Gro as g? In slang, "he's a g" generally means being a gangster; a good or solid guy. It can also describe someone cool, tough or with street smarts. The specific meaning depends on context. By now our context has covered how Gro is a g; primarily as a Napoleonic character whose size doesn't suggest his true ambitions. Still worthy of mention is that this Bonapartian tuning wants just a bit more pedal to the medal before the full torque kicks in. Gro isn't really a hifi whisperer. Feed it a bit of loudness coffee to wake up. But inherent in its profile too isn't overplaying the subjective resolution game when we do hit the gas to get SPL rowdy. It's where some widebanders have their presence region lose its cool. Like a g, Gro hung together tough whilst grooving my grotto. For some bangers that might not have equated to rocking down their casbah but I treasure my pink bits. Should they start ringing, I'd be out of a job.
Groggy on gro? By now you could be grousing. If so, my word games backfired. But I did warn you going into this gig. I had proper cause. For a costly compact speaker, Gro might not be the most glam of names outside Denmark. So it felt fitting to put its three letters through some of their paces. If nothing else, they should have burrowed their way into your subconscious. Next time you contemplate new speakers, you could remember Gro despite your best efforts not to. You might have forgotten pertinent details but a quick Groogle will set you right. That's in fact the word to conclude with. I thought Storgaard & Vestskov's Gro right all around so right on size, build, looks and sound. Even though it would eclipse my more meagre means, the most direct competition actually calls the price just right, too. You want luxury? Pony up not down. Gro on groceries didn't take a wrong step. It shopped off an omnivorous list with plenty of meat-based products but zero alcohol to avoid any blurry inebriation or slurred enunciation. It was uniformly accomplished including finish options far beyond a one-size-fits-all uniform. That was unexpected especially from such a new brand. Gro tunes for a slightly fulsome warm dense sound without sacrificing HF resolution. For those who expected a more classic review approach, here's a very brief alternative that spells out the – um, grommets:
With Athenamuse cable loom from South Korea for an alternate flavour.
Sizing up against Zu's Soul VI. The Dane is taller but decisively skinner. The American has the rather larger cone surface though Gro reaches lower. On overall warmth there's some overlap but Gro's tweeter is superior.
Congrotulations for a lovely achievement, SV-Audio. I raise you a glass of steaming grog. Skol!
If you can stomach a final go at gro, here's one recipe for grog: 120ml boiling water, 30ml rum, ½ tablespoon honey, 1 lemon slice. When we think of Viking tipple, we envision mead and barley beer. We might even think amanita muscaria, the mushroom Germans call Fliegenpilz. During my teens, our family would hit the woods for blueberries, blackberries and mushrooms. We were never allowed to even touch a Fliegenpilz. That was easy. With its white stem, red cap and white polka dots, you won't mistake it for a Steinpilz aka porcini. Its psychoactive compounds can cause hallucinations and are rumoured to have been the berserkers' poison of choice. But that could be a myth. Yet rum diluted in hot water and sweetened with sugar is most assuredly a seafarer's drink for when it's freezing aboard and rum rations are low. Proper pirate's hooch. Cheers.
Now my gro rations are finally on empty just before someone could say, grotesque.
Just so, might you have learnt a new word or two you didn't think you needed?
You're welcome.
Let's sign off with some suitable music, first undeniably golden sunshine from Brazil thanks to guest star Tito Paris but otherwise by way of Poland so just across the waters from Bornholm where Gro was born. That includes the clarinet of Henryk Miskiewicz, not just famous vocalist Anna Maria Jopek whose Upojenie collab with Pat Metheny is really something.
Next a rather more Nordic something from Norway's Lynni Treekrem, a haunting song which shall stand in for "Gróa, a seeress of Norse mythology who could heal even Thor with her song. A symbol of sound as magic." If that didn't raise your hackles, then comes my last, final and best offer. If that won't do, you're on the other side already. But that's where one goes alone after all. It's what I experienced when my wife Ivette died. It's what Laerke experienced when her grandmother died. It's what all of us experience when loved ones go where we can't follow. Whilst we're still here, let's make the most of our allotted time. Let our various companions know just how much we appreciate and cherish them.
Of course some YouTube links don't age well. Should my cover links break over time or not work in your region/zone, look for these tracks on Spotify, Qobuz, Tidal & Bros.:
Anna Maria Jopek, album Sobremesa, track "Tylko Tak Moglo Byc"
Lynni Treekrem, album Haugtussa, title track "Haugtussa"
Jan Garbarek, album In Praise of Dreams, track "One goes there alone".
Incidentally, Jan is the only man I know of to have twice as many moons as I. If you don't know why, consult his discography. Rewind to 1992 so to ten years before this site launched. Some of us are getting on these days. Denmark's hifi nobility Flemming Erik Rasmussen, founder of Gryphon now design consultant for Audio Group Denmark, just celebrated his 75th birthday. Protecting my hearing in case I make it that far is why I don't listen at very high volumes. On that score and despite its compact dims, Gro is overkill already. But then many luxury goods are. Check out this video for an appreciation of what goes into a mechanical watch. You certainly could tell time by smartphone. But why would you when such a classy alternative exists? Ditto grouchy soundbar vs real Gro with a capital 'G'!
Diagonal room layout is a great antidote to virtually square spaces. Close wall proximity caused no bass bloat with Gro's system of triple ports.
