Quintet15 w/ Voxativ AC-1.6
A follow up review by Pete Davey who upgraded our Trio15 Voxativ that he reviewed few months ago to Quintet15.
“What we have here is an amalgamation of parts that truly turns itself into a very pleasing / cohesive sound that is hard to beat for the price. Almost all of the punch of a (albeit smaller) box speaker, the accuracy and speed of a ribbon, and the soundstage of a dipole. I have played just about every music genre one can think of at these things, and they handle it all with aplomb.”
“What can I say more about these that I haven’t already covered in the Trio review? They are more of everything! Volume, heft, SPL, and stature. If that is what you’re looking for—you came to the right place.”
Duet15 Prelude
6moons Unfinished Review (Part 1) and Part 2 Customer Review of the Review Set
This review had got ‘crumbled’ (as the reviewer named it) and this happened even before the reviewer heard a single note coming from the speakers. The communication and the atmosphere with the reviewer deteriorated to a level that brought us to a decision not to proceed with the ‘listening part’ of the review.
As a follow up of this ‘crumbled’ review, here are a few extra pieces of information for readers to have a complete picture of the event, plus, our own ‘Part 2’ of the review, that is a feedback from a customer who purchased the review set immediately after it was collected from the reviewer (before the assembly was completed by him).
Trio15 Coax10
In Depth Review by Doug Schroeder
“Everyone in the speaker business is trying to make a musical speaker, which is a descriptor not very enlightening to the buyer. Various speakers that are claimed to be musical can vary radically in their technology and sound quality. Having said that, it is helpful to a degree to distinguish between a speaker that is precise, revealing, or uncolored versus one that strikes the ear as more organic, warm, and fatigue-free. These general distinctions are often upheld in assessment of different genres and brands of speakers. Rarely one sees that divergence when a company offers distinct models of speakers, as is the case with PureAudioProject.”
Duet15 Prelude
In Depth Review by Gary Beard
“Although Ze’ev Schlik says the Duet 15 Prelude could be a stepping stone, its performance in the Tune Saloon clearly demonstrated the Voxativ equipped Duet is anything but entry-level. It could certainly be an end-game for many. I’ll say this without hesitation: The Duet 15 Prelude is a first-rate loudspeaker that tickled every single personal sonic-fancy.”
“For all its outward simplicity, the Duet 15 Prelude’s sonic quality is quite complex. It is dynamic, with a lightning fast attack. Resolution of fine detail is excellent, and tonal color is strikingly lifelike at times. The Duet also gets high marks for an amazing ability to construct a believable image, and set those images into a wide stage.”
“During my time with the Duet, I listened to almost every genre of music. And while some speakers are more capable with one type of music or another, the Duet sounded sterling with them all.”
Quintet15 Horn1
In Depth Review by Doug Schroeder (after reviewing the Trio15 Horn1 and other models in the last 6 years)
“The Trio15 was my first go at a hybrid horn speaker, and I shared how elated I was to capture the peculiarities of such designs and employ the strengths in various systems. The Quintet15 has added to the fascination and ebullience of the horn speaker experience. With the Quintet15, the performance of the Trio15 has been enhanced with a grander scale and better tonal and output integration with the woofers. The Quintet15’s strength is in its easygoing blanket of bass and tight phantom image with its own lovely umbra. Reviewers often opine about whether a particular speaker could be appreciated (that is, used/owned) long term, or even forever. The Quintet15 is that sort of speaker, one that will not exhibit great shortcomings and would make proud all but the most well-heeled audiophiles. PureAudioProject has outdone themselves quite purposefully, and those who love open baffle sound, as well as Trio15 owners, should strongly consider the Quintet15 Horn1 as the proper upgrade.”
Trio15 Classic
In Depth Review by Ken Redmond from Audio Beatnik
“The sound from the Trio15 Classics yielded depth, tonal balance, and a relaxed yet detailed presentation of the music that I rarely hear in show settings. I knew at that point that I was destined to audition/review these speakers…”
“with the open baffle Trio15 Classic speakers playing, my room became the venue”
“Numerous times I would walk into the room with the intent of evaluating the speaker only to have the session derailed by my desire to just listen to music.”
“These speakers are not one the kind that put you on the mixing board and deconstructs the music. This speaker puts you squarely in Row 10 of the performance. That’s close enough to enjoy musical details but far enough back to understand how it all works together. It is a speaker that presents the music as an amalgamation of notes, tones, and harmonics whose sum is greater than the parts that make it up.”
“These are speakers that honor the music.”
Quintet15 Horn1
Herb Reichert from Stereophile at Axpona 2019
“To my ears, “done right” describes the Pure Audio Project’s Quintet15 Horn1 Modular Open Baffle Loudspeakers ($9995) I auditioned at CAF…”
“I was especially impressed by the power of the presentation and the three-dimensionality of the imaging. The Quintet15’s sounded coherent, and the horns just lookedright sitting in the middle of the curved 72″ x 21″ aluminum frame. These are to my taste: good-looking loudspeakers…”, “full, large, relaxed, open, and naturally detailed. No hi-fi unnaturalness.”
