Coincident Pure Reference Extreme (TAS 209)

A New Breed of Loudspeaker

I don’t think many audiophiles will argue the fact that the loudspeaker is the single most important component in a high-performance audio system. It’s the device that converts the electronic signal into mechanical energy that moves the air molecules we then perceive as sound. How the signal is converted, and what type of material actually interfaces with the air, defines the type of loudspeaker. Be it conventional, horn, planar, electrostatic, or ribbon, each speaker produces a sonic signature at the point of contact with its radiating surface. It is this signature that we either like or don’t like which defines our listening bias. Once we find a speaker with a signature we can live with, we stick with it. I have a listening friend who’s owned KEF 107s for over fourteen years!

I think once we adapt to a speaker we hesitate to look for another. Instead, we relentlessly search for components that highlight the attributes within the speaker that we particularly liked at the get-go. Also, it’s far easier (and cheaper) to swap a cable or switch a DAC then it is to change speakers. We may end up in a proverbial rut and not even know it (or for that matter, even care). It’s only when we hear something new that offers more of the attributes we individually value and/or breaks into a new reality territory that we sit up and take notice.

You’ve heard the words many times. The speed of an electrostatic, the dynamics of a horn, or the punch of conventional drivers. If we could take a favorite attribute from each speaker type and wrap it up into a single unit it would perhaps be the straw that snaps that camel’s back and gets us out of that rut. And this folks, is happening right now. New “take notice” designs from Wilson, Magico, and now Coincident are doing just this. They are causing us to not only re-evaluate our systems but to also rethink our tastes.

Selecting a loudspeaker is a very personal choice. It’s driven by cost, by listening history and by taste. Not to oversimplify the matter but colleague and TAS executive editor Jonathan Valin says there are three basic listener types and each has very specific listening tastes. I think he’s right on target and that we all have a portion of each of them inside us.

The Three Listeners

Listener One, let’s call him Dr. Detail, he likes razor-sharp transients. He selects components based on bandwidth and accuracy. Dr. Detail is a “fidelity to the mastertape” type guy. He wants his recorded music to sound precisely as realistic or unrealistic as the recording dictates and as modern engineering allows. He will listen to the same recording, over and over, as he fine-tunes his system to hear each consonant and vowel of Shirley Horn’s phrasing. You may find Avalon or Kharma speakers in his contemporary loft. He loves to use the word “speed” or “fast” to describe his system.

Listener Two, we’ll call him Mr. Absolute, is more the "replicate reality" type. He wants his reproduced music to sound as much like the real thing as possible, regardless of the quality of the source. He’ll adjust his system to mimic or copy the sound he hears at his local concert venues. You’ll find MBLs or Magneplaners in his dedicated listening room. His favorite audio term is “soundstage.”

Listener Three, let’s call her Ms. Romance, loves the beauty of the music itself. She wants her system to make her feel good and to connect her to the soul of the music—no matter how far it may err from actual reality. You’ll find vintage gear, tube amps and Harbeths in her home. Her favorite buzz word is PRaT (pace, rhythm and tempo).

When the three of them get together all they do is argue.

Dr. Detail inevitably pounds his fist on the table and says: “How can you two consider yourselves critical listeners if you don’t hear all the detail within the recording?” No matter how hard he argues he can’t win the other two over. How do you attack someone’s taste or choice in human endeavor? Mr. Absolute and Ms. Romance breathe a sigh of relief when he finally leaves. They plunk down together on the couch and play some Brahms. Partway through the first movement Mr. Absolute stands up and says: “This isn’t right. I know this recording; the performance is wonderful but the sound is awful. I’ve never heard a multimiked Columbia sound this beautiful.” Miss Romance says with pride, “Isn’t it great! It took me years to get the system to sound so gorgeous. Do you have a problem with that? Are you a music lover or one of those simple-minded equipment people? Don’t you understand intervals, harmonies, tempo rubato, or modes?” After a while Mr. Absolute has heard enough of this anti-audio whining and offers up a litany of the wrongs Ms. Romance is committing like flabby bass, rolled-off top, lack of dynamics, to name just a few. Ms. Romance grimaces and points her finger at him saying, “You’re an equipment ninny; you’re not a true music lover.”