| A New Canadian Loudspeaker
Designed With Passion For Music |
 As
I walked the halls at last year’s TAVE (Toronto’s
audio show), one of the better sounds I encountered was in
the Reev Design room, where a Bryston integrated amp drove
a pair of large bookshelf loudspeakers called Aatma. The backup
components were a CD player and a turntable. I asked for a
short audition and really liked what I heard, spoke with the
designer — a gentleman named Jugveer Randhawa — and
asked if he was interested hearing the speakers connected to
high-end amps, including the big Bryston 7B SST Squared (monoblocks).
Well he was, and a couple of months later he and the Aatma
loudspeakers arrived.
I was told that the loudspeakers took over a couple of years to complete
and that it was extremely difficult to find, match and implement a
harmonious driver, crossover and enclosure design. After countless
trials and thorough assessments JR settled for an unusually solid and
handsome cabinet design, which holds a thoroughly customized driver
and crossover arrangement.
Appearance
These enclosures are unlike most conventional designs as, in addition
to the six-sided norm, they sport “ribs” on their sides.
These “ribs” are a very handsome element of the speakers’ appearance,
but also act as external braces for the entire structure, thus greatly
reducing vibrations caused by resonance (more about this in the technology
section). The enclosures stand 254mm high, 227mm wide, 302mm deep and
weigh in at a hefty 35 pounds each. Finished in cherry wood, the Aatmas
appearance is rather striking and hints that they are not run of the
mill.
The Sound
The loudspeakers sounded good to me at the TAVE (show) at Toronto where
it was connected to a Bryston integrated amplifier. In my house, I
had some pretty awesome electronics and — I assumed — they
should sound even better. They did, and they did so with all system
combinations, which included the Bryston 7B SST Squared monoblocks
(700 watts/channel), The Allnic T-2000 tube amplifier (70 watts/channel)
and the BelCanto monoblocks (at 200 watts/channel). And then, just
in time, the Tenor 175 watts/channel hybrid stereo amplifier arrived.
All amplifiers were driven with the Allnic L-3000 preamplifier (thanks
to Hammertone Audio’s loaner). The DAC, world clock and transport
CD playback shall remain unnamed, as it served as a source component,
not relevant to this review. A pair of my lead-filled speaker stands
helped elevate the Aatmas 27 inches off the floor almost directly aiming
at my listening chair.
I began my listening session with the Bryston monoblocks and Argentum
cabling — and I instantly became drawn into the system and caught
up in the music. A good thing! I used my regular auditioning material,
which includes the best ever recorded Beethoven’s 5th with Fritz
Reiner conducting the Chicago symphony on JVC….. This CD literally
bombarded the Aatmas with the most demanding music — demanding
for the whole system, of course. The third movement begins with a barely
audible pianissimo segment, then gradually swells to piano, then forte´ ending
with fortissimo with cellos and basses stage right, with the kitchen
sink and all other instrumental activity clearly defined on a sound
stage that accommodates about 50 musicians. In this system, the loudspeakers
revealed, in addition to tonal subtleties, the instruments’ timbre,
the musicians’ temperament, the powerful Bryston amps’ presence.
I recognized the 7Bs sonic signature and noted the synergistic system
complement that allowed a full-bodied presentation of a large orchestra
without diminishing detail, space and harmonics. I detected the occasional
high frequency “bite” at fortissimo passages with large-scale
string arrangements and I also noticed the limitation of very deep
bass, although bass energy to about 38, 39 Hz was admirably resolute.
I changed cables from the lower-priced Argentum to the very high-end
XLO Purple Reign and this changed the sonic makeup to richer, more
potent harmonics, significantly smoother highs and mids as well as
extension to the bass. The cable change improved the music’s
essence/spirit, introduced what I’d call musical soul and augmented
resolution at bottom frequencies. I swapped cables a few more times
when I auditioned the system with some of my most challenging jazz
and blues material and found that the system never missed important
detail, always rendered well balanced tonal equilibrium, and recreated
harmonic essentials that identified voices and instruments. Had I not
listened to the XLOs in the system, I would have been quite happy with
the Aatma’s performance, but with the expensive cables in the
set-up, the musical presentation improved by about 20 to 30 percent — quite
a lot considering the diminishing return factor of audio components.
Next up, I connected the Aatmas to the Allnic T-2000 amplifier/L-3000
preamplifier/Argetum cables system. The tubed T-2000 75 watts/channel
easily drove the loudspeakers and —as expected — introduced
a nice musical glow across the whole frequency spectrum. In this system
combination, I really liked the speakers’ accomplishments with
solo instrumentals featuring guitar, double bass, horn and percussion.
Small ensembles such as trios, quartets up to ten-piece bands did especially
well, while large orchestras, though musically pleasant, didn’t
achieve the ultimate dynamic impact, in my opinion. However, tenors,
sopranos — in fact all voices — sounded wonderfully melodious,
with a touch of sweetness and refinement for which the Allnic T-2000
is certainly responsible (have a look at its review). Further listening
tests with various piano recordings (a Yamaha, a Steinway, a Baldwin
and a Boesendorfer) revealed that this system faithfully reproduced
the instruments’ timbre and the necessary harmonics across the
entire frequency range. Bass wasn’t quite as potent as with the
Bryston amps, but midrange and high frequencies sounded superb. I changed
cables (from the Argentums to the XLO) a couple of times and — again — noticed
all-round improvements including bass resolution.
