours, dimensionality and atmosphere to that soundstage, body intent and presence to Yepes guitar, a swelling sense of substance to the musical climaxes. I’m not sure it could sound more Spanish if it tried. The Stenheim moves you closer to the stage than the other two – Row F as opposed to Row M. Yepes’ instrument is bold and solid, his playing dramatic, the dynamic contrasts stark, vivid and exciting. You can almost sense the sweat on his brow, the intensity in his playing, the bated breath of the audience, Argenta’s control and the orchestra’s respect. Each is different but they all have one thing in common: none of them leave you in any doubt as to the greatness of the performers, the performance and the recording.
What all these speakers share is a degree of natural musical projection and sufficient neutrality and rhythmic coherence to genuinely communicate and, in the right circumstances, convince, on a musical level. What they do individually is lean their balance of virtues one way or another. Broadly speaking we could characterise their relative strengths as Scale, Colour and Emotional Communication for the Peak; Presence, Impact and Expessive Range for the Stenheim; Natural, Unforced Perspective, Information and Proportions for the Göbel. Or, in simpler terms: Forgiving, Exciting and Honest. Same dish, different seasoning: Do you want to know WHAT was played, WHERE it was played, or HOW? But the thing that really sets these speakers apart, that makes them a ‘set’ in performance terms, is that they’ll all tell you WHY it was played. For all the fussing over peripherals and details, it’s that shared ground that really matters.
