Verdant Audio Bambusa MG 1 Speaker Review

[kaka89]

The company says "Speakers will be sent to Excelsior Audio for independent 3rd Party measurement.", but I would assume that's no longer necessary.

Sensitivity: 82.4dB (300Hz-3000Hz) @ 2.83V @ 1m
Frequency Response: -6dB @ 38Hz
Impedance: 8 Ohm
Distortion: <0.5% THD @ 93dB from 500Hz-10kHz

82.4 dB sensitivity! How can this be easy on amplifier?!

 

[Rick Sykora]

Quite pricey for what is essentially a Seas Trym...

Less the cabinet, this is about $1200 of parts for the dIY pair and even it seems pricey to me...

Does seem to get much better upper frequency response than the Verdant's too. See: https://solen.ca/wp-content/uploads/trymkit.pdf

 

[kaka89]

I have added the Verdant Audio Bambusa MG 1 to Loudspeaker Explorer where it can be compared to other speakers.

Looks like the speaker has a significantly better response when listened to slightly off-axis - I wouldn't toe these in:

View attachment 57059

These angles in particular might be a bit better:

View attachment 57061

Can the program calculate a best axis for each speaker, and conclude a best score for them?
The score right now doesn't do them justice I think.

Credit to the manufacture to sending these over. It doesn't look that bad to me.

 

[Martin]

I’d love to see a Fritz Carbon 7 reviewed. I used to have a pair and they sounded really good to me. Fritz is a really nice guy, too.

http://www.fritzspeakers.com/DreamWeaverFritzCarbon7Mk2SpecPage.asp

Martin

 

[andreasmaaan]

Can the program calculate a best axis for each speaker, and conclude a best score for them?
The score right now doesn't do them justice I think.

Credit to the manufacture to sending these over. It doesn't look that bad to me.

Looking at the directivity graphs @MZKM posted in post #3, the optimal axis is about +10° vertical and +/-20° horizontal.

Would be nice if the software could automatically calculate the optimal axis, but I don't think that's the case.

 

[amirm]

82.4 dB sensitivity! How can this be easy on amplifier?!

It is easy on the amplifier but you need a ton of power.

 

[direstraitsfan98]

Can someone send in Wilson Tune Tots for review lol

 

[MZKM]

Looking at the directivity graphs @MZKM posted in post #3, the optimal axis is about +10° vertical and +/-20° horizontal.

Would be nice if the software could automatically calculate the optimal axis, but I don't think that's the case.

I can do that (10° increments are large though, Amir has finer data but it requires a program to view it). However, it usually is the on-axis that comes out on top, due to the very top end dropping off quickly off-axis, I could set a range of frequencies to analyze instead though.

 

[amirm]

Would be nice if the software could automatically calculate the optimal axis, but I don't think that's the case.

I could ask Klippel to add it if we can come up with a definition of it. Currently it has three it can show:

1. On-axis
2. Max mean SPL
3. Min mean SPL

 

[andreasmaaan]

I could ask Klippel to add it if we can come up with a definition of it. Currently it has three it can show:

1. On-axis
2. Max mean SPL
3. Min mean SPL

Nice idea. My first thought is that it could be defined as something like:

axis of least deviation (after x octave smoothing) from mean SPL within frequency range y to z

I think you'd need to apply smoothing before averaging to avoid very narrow-band (perceptually less important) diffraction effects affecting the outcome, perhaps 1/6 octave. And I think you'd need to define the frequency range as something like 100Hz-14kHz so that low- and possibly high-frequency roll-off doesn't affect the average.

What do you think?

 

[wwenze]

The 'next generation' of active bookshelf speakers.. No Roon EQ necessary. Nor AutoEQ or miniDSP. It's all included. All configurable.

Are we there yet?

 

[Rick Sykora]

The company says "Speakers will be sent to Excelsior Audio for independent 3rd Party measurement.", but I would assume that's no longer necessary.

Sensitivity: 82.4dB (300Hz-3000Hz) @ 2.83V @ 1m
Frequency Response: -6dB @ 38Hz
Impedance: 8 Ohm
Distortion: <0.5% THD @ 93dB from 500Hz-10kHz

Maybe Verdant can post them now too? Along with the cabinet size, driver size and other basics.

 

[Deleted member 2944]

Quite pricey for what is essentially a Seas Trym...

View attachment 57088
Less the cabinet, this is about $1200 of parts for the dIY pair and even it seems pricey to me...

Does seem to get much better upper frequency response than the Verdant's too. See: https://solen.ca/wp-content/uploads/trymkit.pdf

No, the TRYM has a bigger woofer driver. It is probably a better speaker all the way around than this Verdant speaker though.
These type of speakers are boring anyways. This is what I was referring to in the DIY interest thread.

Dave.