Trio15 Horn1
’25th Anniversary Legendary Performances Award’ by EnjoyTheMusic
“Enjoy the Music Legendary Performance Awards is a once every 25-year event, so you know it is something very special indeed! We tasked our extensive staff in choosing products they felt earned an extra-special mention, which in turn shows the greatness of these legendary pieces of high-end audio equipment”
Trio15 Classic
Steve Guttenberg shares his experience with Trio15 Classic on YouTube:
- in depth review
- Use experience with Denafrips Terminator
- Best of 2019 nomination
- Inclusion in ‘Hall of Fame’
“Blown away by these speakers…”
“They liberate the music”
“Fastest, cleanest bass I ever had in this room…”
“Fun?… Whew… Massive fun
Quintet10 w/ Voxativ and Horn2 Drivers
In Depth Review
Look ma, no boxes! I spent 100 days and nights with PureAudioProject’s Quintet 10 open-baffle speakers — and found that they are sonic shape-shifters of the highest order…
… Beyond the ability to finetune the sound (see company’s page here) by switching drivers, the open-baffle design means that the crossover on each speaker is easily accessible. Thus, bliss awaits inveterate tweakers who arm themselves with a Phillips-head screwdriver and different capacitors and resistors. I achieved the most satisfying results with the horns and a pair of PAP-supplied Mundorf MCAP EVO Silver/Gold Oil capacitors, which sounded quite a bit better to me than the twice-as expensive Supreme Silver Gold Oil caps that PureAudioProject also allowed me to try. The change between the two was not subtle, beginning with an increase in palpability. As I wrote to PAP founder Ze’ev Schlik, after I installed the more affordable caps, I could literally hear the difference from the next room…
– Rogier van Bakel, Complete Review
Trio15 Classic
Part Time Audiophile at NY Audio Show 2019
As an owner of open baffle speakers, I must compliment Pure Audio Project (PAP) on their modular / flat-pack shipping business model. They have overcome most of the major obstacles to marketing such speakers, including the SAF (spousal approval factor). I have heard several iterations of their speakers at previous shows and have always been favorably impressed. At this show, they had the TRIO15 CLASSIC, which is the same as the Trio15 modular loudspeaker, but is a fully assembled version (i.e., not a flatpack kit) with a tastefully designed grill cloth (the raw driver look is often off-putting to those sensitive to home decor/aesthetics). The same midrange driver options are available and this one was using the wood-cone AC-PiFe Voxativ driver ($8,995 including U.S. shipping). Apparently, this was the same system used at the Chicago AXPONA show, which was described by my colleague, Marc Phillips. The Luminous Audio Technology passive attenuator and PAS Labs 160.8 amps combined with a VPI Prime turntable, computer files and Tidal into a Roland Super UA sound card (DAC on board).
In a followup email, the host of the room, Ze’ev Schlik, explained that even though the speakers are of high efficiency (96 dB sensitivity), they wanted to show how they work with high-powered amps. Duly noted, but my favorite PAP show demo was with the higher model Quintet 15 Horn 1 paired with the Whammerdyne Truth 2A3 SET amp. Their web site also states that they can do custom builds to mate with various brands of midrange-oriented drivers, modern or vintage. I wonder how this would work with a pair of vintage Altec 755 drivers for the mids?
— Steve Marsh
Trio15 HeilAMT
In Depth Review
I’m going to steal a line from fellow reviewer Hartmut Quaschik when I say the Trio15 Heils exhibit “…electrostatic resolution with real life dynamics.”
“One aspect to consider with speakers is Spousal Approval Factor (SAF). Though they are relatively
imposing in my listening space, they have received a high SAF rating from my wife Kari, both for their
very shallow footprint and exceptional performance (see Photo 5). Kari finds them good looking, gratifying in their presentation, and instructive to listen to given her recurring utterances of, “I’ve never heard THAT before!”…
Their performance is extraordinary, especially when weighted against their cost, with an unrestricted
presentation, wide and smooth response, and rugged, techy good looks. Their honest timbre, excellent speed at mid and high frequencies, and overall sense of envelopment is pure listening pleasure. In terms of fidelity—the truth in conveying what’s in a recording, they smoke many loudspeakers costing several times as much.
Heck, I like their overall performance more than some costing 10 times more.
Highly Recommended!”
Oliver Masciarotte, AudioXpress, read the complete review
Audio Beatnik Awards Classic15 at California Audio Show 2019
“… these Classic 15 speakers demonstrated they could be elegant and graceful, yet at the same time, they were dynamic and exciting. For example, they gave me a great introspective look into a classical music performance. Then, when switching to a gritty, angry, industrial rock song, they perfectly replicated a highly distorted electric guitar. It sounds funny to say that they “accurately reproduced distortion!” However, it speaks to the “do-anything” character of these speakers and their ability to faithfully reproduce any genre of music.
The perfect synergy between the amplifier and speakers was evident as the volume was increased. Despite “only” having 8.4 watts per channel, the Whammerdyne amplifier drove these speakers to uncomfortable levels, with no signs of letting up. Clearly, there was plenty of horsepower and headroom inside this less than 10 watts per channel amplifier. This allowed for effortless dynamic swings that came from a completely silent background. Whenever I sat down for a song in this room, I felt fully engaged, and I didn’t want to stop listening.
