I received an excited
phone call from a Toronto distributor asking me to be at the launch
party for a new series of speakers. She had been giving well-placed
hints about them for the last several months. The party was in 24
hours - she had forgotten to call at least a month in advance to
accommodate this guy's schedule! I was listening to her passionate
invitation from the foyer of New York's Philharmonic Hall. The
speakers would have to wait - Anna Sophie Mutter was waiting to play
Beethoven. Trumped!
My
sojourn in Manhattan worked out well because upon my return, I
received a solo audition of the brand spanking new Hansen Audio, The
King Loudspeaker. I was asked what I wanted in the way of ancillary
components (it would seem the speaker embraces all topologies). 'Oh,
the new Audio Research preamp and monoblocks…yeah, they'll do.
And throw in the dCS all-in-one SACD/CD player, too'. Cheeky! It
turned out that these components were the essence of complimentary
synergy. Gift wrapped together, please.
Not your
run-of-the-mill review
Let me say at the
starting blocks that this is not your run-of-the-mill Audiophilia
review. I did not have these beauties in house for months on end (that
will come in a much-anticipated follow up); I did not have umpteen
hours to caress the finish, to listen to that one phrase in
Beethoven's Seventh many times over to 'see' the placement of
the first and second flute, to listen and listen and listen. What I
did have is two very extended sessions with warmed up components and
well broken in speakers. As such, take my words for what you think
they are worth.
That said, let's have
at it!
Garage or shed?
As I was following the
distributor to Hansen's place, I was imagining the size of the garage,
the house or the shed. Many of the missionaries of high-end begin this
way. Sadly, lots end this way. Practical business models are not the
norm. Much to my surprise, we drove into Allstate Parkway, a north
Toronto business park hotspot and chock full of similar-looking, slick
office monoliths. It looked like Hansen Audio was going to be doing
things just a little differently.
The office was clean as
a whistle, modern, spacious, with the Kings pride of place at the end
of the large main space. A going concern. Yippee! I can report happily
that the company is well vested, with an engineering focus. Everything
concerning the speakers is done in house (or just off the premises).
Hello, these are my
beautiful children
The distributor
introduced me to a relaxed and charming, Lars Hansen. Hansen is the
designer of the speakers and CEO of Hansen Audio. He could not have
been more friendly and informative. He has been in the industry for
many years, designing for, or presiding over, others -- this time,
he's letting his pen flow for himself.
After the offer of
drinks and sundries, Hansen set about explaining in great detail about
the genesis, design topology, and the future of his speakers. It made
for a very interesting hour. He showed me the drivers, the shape of
the cabinets, the finish of the cabinets, and explained his driver
placement, the material used inside the speaker, the reasoning behind
each curve, etc. From his clear and passionate delivery, I can tell
you that Hansen has thought through every aspect of the design and
manufacture of The King in magnificent detail. As I said, the speaker
is designed and manufactured in house, save for the German rubber
surrounds of the gorgeous drivers (although Hansen owns the tooling),
WBT Platinum Signature connectors, and the original manufacture of the
tweeter.
From the photograph
above, one can see the shape Hansen was after - the womanly curves
help in the elimination of standing waves, the D'Appolito array of
upper drivers helps in the time alignment; even the measurement
waterfall of the tweeter is slightly different from one side to the
other to aid in correct diffraction. The three-way, bass reflex
topology has some bracing in concert with a unique inner 'damping' -
was he hush hush about this? Of course!
The King's large
footprint will in no way overwhelm a decent sized room. The subtle
lines of both front and back coupled with a to-die-for finish will
pass the 'significant other' factor. Yet, at 300 pounds a side and
just over 5 feet tall, The Kings do make a magisterial statement.
The enclosures are
manufactured in 'Hansen Composite Matrix'. More hush hush! Hansen was
particularly proud of this achievement. The knock test elicited an
inert thud. They are incredibly solid. The drivers' cones are made of
a multi layer sandwich of which the top layer is glass and resin with
pearl white cosmetic finish. They look magnificent - a great addition
to the cabinets. The speakers drop to 18 Hz and rise to 23 kHz. At 89
dB, 6 oHms they are a fairly simple load - all but the wimpiest single
ended amplifiers may apply.
