Then four boxes arrived at my doorstep directly from Lithuania. To handle each was a one-man job though total cargo weight hit 120 kilograms. Each monitor and stand was snuggly encased in protective foam filler. Each tripod (not sold separately) stored in a fancy wooden chest with perfectly cut foam cradles. All necessary tools, a manual and a pair of woollen gloves accompanied each. The overall packaging quality was top notch and the impression of a luxury product already solid. Unexpectedly, the monitors unpeeled from soft fabric sleeves which had been perfumed. At first this was hard on my nostrils but the scent turned out to be quite pleasant shortly afterwards. Assembly of each stand was straightforward and took just several minutes. Three legs connect to a plate with six hex screws and the speaker then affixes to the plate with two more screws. If it weren't for the weight, that procedure would have been a doozy.
Each Piu mini measures 21×43.5×43.5cm. With its exceptionally firm and finely made steel stand underneath, it grows to 100cm and the whole thing then weighs a studly 57kg. That's enough to where lifting becomes problematic even for an adult male. Three couplers guarantee stability regardless of floor surface. Each stand leg is finished in gloss black and since no spike shoes were provided, a soft carpet in my listening room became the final destination. Our mildly polished concrete floor would certainly have sustained some damage. Even my rug showed mild compression marks under the tip of each leg.
Architecturally, Piu mini is a bass-reflex three-way. Sensitivity of 90dB with a nominal impedance of 8Ω (5Ω min.) indicate deliberation to be an easy load and if I remember correctly, the Warsaw demo saw a low-power amp to make that point. Nonetheless the long-term power rating is a solid 150 watts. The driver array combines an 8" side-firing woofer with a front-firing 5.5" midrange and 1" compression tweeter, the latter loaded into the throat of a 10cm deep vertical horn. Filter hinges sit at 250Hz and 3'000Hz. Hookup wiring is Mogami and crossover parts include custom-made double-baked copper inductors, premium capacitors and resistors all mounted on a silver-trace PCB. Donatas explained that he was after specific sonics and performance parameters which led to a quality compression tweeter with waveguide to control directivity and keep sidewall reflections in check. The final transducers were selected from about 100 candidates. Most were rejected by measurement and software simulation whilst more promising specimens were modified in house.
My loaner was the standard version. A premium option flaunts silver capacitors and coils, silver-plated wiring, superior woofers and tweeters, an external tweeter-level adjustment, additional wood coatings and extensive paint options for the cheeks. These refinements elevate the base €8'190 tag by €2'350 to net a hefty €10'540 premium; a lot of money for a compact speaker. Donatas' choice of Lithuanian Oak wood finished in semi-gloss renders his visually minimalist speaker very classy. No proverbial corners were cut and top quality is omnipresent. Our man explained that they wanted all fasteners hidden and the waveguide to blend seamlessly into the front baffles which apparently was challenging and expensive but the outcome is most impressive. The horizontal edges on both front and back are heavily rounded over to cut some actual corners and to suggest an Art Deco appearance. Lithuania's inter-war architecture was indeed a stylistic inspiration for our husband/wife duo. Solid wood obviously means no thin veneer and the inset sides are multi-layer composite available in gloss white or black and said to be exceptionally scratch and heat resilient.
With its solid wood body, black cheeks and matching tripods, my Piu mini loaners looked majestic and plain gorgeous. Their very thick walls made for a substantial appearance further underscored by the massive tripods and though being quite narrow and tall, the final assembly looked far from bulky. The midrange driver's basket rim hides behind easily removed wooden trim rings. Included cloth-covered alternates act as optional grills to further enhance the minimalist aesthetic. In non-removable guise, there's also a grill on each lateral woofer. According to Donatas, this asymmetrical woofer orientation elevates the acoustic disappearance act and better integrates with his crossover slope. The same mirror-imaged woofer concept in my Boenicke W8 floorstanders allows me to tweak their bass level and character by deciding whether to fire them in or out