״,
Trio15 Classic
Part Time Audiophile at Axpona 2019
“The new PureAudioProject loudspeaker, ready-to-run right out of the box, no assembly required and based on their Trio 15 design. Still one of the best values in hi-end, the new loudspeaker just made getting into the PureAudioProject universe of sound that much easier… The bass is always fast with well-executed open-baffle designs, and the sound coming from the new TRIO15 CLASSIC is right there at the top of them. Especially with how linear the drivers are when they coalesce to create an expansive wall of sound that fools the visual senses. You’d swear that sounds were coming from distant places outside of these small hotel room walls.״,
Trio15 w/ Voxativ (AC-1.6)
In Depth Review
“I’ve had the honor of having experienced the PureAudioProject “Trio” system for a while now, and it is one of the most eye-opening experiences I have in a long time. I have reviewed lots of speaker systems as well as other ancillary systems, but none of them have captured the essence of the music like this system has..״,
Quintet15 Horn1
‘Blue Note, Best of 2018’ Award
“When we listen at home over our favorite speakers, they are our window back onto the musical event that was recorded and produced, in the first place for our delectation. So the closer our speakers come to sounding like those used during the recording efforts, the more likely we are to experience the same type of musical reproduction in our living rooms, etc.. B&W 801, Quad ESL-57, and KEF LS3-5a are a few legendary transducers that have served music and sound lovers alike on both sides of the microphone for decades. But none of them is new. And none offer up a new level of both technical brilliance and visual appeal to go along with spine tingling “you are there” sound quality. I speak of the new PureAudioProject Quintet15 Horn1 Modular Open Baffle Loudspeakers ($9995) — a sonorous triumph of aesthetics and technique…״
“Well, with the PureAudioProject’s latest loudspeaker design, the Quintet15 Horn1 takes its place among a cherished handful of great examples of speakers that are true music instruments.”
Trio15 Horn1
‘Exceptional Value Award 2018’, Redefining Expectations
“The highest compliment I can pay the PureAudioProject speakers is that I purchased the review pair and will be using them as a permanent reference speaker in room two. I’ve never had this much sheer fun with a pair of speakers. In addition to being a great reviewing tool, they are going to be the vehicle for a number of audio journeys I’m planning, so count on hearing more about them in the months to come. It’s easy to award them one of our Exceptional Value Awards for 2018.”
“not only built a speaker that sounds incredible, it gets my personal thumbs-up for being the most fun speaker I’ve ever had the pleasure to use… it only took a few hours of listening to move the Trios from the want column to the need/system reference column in that big Excel spreadsheet that is my life.”
“Of course being a big Pass Laboratories fan, we tried them with the mighty XA200.8s (way overkill), the INT-60, the XA25 and the First Watt SIT-2. The INT-60 is lovely, but the XA25 mated to the Koda K-10 solid state amplifier proved mind bending”
“Great as these speakers sounded at Hickman’s house, I was still expecting that pinched horn sound. None is present in the Trios – zero.”
“Hours pass by and on many occasions, what begins as an afternoon listening session, lingers far into the night hours – even with daylight saving time in full effect. A wide range of music proves highly engaging and exposes no flaws in the Trios. They play everything you can imagine with ease.”
“These are one of the most exciting speakers I’ve had the pleasure of listening to at low volume levels, making them perfect for someone living in a condo or apartment situation.”
“Enjoyable as these speakers are, you need to hear them. Their clear, dynamic sound reminds me of so many aspects of other speakers that I truly love. They disappear in the room and provide pinpoint imaging when required like a great mini monitor, yet, they paint a vast, diffuse landscape like my Magnepan Tympanis, all the while, having the sheer sonic punch of the Klipsch LaScalas.”,
Jeff Dogrey, Tone Audio Maמgazine, read the complete review
Trio15 Horn1
‘Spark in the Dark 2018 Award׳
“The PAP point to the true of the musical instrument, they are among the best cases I have ever tried and therefore I strongly recommended״
Giuseppe Castelli, Read the Complete ReMusic Review
Trio15 Horn1
Show Report, CAS8 2018
“At shows over the years, I have thought that different PureAudioProject speakers sounded very promising. This year with this combo of speakers and amplifier, the sound was more than promising; it was one of the very best sounding rooms at the show.”
Audio Beatnic, CAS8 2018 Show Review
The PureAudioProject / Whammerdyne Heavy Industries room was one of the best I heard at the show. It featured the PureAudioProject Trio15 Horn1 and Trio15 Voxativ Field Coil Modular Open Baffle Speakers driven by a Whammerdyne 2A3 SE model DAA3+ RAM ($6,900) and a Whammerdyne 2A3 SE model Ultimate “Truth” ($13,000). They also used an Exogal Comet DAC($3,000), a Wyred 4 Sound modified Sonos Connect ($900), and an MSB Technologies “Analog” DAC($6,000).
