We already mentioned how our Ukrainian designer managed to avoid all potential pit falls which ceramic and diamond-coated drivers can so notoriously suffer. Here Volya join ranks with other ace Accuton clients like Mårten and Kharma. This meant a good match between driver characteristic and crossover filter traits. A musical starting point became Anna Maria Jopek's Id. Her slightly husky voice was wonderfully reproduced and the virtual soundstage organized in very convincing fashion. With the midbass driver mounted high, the soundstage not only spread out nicely behind the loudspeakers, the height illusion too came off very impressively. The clever layout positions its diamond-coated midrange and tweeter at the narrow neck for a beneficially narrow baffle. Baffle width influences diffraction as the effect of sound refracting off its closest boundary. High-frequency drivers tend to get more directional as they near their upper cut-off frequency. There little sound will bounce off the baffle. At lower frequencies however, there is a fraction of the sound that does bounce. That arrives at the ears delayed in time, after the direct sound. By matching driver dispersion, filter characteristics and baffle width, a smooth and liquid transition between all the drivers becomes the goal.

Salvatore Accardo on the Fonè vinyl label recorded 3 pieces by Nicolò Paganini together with the Orchestra da Camera Italiana. All recordings on this one-man label are very special just like their vinyl pressings. All are limited 496 editions from the same master; many are 45rpm. Maestro Accardo is human and not ashamed of it so the recording reflects it. Minor glitches are not dubbed out but left in. Playing the Bouquet with eyes closed, the illusion—delusion if you will—of the man with his 1727 Stradivari Vesuvio was most life like and the atmosphere of the famous Ponchielli Theater in Cremona almost tangible.

Very different in style and dynamics was Ibrahim Maalouf's Live Track 2006-2016. Its timid solo piano opener soon evolves into 'community singing' before exploding into a wild frenzy. Stomping drums and driving bass became food for the Bouquet's angled woofers while Mr. Maalouf's trumpet bombarded the other drivers with a glossy cascade of overtones. Though playback at low volume missed nothing, this wild stuff was a great excuse to fill the listening room with more SPL. The Volya Bouquet was more than happy to comply. The lowest octave was readily available and we had no urge for a subwoofer or two. A dreamier feel was delivered by Enya's Watermark. Synthesizers weave a musical fabric on which the singer's solfège floats across the opening track. More bombast awaits in the next cut with outbursts on large drums and a haunting chant in Latin. Highlight of the album and an emotional goosebump moment when played over the Bouquet became the Gaelic "Na Laetha Geal M'Oige". How many bumps in the dark can you handle?

Of course we had to honour the passing of Leonard Cohen and play You Want it Darker as an apotheosis to the live albums Dublin and Can't Forget. The opening track of his last album had the late Canadian's rasping baritone joined by the Shaar Hashomayim Synagogue Choir from his home town of Montreal. Many think the lyrics are about him being ready for his final journey. We think they have more to do with his views on those who feel entitled to kill in God's name. No matter, the song became another goosebumper. Aux Mages by Florent Nisse is a musical jewel of great recording quality. Melodic jazz lines refuse to get cheesy or 'smooth' but still leave plenty of musical and acoustic space for all members of the quintet to shine. Not as audiophile or simply as any recording should be was the new Rolling Stones Blue & Lonesome which scores mediocre on the Dynamic Range scale but still is great musical fun. Fun too is the project's focus for the gentlemen of Jagger (73), Watts (75), Richards (73) and Wood (69) to return to where it all began 54 years ago: the Blues. The Bouquet was most eager to kick off that party.

Over the period we were allowed to live with the Volya Bouquet, we tried various electronics combinations. Even with the humble 300B's 6-8wpc, they came alive at low and high SPL. Volya's choice for a full-blown Accuton complement struck us as remarkable when there are many easier-to-tame driver sets available. But the easy way out wasn't what Volya were after. They wanted true fidelity packed in an artful profile. While the curvy shape and floral decorations might hint at rural kitchen warmth and cozy folklore, the sonic reality is different. Here function follows form, not the other way around. Using drivers that remain pistonic without break-up or flex presents a 3D illusion that is very hard to distinguish from the real thing. That has strict consequences for the ancillaries. Just as these loudspeakers are true works of art, whatever electronics participate must likewise operate at the highest level. That's because the Bouquet is a bona fide top contender for long-established brands using these very expensive Accuton drivers like the before-mentioned Mårten and Kharma brands. Cosmetically, these Volya are literally two of a kind, making for a very bold statement indeed. Combine their sound, looks and finish and one arrives at a truly great-sounding piece of art; and a great-looking modern loudspeaker. Now that's freedom; Ukrainian Pertykivka style!

Volya Audio website