Like the other Divin speakers, the Comtesse are as demanding of speaker and system set-up as they are exacting in terms of musical balance. Toe-in, attitude, height (both off the floor and in space) and listening distance/location in the room must all be spot-on if you are going to realise their considerable musical potential. Just as they reflect the care and attention you put into their set-up, they’ll also reveal any leanings or liberties in your partnering equipment – both the strengths and any shortcomings. Fortunately, their sheer clarity and transparency is itself a considerable aid when it comes to hearing just what’s going on. Indeed, hearing just what’s going on is what these speakers are all about. Some speakers are like a time-machine, that at their best can shift you almost bodily to the original event. Others are like an electron microscope, that lay the recording out, like a slide for study. The Gobel Divin Comtesse is something else entirely. It offers that close up detail and separation, dynamic discrimination and sense of internal structure, but it offers life and dynamism too.
In terms of sheer access to the musical event (and the recording that captured it) I’m not aware of another speaker at this price (or prices quite a bit higher) to match what Göbel has achieved here. It’s a hell of basis around which to build a system.
Price and availability
Göbel Divin Comtesse Loudspeaker
Piano black – €59,000 pr. (including VAT)
Manufacturer:
Göbel Audio GmbH
Roedersteinstr. 9
84034 Landshut
Germany
t. +49 (0) 871 97 511 657
e. info@goebel-highend.de
n. www.goebel-highend.de