Audio Beatnic, CAS8 2018 Show Review
More Reviews
Home Theatre Forum reviews the Trio15TB and tags it as ‘Highly Recommended’
“Over the course of about a month, I threw a ton of music at the Trio15TB’s, everything from the totally electronic productions of Tycho to the wonderful work of The Piano Guys. Not a single album sounded bad on the Trio15’s, in fact their open sound and effortless presentation were a ton of fun, and I spent a great deal of time exploring music I hadn’t listened to in a long while.”
“There is something fundamentally rewarding about listening to a speaker assembled with your own hands, and in the case of the Trio15TB, the results are reward enough.”
“Sonically the Trio15TB represents a fantastic value, and offers a lifelike and natural sound that must be heard to be believed”
Dave Upton, Home Theatre Forum, read the complete review
Trio10 Voxativ reviewed by HiFi Knights
“To marry open-baffles with full-range transducers via one attractively priced product was a very solid master plan to begin with. With Trio10 Voxativ, one gets the best of both these worlds, but served in sophisticated, effortless, easygoing, lively, music oriented and utterly enjoyable fashion. To hear speakers this great in their price range is a rare thing. Yet the true beauty of our Israeli case lies within its ability to easily throw punches far above its weight. PureAudioProject Trio10 Voxativ is smart, superbly sounding, highly recommended and – as a complete package – one of the best ways known to yours truly to spend €5’500 in the audio game. This one’s not a gamble, but the very real deal. Highly recommended”
Trio15 Horn1 reviewed by Enjoy the Music
“ PureAudioProject’s Trio15 Horn1 reproduces subtle cues that are normally buried in the mix. Now they suddenly come to life! John Elliot Gardiner’s renditions of Beethoven’s piano concertos has a strikingly different tonality of fortepiano, instead of just sounding clunky, it now has a gravitas like that of a real instrument!…”
” I complement PureAudioProject on creating truly unique loudspeakers. They have the open presentation of planars, but retain the impressive dynamics of traditional horns. The horns and bass drivers are mated perfectly for an engaging lifelike presentation. They have the added capability of switching out components in the crossover to tailor the sound to your liking…”
RMAF 2017: The PureAudioProject, larger than life
“What the Pure Audio Project has done to change the DIY landscape is two-fold: 1) offer reliable speaker components and designs associated with some of the best manufacturing available, and 2) offer a truly DIY experience to customers without the risks often associated with garage designed plans.”, Eric Franklin Shook, PartTimeAudiophile
Quintet15 reviewed at RMAF2017
“With a stated sensitivity above 95dB, the Quintet 15’s sounded nearly as airy and easy on these ears as did the big and outrageous Stein Music horns that debuted at the High End show this past spring… One thing’s for certain: there’s a lot to be had here for under $10k and the PureAudioProject Quintet 15 may be one of the best values in high-end audio in the here and now.”, Clement Perry, StereoTimes
“PureAudioProject and Whammerdyne make an incredible dynamic-duo in pretty much every sense of the word…”, Steven Rochlin, EnjoyTheMusic
“Well that’s something I never thought I’d see or like, but it’s kind of awesome.” That’s how I felt about the PureAudioProject room.”, Jana Dagdagan, Stereophile
“My favorite concepts room, and I did love the sound. It takes some explaining but “Modular” and “Customizable” should be the key words to take home with you.”, Eric Franklin Shook, PartTimeAudiophile
“Some fantastic sound here with an affordable high end speaker that can stand toe to toe with considerably more costly loudspeakers.”, Richard Austin, Dagogo, Final Report – Best Rooms at CAS
Doug Schroeder in-depth review of Trio15 PAP-Horn1
“It figures, the one genre of speaker I thought I could safely ignore through the years is the one I should have been paying closer attention. I had concluded through listening events at shows, dealers and audiophile friends that lower power and high efficiency speakers were not the way to go to attain to SOTA. What was I thinking? That higher power equals superiority? Likely. That nothing tops an electrostatic when it comes to cleanness and detail? Most assuredly. That low power/HE is ancient technology and inevitably the newer designs have surpassed it? No doubt. That horns are problematic, too finicky? Of course. All wrong. These perceptions were all wrong, obliterated by the experience of hearing the PureAudioProject Trio15 PAP Horn-1.
I have been pinching and kicking myself for the past several weeks as I have been romancing the Horn-1; pinching myself to see is not an illusion, that the experience is as magical as I’m hearing, and kicking myself because I have been a reviewer for more than 12 years and only now I’m relishing lower power/HE in a big way. The truth is that I likely would not have trod the low power/HEpath had I not been engaged in the series of reviews of the Trio15 variants for PureAudioProject. I have several iterations with the Horn-1 to explore, but already the few configurations I have assembled would quality as most ardent audiophiles’ end game masterpiece. The previous versions of the speaker have led me to this, the Horn-1, a transducer that, if I were pushed to choose, I would select over most panel speakers you care to name.“
Douglas Schroeder, Dagogo, complete review
Donald Shaulis from StereoTimes reviews the Trio15 Voxativ
“Trio15 Voxativ loudspeakers are eminently enjoyable in stock configuration but also offer owners the unique opportunity to tune them to their personal taste and changes in ancillary equipment or rooms to ensure long-term enjoyment. Testimony to the value brought to you by PureAudioProject is a final price not much more than it would cost an individual to purchase the components separately considering the high MSRP of the Voxativ drivers. All too frequently loudspeaker manufacturers appear to price their products with no relation to the cost of the components or performance. I realize there are other cost considerations in speaker design and building but my charity and credulity concerning value only stretch so far. In addition to an attractive price to component value, the Trio15 Voxativ is an exceptional price to performance value.”, Donal Shaulis, StereoTimes, read the complete review
Trio10 Timeless
“Its relaxed and mellow characteristic will make every type of music a very enjoyable and easygoing experience. That’s the way to go if one wishes to target a large group of regular folks and not only well-seasoned enthusiasts. ‘Accessible’ is the right word here and that’s what Trio10 Timeless is all about, this is said model’s psych profile in a nutshell. Yet make no mistake, it’ll please many audiophiles out there. It paints very big and present picture effortlessly, has proper shove downstairs, sounds very smooth and is a serious performer overall. Latest 10-incher by PureAudioProject is not only a worthy OB representative, but it also serves music and not each sound magnified. In order to get the best out of this product, agile, transparent and powerful amplifiers seem to be the perfec, highly synergistic match.”
