This is a review and detailed measurements of the Verdant Audio Bambusa MG 1 Bookshelf speaker. It is on kind loan from the company. The MG 1 costs US $4999 for a pair.
As the model number implies, the MG 1 cabinet is made out of laminated Bamboo which I like:
The back panel is shows nice quality binding posts that are easy to manipulate:
When the owner contacted me to send me the speaker I cautioned him that if measurements don't look good, I would still be publishing them. To my pleasant surprise he said he had no issue with that whatsoever.
Measurements that you are about to see were performed using the Klippel Near-field Scanner (NFS). This is a robotic measurement system that analyzes the speaker all around and is able (using advanced mathematics and dual scan) to subtract room reflections (so where I measure it doesn't matter). It also measures the speaker at close distance ("near-field") which sharply reduces the impact of room noise. Both of these factors enable testing in ordinary rooms yet results that can be more accurate than anechoic chamber. In a nutshell, the measurements show the actual sound coming out of the speaker independent of the room.
All measurements are referenced to the tweeter axis with frequency resolution of 2.7 Hz.
Spinorama Audio Measurements
Acoustic measurements can be grouped in a way that can be perceptually analyzed to determine how good a speaker can be used. This so called spinorama shows us just about everything we need to know about the speaker with respect to tonality and some flaws:
We normally want to see a flat on-axis response here. Alas, that is not what we have. There is a dip in likely crossover region followed with elevated energy at treble frequencies. The company advertising says as much:
More on my listening impressions later. For now, this is our predicted in-room response:
And important early reflections:
Typical of non-coaxial 2-way speakers, vertical response is not good so advise thick carpeting at least.
Horizontal and vertical directivity is as expected:
A few degrees above the tweeter axis seems to improve the response so you may want to get less tall stand that puts the tweeter a bit below your ear level:
Impedance graph shows higher than normal impedance which is easier on amplifier:
Distortion graph shows something going a bit wrong around 400 Hz:
Otherwise mid to high frequency distortion is quite low which bodes well for that elevated response.
And finally our waterfall:
Speaker Listening Tests
I had my son who is in his twenties with me for this part of the test. Without showing him the measurements I asked his impression. He said "metallic parts of music are exaggerated." That was exactly my impression. What is there is clean mind you, but definitely stands out. And as advertising said, bass does not stand out. I dialed in some bass boost and that made a very positive impression but caused the woofer to bottom out at elevated playback volume. With two speakers (my tests are with one), that may work.
Conclusions
The sound of Bambusa MG 1 seems to be as designed both objectively and subjectively. I have a feeling that in quick listen and for a target market of aging audiophiles, elevated highs may be a good idea. It is not what I like to live with though. What would be nice then is a switch in the back that puts in a resistor in the path of the tweeter to dial down its energy some. Alternative a target curve that brings down the highs may do the trick.
The directivity dip is harder to fix and would create some room dependency.
As is, I can't recommend the MG 1 but I am so appreciative of the attitude of the company to volunteer to have its speakers tested.
-----------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.
I may have killed some of my tomato seedlings due to forgetting to water them.
Appreciate a few dollars to buy more seeds and planting soil by donating using : https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/
As the model number implies, the MG 1 cabinet is made out of laminated Bamboo which I like:
The back panel is shows nice quality binding posts that are easy to manipulate:
When the owner contacted me to send me the speaker I cautioned him that if measurements don't look good, I would still be publishing them. To my pleasant surprise he said he had no issue with that whatsoever.
Measurements that you are about to see were performed using the Klippel Near-field Scanner (NFS). This is a robotic measurement system that analyzes the speaker all around and is able (using advanced mathematics and dual scan) to subtract room reflections (so where I measure it doesn't matter). It also measures the speaker at close distance ("near-field") which sharply reduces the impact of room noise. Both of these factors enable testing in ordinary rooms yet results that can be more accurate than anechoic chamber. In a nutshell, the measurements show the actual sound coming out of the speaker independent of the room.
All measurements are referenced to the tweeter axis with frequency resolution of 2.7 Hz.
Spinorama Audio Measurements
Acoustic measurements can be grouped in a way that can be perceptually analyzed to determine how good a speaker can be used. This so called spinorama shows us just about everything we need to know about the speaker with respect to tonality and some flaws:
We normally want to see a flat on-axis response here. Alas, that is not what we have. There is a dip in likely crossover region followed with elevated energy at treble frequencies. The company advertising says as much:
More on my listening impressions later. For now, this is our predicted in-room response:
And important early reflections:
Typical of non-coaxial 2-way speakers, vertical response is not good so advise thick carpeting at least.
Horizontal and vertical directivity is as expected:
A few degrees above the tweeter axis seems to improve the response so you may want to get less tall stand that puts the tweeter a bit below your ear level:
Impedance graph shows higher than normal impedance which is easier on amplifier:
Distortion graph shows something going a bit wrong around 400 Hz:
Otherwise mid to high frequency distortion is quite low which bodes well for that elevated response.
And finally our waterfall:
Speaker Listening Tests
I had my son who is in his twenties with me for this part of the test. Without showing him the measurements I asked his impression. He said "metallic parts of music are exaggerated." That was exactly my impression. What is there is clean mind you, but definitely stands out. And as advertising said, bass does not stand out. I dialed in some bass boost and that made a very positive impression but caused the woofer to bottom out at elevated playback volume. With two speakers (my tests are with one), that may work.
Conclusions
The sound of Bambusa MG 1 seems to be as designed both objectively and subjectively. I have a feeling that in quick listen and for a target market of aging audiophiles, elevated highs may be a good idea. It is not what I like to live with though. What would be nice then is a switch in the back that puts in a resistor in the path of the tweeter to dial down its energy some. Alternative a target curve that brings down the highs may do the trick.
The directivity dip is harder to fix and would create some room dependency.
As is, I can't recommend the MG 1 but I am so appreciative of the attitude of the company to volunteer to have its speakers tested.
-----------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.
I may have killed some of my tomato seedlings due to forgetting to water them.
Appreciate a few dollars to buy more seeds and planting soil by donating using : https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/
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