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Again the NuForce Icon came to the rescue, resolution took a small backwards step but tonal balance was instantly restored, the piano sounding again harmonically fully developed from top to almost bottom. Admittedly the pounding of the deepest keys did not have the weight and impact that it has on the RPDs but that should surprise nobody. What might surprise you as it did me was the absence of sluggishness despite the music's complexity. Richter's right hand could be heard running from key to key without any restraint and the pounding inflicted to the keyboard by his left hand came through the transmission line pretty clearly. The Ridges actually provided a feeling of "more" and "deeper" bass than the Rogers or FJ OMs but could not quite match their resolution and speed in the part of the range those two cover. The trade-off comes down to a matter of preference. Personally, I find the Ridge's bass too loose but all my speakers have sealed enclosures so I am probably not the right person to assess the relative performance of a transmission line.


It is important to note that at livelier levels (with the volume control of the Icon set around 2 o'clock), the same midrange congestion heard with the more powerful solid-staters started to raise its ugly head. It was far less intrusive and only started to annoy at volumes higher than I care to listen to for any sustained period of time yet it seems preferable to keep the Ridges playing at reasonable levels (not that I expect anybody to sonorize a rave party with a pair of these). In case of doubts, similar gain into the FJ OMs resulted in zero distress or compression whatsoever, confirming if necessary that the cause resided with the Ridges and not Icon. As these speakers' application is really for smaller rooms and close-up listening, the strict SPL limitation is not really an issue especially since the Ridges keep their qualities and composure far better at very low listening levels than they do at high ones.
Of course some fare is beyond the Ridges at any playback level. Bela Fleck's Music for two turned into a sonata for banjo with straight bass accompaniment instead of the dialog it normally is. Similarly, Renaud Garcia Fons' Entremundo [ENJ 3318-2] suddenly seemed to have far more flutes and metallic percussions than I remembered while the straight bass once more was relegated to supporting cast. Clearly the Ridges are not made for heavy listeners of symphonica or saturated electric guitars. Push them just a little on this type of music and the small transducers lose countenance fairly quickly. Accelerate, the new REM album [Warner418620-2], is their best in too long a time but the Jordans just plainly refused to rock at any decent level when the group just let it rip on "I'm gonna DJ" regardless of what amplifier they were strapped to.


And so very naturally while the Ridges resided in our bedroom, I turned to later night, lower volume listening with a lot of vocal music and small classical ensembles or soloists. That's the music that made the Ridges truly shine. Actually, if you want to demonstrate the Ridges to best effect, I could not recommend highly enough a recording of Boccherini's Pianoforte quintets Dedicated to the French nation [Astree 8721]. Patrick Cohen and le Quatuor Mosaïques inhabit those pieces with passion and a tonal variety rarely heard on period instruments. Just stop and listen to the third movement of the sixth quintet ("Variazoni sulla Ritirata Notturna di Madrid") with its intertwined cello, violins and altos while the pianoforte descends the theme variations - simply intoxicating. That's the type of music the Ridges adore: rich, complex, dynamic, swift but without the weight of a full symphonic orchestra. It does not hurt either that the slightly acidic tones of the period instruments were perfectly served by the open and unhindered midrange of the Ridges.
Another revelation over this system was Mozart's Mass in C [Virgin 0946 359306 2 8] directed by Louis Langree and more particularly, Nathalie Dessay's performance. This disc was recommended to me by 6moons reader, UltraAudio.com contributor and above all poet of great talent Garrett Hongo. After a few casual listening sessions on the main rig, I could not figure out what about this recording was supposedly so special. Nathalie Dessay on her best days can be ephemeral and airy but on her worst, shrill and cold. I was convinced this disc was not recorded on one of her best days yet trusting Garrett's ears and taste, I gave it one more chance on the Ridges. And there, a miracle - she who had been a cold and sterile soprano turned into a rich and sensual voice without losing any of the light agility of her voice. Divine.


I am convinced that what I heard in my main system is actually what's on the disc. For better or worse, that system does not lie. Yet the less than a tenth as expensive Ridge/Icon team playing the WAV files ripped to hard disk through the Icon's USB DAC did manage to salvage the music. Unquestionably the result was less detailed, tonally less accurate and had the recording been an absolute success, the cheaper system would have paled badly by comparison yet on a disc in severe need of a flavor injection, the Ridges and Icon clearly had the upper hand. That's why I always run two separate systems with as widely opposed musical profiles as possible -- one for great recordings and one for great music -- until that day when I find a combination of gear that does both equally well. The Ridges are without question in the camp of playing music. They belong to a time when leading edges and transient speed where not as critical as rich and dense tone. The speakers are not slow but certainly do not have the inflexible timing rigidity of ceramic drivers either. They'll trade rigor mortis for flesh and life any time. Looking for a little more detail and tight muscle? Just add a leaner tube amplifier like the SP3. Looking for thick tone as sweet honey dripping off vocals or bowed strings? The NuForce Icon or any lush tube amplifier will do just fine.

