I own a pair of Joseph Audio Perspective II’s and I think they are excellent, full range speakers. Prof nailed the description of their sound and character and I’m not sure I can add more to his insightful and accurate analysis.
My alternative speaker of choice has been the ProAc Response line, which in my opinion, excel in tone, texture and pure midrange. Very similar to the Perspectives, except in the low end, where I would give a slight nod to the Perspectives for weight, and the ProAc’s for bass articulation. The Perspectives have a gravitas that is beguiling. The sound of a drum set has the drive and authority that just sounds ‘right’. I’m a former drummer, with modest to diminishing talent, but that is my reference, having heard so many drum sets over the years. The Perspectives also get voices right. Piano trios sound awesome, come to think of it, I haven’t played any genre of music where they failed to excel.
My pair of Perspectives are being driven by a Luxman M700u stereo amplifier, with 120 watts of power. While the sensitivity is lower than the ProAc’s, I think the Perspectives must be an easy load to drive because I can get them to mid-80 decibels with only 1/4 to a 1/3 volume. Not a hard speaker to drive, IMHO.
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Good stuff ewert.
As much as many of us might imagine how great it might be to own some flagship speakers way out of our price range, one thing to note is that Joseph speakers have very often over the years been deemed "best sound of the show" by tons of attendees and reviewers, almost no matter what model Joseph displayed. Sure show conditions aren’t decisive, but it does indicate that one is getting top tier sound with Joseph speakers.
As to power requirements, good to see your Luxman is working well with the Perspectives. It’s an interesting situation with the impedance of the Perspectives, since...from my meager understanding of these issues...the Perspectives don’t go down to 4 ohms so with solid state I presume you don’t get the benefit of power doubling in to those lower ohm ratings. Which is why the higher ohm ratings are good for tube amps (helpful because tube amps don’t double their power if the ohm rating goes low).
140w of tube power drives my perspectives certainly much louder than I can handle.
And we agree about the Perspectives with drums. As I wrote in my other long speaker comparison thread, one of the things that attracted me to the Devore O/96 speakers was how they sounded with drums - the way kick drum power seemed to come out and roll over you like the real thing, vs lots of audiophile speakers where the bass sort of sits back in the soundfield, holographically.
The Perspectives have some of that Devore-like bass quality with bass. Yes bass imaging is quite precise, but there is a roundness and warmth that reaches out and rolls along the floor, so you get the feel of what the drummer is doing on the bass drum. And snares have surprising heft as well on the Perspectives.
I’m looking forward to @arafiq dropping back here to give us his detailed report!
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Comparing Persperctive2's to Harbeth SHL5's is is probably not a fair fight (like taking a knife to a gun fight).
I'd be interested to hear how the Perspective2 compares to Harbeth 40.2 / 40.3's. Having owned 40.1's for about 8 years and now owning 40.2 Anni's, I can say the 40.2's are better than their predecessors with drums and transparency, but the 40.1's are a touch better with female vocals and are more full bodied and rich sounding.
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pdreher
Yes, that's true "pound for pound."
On the other hand, of one prefers the overall Harbeth sound to Joseph Audio, I can see liking the SuperHL5plus better than the Perspectives.
For me, though, the Harbeth couldn't offer me the thrill-factor of the Perspectives.
The Harbeths were wonderful and cozy to listen to, I really liked them. But the transparency and purity, and wall-melting imaging show...and punchiness...of the Perspectives just took things to another level. Almost hallucinatory on some stuff.
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Sorry folks I’ve been traveling for work. Hopefully, I’ll share my impressions in a day or two.
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Sorry folks I’ve been traveling for work. Hopefully, I’ll share my impressions in a day or two.
If you have some free time I would appreciate if you can visit the Digital thread as I was seeking your opinion on the Luxman DA-06 vs Denafrips Pontus 2. Thanks.
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I have perspective 2's and enjoy them a lot. Using an Ayre AX 5 20 amp, drives them beautifully. I'm a big fan of Ayre gear. I had a sub, but sold it. Preferred the sound of the speakers alone, more coherent and seamless, even though the lowest octave is mostly missing. I will soon be moving and they will be in a much larger room, approximately 16 X 30 ft. Wondering now if I might need bigger speakers. Anybody have experience with these in large rooms??