The BelCanto monoblocks/Allnic preamp was used for the next listening
tests. The powerful switching amplifiers introduced a few unexpected
elements, beginning with the most obvious — dynamic and dynamic
range. The Aatmas sounded punchy with the music of large orchestras,
but very much in accordance with the nature of the (musical) signal.
The system also did a fine job handling the range of volume levels — from
the softest to loudest — with the sort of realism, one can only
find in great system combinations. Top frequencies were a bit harder
sounding than with the other system combinations, but they were not
dissonant or inharmonious. Midrange was clear, smoother than expected
and utterly revealing midrange-based important detail. Bass, well,
there it was lots of it, resolute with a firm grip on anything below
150Hz. What came to light is that the Aatmas will reproduce the electronics
used to drive them. This system was a good matchup — and at a
reasonable price.
I saved the best for last, not because I liked it the best, but because
the Tenor Audio amplifier was delivered last. I didn’t fool around
a lot, connected the amplifier with the XLO Purple Reign cables, fired
up the system, sat back and listened and listened and listened . .
.
The $55k Tenor amplifier transformed the $7K Aatmas to $17k worth of
sound — rather stunning.
Two elements emerged: the Tenor provided the final answer to the question
of compatibility and clearly showed the loudspeakers’ ability
to reflect the quality of its back-up system. They will sound great
many good amplifiers and they can and will reveal all tweaks or changes
one makes to improve the sound of the system in which they are employed.
 Commentary
It would be easy to connect a pair of speakers to existing electronics,
sit back and enjoy great music. However, great sound cannot be achieved
by simply inserting a component into a system chain and hope to have
a synergistic complement. It is for this reason that I like to use
various amplifier/speaker combinations to determine compatibility and
to “extract” the best possible end-result — the sonic
precision and musical competence. The Reev Design speakers passed the
tests with flying colours as they showed that their strength and/or
their limitations are directly related to the strength and limitations
of the electronics with which they are connected. They sound best on
heavy speaker stands, about three or four feet from the rear wall,
firing straight. Toeing in isn’t necessary to achieve a “sweet
spot”, though this may be a personal preference. They set up
a very realistic sound stage with plenty of space, focus on instruments
and voices; and they have what it takes to disappear (sonically, of
course) and allow listeners to enjoy a multi-dimensional, space/time
correct musical event.
Synopsis
What we have here is a pair of fine loudspeakers that will convey quality
and likely also potential weaknesses of the backup components. When
all is right we can expect superb sound featuring the smoothest highs — sweet
but not sugary — immaculate midrange — clear but not brazen — sufficient
bass — a little shy of the ideal, but very firm; and all that
with outstanding tonal equilibrium and correct musical poise. Poise
you say? Well, I believe it is the exact word to describe its musical
personality that can or should be defined as graceful, elegant, balanced
and in control of the signal at all times. The Aatmas’ personality/sonic
signature can be described as relatively neutral, for what they do
best is getting out of the way in favour of the music. If you are in
the market, have a listen to the Aatmas. The price is right and the
performance is great — a spot on example of the proper ratio
in the high-end high performance category. Dealers, consider adding
these loudspeakers for your high-end customers. Audition them at American
Sound. Great job JR.
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TECHNOLOGY
The Aatma loudspeaker system is a 2-way bass reflex system consisting
of a 5 inch woofer and a 1 inch tweeter. The drivers were carefully
chosen and modified to specifications to harmonize with the all-round
design. The woofer cone is made of a wood-pulp composite, while the
tweeter is a dome type featuring a silk coating. RD states that they
do their own modifications to the woofer motor structure to improve
woofer-tweeter coherence, increase mid-range purity and increase dynamics
in the bass spectrum. An OEM tweeter is employed with a resonance frequency
of 680Hz — well below the operational frequency in this system.
The crossover is a hybrid design employing a 2nd/3rd order filter with
film & foil capacitors and litz coils. It is assembled, connected
and tested then potted in a resin to create a single component in order
to prevent micro-phonics to enter the audible range, thereby deteriorating
performance. The system has point-to-point wiring all the way to the
external binding posts —and they are the premium kind, rhodium-plated
from Cardas™. All this is housed in what I consider to be extraordinary
enclosures that barely produce or spawn vibrations. RD calls the design
the I.R.C.S. technology (Integrated Resonance Control System). It is
an integrated arrangement of internal and external bracing that not
only guarantees a firm cabinet surface, but also limits resonance in
the crucial lower voice and bass region. The thickness of the baffle
measures up to 38mm thick on the front and rear. These baffles are
diffraction optimized to deliver accurate musical and spatial presentation.
The rear-mounted port is made from machined aluminum to keep air velocity
low and eliminate port contribution to the mid-range frequency also
referred to as “tooting”. Internal damping is achieved
through asymmetrical enclosure geometry as well as two types of damping
material, one in the lower section immediately behind the woofer and
one in the upper enclosure surrounding the port area.
The cabinet finish is the same as used in the high-end furniture manufacturing
process. They are covered in Yorkite, which is a synthetic veneer to
provide a protective layer to the underlying MDF — four coats
of paint then buffed to a lustrous shine. The ribs are manufactured
out of solid cherry wood that is cut from selected pieces for their
grain pattern and set in a series to give an optimal visual appeal.
They are lock mitered into the sidewalls to form an integrated system.
The specifications seem somewhat conservative with the frequency response
cited from 56Hz to 22kHz with a -3dB point at 42Hz. (I think that at
-3dB, the system will go down to about 38Hz or better0; efficiency
is 86 dB (1w - 1M); nominal impedance is 8 ohms, minimum 4 ohms; crossover
point is at 2.3 kHz. |
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