JM Labs Beryllium

The Beryllium Utopia series has a much better damped cabinet compared to the older Utopia series. The newer line will be almost twice as heavy as the model it replaces. The older Utopia sounded like musical intruments themselves, but they were colored and not for a moment was I convinced that theirs was a faithful reproduction of the music. The coloration is an extended note decay probably a result of the underdamped enclosure. It gives the speaker a wooden sound and helps to make the listener imagine they are seated in a symphony hall. Also the bass was lacking in tautness, even when driven by Sim Audio W-5. Don't interpret this as a slam on the older speaker. They are very special and the closest I have ever head SS come to sounding like tubes was when the Mezzo Utopia/Utopia were in the system.

The Beryllium line has tighter bass as a result of its damping. The extended note decay is also gone. The cabinet is very inert. But the Beryllium line that I have heard including the Grande, Nova, and Alto all sound congested and opaque compared to the older Utopias. The Beryllium tweeter takes several hundred hours to break in and I don't know that I've ever heard them properly broken in. I have not warmed up to the sound of the new Beryllium speakers. There is no denying my bias.

Bottom line is that these two series are totally different in sound. You really should listen to both before a purchase decision is made.

classeguy - Forgot to mention. Before you go spending money be sure to audition at least a few of the Kharma lineup.