Here Comes the Lohengrin
With companies such as Classe Audio and Bryston, Canada is a major force in high-end audio. Now a contender for state-of-the art from across the border has landed on my doorstep in the form of Verity Audio’s Lohengrin loudspeaker. The Lohengrin has been thoroughly upgraded, resulting in a Mk. II designation. It’s also a very efficient loudspeaker, running at a nifty 95dB. So I was eager to hear it.
Over the past two days, John Quick has installed and fine-tuned the Lohengrin, which, as you can see, is set up in my basement. Quick ran a variety of computer programs as well as relying on his ears to try and achieve sonic nirvana. Quick, who is a representative of dCS as well, was quite sporting about having to use my, by dCS standards, modestly priced Playback Designs CD/SACD player.
I could go into all the complicated aspects of the loudspeaker’s design, but that’s for later. For now, it’s enough to note that it follows a diametrically opposed design philosophy to the Wilson Maxx 3 loudspeaker that I recently reviewed. Verity seeks to dissipate vibrations rather than render them inert. The Lohengrin is made out of 1” MDF and features irregular bracing. It’s awfully pretty, as you see from the pictures. In the opera “Lohengrin” the most famous chorus is “Here Comes the Bride.” Which raises the question: will the mating of the two Canadians--the Classe Omega mono blocks and the Verity Lohengrin--prove a match made in heaven?
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1999 - 2011 NextScreen. All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
Comments
The Classe-Lohengrin combination will prove an interesting match. Will you try the Lohengrin bi-amped as well? Also, are the Wilson Maxx 3 and Lohengrin able to be upgraded for future improvements?
I intend to run the Lohengrins biamped.
The Maxx 3 just came out and the Lohengrin was just upgraded. I don't know about any future plans for either loudspeaker.
I don't know about being "sporting" to use the Playback Designs over the dCS - for many people, the Playback is the better sounding unit, regardless of price...
Awesome speaker, I own the Sarastro but the Lohengrin is sth else!
curious about the review coming up.
don't let the 95 dB fool you into thinking it is an 'easy' speaker.
they crave power and control, though 50 watts is indeed all you may need. I tried many amps, they just love solid state. and I just ADORE Lohengrin.
biamping and bi-wiring may be partly succesful, after all i found the bass integration better with single wire and greatly preferred to the lower binding posts.
they have Nordost wire internally, pls check out the new Nordost jumper!
cheers;
By using "sporting," I was trying to make a bit of a joke--the Playback, after all, lists for $15K.
best,
JH
JH, is the cabinet design at all in keeping with the BBC designs of companies such as Harbeth on thin cabinet walls, etc.? Thanks
Interesting question--I will have to inquire to find out the answer.
JH
Sorry for being so late to jump in on this!
First, for those who've taken Jacob's comment about the Playback Designs player seriously- please get a grip. This was really just meant to be a poke at me. Jacob's system sounds amazing, and although I don't know the Playback unit well, I'm sure it's a terrific unit.
Second, Verity's cabinet design philosophy has very little to do with the BBC cabinet designs of the past. If I'm not mistaken, these designs actually used 1/2" birch plywood and some form of bituminous damping material stuck to the inside panels to "tame" resonances. While some may translate that into a general desire to dissipate mechanical energy, and it does on some level, it's not at all what the Verity designers are doing... I'm sure Jacob's review will cover this in some detail!
John Quick, U.S. Sales Manager, Verity Audio