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joc3021
As I remember Jeff Joseph showed the Perspective 2s in Munich in a large room and people were wowed by the sound.
16 x 30 is certainly very big so who knows? But also...how close will you be sitting? That would matter too, obviously.
(I also had dual subs for a little while with my Thiels, which have the same frequency range as the Perspectives. I found I didn't need them either. And actually, having tube rolled KT120 tubes in to my CJ premier 12 monoblocks for the first time a while back, the increase in bass response makes subwoofers feel even less necessary).
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Prof, tks. Guess I won't know until I try. Concern is losing sense of scale with big music in such a large room. On subs, I've tried many over the years, has never worked for me. Much prefer a single, full range design.
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One of my favorite speakers lately is the Verity Otello. Has anyone compared the Otello (beats the Leonore by a wide margin) to the Joseph? Another brand I'm really liking is Fyne.
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bjesien
I can't speak to the Verity Otello model, but I was fairly familiar with Verity speakers of the past, especially the Verity Audio Parsifal Ovation speakers, which a friend had for quite a while.
My general take on the Verity sound up to that time is that they were a very easy to listen to, smooth speaker, with nice texture for good string tone etc. They had a sort of automatic "vinyl" tonality to my ear. So I always found them easy and inviting to listen to. Also nicely controlled from top to bottom, and did excellent soundstaging. Plus the design was very room friendly.
In a way I'd say the Verity speakers truck me as almost a 1/2 point between the classic Spendor-like sound, and a more modern speaker.
Still going on memory compared to my current experience with Joseph Audio: for me the Joseph sound is more engaging, more pure in terms of timbre, a bit more clean and clear, a bit less texture than the Verity, but also cast a bigger sound for their size than the equivalent Verity speaker. (The Parsifal's always disappeared and soundstaged really well, but didn't really sound "big" in terms of instrument and soundstage size, in any surprising way).
Also I find the Joseph speakers with their punchy bass have more fun factor. The Verity speakers of my experience aren't something I'd leap to put on my Funk or Dance records.
FWIW...
I would like to hear a newer Verity speaker sometime. I don't know how much they've updated their sound.
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Dang, I hope @arafiq has had time to listen to his new system! :-)
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I know it has been a while but my review of the JA Perspective2 speakers was delayed due to several reasons. First, I was traveling quite a bit in the last two 2-3 weeks and didn’t want to share my opinions without having at least 50 hours under my belt. Second, I wanted to put the Harbeth SHL5+ back in the system to compare the speakers properly and as objectively as possible. In the past, I’ve been guilty of sharing my opinion during the so-called 'honeymoon' phase, so this time I wanted to make sure to take my time and be as objective as possible.
Someone mentioned earlier that it was a little unfair to compare the Perspective2s with SHL5+ given the price difference, and suggested that the real comparison should be with Harbeth 40.x. If you consider the retail prices, the Perspective2 sits right between the SHL5+ and 40.x, so I feel it’s not entirely unfair to compare it to SHL5+. Lately, Harbeth is on a mission to price their speakers out of reach of normal folks – I had been whining about how P3esr’s (which in my opinion are one of the best small bookshelf speakers) are no longer competitive given the recent increase in price. Anyways, I digress ... but the truth is that these are the two speakers that I’m able to compare in my home, so whether you like it or not, this is what you’re getting
The very first thing that made me sit up and take notice when playing the Perspectives was the utter lack of grain. The SHL5+ are very accomplished in this aspect, but I feel the Perspectives just take it several notches above and beyond. These speakers are very detailed without being detailed. The best compliment I can give is that music just flows with a coherence and ease that I have never heard before. One thing I love about the SHL5+ is that they have a very involving presentation. They just pull you in and make it easier to emotionally connect with the music. The Perspectives also pull you in. But they don’t stop there. They yank you by the collar and make you dive into the music head first. The soundstage is not just wide and deep, it kind of engulfs you.
