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I’ve already mentioned a few weaker points like the not entirely saturated not quite resolute treble. I would add to this also a shortening of decays. The GB1i’s sound is well damped and kept in check which in this case (remember that it’s the company’s least expensive model) curtails the fades which are too quickly suppressed. The soundstage is wide and deep but seems to lack proper decays. It's probably partly due to a slight suppression of the lower midrange dynamics which isn’t particularly audible per se but manifests elsewhere.
The speakers are cute, modestly sized, solid and very attractively made. They do not dominate the interior. They do require a fairly powerful amplifier. Their sensitivity is below average and although the quoted nominal impedance seems high, they need a capable amp. It might be worth thinking of a tube amp to saturate the treble and upper midrange which would be just what’s needed.
Test methodology. The speakers were tested in an A/B comparison with A and B known. The reference point was my Harbeth M40.1 reference speaker. Musical samples were two minutes long. After the actual test whole tracks were auditioned as well. The speakers sat on their accompanying spikes and those in turn on marble slabs. They were aimed at the listener’s ears as well as firing straight out. Similarly to the Monitor Audio Monitor MR4 reviewed in the same issue, the GB1i is one of the nowadays rarer designs with biwire terminals. As always the included jumpers should be discarded immediately and replaced by preferably short lengths of one’s own speaker cable.
Design. The GB1i is a floorstanding two-way design with transmission-line loaded mid/woofer. In this model the transmission line has a length of 2.4m and terminates in a rectangular mouth at the bottom of the front baffle sealed with foam. It looks very elegant, much better than bass-reflex vents. The transmission line length is calculated such manner that the air pressure of the back wave is in phase with the front. The cabinets are finished in real wood veneer also on the inside and available in four different colors. The plinth is made of black-lacquered MDF. With it the spikes protrude beyond the footprint of a fairly narrow speaker. Interestingly the plinth is not solid but features two cut-outs which diminish its mass.
The drivers are from Norway’s Seas with slight modifications. The 27mm Sonolex soft-dome tweeter is ferro-fluid cooled and crossed in at 2kHz. Its front is covered by a metal dress plate with radial slots presumably to control lateral wave propagation. Below the tweeter is the 140mm mid/woofer with coated paper cone and cast magnesium basket. The cabinet interior is heavily damped with spongy foam. Due to the presence of the necessary TL bracing the cabinets are exceptionally solid. The speaker has dual gold-plated terminals with gold-plated jumpers between them. The speakers arrive with a very well-written really helpful user manual.
Specs as provided by the maker: Frequency response: 29Hz-25kHz
Nominal impedance: 8Ω
Sensitivity: 87dB (1W/1m)
Crossover frequency: 2kHz
Recommended amplifier power: 40-200W
Effective length of transmission line: 2.4m
Dimensions (HxWxD, without plinth): 870 x 155 x 234mm
Weight (each): 10.5kg
Available veneers: Walnut, Cherry, Oak, Black Ash
