The result is a speaker that offers remarkable musical, dynamic and spatial continuity and coherence. Listen to the Minuets for the first time and it’s impossible to ignore the broad, clearly defined soundstage that extends seamlessly behind the speakers. Or the ease and agility with which a pianist’s fingers can run from one end of the keyboard to the other. Part of that is down to sheer bandwidth. The Minuet does go low and it does so with some serious weight and power. Indeed, it’s interesting to note just how closely the speaker’s stated bandwidth matches a piano.
Of course, all speaker designs are a compromise. Those attributes listed above reflect the Minuet’s strengths – as opposed to the well-understood challenges or weaknesses associated with their chosen design path. But like any speaker, success depends to a large extent on just how well the designer meets and overcomes those challenges.
Historically speaking, the products the Clarisys speakers most resemble is the Apogees – speakers as legendary for their performance as they were for their demanding nature. The original Scintilla offered a 1Ω load (!) and while later models became progressively less awkward to drive, sensitivity was also an issue. The range of suitable partnering amplification was extremely limited, which imposed another performance challenge. Add to that the space and set-up demands outlined in the installation notes for this speaker (those haven’t changed) and you really, really had to want the Apogees to crowbar them into your system.
While the Clarisys speakers can’t avoid the acoustical implications of their dipole design, they have worked hard on easing the load seen by the driving amplifier(s), while the widespread availability of neodymium magnets has helped increase sensitivity, while their small size has also reducied their acoustic signature, sitting as they do, in the driver’s back wave. Just like their bigger brother, the Auditorium, the Minuets represent a highly developed evolution of the old Apogee blue-print, one that effectively solves the biggest practical challenges presented by that design while further extending the musical performance. System compatibility is dramatically better – you can even use the Clarisys speakers with tube amps – while the improved electrical characteristics and sensitivity have had a profound impact on the musical presentation. With an essentially even 4.25Ω load and 88dB sensitivity, any moderately powerful amplifier should be able to cope – although the benefits of bi-amping are substantial.
The Auditorium is impressive but expensive. The Minuet is almost real-world, slotting firmly into the ‘attainable audiophile’ niche, alongside perennial favourites like the Wilson Sachas or more recent arrivals like the Peak Consult Sinfonia: speakers you might actually be able to accommodate and even save up for or build a system around. As such, it offers an intriguing alternative to more mainstream options.
Play time…
One of the first pieces I played on the Minuets, once I’d settled them in and optimized the set-up, was the Benedetti Michelangeli/Giulini/VSO – Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1 (DGG SACD UCGG-9044). It immediately set the tone and raised expectations, opening a path deep into the heart of this most familiar of performances. The system established the expansive soundstage, clearly defining width, depth and height, utterly distinct from the plane of the speakers. The enclosed space was grain free and transparent, the instrumental positioning and orchestral perspective extremely natural. Instrumental voices were precisely placed and immediately identifiable, Giulini’s control and direction apparent in the ensemble playing and coordinated efforts of the orchestra. The repeated, bowed bass arpeggios that underpin and drive the opening passage rise and fall with a clarity of pitch, texture and vigour that instil just the right sense of energy and momentum to the music.
