This review page is supported in part by the sponsors whose ad banners are displayed below |
 |
 |
 |
Burson, the master of bass: The Burson also excels at bass and mid bass. During the "Rondo" of the Spring Sonata, the piano chords at positions 01:23 and 01:27 startle me with depth and tautness. This is bass done right, with excellent tone, sans the overhang or boom that plagues lesser systems. Equally satisfying is the generous mid-bass texture evident in the beautiful "Larghetto" of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto Op. 61. During the interval from 00:32 to 01:00, the layering of the orchestra is mind-blowing, with the AKG sounding like a grown-up system several times its worth.
|
|
The AKG midrange: Sadly however, it is not a fairy tale all the way. In spite of the awesome bass, mid-bass texture, resolution and timing, the AKG loses some ground in the midrange. I had spoken about this earlier. Now I shall elaborate. Put simply, the upper midrange of the AKG is a touch too prominent or forward relative to the midrange. It has a slight emphasis along with an unevenness in the lower treble. Thus violins seem to lack a bit of wooden body resonance. This also causes the string section of an orchestra to dominate the woodwind section, more than it ideally should.
|
|
|
Listening to the "Andante" of Wieniawski’s romantic Violin Concerto N°.2 Op. 22 confirms this. The clarinet that plays along with the violin from 00:35 to 00:38 lacks the sweet prominence and presence that it has on my Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 stand mounts. At 00:38, the clarinet just disappears meekly on the K702 whereas it bows out with ear-filling lushness on the Wharfedale. The oboe that follows the clarinet from 00:43 to 00:48 is vaguely present on the AKG when it is heard with resounding assurance on the Diamond. On the AKG woodwinds sometimes sound distant as though somebody sucked the wind out of them. This detracts from the overall musicality and emotion of the music. The tonal contrast of the string and woodwind sections is missing.
|
|
|
 |
This is further evident in Tchaikovsky’s Seasons where the beauty of "‘May – White Night"’ is lost as the clarinet lacks the much needed presence that it has on most monitor speakers including my humble Wharfedales. The clarinet also plays hide and seek with the rest of the ensemble during 00:28 to 00:40 of "Var V: Adagio" of Mozart’s Serenade K. 361(370a) – Gran Partita. It sounds a bit sterile on the AKG. However, the AKG has excellent resolution and generous helpings of low level detail. This reminds me of a flower I photographed during my last vacation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
  |
 |
|