 

[hardisj]

The first thing I noticed was the seemingly large CTC spacing. The CTC spacing between the two drive units looks to be in the neighborhood of 6 inches. That's equal to about 2250hz. Half-wave then is 1125hz. Seems to me that's a problem that's showing up in the data; I'm guessing they're crossing somewhere in the 2khz region. From the picture, it looks like they could have closed that gap to about 5 inches and push the CTC half-wave up a bit if they had mounted them flange-to-flange. Not that it would have helped much.

Okay, let's say they voiced the speakers specifically to have that curve. Fine. If that's what you want. But the other stuff on the site is a huge turnoff and it would only add more reason for me to not want to buy anything of theirs.

Anyway, the marketing bits:

A wonderful speaker for all music but exceptional for Jazz, Blues or Classical or really any music where detail is critical but there is concern about fatigue.

"Detail", "non-fatiguing". Two words when strung together make an audiophile's ears perk up. But, really, when is detail not critical? This isn't a set of speakers that can detect when you're playing 'detailed' music and enable the ability to reproduce it, while also having the ability to turn it off when it detects you're listening to a 400hz test tone. It's a binary set of speakers; they either play what you tell it to play or they don't. That's it. And when does someone ever want fatigue with detail? I get it; your boosted top end provides a sense of detail while not being peaky at any one or two octaves. Say that. But the wordplay here to make it sound like a reference system should somehow adapt in real time to what it is playing is silly. A reference system should do one thing: reproduce what you tell it to.


Then there's this:

We use only Kimber Kable for our internal point to point wiring and WBT binding posts.

Maybe the Kimber Kable permits the detail without fatigue?

Cliff's notes: $5k for a poor crossover/spacing design and low-80's sensitivity? Company's page has some stuff that just seems silly. Pass.

 

[ROOSKIE]

Interesting speaker to test. Deff shows how money is not indicative of performance. We already knew that but again is more evidence to the point.
The last speaker tested was the R162, which I have used extensively. They are excellent speakers and I have seen them below $200 new, during Harman sales ($160 last time). They measure better than this unit, to my eye, in almost all ways.
I hate to rain on someones art and dream. There is no way for a small designer to compete on raw measured performance in these times. The hope I am sure is that some folks will want to appreciate the art and craft, support a small business and get a unique sound that they love (or that they end up getting used to).
Very interesting as well to see Amir develop a soft spot in his writing for this manufacturer, he was more gentle in my opinion than he might have been compared with previous posts. At least from my viewpoint. These are $5K and IMHO are blown away in measured performance by many speakers now that at most cost 2k (KEF R3). I am glad he was kind though, these speakers are someones love.

 

[direstraitsfan98]

Another speaker to test. Soundsmith Monarch. $7999.95 a pair, sold direct from Soundsmith. https://sound-smith.com/speakers/monarch-bookshelf-speakers

 

[andreasmaaan]

Another speaker to test. Soundsmith Monarch. $7999.95 a pair, sold direct from Soundsmith. https://sound-smith.com/speakers/monarch-bookshelf-speakers

Outrageous pricing for a passive 6" two-way standmount.

 

[Haint]

Another speaker to test. Soundsmith Monarch. $7999.95 a pair, sold direct from Soundsmith. https://sound-smith.com/speakers/monarch-bookshelf-speakers

How many units do you think these type of speakers actually sell? Single digits?

 

[Alice of Old Vincennes]

Another pair of overpriced passive monitors by boutique. Rely on overpriced speakers from Europe. I have laminated countertops. Bamboo is not high-end. Chinese make bamboo scaffolding for skyscrapers.

 

[Alice of Old Vincennes]

I think ASR testing has clearly shown where the future of 2-way Bookshelf speakers the approximate size of the MG1, M16, R162, JBL 530, DBR-62 will be going:

Build the physical box as solid as practical, 5.25 -6.5 woofers as long throw as possible, tweeters that don't break up or with resonances - and waveguides layout etc to give the best possible DI.

Then throw out the fixed analog crossover. Directly bi-amp each driver. Preceed the external (for future service/upgrade) 'quality AB dual amp' (90 + SINAD, no hiss) with a full DSP pre-processor with fully configurable digital XO, shelving, driver leveling, phase, and multiple/8 PEQ per driver.. Controlled by an Android app on your phone

The 70 yo can shelf raise the treble...Someone else might shelve the bass.. Others PEQ distortion points, resonances, port rasping, etc. One - or everything...

Something like the $449 R162 pair plus $500 for the 4-channel amp and pre-processor... Designed and built as a system...not unlike the Genelec 8431. For $1000.

The 'next generation' of active bookshelf speakers.. No Roon EQ necessary. Nor AutoEQ or miniDSP. It's all included. All configurable.

Are we there yet?

Not yet.