Speaking of soundstage, it is definitely wider and deeper than SHL5+. No contest here. However, imaging is an interesting comparison. It changed from song to song – on some songs imaging was more precise on SHL5+, and vice versa on some other songs. The SHL5+ has this ‘spotlit’ quality to imaging where each instrument is given its own 15 seconds under the limelight. In fact, this is what drew me to Harbeth in the first place. However, the downside is that sometimes the instruments can sound a little aloof and disconnected from the rest of the music. It’s like ‘hey, look at the right corner of the room, here I am doing my own thing!” In case of JA Perspective2’s, all the instruments still get their own special treatment but they are tightly woven into the overall fabric and present a higher degree of cohesion. I like both styles, but I find that I’m beginning to prefer the JA’s presentation a bit more.
JA’s are also more transparent – I can hear much deeper into the music. In terms of detail retrieval, both speakers are equally good. You hear the same level of detail in both. However, the Perspectives add a level of realism that is one step ahead of SHL5+. For example, in some live recordings I always used to hear people speaking in the audience or a band member whispering something in the background. With the Perspectives, the difference is that I feel that I’m sitting in the audience and someone is saying something from behind me. Kinda spooked me the first time I experienced it. This increases the ‘you are there’ perception a lot more than any other speaker I’ve heard. They seem to convey the ambience of the recording space a lot better. So, while the SHL5+ brings the musicians in your room, the Perspectives take you to the venue better than any speaker I’ve owned.
Now, one area where I thought the SHL5+ would win by a strong margin was vocals. But I was surprised that the Perspectives were just as good, if not better, than the Harbeths. With SHL5+, the vocals are a bit fuller, male voices have more ‘upper chest’, and they sound a bit more forward – as in, the singer is standing a few feet in front of the rest of the musicians. The Perspectives on the other hand have a more ‘unamplified’ feel to the vocals, as if the artist is sitting in your room and singing without a microphone, but not any closer to you than the rest of the musicians. Honestly, despite the differences, I’m having a hard time figuring out which style of presentation I prefer when it comes to vocals. Let’s call it a tie. Okay, okay, if you were to put a gun to my temple I would pick SHL5+, but only by a very slim margin.
What about bass? Umm... no contest here. The Perspectives produce an amazing amount of tight, tuneful, and nuanced bass. I found myself listening without my subs (pair of REL 510s) almost 70% of the time. And honestly, I don’t miss the subs on most songs. Yes, there are a few songs where the added punch is welcome, but in most cases, not only do I not miss the subwoofers, I kinda prefer it this way. Kick drums, especially, have a level of impact and realism that just takes your breath away. Keep in mind that I’m only driving the speakers with 50 watts of class A amplification (Audio Hungary Qualiton a50i), so I have no doubt that a more powerful amp will most likely take it several levels above what I’m experiencing now. But I will say that the Qualiton is a beauty! I just love the sound this amp makes. I might look into getting something more powerful next year, but I’m more than satisfied with what I’m hearing for the time being.
So, what about tonality, timber, etc.? I’ve gone back and forth between both speakers and I have to say that it’s a tie. I do prefer the sound of guitars and piano on the Perspectives. They just sound so right – almost like the real thing. For horns, a slight nod goes to SHL5+. They seem to have more presence and extend a bit further than the Perspectives.
Overall, the Perspectives sound bigger, much bigger in fact, than the Harbeths. They have a heft and gravitas that is simply a step above the SHL5+. When the music calls for it, they can be equally delicate and subtle. But, boy do they swell and get big on you in a hurry when the music demands. This is especially noticeable for classical music. It is quite a hair-raising experience, and you can’t help but exclaim ‘wow!’ when the music builds up and it goes from zero to sixty in no time. It’s hard to believe how a not-so-big speaker can make this kind of impact. So in the end, the JA Perspective2 Graphene have exceeded my expectations, and I’m very happy with the decision. They very well might be endgame speakers for me (note: when I say endgame, I really mean a ‘long time’ :)). Hope you guys found the review useful.
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@arafiq
What a great review! Obviously it aligns almost exactly with my own observations.
You hear what I have with the Perspectives: I found that for whatever reason, I'm always more aware of the reverb/acoustics with the Perspectives. They seem to bring out and present the very specific reverbs in artificial tracks, and reverbs in acoustic recordings, such that I’m more aware of the acoustics of any recording. And as you say, it seems to set the sound within those acoustics in a wholistic manner.
Nice to hear you felt you didn’t even need subs a lot of the time. I didn’t feel the need for subs either and I understand the graphene version increases the bass response even more.
