For the close comparisons, driving system was the CH Precision D1.5 CD/SACD player, L1 line-stage (both with X1 power supplies) and the A1.5 amplifier. Cables were from the interesting Brandt Audi line, whose natural tonal palette and easy breathing quality suited the electronics/speaker combinations perfectly. As well as setting up each set of speakers individually and locking in placement and attitude, I selected a short run of discs chosen to both confirm the set-up and expose the differences. Those discs were:
Duke Ellington and Ray Brown, This One’s For Blanton (Analogue Productions CAPJ 015) – an acid test for rhythmic integrity and proper placement…
Isabelle Faust, Giovanni Antonini, Il Giardino Armonico
Il virtuoso, il poeta – Locatelli Violin Concertos (Harmonia Mundi Hmm 902398)
Anastasia Kobekina, Kammerorchester Basel, Venice (Sony 19658828072)
Eliza Gilkyson, Land Of Milk And Honey, (Red House Records RHR CD174)
Playing the Locatelli disc on the BCGs delivered not just better separation between Faust’s solo instrument and the supporting orchestra, it made much greater sense of the relationship and conversation between the two. The soundstage was deeper and better defined, with a greater sense of space between and the dimensionality of individual instruments. Instrumental lines were more articulate, with more textural insight and a greater impression of the player’s input and energy. The sheer physicality and directed purpose in Anastasia Kobekina’s playing was more obvious and more musically impressive, the intimacy of the relationship between instruments in the duets more apparent and more affective. The character and scale of her Cello’s body was more clearly defined but also the instrument was much more present, immediate and vibrant. Eliza Gilkyson’s distinctive vocal intonation and phrasing was much more natural, the heartfelt songs on the album carrying much more emotional power, from the desolate ‘Tender Mercies’ through to the insouciant intimacy of ‘Wonderland’.
As impressive as the Liszt still is, the BCG is bigger, bolder, more immediate and simply more engaging. It gives nothing away in terms of weight, natural tonality or harmonic development. The extra dynamic range that it delivers and the body and presence that result gives it more bang for the buck – considerably more given its lower price. It’s another fully signed up member (if not the class leader) of the underrated VA speaker ranks.
All of which make it a tough act to follow…
Beethoven – meet Liszt too…
Listen to the two speakers and it’s not hard to understand why the BSG mandated a significant update to the original Liszt. Wheel in the Liszt Reference and it’s like starting over. The first and most important point to make is, that to get the best out of the new model Liszt, you need to make sure that you are exploiting every last ounce of its available bandwidth. As outlined above, that implies a stringent balancing act involving the precise height adjustment off of the ground. Prior to conducting these comparisons, I’d been running the Liszt Reference on the end of the CH Precision I1 integrated. Swapping to the A1.5, the sound of the speakers fell flat and lifeless. Indeed, it didn’t spring back to life until I’d dropped the speakers two full turns on their spikes, the extra bottom end weight that resulted giving the sound a much-needed injection of body, shape and energy. Far from speeding things up, the lighter bass of the higher setting was emasculating the system’s true potential. The moral of this story? The VA speakers in general go deeper than you might expect – and they are so well balanced that if you don’t exploit their full capabilities you’ll be selling them seriously (and obviously) short.