As I was putting the finishing touches to the review, I realized that I had not yet tried the Ridges with the McIntosh amp and Acoustic Solid turntable. I had tried the speakers with the MA2275 early on with good results but the unlikely pairing and the even less likely use of an Esoteric P05/D05 source in real life had me not spend a lot of time with this configuration. As it turned out, the Solid Wood/MA2275 system was by far the best I could put together around the Ridges. For one thing, the table and speaker voicing are very complementary. The table lifts the upper bass and lower midrange, the speakers lift the upper midrange and neither truly force deep bass or highest treble. The resultant combo had an even stronger effect of spotlighting voices than achieved by any of those components on their own, with plenty of tone and sweetness but without getting thick or compressed. It was like the best of the SP3 and Icon together to let the Ridges shine. Very nice indeed. So often I have heard failed attempts at building coherent systems by putting together components with supposedly complementary strengths and weaknesses that I was truly taken aback when it actually worked reasonably well.


The latest album by the Eagles Long Road out of Eden was quite an ear opener. In all fairness, I had always considered them relatively uninspiring at best, not very different from most bands that came and went in the 70's, years before I got interested in music. I was really expecting the Eagles to by now be living off the never-ending reissues of "Hotel California". When I saw that they were back with a new double LP, I bought the album in an exploratory mood. Wow. My wife hates it but I just love their sound, complex instrumentation, wonderfully balanced guitar riffs and lyrics. Mea Culpa, they actually know a few things about music. Above all, my ear-opening epiphany happened when I realized that I could actually hear and understand the lyrics. Most native English-speakers don't realize it but no matter how fluent you get in a language, understanding lyrics in a song remains the ultimate challenge. The system's magnifying effect on voices made these lyrics now fully intelligible. That may seem like a small feat but made a world of a difference to me so over the following hours, I had a go at "Ella and Louis", "Clap Hands, Here comes Charlie!", "How to dismantle an atomic bomb" and a few other favorites.
All the little idiosyncrasies of the Ridges did not go away and Shostakovich's Fifth really sounded truncated but with the musical styles those speakers know how to handle, a rich and opulent vinyl source followed by a leaner tube amplifier had all the components of musical bliss as long as my diet wasn't made up of Wagner, Mahler or Linkin Park.


In conclusion, the Ridge is clearly not a speaker for all seasons or music. To deliver its best, it will need a harmonically developed amplifier (tube or low power solid-state) and a dynamic and snappy source (or vice versa). Add some detailed yet not bright cables and you will have a great little system for a small room and intimate listening at conservative levels. The Ridge then will deliver a close-up performance as though the absence of the crossover had also removed a veil over the midrange.
Far more expensive gear will remove the veil from the deepest bass to the most extended and refined treble while the Ridges focus on the heart of the music almost exclusively - but in that magical midrange, they bow to few speakers I know and even fewer at $2000. The cherry on top is that the Ridges can swing too (loud rock though is certainly a
tad too ambitious) and deliver plenty more bass than you are probably prepared to believe, extending their utility outside the exclusive range of vocal music. If you are ready to fall for one of the speakers based on unmodified Lowther for their ease of implementation and usually smaller size, do yourself a favor and check out the Ridges. You'll need twelve watts instead of four and if you are willing to trade the very last bit of intimacy, you'll get in exchange what I believe to be a far more forgiving, easy to listen to and versatile speaker.

Quality of packing: The speakers will be shipped in custom wood crates that will be picked up and returned at dealer's cost (deposit for crate required).
Condition of component received: Flawless.
Quality of owner's manual: No manual. If you have a question Robin Wyatt would rather speak to you personally and answer it!
Website comments: No information available on Ridge speaker, limited information on other brands carried by Robyatt Audio.
Warranty: The speakers have one year warranty on drivers, 3 years on cabinets.
Global distribution: Not available outside US.
Human interactions: Enthusiastic and always prompt.
Pricing: Being the cheapest implementation of the Jordan design available in the US, with a few improvements of its own, it represents an easy choice among the various such offers existing.
Application conditions: Despite their preference for smaller rooms and ability to be positioned inches away from boundaries, the Ridges do better 2 feet away from the front wall. If placed in corners, place VTL mouths outwards, otherwise place them inwards for better bass reinforcement. No problem to drive with 12 watts.
Final comments & suggestions: I had no success with typical sounding silver cables which accentuated even further the upper midrange 'shine' of the speaker. Powerful solid-state amplifiers with high current capacity were a poor match overall; NuForce Icon fared much better but the Ridges do prefer tube amplifiers with lower damping factors, lower current capacity and upper range sweetness (EL-34 friendly!). A small speaker for voice lovers, chamber music or smaller jazz ensembles that will surprise by its bass output and impactful way with music when paired with the right amplifier.
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