I had never heard
of Sonist Audio, but within thirty minutes of entering their AXPONA 2018 room,
I had purchased their Concerto 4 Gen2 that was being driven with the new VAC
i170 integrated. Usually, my purchases
follow months of research and angst, and I usually source from the used
market. So when they arrived I was a
little scared to turn them on because I had trusted my ears and spontaneously
decided. There was also a little
Audiophile Buyer’s Regret since the thrill of the hunt is ends once you pull
the trigger.
Sonist is
literally an outlier currently located around Snake River, Idaho. http://sonistaudio.com/
The original Sonist designer died from hard
living, but the folks at Snake River thought his creation was worth preserving
and improving upon. So how good is it?
My audio journey
started with a small transistor radio plastered to my ear, then moved on to
acoustic suspension Advents, then Magnepan MG2a’s, KEF 104.2’s, Martin Logan Quests, and then
some highly tweaked Roman Audio speakers (another small, audiophile-obsessed
company that sadly failed.) I’ve also had the
privilege of hearing many very high-end products at a friend’s shop. My budget was about 12K. I purchased
these for around half that and they are the most satisfying speaker I have
ever had.
They are 97 db
efficient, 8 ohm, made of solid real wood, stand 40 inches tall, and go 27 hz
to 40 khz. The ribbon tweeter with wave
guide creates a clear, 3D sound stage, and the dual-woofers create a very open,
natural lower end. They project a
spacious sound stage that feels relaxed and uncluttered. These aren’t neurotic speakers.
The bass ports at
the bottom front, which allows them to be placed close to rear walls. This new Gen2 supposedly has tighter bass,
and I haven’t noticed any bass bloat or bloom from the front ports. Singers are at standing height. I have installed some IsoAcoustic feet, which
seem to make the mids cleaner, but I haven’t tried spikes or other footers that
hold speakers rigid.
My first thought
was that they had that clarity of the original Heil AMT speakers, but with a
better quality low end. When listening,
I would marvel at the clarity of voices and percussion.
The second thing
I appreciated was the specificity of the imaging. I’ve never heard Planars or ‘Stat’s do
anything like this. On good recordings,
there always seems room for the sax, drums, backup singer, bass, etc to have
their own space with air around them.
Five performers sound like five separate performers.
Related to this
spaciousness was the awareness that a certain false “bass punch” was replaced
by the sound of real instruments. These speaker go low in a very natural way,
and where other speakers go to the “thud” and resulting congestion, these
render the source instrument. The more I
listened, the more I became aware of what I’ll call “Speaker Bass” in other
speakers that sells the product with punch or bloom, but which is seldom there
in real music. I remember a salesman
trying to push an IMF speaker because it hit you in the stomach, whereas the
KEF next to it hit you in the chest.
I’ve been to a lot of live venues from the Ryman to Village Vanguard,
and I just don’t recall “Speaker bass” hitting me like so many speakers are
designed to do. I think with
manufactured punch there’s a need to turn the volume up, because you were sold
“speaker bass” punch and low volume is disappointing. I digress, but my Sonist
sound good at conversation level.
I sound like a
fanboy, so let me be critical. The
finish could be a little better. My wife
noticed that some areas were smoother than others. The real wood cabinets are beautiful, so why
not make that extra push for a flawless finish (but mine are Show demos.) Also, one of the threads for the feet was not
perfectly vertical. Also, I think the bass drivers kind of have “Low power amp”
in mind, so they might be a little limited in dynamic range in how a bigger amp
(which I have) can drive them in big dynamics like the 1812 cannon.
In the first week
of listening, there was a sense of admiring the ribbon tweeters. They were never harsh, but I’d listen to Joni
Mitchell soar, then look at the ribbon tweeters and say, “Wow.” But should you admire a part of a
speaker? There was a sense of a head
suspended in space without a chest. My
rational mind theorized that the ribbon was being pushed too low, so it
conveyed the frequency but could not move the necessary air of more
conventional membranes. Then something
odd happened.
The speakers
support bi-wiring and come with those metal strips for jumpers. I had Eclipse
speaker wire plugged into the tweeter terminals, then jumpered to the bass
terminals with the metal doo-dads. I
became suspicious of the jumpers, wondering if they had created a top-heavy
response and softening of bass. I had an
old pair of bi-wire cables that were supposedly a prototype for Straightwire
Maestros that I had auditioned and liked with my ML Quests for their
full-body. So I removed the metal
jumpers and tried them. Wowzers! Voices lost that sheen, gained some
huskiness, and there was a little more control of bass. You could no longer admire the tweeters
because the sound had become more integrated and holistic. But they also seemed less engaging and I had
to increase the volume control to get back to the original sound level. I didn’t think bi-wiring itself could create
such a difference, so I figured the changes were either the loss of the jumpers
or because the prototype cables have some crazy-ass electrical properties. So, I decided to purchase some good wire-jumpers
and go back to my uni-wire Wireworld Eclipse speaker cables, but plug them
into the bass tap, then jumper to the treble tap with the better
jumpers. This gave wonderful sound. Full bodied. The lingering question is, “Why doesn’t Snake River Cables ship the
Sonist with jumpers made of their wire?”
Anyway, I’m no
longer interested in those stand-mount wonders with that punchy bass, “Is that
coming out of that little speaker?” or feeding huge current into Stat’s and
Planar’s that just have inherent imaging and dynamics issues. Neither am I interested in trying a
Frankenstein mating of planar head to sub butt.
I liked them when I had them, but there was always some denial going
on. But each have their strengths. With the Sonist Concerto 4, I get
great imaging, deep bass, transparent highs, and instruments that often sound
“in the room” if the recording is good.
I’d heard McCartney is a great bass player, and now his bass line has
its own separate area in the soundstage and I can hear when he’s plucking
instead the thumbing. Same for
Ringo. Vocals and lyrics are important
to me and now I hear all the lyrics unless I’m listening to some heavy Celtic
stuff. Most solo singers are just
stunning and lifelike. If I were younger me, I’d probably want that punch bass,
but now I want realism and a clear window onto the performers. It makes me happy to listen through the
Sonist.
I also like the
price point and efficiency. These are
truly high-end speakers at a reasonable price, which can free up funds for good
amp, source and cabling. At 97db, they
match well with modest powered tube amps and exotic SET’s--and I think those
ribbons would prefer tubes. If I was
starting from scratch, I’d definitely try some DECWARE amps. Admittedly, there’s stiff completion from the
likes of Golden Ear, but the Sonists have a simplicity and quality that allows
the music to flow through them that is somehow different that a checklist of
features and modules.
I love my impulsive
purchase, and I like supporting smaller craftsmen, tinkerers, and obsessive
compulsives who are an integral part of this hobby and passion. Hence, this review. It’s kinda like eating local. If you’re in the KEF/ Kanta 2/ Revel/ Golden
Ear space (or higher) I recommend letting Sonist compete for your funds,
although I’d buy them for long-term ownership since speaker churning is a
costly bloodbath.
I heard the new
Magico A3 after having the Sonist. It
had the WOW bass, but the mids seemed very hard compared to the open
naturalness of the Sonist Concerto.
P.S. I’m just a
rube, so if there’s interest Steve Hoffman (famous recording engineer) raved
about the previous version of this speaker.
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/jonny-wilson-his-sonist-audio-high-efficiency-speakers.367815/