Dawid Grzyb, HiFi Knights Complete Review
In Depth Review of the Trio15 Voxativ
“I have been blindsided by the beauty of the Trio15 Voxativ. I didn’t expect this experience, and it has caused me to reconsider what top end sound is about. With the Voxativ there is a leap upward in terms of the refinement, the characteristics associated with the most beguiling systems…”
“so also my ears hear the intensity, the focus, and the brilliance of design of the Trio15 Voxativ. Frankly, this speaker is causing me to reconsider my conclusions regarding premium sound.”
“The major advantage of the Trio15 series is offering potential for that upgrade without the company or owner having to adopt an entirely new speaker. The chief benefits of the PureAudioProject design remain intact, while the shortcomings of the more economical version are addressed. It is among the safest, lowest risk upgrades to a speaker in the industry. I strongly recommend those who own the Tang Band version consider upgrading when possible. If you have a second rig it would not be out of line to use the Tang Band model in the secondary rig and the Voxativ in the primary.”
“A configurable crossover is a bonus for the owner, and it can mean the difference between satisfaction and elation.”
“The PureAudioProject Neo15 series is brilliantly designed with excellent parts quality and executed with the capacity for superb performance.”
“This was perhaps the most surprising discovery about the Trio15 Voxativ. For many years I championed the perspective that one cannot find a more transparent speaker technology than found in panel speakers. Over the years I have experienced that an extreme dynamic speaker such as the Vapor Audio Joule White 3 has as much precision, transparency and speed as even the Kingsound King III electrostatic speaker. However, I would not have predicted the much more humbly priced Trio15 Voxativ to better any panel in terms of transparency.”
Douglas Schroeder, Dagogo, read the complete review
Trio15 PAP-Horn1 reviewed at Montreal Audio Show, March 2017
Robert Scryer from Stereophile reports: “Trio15 modular open-baffle speaker concept proved a hit at the Montreal show”, and summarises: “Trio15 PAP-Horn delivered music with aplomb, tactility, and a liberating sense of fun”
Trio15 Voxativ
“Vocals are a particular strong point with the Voxativ’s. Etienne Daho’s “Ouverture” was absolutely spine tingling with the character and inflections in his voice clearly portrayed despite more and more instruments joining in as the song builds up and up. Similarly Cats on Trees “Jimmy” had fabulous vocal clarity, the relatively simple mix allowing every part to be examined separately or as a whole.Despite their increased refinement over the TBs the Voxativs can get down and boogie when required and inspired a friend of ours who shall remain anonymous to a session of air guitar whilst singing along to “Money for Nothing”. They were also a surprising success with AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” with the drums having real weight and guitars a powerful top end but avoiding stridance (something I admit I was afraid of when my eldest son insisted on getting this disc out). More dance related music encourages you to do exactly that be it Daft Punk, Gwen Stefani or (yes I admit I did buy the 12″) Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t stop the feeling” which can make sitting down to review things quite hard! The bass performance is on a par with the TB version – there is no trade off for the extra clarity in the upper end. It’s fast and as with the TBs with a bit of volume there’s all the weight most people would realistically want (or that most rooms can really handle)…“,
Graeme Budd, TNT-Audio complete review
Stellar12 reviewed at RMAF2016
“I walked in to hear Elvis crooning “Fever”, and he sounded like he was back in the building. The first thing I noticed were the towering open baffle speakers, PureAudioProject Stellar 12s, ($25,000 per pair), and how natural OB speakers make bass sound…All custom Morel drivers, simple crossover accomplished with the help of Mundorf, and a curving backbone frame all contribute to the excellent sound.”, Kemper Holt, Show Review RMAF 2016, EnjoyTheMusic
“Pure Audio Project had a huge, actually really good functioning three-way concept at the start in Denver…”, Fidelity Online, Show Review
“…The sound of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Tin Pan Alley” brought back memories—this track used to be played in every room at every show 30 years ago—and the speakers did full justice to it. The version of the speaker at RMAF used four woofers per channel, which easily handled the dynamic needs of the big bass drum on Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring…”, Stereophile, Show Review
“If you’re looking for a speaker that makes a visual impact as well as a sonic one, the PureAudioProject Stellar12 should fill the bill…”, SoundStageGlobal, Show Review
Trio15 Voxativ, feat. AC-1.6 Full Range Driver
Addition to Dagogo review of the Trio15TB:
“Here is an update that those interested in the PureAudioProject speakers may enjoy; I hereby reveal that I am working on an article regarding the Trio 15 Voxativ. Here is a teaser of my experience to date:
I have been blindsided by the beauty of the Trio 15 Voxativ. I didn’t expect this experience, and it has caused me to reconsider what top end sound is about. With the Voxativ there is a leap upward in terms of the refinement, the characteristics associated with the most beguiling systems. I could take an hour to discuss this – and I will in my review (Actually, it will take many hours to distill it to a review.) -but just as one immediately sees and if given opportunity to ride, sees and feels the difference between a sport sedan and a supercar, so also my ears hear the intensity, the focus, the brilliance of design of the Trio 15 Voxativ immediately.
