Playing ‘Forest Fire’ through the Konus amps and R25A is an almost physical experience. Starting with that hushed, intimate vocal, there’s a substance and physical quality that gives it a real sense of presence, the voice projected from the living, breathing body behind it. This is music in space, with no connection to the speakers at all. Just as the first break in the track, marked by that sudden, sharp crack from the snare drum and the entrance of the chopped rhythm guitar part, sees a step up in the level and range of the voice, each subsequent break sees layers added, the level and density increased. The bass and drums get busier and louder with each evolution. Yet the system tracks each increase effortlessly, simply adding the required intensity to the music, breadth and depth to the soundstage. There’s no hesitation, no inhibition. Instead, the system’s sense of musical momentum reveals the restraint and measured growth in the playing, the way the musicians release the energy rather than the system struggling to supply it. By the time we hit the towering crescendo and the guitar really cuts loose, there’s an almost visceral impact to the performance, the sort of presence and power normally associated with massive systems, massive speakers and massive power outputs.
…and glory!
As a system, it might lack the separation and resolution of bigger and more refined rigs. It certainly lacks their sense of coherent acoustic space and defined boundaries. But it also lacks their price tags and, such is its sheer musical verve and enthusiasm that it’s easy to forego those niceties, simply basking in the musical connection it so emphatically does deliver. Nor is this a case of simple sturm und drang, all power and impact. The intimacy that it brings to those opening vocal lines on ‘Forest Fire’ is no accident. That sense of substance is a constant – and it’s a constant that’s stable, irrespective of level. It’s here that, in many ways we find the musical magic of this system, the ability to maintain that sense of presence and intimacy while effortlessly tracking the dynamic demands of the system. Yes, the speakers are easy to drive and sensitive. Yes they’re being bi-amped, which means the driving amps see a much easier load. But musically speaking this is like two plus two equalling 16.
There’s no better example of this in action than the classical concerto – and those don’t come much bigger or more bombastic than the Dvorak Cello Concerto, especially with HvK and the BPO involved (DGG MQA-CD UCCG-40078)… But as imposing and powerful as the orchestral backing is, as tight as the ensemble playing and as towering as the monumental crescendos are, it’s still Rostropovich and his solo cello that steal the show. His poise and control, his effortlessly emotive and lyrical lines, his majestic mastery of voice and range are only made more impressive by their dynamic and musical contrast with the orchestra as a whole. The playing in chorus is wonderful, the purpose of, identity and tonal contrast provided by the instrument ushered in to share the cello’s limelight immediately and powerfully apparent. As a way into this already accessible work, this system effortlessly takes you farther than you realise, showing a side to the work and aspects of the performance you’ll rarely hear from even the best ‘hi-fi’ systems. This is a system that starts and stops with the music. If you are looking for anything beyond that, you might well be disappointed. But if it’s musical access that matters, I can’t think of a better or more effective way of achieving it.
From the specific to the general…
So now’s the time to remind yourself that you are listening to a couple of 30 Watt stereo amps and speakers that are compact enough and neat enough to work in even small rooms. It’s way beyond impressive and actually demands a response. How does such an apparently modest system achieve such astonishingly musical results? How does it manage to traverse the gap between the smallest, most intimate performances or instruments and the biggest and most demanding ones? How does it succeed where so many more complex and far more expensive systems fail?