And, yeah, the way the Perspectives swell in impact and scale with the music!
I’ve said before, if I combine all the strengths of the Perspectives - incredible transparency and detail, grain-free and smooth, incisive but totally fatigue-free high frequencies, massive disappearing imaging/soundstaging act, rich tonality, and fun juicy bass - the word that always came to mind was "luxurious." It’s the sonic equivalent of an elevated meal cooked by a great chef in a high end restaurant, who has put all the elements together in a sumptuous way that hits the "bliss zone."
:-)
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Great writeup @arafiq . It’s good to note that the JA Perspective 2 has exceeded your expectations. I can relate a lot to the comparison since I own the Harbeth SHL5+ and another speaker which I regard as endgame, not a JA though. It's true the bass of the SHL5+ is one of its Achilles heel. Despite the size of the speaker, the bass doesn't go too deep and is less impactful in comparison to speakers which are smaller in dimensions.
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ryder,
I actually liked the bass of the Harbeth SHL5+
It's true it doesn't "slam" like you might get from some other speakers, and if someone demands more impact and engagement in the bass it may not be for them.
But for me it's strength was how evenly balanced the bass was with the rest of the spectrum. At least in my room (and elsewhere I heard them), "evenly balanced" was what came to mind all the time, and it was satisfying in that way.
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@prof Thanks! I have to say that your observations were spot on. I didn't mention how well the speakers disappear. But this is one area where I can say that the SHL5+ stands shoulder to shoulder with the Perspectives.
When I was writing the comparison, I was very well aware that I was comparing SHL5+ to a speaker that retails for twice the price. At its asking price, the Harbeth SHL5+ is a phenomenal performer. It does so many things right, and definitely brings the special IT factor that makes it stand out amongst a crowd of similarly priced speakers. Hopefully, my comparison didn't come out as a knock against SHL5+. It is still a speaker that I love and have no hesitation in recommending to anyone in the 10K~ price bracket.
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@ryder Agree with you about the bass response (or lack thereof) on SHL5+. Personally, I think the use of a subwoofer (or two) is a must to get maximum performance out of SHL5+. Nonetheless, it is a great speaker by any measure.
I have only heard its big brother, 40.x, a couple of times -- once at a dealer, and another time at an audiophile’s home. I feel that it addresses any shortcomings in SHL5+ and builds on its strengths. Although for some reason, it didn’t have the family resemblance with SHL5+. It sounded like a speaker from a different company. I would love to be able to own the 40.x at some point in this journey, but for now it is a little too rich for my blood, even at used prices. I wonder if anyone has compared it against JA Perspective2 or Pearl for that matter.
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arafiq
How happy where you with the soundstage DEPTH on the Harbeth?
As I've said before, that was probably the biggest deficit when I had them. For some reason their soundstage was shallower than pretty much any speaker I've owned, things "pulled in to the room" rather than "back wall melting away depth" I get with other speakers.
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I've mentioned that the Harbeth have a bit more natural "texture" vs the Joseph speakers (which are super smooth). I've found that my CJ tube amplification, especially my CJ preamp, gives a bit more body and cut-through-the-air texture to the sound, so it gets closer to the best of both worlds. (Vinyl helps with that as well).
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@prof I was quite satisfied with the soundstage depth of SHL5+, but it all depends on your reference point. It is quite possible that you were getting better depth from other speakers and the SHL5+ fell short in comparison.
Also, note that I’m still fussing around with finding the best position for the Perspectives. Initially, I had them towed in at almost the same angle as my Harbeths. On Saturday, I reduce the angle by quite a bit, so now the toe-in is minimal (maybe 15 degrees), and I noticed that the soundstage got even wider. The funny thing is that the center image is more ’filled out’ and the vocals are dead center. I usually got this effect with other speakers when the toe in angle was greater. These JAs seem to be different in this aspect. I will continue to experiment with positioning next weekend.
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The JAs allow quite a wide spread, yet you still get good imaging.
One time I put them almost entirely to the sides of my room and the soundstage was ridiculously massive, and still good imaging. Putting both speakers too close to the side walls did introduce a bit of thickness in the bass so I found a nice position with a wide stage and evenly balanced sound.
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