Frankly, this speaker is causing me to reconsider my conclusions regarding premium sound. I had summarily dismissed single driver speakers over the years as inherently incapable of achieving the experience I wanted, mostly because of their limited frequency response. I also didn’t like the boxiness associated with hulking cabinets and the coloration contributed to the sound. These caveats are both removed by the Trio 15 Voxativ, and my ear tells me I am hearing a genre of sound as legitimate as full range dynamic, big ESL, line source, and omnidirectional speakers. In a nearer field setup the Trio 15 Voxativ is second to none in refinement, something I would not have predicted. I have to toss away my preconception that single driver speakers are more convoluted, less articulate than multi-driver speakers.
I’m still wrapping my head around this development; it’s forcing a paradigm shift in my audio worldview. I always knew that as I am a System Builder I would need to explore single driver speakers. I didn’t expect this one to perform at such a level that from the get-go it has to be included among the very best I have used. But, that is precisely what has happened.”
Doug Schroeder, http://www.dagogo.com/author/doug-schroeder
Trio10 MundorfAMT reviewed by CODE Magazine in Netherlands
“…the performance of these speakers depended less on the space’s acoustic than most speakers, which makes them pretty easy to place within a room…”
“…the Trio10s struck us as hugely versatile loudspeakers that accommodate anything from hip-hop to ambient and shines with jazz vocals as well as with orchestral pieces. The bass is definitely there, and it’s detailed. The Trio10s reproduce music in a beautiful way…”
Stroll Through T.H.E. Show Newport 2016
“Last video from T.H.E. Show Newport includes room visits, and a stroll through the marketplace ballroom. The $5500/pr PureAudioProject open-baffled Trio15 Voxitiv speakers sounded as good as they looked. This kind of speaker is not usually my cup of swill but for the short time I got to listen to these, I was impressed by how much performance one can get for (relatively) little money.”
Michael Fremer, STEREOPHILE / AnalogPlanet, Watch Video
Trio10 MundorfAMT wins StereoTimes Most Wanted Components Award, 2015 !
“The PureAudioProject bridges the gap between pure DIY and completely hands-off prebuilt by shipping flat-packed open-baffle speakers which the buyer assembles. This results in providing drivers and crossover components at a level of quality unprecedented even at several multiples of the Trio10 MundorfAMT’s price. PureAudioProject removes the guesswork and provides the opportunity for audiophiles to be involved in creating speakers that out-perform speakers costing much more…”
Donald Shaulis, Complete Review
Show Review, Best in Show, CES Taves Toronto, 2014
“To my ears, PureAudioProject’s $3’500 speakers (Trio15 TB) sounded more musical than almost every five-figured speaker at the show”… “I found your room to be one of the very best in the Show. Accordingly, I am happy to ‘award’ (how pretentious) your room with a ‘Best in Show’ designation.”
Tim Smith, 6moons
OB-A15Neo Woofers
Addition to Dagogo review of the Trio15TB: “The upgrade to the NEO15 woofers was highly efficacious. The already respectable performance in the low frequencies was improved significantly by the insertion of the NEO15. The speaker has become more prodigious, and both the tonal quality as well as cleanness of the bass has improved. The increased output of the NEO15 is a perfect solution to address any lack of bass impact inherent in an open baffle design. I strongly recommend this upgrade to take full advantage of the unique properties of the PureAudioProject speaker.”
Doug Schroeder, http://www.dagogo.com/author/doug-schroeder
“no doubt Trio15TB is a winner among many speakers at its price range”
Editor’s comment:
For vocal, especially Jazz vocal, Trio15TB reproduces it with lushness. When listening to a familiar Japanese Jazz singer, you can feel the emotional element from the singer’s voice and all the subtle details. This type of resolution you usually can only experience with very high end loudspeakers.
For Trio15TB, you don’t have to ask what type of music it is for and it is NOT for. It handles classical well, so it does with Pop and Jazz. Various types of musical instruments are well reproduced. When considering all aspects of resolution and imaging, no doubt Trio15TB is a winner among many speakers at its price range. What really catches my attention is the depth of the sound stage and the spatial feeling – when playing Allegromarcato by Vaclay Nelnybel, you can experience the rich layers and placement of the instruments like never before.
