Having watched very good reviews of these speakers, I must say that I find yours Tarun the most thorough explanation into the technical insights. This is a very useful and instructive video. Thanks!
Have been waiting for your review of sibelius. Your explanation is just remarkable and very musical to listen to and is only getting better after each review.
Excellent review of the Sibelius CG loudspeakers! You speak of several caveats of the speakers which I appreciate, because being able to play a bit loud was one that is a deal breaker for myself, that and the price. Thank you very much for an eye opening review.
Thank you Tarun. I would not buy speakers this expensive but really appreciate such reviews to help to understand what is available. Your description of the products you review is top quality.
I’ve always loved your reviews, and am grateful you have reviewed Harley’s speakers. I enjoy his channel, and his approach. Although the speakers will not likely find their way into my house, I really admire the simplicity of the design, and am glad you gave them a highly recommended.
Thanks Tarun, great review. Even though these are out of my price range I thoroughly enjoyed your review and it should have given anyone interested in buying them a good idea if they'd be what they're looking for. Keep up the good work!
I had my eyes on them since I watched few album recommendation by pearl acoustic, Harley always replies even Any sort of questions.. brilliant review once again
Man…so we’ll done. Great review and presentation as always. The fine addition of the history behind the science only enhanced appreciation for this design and approach. Peeked my curiosity! Also better justifies the price. Wonderful surprise in the equipment pairing, too 👍🏼🙏🏼👌🏼
This is the best coverage of the Sibelius. Thanks for explaining the concepts. My closest experience with a single driver is my pair of Zu Dirty Weekends I have owned for 10 years. It's a love/hate relationship. I do have to go back to multi-drivers after a month of listening to them. Then, I miss the glorious mid-range and wide soundstage and bring them back on. They have been weaving in and out for 10 years, and I intend to hold on to them for a long time.
I'm lucky enough to own a pair of horn based loudspeakers, from Tommy Horning, so I found this review particularly interesting - largely (and a bit embarrassingly) because I had no idea how my speakers worked - so I'm very grateful for you for doing this. The impression you gave is that you had just as much fun doing it as I did watching it - fabulous! Thanks Tarun 👍😁👍
I imagine the only 'chuffing' sounds audible with these speakers were coming from Tarun having to carry these out to his back garden! Thanks for an interesting and well composed review - as always, a pleasure to watch.
Thank you, Tarun. I've been curious about these for a while. Never heard Lowthers but Art Dudley wrote about them. My biggest surprise(s). The absolutely 3d soundstage put up by the Celestion 600s and your Proacs. Heard them an audio show and was gobsmacked. And this in a hotel room. Thanks as always.
Another great insightful review of a very interesting, & sublime product design. The technical history is most appreciated! I have communicated directly w/Harley in the past and frankly would love the chance to own a pair of these unique speakers. I believe their design attributes would exactly suit my personal listening tastes and penchant for minimalist audio equipment as reflected in my current system. Now if I could only win the lottery here in the states! Take care Tarun.
Dear Tarun, it was a highly informative and honest review explained in a way that even non rocket-scientists could understand the physics behind it. Congratulations! In my opinion this is the secret many reviewers tend to forget about. Since you asked: here on the continent Bladelius amplifiers and Vienna Acoustics speakers are highly regarded. Would be nice to hear your opinion about them. Keep going!
Excellent review! I have been living with a pair of Sibelius CG for 1.5 years and really love them. The stands though pretty good was no match for the Townshend podiums which I already had when I bought the speakers. Transparency, soundstage and bass improved with them. Coincidentally I have just installed the Stack Audio Auva 100 isolators onto the Sibelius original stand 3 days ago and I’m quite surprised at the difference they made especially in the upper octave. Paul Rigby’s (The Audiophile Man) review is spot on. I guess the word that describes the Sibelius best for me would be ‘musical’. Really enjoyed your detailed review.
I've been following Pearl Acoustic's work for a while and really appreciate the effort and knowledge being served around to viewers of that channel. Sibelius is out of my budget 😬 but it sure pulls the curiosity strings in my audiophile journey! Keep up the wonderful work Tarun ✌️
@@user-xg6zz8qs3q I have great speakers. Advance Paris KC800. I think they are even more underrated 😜 But since my room is rather small (16m2) i am on the hunt for B&W Nautilus 805. I just have to sell mine AP first.
Tarun, you’re by far my favorite reviewer on You Tube. I have watched them all, more than a few times. This was an excellent description of this speaker. You explained the design very well. I am building my own folded quarter wave Voigt pipe speakers using different full range 6.5” paper cone drivers. I believe if Pearl Acoustics had used a natural fiber/paper based material the tonal accuracy could have been better. These full range drivers in a QWVP (quarter wave Voigt pipe)enclosure have amazing bass and are extraordinarily revealing. It’s like an instrument to test all your upstream equipment, except it’s the very best instrument because it allows your own ears to be the judge. Differences in upstream source, amp, preamp, cable, interconnect, and recordings are very clearly audible. It’s quite amazing actually. But it makes perfect sense. The best crossover is no crossover when it comes to speaker design. “Less” is definitely “more” in this case.
Thanks for the very thoughtful review. You asked for discoveries we might have made. Mine isn't so much about new gear, but a discovery of sorts about my existing gear. I have a pair of B&W 804 D3s in a smallish space (15'x12') and I use a sub. I've had them for quite some time, and have moved them in various positions to get the best possible sound stage and imaging. I surprised myself by going against the general suggestions (including B&W) and pointed them straight ahead with only maybe a 1/4 inch inward toe. They are in an equilateral triangle of 92" (tweeter to tweeter, tweeter to ears) and tweeters 52" from the front wall. This has created for me the most amazing listening experience. It is like having a new stereo, it's that much better. I guess I am passing this along for those that might be struggling with their sound. It's possible to improve your system to an amazing degree by experimenting and not necessarily following "norms". And the nice thing is, it cost me nothing but time.
