Review: Usher Be-718 Monitor


Category: Speakers

A second hand Wilson CUB costs about the same as a new Usher Be718. I’ve had the former for nine years, and I had the latter in my living room for three days. The CUB is large, aesthetically dubious, and garnered reviews that mixed positive comments with reservations. The Be718 is neatly proportioned, sweetly finished, and seems to be the darling of the audio press. Contemplating a change from the Wilson to the Usher, I was hoping to retain a level of audio performance while improving things visually. Wishful thinking? Well, look, we can all dream. I'm writing this review in part to address expectations that might be inspired in others reading reviews of the Ushers - should you buy them without an audition? Are they "that" good? Are they, as I've heard said, the "best bookshelf speaker in the world"?

A recent house renovation had left the CUBs looking more than a little out of place. These are bachelor speakers. They’re sixty centimetres deep, have grills made of air-conditioner foam or, alternately, a spray of chrome screws like buckshot embedded across their faces, sit on four-square black steel stands, and look ready to insult any house guest ornery enough to look their way. These are machines for making music. Yes, they are coated in gloss black automotive paint, but since when did anyone park their car in the living room? A smart wife will not be impressed, she’ll simply tell you to put them in the garage.

In contrast, the Be718s are polite and well-dressed. They too have a plane of gloss black, but this is more evocative of the effect of a Prada handbag, rather than the monolith from “2001”. They have decorative wooden appliques on their flanks. The flashing for the beryllium tweeter, and various plaques and Allen screws, tastefully come in a satin gunmetal. If your daughter was dating a speaker, you’d hope it was the Usher Be718.

The CUBs are routinely reviewed as sounding bright and forward. One man’s bright is another’s lively. For me, they make music sound involving. They have kick. There seems to be consensus at least on the fact that they image very well, provide detail to the midrange, and have a tight, punchy bass. The Ushers are frequently compared to speakers twice their price. Few flaws are mentioned. So what happened when they, adulterously, sat on the pedestals reserved for the CUBs?

Well, in short, not much. The beryllium tweeter is undoubtedly very smooth. It truly does make poor transfers and recordings listenable. There is detail, but fingernails never screech down the chalkboard. Everything is very relaxed. Too relaxed, however, blends in with soporific, and I think this is the danger with the Usher. Compared to the CUB there is notably less information, especially in the range of the larger cone. The performers are all still there, playing their little hearts out, but they sound more distant. Paradoxically, this relaxed presentation can actually prove tiring – having heard details on a recording once, you search for them again, and deciphering their presence can amount to a strain, even when this occurs semi-consciously.

Perhaps the simplest way to summarise my experience is to revisit an audio cliché. Reviews, and real life, have the story of playing all your favourite recordings deep into the night under the thrall of a new piece of equipment. You hear things you have never heard before. A recording you swore you knew suddenly reveals a whole new perspective. Time flies, and before you know it the clock shows the wee hours and you’re resigned to being sleep deprived at work the next day, but you’re happy. With the Ushers, I went to bed early. Even managed to read a chapter or two of a good book. Putting on a track I was inevitably impressed by the beautiful presentation…but often I would not finish listening to the song in its entirety.

Of course this comparison is less than fair. The Ushers were new out of the box. They were driven by a Jadis Orchestra Reference, a 40wpc tube amp, and they are said to like power. Perhaps they might have done better on stands higher than the 19” perfect for the CUBs. And I do not disagree that they do a great job for the price. Still, with all these caveats, there was the possibility that they would sit there, sing, and make the CUBs shrivel – but that didn’t happen.

As a fiscally irresponsible (and probably irrelevant) postscript I might mention that I listened to Wilson Duettes, brand new and not run in, with a Jadis Orchestra Reference, albeit in a retail showroom, and these provided more detail than the CUBs – not just detail, more everything, really. If your daughter was dating these, you’d be worried.