We need also give strong credit to the amplifier used – Line Magnetic LM-219IA is full of well controlled power. This contributes to the overall unquestionable ‘high end’ presentation of this PureAudioProject Trio15TB + Line Magnetic LM-219IA combination.
Trio15TB Neo
“Due to their physical size you’d expect scale and depth from the sound and that’s what you get. What I didn’t expect was the delicacy that they are also capable of. Something similar like that old show favourite Norah Jones “Feels like home” is given a level of subtlety that I’d never heard before. It’s as if the difference between quiet and loud is more pronounced. Players suddenly have the ability to get across the subtleties in their playing, the micro dynamics and inflections in the way they play or sing. I guess that could be summed up by the word emotion…
“the lack of boxiness is a pleasant surprise and allows the character in bass instruments to shine. There are also no obvious resonances… if it’s there they’ll play it at the right level without exageration or boom. A try of Talvin Singh’s “Vikram the Vampire” off of the album “OK” shows off all these characteristics. Deep but clean bass allowing you to easily follow the track – there’s no muddiness or exagerated weight which just kills speed. They also show you exactly what’s being played which can be a surprise when you find a bass note actually isn’t there and that you’d sort of mentally filled in when listening to the same tack on lesser speakers…”, Graeme Budd, TNT-Audio complete review
“the lack of boxiness is a pleasant surprise and allows the character in bass instruments to shine. There are also no obvious resonances… if it’s there they’ll play it at the right level without exageration or boom. A try of Talvin Singh’s “Vikram the Vampire” off of the album “OK” shows off all these characteristics. Deep but clean bass allowing you to easily follow the track – there’s no muddiness or exagerated weight which just kills speed. They also show you exactly what’s being played which can be a surprise when you find a bass note actually isn’t there and that you’d sort of mentally filled in when listening to the same tack on lesser speakers…”, Graeme Budd, TNT-Audio complete review
Trio15TB (with OB-A15SE)
“As would be expected, the 15TB showed itself as a younger cousin to the Legacy Audio Whisper ($15,750/pair–$17,500/pair). The latter is a physically much taller speaker, and with additional 15” bass drivers it dug deeper with less effort than the 15TB; however, the pleasant fullness of relaxed bass was characteristic of the PureAudioProject as well. The simplicity of the 15TB allowed it to be tighter in bass performance than the Whisper. The impact of bass notes was lighter and the weight of lower frequency music such as the acoustic bass was less, but with more tautness.”
“I’m shamelessly borrowing the speaker’s name and adapting it to my own ends! My “projection” for this version of the TRIO15 is, pure and simple; coherency and open baffle freaks will love this speaker. Those who have heard high efficiency speakers will enjoy the fluidity of the Tang Band driver. They will appreciate the rock solid center image and laser-like clean lines of instruments that hang together on a smaller stage.”
Doug Schroeder, http://www.dagogo.com/pureaudioproject-trio-15tb-speaker-review
Doug Schroeder, http://www.dagogo.com/author/doug-schroeder
Show Review – Best Speaker Value, Taves, Toronto, 2014
“The sound from these speakers was incredibly airy and effortless while the bass was surprisingly deep and robust. For this level of sound quality I would normally expect to pay five figures, which is why my jaw dropped to the floor when Ze’ev told me that the price is $3500. This speaker easily gets my vote for best speaker value of the Show”
Malcolm J. Gomes, Positive Feedback
“Due to its faithful reproduction of music capabilities, we decided to rename it to:
The PureEmotionProject…”
“Due to its faithful reproduction of music capabilities, we decided to rename itto: The PureEmotionProject, because it convinced us to have taken a step beyond that of traditional Hi-Fi… You have to hear it to believe it… This (Trio15 TB) is the most exciting project that I have ever seen and heard since 2007. The last was the famous system Aurum Acoustics 300B Derrick Moss… I have never heard such a performance from Open Baffle speaker, ever, not even the Jamo 907 nor the Orion project Linkwitz. This is, at least at this price point, the most musical Open Baffle set that you will find on the market…”,
Marc Philip, Review Trio15TB
“RMAF 2015 Best in Show – Open Baffle Speakers”, AudioCircle
Trio10 MundorfAMT
These speakers had it all – superb soundstage, perfect tonality, super open spacious sound that just destroys the walls in the room, all things that great open baffle speakers give you. But, what set this system apart was the laser like focus and lack of “misty” presentation almost every OB speaker has. Plus BASS SLAM. I know you never thought you’d see the words bass slam and Open Baffle ever uttered together. But there it is. I am an OB lover, it’s what I’ve run in my home system for years and years and so I’m a bit jaded about them. But this room raised the bar substantially over every other available OB system I’ve heard. Massive congrats to them for this achievement.”
Tyson, AudioCircle, Best of RMAF
This is the room I had to revisit (day 2 review) because I heard great tonality, dynamics, etc etc but had a hard time hearing the soundstage with what was being played. I’m glad I revisited it because when I heard it the second time it was mind-blowing.
