In any speaker, compression and aberration erode the essential differences between performers and performances to a greater or lesser extent. In the case of the A2s it’s well towards the ‘lesser’ end of that scale. That speaks to a fundamental connection to the music and correctness in its presentation. It indicates just how much the speaker gets right – but even more importantly, how little it gets wrong. Once again, we come back to the inherent strength and simplicity of the two-way stand-mount formula. Except that in this case you’re not just talking fewer moving parts, the clever cabinet construction, critical damping and upgraded crossover means parts that move less – either physically or electrically. Astonishingly intimate and communicative on small-scale music, it creates a structural, artistic and emotional foundation that translates directly to larger works and more complex compositions, a transition that the A2, just like the Duette before it, makes with disarming ease.
The dangers of squeezing dry…
Ultimately, the thing that limits the ability of small speakers to convince, the thing that undermines their musical authority and the listener’s willing suspension of disbelief, is their inevitable lack of bandwidth. It’s what explains that dogged pursuit of ever-deeper bass from ever-smaller boxes. Except that the quality that got tossed onto the sacrificial sonic bonfire was dynamic range and expression, making for a very poor exchange indeed – at least in purely musical terms. These days, the few really successful compact speakers manage to balance dynamic agility with just enough bass to get by. Many of them trade on speed, transparency and detail – an easy win if you tailor the bottom end. Think Raidho C1.2 or D1 here. Others look to fluidity and emotional contact to make their case – with the crystal Minissimo being a prime example. But a select few manage to marry small speaker strengths to an effortless sense of scale, the ability to respond to and expand with musical demands: The Diablo Utopia and Duette are/were examples of that rare breed. But to my ears, it is the Stenheim that’s the undisputed champion in this rarefied group.
The Jordi Savall/Concert Des Nations Beethoven Symphonies Cycle Revolution (AliaVox AVSA9937) is characterised by its small ensemble, original instruments, compact acoustic and lively dynamics, which combine to create impressive jumps in level and density. The Fourth Symphony is a perfect example, with both the First and Second Movements opening to sparse instrumentation that leads into sudden orchestral tuttis. Played on the A2s, the speakers capture the enclosing space of the intimate acoustic. But when the level and musical density jumps, they allow it to expand naturally into that predefined space, without any hesitation or dynamic constipation. Instead, the impact is typically sudden and dramatic. After all – this is maestro Savall!
Step up in scale and the A2 is just as comfortable. The Temirkanov/St. Petersburg P.O. performance of Shostakovich Symphony No.1 (Yuri Temirkanov conducts Shostakovich, RCA/Sony Music 88843063602) steps completely free of the speakers, the broad orchestral stage spread behind and beyond either side of the Stenheims. The patterns and constant shifts of the jaunty opening feed the speakers’ agility, spatial coherence and musical articulation. But what really impresses is the contribution of bass and timps to the Fourth Movement. The throaty murmur of the double basses has a beautiful sense of pitch and bowed texture and the speakers even make a stab at floating the bass notes properly. But it’s a level of textural and acoustic detail that reaches a peak on what might just be the only drum solo in the classical canon. The skin and volume of the timpanis is captured with a natural shudder and vibrance that both identifies them and illuminates the deft playing. Just like the ability to separate and identify the extended string line as viola rather than violin, there’s a naturalness to the music that allows access without posing questions. You know what’s happening but, more importantly, you know why.
