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For context I set up my Magnat Quantum 905 leashed to my Yamaha A-S 1000. Because comparing active wireless speakers against external amplification, wiring and passive boxes was off kilter already, I didn’t bother muddying that picture further with my Symphonic Line amp. This setup had the Norse men trash my work place with such power that the Dynaudios seemed a bit lean in the juxtaposition. With more finely nuanced timbres, their presence region was more sober but accordingly also exhibited less forward projection. Perhaps that was ultimately more honest. In a direct A/B (alert: overdrawn for effect) it simply felt like navigating the drive-school grounds with a lightly engaged handbrake.
Here I have to be careful since it was apples and pears with a fully active system with wireless reception on one side, a classic hifi with outboard amps and wiring and a higher price on the other. When the Magnat was still available, figure approximately €4000. Nevertheless it felt legit to ascertain in this context certain base tendencies for the Xeo 5. This speaker clearly is no party animal which gives up nuance for raw SPLs. Its greater sophistication of resolution implies also that compromised lossy media get more readily outed. That too seemed typical for Skanderborg products.
The Xeo really cottoned to Piers Faccini’s "Sharpening Bone" from Tearing Sky. The Canadian songwriter’s oddly tweaked timbre appeared intense and authentic enough for goose pimples. His colleagues showed up intimately behind him with compact depth and dense layering whilst the lazy Blues groove retained its laid-back atmosphere. Whenever Faccini reached for his harmonica—which he carries Dylan-style around his neck always— this cut straight through the mellow peace but not offensively so. In fact I’ve heard this harmonica more strident elsewhere. But that wouldn’t have suited the carefully blended Xeo.
The mapping of soundstage depth and breadth came off terrifically. For that I often reach for the live Volles Programm from the Cologne rockers BAP which in honor of a double birthday (Wolfgang Niedecken: 60; BAP: 35) was cut on the Roncallingplatz right next to the cathedral. Comparing reality to canned was easy. I attended the concert. Eyes closed I could thus re-inhabit my place amidst the audience and envision where the musicians of the grandiose WDR radio symphony orchestra had been parked that day. The generous dimensions of the place were clearly defined and allowed for deep insight into the various orchestral solos whilst leaving the presentation of one piece. The strengths of these speakers are coherence, flow and tonal balance. No FX. No cheating. And that without any signal cables. Impressive.
