Next contestant in my midlife crisis speaker quest is the JM Lab Micro Utopia Be ($7500/pr.), which I auditioned at The New Audible Difference in Palo Alto. The key selling point of this speaker (and the other speakers in the Utopia line) is its berylllium tweeter. And boy, the tweeter is special. If only the rest of the speaker lived up to it.
Spec'd at 50hz - 40khz (+/-3db), this one doesn't have nearly the bass that the Magico Mini or my Quads do (both dip into the 30hz range). This lack of low-end heft disrupted the soundstage in Burial's "Archangel," where the low bass enters the song like a leaden sky racing in on sped-up film. Similarly, the lean bass guitar on Maria McKee's "This Property is Condemned" robbed the song of its drama. Arcade Fire's "No Cars Go" came across as more two dimensional, with some of the midrange effects jumping out of the soundstage, rather than being integrated into the presentation. On the other hand, the Micros did a credible job with the first movement of Brahms Symphony No. 4, giving just enough bass heft to the cellos and double basses. The room was rather larger than mine at home, so I figure the speakers probably would have a bit more bass here than in the showroom. But I don't think the room would magically add 10hz to the extension of these. And 10hz is what they need.
But the tweeter does possess potent magic. On the initial chorus of the Bach Collegium of Japan's Bach Cantata No. 147, "Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben," the individual articulation of the chorus members was beautifully and clearly rendered, better even than the Magico Minis. Same answer on the first chorus of Cantata No. 21, "Ich hatte viel bekummernis." And the details in Holly Cole's rendition of Tom Wait's "Tango Till They're Sore" were wonderfully rendered.
On Laura Veirs' "Fire Snakes," and "Spelunking," the mid-bass was a bit overripe, but I think that was a room artifact.
Overall, a very good speaker, but falls far short of both the Magico Mini II (which is 4 times the price!), and the Quad 988 (which is $2k less!).
Still on the agenda: Dynaudio Confidence C1; Verity Rienzi; Wilson Sophia and WATT/Puppy 8.