Jason, AudioCircle, Best of RMAF
“Best Slap-Silly Dance Music of Any Show Award…”
“Grant Fidelity, PureAudioProject, and Mundorf won my Best Slap-Silly Dance Music of Any Show Award with Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines.” Believe me, it was no contest… This, of course, was with PureAudioProject Trio15 Beyma Open Baffle speakers with Alu Frame… Speaking of which, shortly after I took a photo of the system, the famed Norbert Mundorf of Mundorf capacitors snapped one of me. He almost took a shot of me dancing, but I forced myself to stay seated, lest someone pull the fire alarm.”
Jason Victor, Stereophile, read the complete Review
“one of the best realized budget systems at the show”
“…The open-baffle, 92db sensitive, PureAduioPoject Trio15B ($3,500) opened that holography up well past the back wall of the room. This was a massive dose of audiophile trickery on the cheap, with an added dose of straight, no-chaser, not-audiophile-at-all musicality. It was definitely one of the best realized budget systems at the show.”,
Scot Hull, PartTime Audiophile, Axpona 2015
“One of the most musical rooms at show” Montreal, April 2015
“These speakers play very loud with no strain whatsoever. They are always open, easy, relaxed. They never seem to strain. They seem to flow or breathe. A bit like the Muraudio Omnidirectional electrostatic sound at 1/20th the price. The music just seems to emerge effortlessly as you crank the volume and there is a sense of the soundstage expanding and soaking the room with lush sounds… For about $8’000 here was one of the sweetest sounding rooms in Montreal. There were never any rough edges. There was never any glare or any bass boom. If you love Magnepan or other panel speakers but you also love SET amps, this is your ticket. You’ll get panel-like imaging and rapid-fire transients but you need not break the bank with big monos.”
Tim Smith, 6moons review 1
“Grant Fidelity were strutting their fabulous $3’750/pr Pure Audio Project open-baffle Trio 15TB speakers to great effect. As good as it was at Taves 2014, I thought it did even better in Montreal. The presentation was wide, deep and engaging and offered some of the least digital-sounding digital playback at the show… The musical performance versus price ratio coming from this room was phenomenal”
Glen Wagenknecht, 6moons review 2
“One of Best Rooms at show, Taves CES Toronto, 2015…”
“I grabbed the front-center seat and soaked in the liquid, transparent and dynamic sound… It didn’t take long listening to James Taylor sing to hear why both the amplifiers and speakers had “Sold—to a very nice person” notes taped to them”
Rick Becker, EnjoyTheMusic Taves Show Review, Toronto 2014
Marc Rushton reviews the Trio15TB
“Laying out all components on the floor it becomes immediately obvious that this loudspeaker is very simple to assemble. There is no doubt that anyone could tackle the essentially tool-less assembly...”
“The possibilities really are endless with PureAudioProject’s modular open-baffle speaker design. Swap drivers out for the countless available options, experiment with horns, but for those not quite as technically minded, the Trio15 TB with passive crossovers will give you very high-fidelity sound at remarkably affordable pricing given their sound quality and power handling ability. In fact, at this price point, I’m yet to hear another speaker in our listening room as capable in terms of liveliness, dynamics, realism and the ability to play nicely across multiple genres…“
Rick Becker reviewed the Trio15 TB and rated it:
Forget Class A, this rates OMG$$$
” …What really grab your attention with the Trio are the transparency and the dynamics. Another writer, seeking to glorify this speaker might call the dynamics “explosive,” but that would be a disservice to the speaker and the reader. The notes come out of the speaker like they come out of the instrument. Not faster and certainly not slower as they seem to do with many, if not most speakers. The attack is instantaneous and this important because it not only establishes the focus of the notes, but identifies the instrument as well…”
“…With considerable fussing I was able to achieve extraordinarily good focus resulting in excellent soundstaging both in size and placement of instruments. Aiming the speakers just to the side of each ear improved the focus and evened out the tonal balance. It also reduced the bloom around the instruments and revealed a shorter decay of notes. The Trio enabled excellent cognitive recognition of lyrics on difficult recordings such as The Jimi Hendrix Experience Live At Winterland and Bob Dylan Live 1966 The bootleg Series Vol. 4. Likewise with Neil Young and Crazy Horse on Live Rust. Smooth female vocals give me trouble with soft consonants, but Nora Jones’ “come away with me” had more clarity than I’ve ever heard it in my room. And at the other extreme, on “American Folk Blues Festival ‘70” Shakey Horton’s shrill harmonica was deftly handled and came across as “live and in person.”
” … As Zen masters and a few Westerners since then have said, it’s the silence between the notes that makes the music, and this is what I’ve altered. On music I’ve heard a hundred times I felt a fresh wave of goosebumps and a re-play of Vincent Belanger’s “La” brought tears to my eyes…“
Rick Becker, Enjoy The Music April 2015
RMAF Day 1 Light on Analog
“The most interesting product I saw was from the Pure Audio Project an IKEA-like loudspeaker brand based in Israel/United States/Germany…”
“The sound was big, close to full range and powerful with a surprisingly robust bottom end and airy extended top. It was fun listening and great for rock”, read the complete review
“Just as at the TAVES, this room ranked as one of the Best Rooms at the show…”
Rick Becker, Enjoy The Music, Montreal Son & Image, 2015