Acoustic Zen's Adagio Loudspeakers
Anthony Kershaw
I am a
pinch hitter for this review. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the original
reviewer had to bow out, leaving a large gap of time from delivery to
publication. It happens. I had spent quite some time listening to the
speakers at the original review location, in fact many, many hours. So,
the transition from auditor to audition was smooth and bump-free.
It turns out that Audiophilia's bad luck
turned into my personal good fortune. I got to spend a few weeks with
Robert Lee's Adagio loudspeakers in my own domain, quite a bit different
from the original large room. The time spent was extremely pleasant, the
sound so refined and the look so comely.
Audiophilia's New York contingent has
reviewed quite of few of Lee's superb cables (Robert is the head of Acoustic
Zen, a very successful cable manufacturer, and until now, a speaker-free
zone). Lee's cables and cords have been given uniformly excellent reviews,
so much so that our reviewer, Marty Appel, has purchased several speaker
and interconnect cables and power cords. Lee has continued loving care
on his speakers, using quite unique topologies and producing a gorgeous
fit and finish. You get a lot for your 4300 bucks.
Technically, the Adagio's are feature rich. Lee describes the topology and design of the Adagios as '... a two-way transmission line system featuring a 1.5 inch circular ribbon tweeter and dual 6.5 inch midrange/woofer "underhung" voice coil drivers. The drivers are configured in a time and phase aligned D'Appolito configuration providing lifelike imaging over a larger sweet spot range. The Adagio features superior cabinet construction and aesthetic contours that actually reduces cabinet diffractions. The Adagios are perfect for any room in the house, providing music with detail, clarity and accurate music reproduction.' A very pithy description for what is a very well thought out and careful design. The transmission line really gives the bass some oomph, yet unlike some other transmission lines I've heard, integrates it well with the midrange and unique tweeter. The circular ribbon tweeter (a 5/8” shielded 3.5 oz high flux energy and high temperature resistant magnet structure) also figured well in the overall sonic picture. The 'underhung' mid/woofers feature a short voice coil and long magnetic gap.
I spent many hours in the original location
listening to the speakers with other audiophiles. The ancillary gear was
Bryston and Sony. Basic bread and butter stuff, but commensurate in price
with the Adagios. Via solid state, the speakers were punchy, clear as
Evian, and layered the sound in a very lovely manner. As the source was
CD only, we played lots of the JVC reissues and Reference Recordings,
top of the line, these days. The setup took some time. I liked the look
of speakers firing directly into the room, but, they did not sound their
best. A slight, 10 degree toe-in helped enormously. The soundstage was
maintained and the imaging snapped into place. The sound was whole and
satisfying. When firing out, there was a nagging sensation that the listener
was missing something. As such, I kept the 10 degree toe-in at my place,
too.
Keith Johnson's recording of Rachmaninov's
Symphonic Dances is a star CD. Lifelike strings (don't faint) with
the obligatory power brass and delicate woodwinds compete for top honours
with a gorgeous soundstage and very good imaging. Under these conditions,
the speakers played this weathered CD with ease -- the power was awesome,
and the Brystons ate it up. Later, the Audio Research VS110 tube amplifier
kept the power and added a little depth to the stage and more lifelike
sounds to the instruments. The amplifier's control over the music's subtleties
was evident. The differences in good equipment was heard easily, but the
Adagio's essence remained -- a fine attribute for speakers costing a little
over 4Gs.
Over to my place, a mere 5 kms away.
Here, the room is smaller and solid state confined to the LCD TV. The
speakers remained focused positioned closer to the side and back walls.
But here, there is vinyl. Lovely, beautiful, engrossing vinyl. Oh yes,
CDs, too! And an iPod, as well. Gulp! As I was deep into the review of
the Musical Life O turntable (review forthcoming), my primary listening
was LP. I had about 100 stacked against the Adagio boxes, and it was pure
pleasure to go through them and enjoy the sounds produced by quality equipment.
Tubes, at least my tubes, did soften the edges ever so slightly (Bryston
gives a kaleidoscopic sound), but I preferred it. Really sweet flutes
and violins, with the power instruments enjoying being on top! And at
89dB efficient, the speakers will be single-ended friendly.
My collection of reference LPs held my attention for a week of intense listening. The Classic Records' reissue of LSC 2449, the Royal Opera House orchestra playing music from Faust and Carmen, was spun often. What a superb record! The power of the brass and the players' placement was very clearly defined by the Adagios. Bass was excellent and blended well with middle and higher tessituras. And yes, I could hear Holborn tube station trains rumbling along merrily! At the price point, the speaker had no right to perform as it did -- it punched at a much higher weight class. Very refined.
The refinement continued with Dvorak's Slavonic Dances, another Kingsway Hall RCA (LSC 2419). This recording is a stickler for a clear presentation. I don't think it is the best recording from the great man, Kenneth Wilkinson. Most of his recordings are home runs, but this one has the LSO really 'thick' in the mics. Adding a Clearaudio Titanium cartridge helped (at 6Gs, it better!), and the orchestra became clearer, if not clear, through the Adagios. Once again, the speakers were able to recognize subtle ands not so subtle shifts in position, recordings and equipment.
After a week or so, I had the measure
of them. The essence? Refinement and excellent dynamics. The integration
of the transmission line, traditional woofers and circular ribbon tweeter
was good. Mighty difficult, I would imagine. Other companies have tried
to integrate ribbons and woofers and failed, and returned to more traditional
setups. I can think of three or four mainstream companies from both sides
of the Atlantic falling under this category. So, good for Lee. The speakers
cannot get the last ounce out of organ pipes, and I'll admit that the
tweeter, while very good, is not among my favourites. That said, you won't
find a better speaker out there with these looks, style and excellent
sound at the price, .
The Acoustic Zen Adagios are a marvelous achievement. Lee has great designer chops! The speakers feature excellent design, look stunning (the striking picture does not do them justice), are very reasonable in audiophile dollars, and play music of all types superbly with micro to macro dynamics. The equipment used with them ranged from entry level to expensive, and lots in between. The Adagios did not suffer under any of the gear we used. In fact, they shone. As such, I urge you to hear them at a dealer where they are set up properly and you can hear them at their best. Recommended.
Specifications
Woofer: 2 pieces 61⁄2” composed
of doped ceramic coated fabric cone, 2 1⁄2” under-hung (short
voice coil /long magnetic gap) voice coil linear motor system, shielded
7oz Neodymium magnet.
Tweeter: 1 5/8” Round Ribbon, shielded 3.5 oz high flux energy and
high temperature
resistant magnet structure.
Nominal Impedance: 6 ohm
Sensitivity: 89 dB / 1w / 1 meter
Crossover: 3 kHz / 18 dB / Octave, Linkwitz / Riley Crossovers.
Frequency Response: 25Hz -30 kHz ± 3dB
Power Handling: 50 - 200W
Weight: 78 lbs each.
Size: 48" H x 9" W x 13" D.
Manufactured by Acoustic Zen
Technologies
16736 West Bernardo Dr.
San Diego, CA 92127
Tel: (858) 487-1988
Fax: (858) 487-4088
Source of review sample: Distributor loan
E-mail: info@acoustic zen.com
