When post-sludge metal guitarist Aaron Turner and legacy Japanese multi instrumental Keiji Haino jam together, one expects the unexpected. Call it a specialized form of Jazz. Add Sehring's S903 to the equation and things get even more special. Brilliantly recorded then brilliantly transcribed by the speakers was the very 'live' percussive array. It had me virtually face a drum set, simply flipped left to right. Sparse guitar sounds conjured individual strings to have me watch Turner's tremolo up close. Flute and a taepyeongso reminiscent of a bagpipe hovered as though by a ghost's hands above and before the action. "Interior Interior Interior Interior – Space – Disgusting Disgusting Disgusting" by Keiji Haino + Sumac at first glance seems like a weirdly reluctant number which will quickly see itself turned off on mediocre systems. With a quality rig however, it develops a nearly hypnotic allure. Grand if twisted cinema.

Tweeter/mid filter, the woofer has its own.

To suggest speakers of equivalent strengths takes some head scratching. Whilst the sonically and musically honest Aurum Gamma by Quadral also aced soundstaging, they didn't offer the same image grip. My beloved Spendor D9 image generously but lack this heightened contrast and directness Closer would be a €23'000/pr AudioSolutions Virtuoso which runs its own evolved construction with a box-within-a-box concept plus expansive adjustments. For purity and lack of distortion leading to authentic timbres and realistic staging, those Lithuanians were among the best I'd yet hosted. I simply didn't have them on hand for a direct A/B now. But I'm confident that the S903 performed in the same league.

In a direct match, respective treble should rate equally refined and detailed but on ultimate air and sheen, the Virtuoso M would pull ahead. The Berliner plays it a tad more contained. My otherwise more diffuse Spendor D9 also plays a bit more energetically on high. Where Berlin's stumper kicks in hard is down low. On pressure, extension, macrodynamics and SPL stability, it won't play second bass fiddle to the big boys. The physically more lightweight Spendor will give up the macrodynamic ghost far sooner, the Virtuoso cut out earlier on raw extension. For that PA perspective of an immersive flood of low frequencies, only the Nubert nuVero 170 would pull ahead yet fall behind on purity and coherence. In short, be it mean math rock, infrasonic pedals or extremely damped beats, the S903 which can be tuned from leaner/harder to decidedly fulsome should please even demanding bass heads particularly on quality. To ascertain that, I used the cult reference Goat from Jesus Lizard, Burial's Etched Headplate and Dive's Concrete Jungle.