Associated gear
Jadis Orchestra Reference; Audio Research CD1; REL Storm III

Similar products
Wilson CUBs
bezimienny
USHER SPEAKER STANDS - RWS-708.
These stands provide an unexpectedly marked improvement in the sound. Previously I used 30+ kilogram sand filled steel stands (from the Wilson Cubs), with bituminous dots as an interface between stands and speaker. I also tried cinder blocks with Blu-Tac, in order to vary the height of the speakers.

The Usher stands bolt, literally, to the underside of the speaker - they screw tight, and small silicone pads are squeezed between speaker and top plate. The plinths are heavy, fashioned from some kind of stone, and feature adjustable spikes, with optional separate metal discs to protect the floor. The build quality is outstanding.

Previously I complained of lack of speed and definition in the bass. The stands noticeably improve matters. In fact, sound throughout the frequency spectrum gains in detail. There are no down sides.

KCAudio in Melbourne were very helpful. KC himself said that Usher say the stands were specifically tuned for there monitors and I have no reason to disagree. Interestingly reviewers and UsherUSA do not seem to emphasize the advantages of the stands - I'll leave it to them to explain this, but frankly their lack of enthusiasm led me to do without the stands for two years - and frankly I look back on that time with regret. The stands definitely make music more enjoyable.

As a side note - I added a Wyred 4 Sound DAC2 to the system, using the Audio Research CD1 as a transport - The W4S is phenomenal. Again, no down sides, and only gains to be had in terms of articulacy, bass weight, and definition. The ARC CD1 is old, but still easily bested the Oppo BDP83-SE for CD playback - so to have its onboard DAC so obviously outdone by the W4S was a pleasant surprise. And all this further revealed the Be718s strengths - they really are very good.
I missed this thread somehow, and though realizing its dormant, thought I'd contribute.
I have the BE-718's, presently bi-wired to two Cambridge 840W's in bi-amp mono bloc config, so 500 watts according to the manual (though the math of 200+200=500 eludes me). Preamp is the Cambridge 840E, with various source units. Audioquest DIY cables. I just hooked them up again after sitting dormant for 3 years.
Sitting right next to them are Wilson Sophia's driven by Sonic Frontier Power 2, so same room comparison. I find the Usher's compare very favourably in most areas except for lower bass, which isn't surprising given the size of drivers. Great detail, soundstage and high details.
I picked them up in Taiwan whilst there visiting my son who was living there at the time, so they aren't the US x-over modified models.
As Bezimienny points out, the stands are very complimentary, in sound and looks, and I didn't even know they existed until I saw them in the store in Taiwan....and I researched the speaker very well and specifically went looking to buy them in Taiwan. Also agree with Bezimienny, why the stands aren't marketed more aggressively is odd.
The price of these speakers in Taiwan are ridiculously low making them one of the worlds great audio bargains IMHO.
Bezimienny, any chance you know the bolt thread and size for the bolts that mount the speaker to the stand? Mine are long lost in one of my moves.
After a long time absent, a brief update.  I now have two pairs of the original Be-718s - and I've upgraded both of them to USA status, with crossovers from GR Research.  The crossovers did improve resolution and bass articulation.  The improvement was significant - at least as great as adding the Usher stands.

I also tried the Diamond tweeters - to my ears, the Beryllium version is sweeter (and I reverted to that).

Both sets of speakers are driven by W4S amps - an STi500, and an ST1000 (with a DAC 2 DSD SE).  The main music system is now computer based - with Pure Music software; the home theatre has the Oppo BDP 83 SE. 

Periodically I've auditioned more expensive alternatives - just to see if it's worth a change.  Nothing has really struck me as significantly better.  Yes, a pair of Wilson Alexias would do it - but they're not a realistic option for me.

Definitely the Ushers relish an improved input - the upgrades in DACs have been instantly obvious - in fact the DSD SE is with Wyred now, being upgraded to V2 status.

Of course, the Be718s are no longer manufactured - but if you can find some second-hand, I wouldn't hesitate.  Cheers, Robert.
Hi RobertCan you  still upgrade with crossovers from GR Research, what was the cost of yours, I live in the UK
Regards
Barry