This review page is supported in part by the sponsors whose ad banners are displayed below

Vienna Acoustics' flagship The Music got positive feedback in Munich and didn't disappoint in Helsinki either (with Blacknote CD-300, Audio Analogue Bellini pre, Audio Analogue Maestro 200 amp, Analysis Plus cables). The sound was convincing, coherent and airy. There was a quality immediately noticeable even if the sound otherwise did not happen to be among one's favorites. The impressive absorber/diffusors came from Sweden.

Another winner from Munich, the 25th anniversary Martin Logan CLX was also present but the importer was wise enough not to attempt squaring the circle in a small hotel room. So it was the CLX's little brother Spire (€10K/pr) which stole the stage with quite satisfactory results. Fortunately, I was in a position to audition the CLX in another location prior to the show and I must say that a full-range electrostatic will always be a full-range electrostatic. To this day no hybrid has quite managed to reach their level of magic.



Talking about compromises, the guys of Stars & Stripes Finland spent the entire pre-show night attempting to make John Blue's JB8B and Omega's Super Hemp speakers sound as flawless as possible given the acoustic problems of the room. Finally they settled on playing the John Blues with RWA's Isabella pre holding the reigns of the Coincident 300B workhorses bridles with Acoustic Zen. However, towards the end of the show they figured out how to get best from the Omegas in terms of amplification as well. so I guess the game between these two widebander designs was a draw.


Amplification was also an issue in a room where a group of golden ears selected a suitable amp for a speaker that, as far as I know, enjoyed its world premiere in Helsinki. That was Ocellia's new widebander without a name yet. The speaker is somewhat smaller than the other Ocellias and usesPHY's brand-new 6.3" driver. Unlike the more expensive PHY units, this one's basket is not made of bronze. The sound had great potential and was fast, tight and dry in a good way. If the transducer will be sold separately, it means good news for many DIY hobbyists. And hard times for Diatone P-610 lovers! The best complimentary amplifier for the Ocellias this time was a set of Yamamoto Sound Craft electronics.

As always, the Finnish speaker manufacturers had some new interesting models to offer their followers and I believe them, even at the risk of being partial, to be quite good sounding. Amphion presented their flagship Krypton 2 (ca. €12,000/pr). These Kryptons are not yesterday's child. The speaker has been under constant development over the years but this latest and apparently final version sounded more mature than ever, taking Amphion straight into the top league.

Gradient revealed its well-preserved secret, a new two-way bookself speaker called Laura. The coaxial driver is from the Revolutions but instead of a reflex port, there are two Peerless passive radiators around the back. The curved cabinet is birch veneer and the front baffle can take several colors. Just like in the Gradient Helsinki speakers, the terminals accept only Speakon connectors. Designer Jorma Salmi simply fails to see why not. With the help of Accuphase electronics, these little gems produced a huge open sound that didn't lack energy and liveliness. Big orchestral music was just as at home in the depths of the Laura as was more intimate musical material. The price for a pair? €1480.