Listening
Up
first were some English songs performed by the great Ian Bostridge,
accompanied on the piano by the equally fine Julius Drake. The tenor
voice, ringing and true in all the songs, hung beautifully, just left
of stage center with piano giving a lot of center fill. This EMI
compilation works because of the grouping of songs and because the
understated emotion is in front of the notes at all times. The
Hansens, in conjunction with the superb ancillary components, gave the
recital a presence and a realism that was very compelling. I found
myself immediately taken with the speakers' way with the music.
Bostridge's voice was represented as the thoroughbred it is; vibrant
and flexible. Tactile. So much so, that the hairs on the back of my
neck stood on end for what seemed like the whole seventy minute
recital. The speakers allowed the intense emotion of the many
pianissimos to shine as well as louder passages. And this emotional
involvement continued with all the discs I played.
The highs, mids and
lows were seamless in connection. The opening section of the
Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances was representative of this
purity, especially the way the Kings represented specific and layered
images and the soundfield. The staccato opening on the violins helped
in very specific imaging, with the end of the notes reverberating
around the Minneapolis hall beautifully -- very accurate decay here.
In short order, clarinets and bassoons complicate the issue with
fluid, quick arpeggios that sounded like liquid gold, followed by a
very quiet, sustained note on the bass clarinet. The connection of
each instrument's tessitura was effortless and a testament to the
quality of the crossover. Just after the bass clarinet pedal note, the
crushing string chords followed by the pounding timpani were eaten up
easily by the fantastic Hansens. This justly famous Keith Johnson
Reference CD was terrific, and the sound I experienced surpassed what
I have heard on many a fine speaker.
I didn't listen to any
rock, but the distributor threw on some Aaron Neville. His
surprisingly musical version of Schubert's Ave Maria was
recorded beautifully. Neville's voice was so clear and his unique
vibrato hung in the sound stage as beautifully as Bostridge's less
intense voice. Jazz was represented by Windjammers Swingphonic
(pretty splendid in its immediacy and superb instrumental timbre) and
the new John Pizzarelli Bossa Nova. This very subtle and
musical CD was pure pleasure via The Kings. There was absolutely no
compression of the soundstage -- the Telarc recording was laid bare
for examination. Really wonderful music, performed very well. The four
alto flute tracks (four different players with different tones) on
Waters of March were easily discerned by the Hansens - other
speakers only hint at this. They are not so clinical that they
spotlight every flaw, rather, they'll give you whatever the engineer
gives. No more.
Conclusions
The two afternoons of
listening to the speakers had me totally captivated. The Kings image
very specifically, lay out a huge soundstage (helped in no small part
by the wonderful electronics), and offer super accurate instrumental
and vocal timbre (probably its greatest attribute). They can also play
incredibly loud without any type of soundstage impolsion. Your ears or
gear will give up the ghost well before the Kings. Yes, they set a
very high mark for others to follow, including the so called 'super
speakers'. For my taste, they give what some other very expensive
speakers do not - they offer the music first with the technology in
service of that aim. Others reverse the equation, much to their peril.
The sound is open and
crystal clear. I should mention that I did not listen to the speakers
on anything less than very expensive, highly-regarded ancillary
equipment. I'm wondering how they fair on lesser gear? Mind you,
anybody that can afford the price of admission will be taking the
greatest care with accompanying electronics. I know Lars Hansen or
your dealer would be very helpful in suggesting equipment. Of course,
your taste may lay on the cooler side of cool or hotter than hot. I
know that Lars Hansen enjoys his speakers hooked up to both solid
state and tubes; CD and vinyl, both. In fact, he tuned the speakers
using vinyl as his primary source. Your best bet? Listen at length at
a dealer with your favorite design topologies and let your ears (and
wallet) be your guide.
As
such, I recommend the Hansen Audio The King Loudspeaker most highly.
They are artistic and technological marvels. If you are one of the
audiophiles that can afford them, by all means place them first among
your audition list. You probably won't have to shop anywhere else!
[It is with great
pleasure that we award
The
Audiophilia Star Component Award to the Hansen Audio The King
Loudspeaker. Congratulations! - Ed]