Good to see a design concept well executed - thank you for your review Tarun, with a concise explanation of the concepts with the pros and cons. As for special products I lived with for some 10 years are the Elipson 1303 in white fibreglass. A similar pair even ended up in the New York Design museum. A 3 way design with a difference. The rear port used the Helmholtz resonator principle. The large enclosure volume for the bass unit was split in 2 chambers of the same volume, separated by the bass driver in a horizontal position. The resulting bass was very fast. Also the tweeter was special as mine had the Foster tweeters. I passed them on to my late father, who used them for another 20 years. The sound was excellent for classical music with a natural timbre and lots of detail. The workmanship was not perfect, as something annoyingly rattled at a resonance frequency. Definitely they were special.
Thanks a lot for the review. The first time I actually saw a cross section of the speaker! I own a pair for about a couple of years, pair them with a PrimaLuna EVO 300 pre and a PassLabs XA25 pure class A power amp. All your points were spot on and agree with my listening: great presentation and sound stage, revealing of sub-par recordings, rather for quality low volume listening than for window rattling bass, sensitive to toe in and also firing ~over shoulder. I cranked them up to excessive sound level in my 18x18 ft room (diagonal set-up), and speaker cone barely moved. So I think you can actually drive them quite hard/loud, if you really want to. I added a REL T9/i, but the sound lost cohesion so after trying everything I knew and crawling on the floor, I disconnected the REL again. Did not know about the painted version, have the natural oak finish in hour home surrounded by oaks. In terms of genres, I tried them with baroque strings, arabic rebec music, to darkwave, synth pop, indie, grunge and even punk. No problems anywhere. Some of those Homestead records (e.g. Nice Strong Arm's "Reality Bath") are spectacular on the Sibelius. I found your remarks on mediocre show sound revealing. Recently went to my first audio show (T.H.E. in California) and was rather underwhelmed: too loud and not great quality. Saw one cool TT, the M1 from Ars Machine, never mind the $38K price tag! Still intrigued ...
The cross section of the Voigt Pipe is a design I found online that is very similar to the Sibelius but not exactly the same dimensions. Thank you for sharing your experiences 😊
Excellent review as always! I've always been curious about these speakers. I picked up a used Quad S2 today, a tiny bookshelf with ribbon tweeters. Paired it with a Hegel H80 and now I want these tweeters on my ATC SCM19s! I'm surprised how much I liked the Quads, they remind me of a pair of Raidho xt1s I had on loan for a while, without the refinement of the Raidhos of course. The Quads turned out to be a very 'musical' speaker with a hyper detailed top end which is still somehow relaxed and enjoyable. It's only let down by it's rather 'honky' mid range driver. It's almost as if Quad was selling a pair of tweeters, with the mid drivers thrown in for show. I added a very capable sub (Kreisel dxd808) and have been enjoying the setup a lot! I love discovering overlooked speakers for not a lot of money, and having them surprise me. Thanks for all your hard work, never miss your videos.
Great review, was looking forward to it! Didn't know its voigt pipe design, now i am even more intrigued to hear it live:) Built long time ago one cheap DIY voigt pipe speaker, and still remember that coherent, nice and musical sound that i enjoyed very much. Maybe i should build another one again, until budget allows for Sibelius:)
I came along the 4 inch full range Tang Band 4W1879. Placed in open baffle with a Aurum Cantus Ribbon used as supertweeter (6dB/octave @22kHz without resistor), driven by SET tube amp, giving wonderful results.
Once again Tarun another stimulative, concise and informative review. I fully understand the Pearl Acoustics, they’re specialised speakers designed purely for certain genres of music. Classic, Jazz, Acoustic, Rhythm and Blues. I’ve watched a few of Harleys videos also, his favourite CD players, how many watts do you need? Etc. At what they’re designed for they’ll be exceptional.
I tried the Markaudio Alpair 7ms drivers in a Pensil enclosure and agree with the main characteristics you shared in the video. Remarkable, these full ranges. Cost me ca. GBP250 plus my own time to build 'em. They just can't play loud though. Dynamics are clearly limited and I wouldn't want them as the only pair of speakers in my home. My new project is a Joseph Crowe No.1786 (15" + 600Hz Horn), not yet finished...
Excellent review. I am intrigued by these and have followed Harley for some years now. I’d love to hear a pair and agree that the wood finishes are more pleasing for me.
Highly enjoyable review.. this will be on my shortlist for my next 2 channel upgrades. Harbeth 30.2 was my target but perhaps I just need to save a bit longer for these.
Excellent as always Tarun. A speaker that I haven’t heard but find very interesting and am very curious about is the Linkwitz LXmini kits. They look unlike any other speakers and might be a fun diy project. Thanks!
A nice review - I had been wondering how these would sound. It's good to see the NVA pairing worked well - I'm loving mine (although I added the M160's to bi-amp my old Wharfedales).
I have been researching these speakers for a year. You discussed everything in 20 minutes that I spent hours to research. I can’t bring myself to buy these without listening to them first. There’s not a place to listen in the United States. Great job on your review.
excellent review Tarun. I was particularly interested in these speakers after hearing them at the recent Bristol Hi Fi show, Harley was on site to discuss the nuances of the speaker and assured me they would match well with my Rega Elicit mark5 and P8, good sales chat LOL. But seriously I was taken aback by the clarity of the sound in the small hotel room and will certainly consider these during my decision making for a compatible speaker. Thanks for posting the vid
Another post if I may. Having just finished the project of fitting The Mark Audio CHN 110 drivers into my PMC FB1's (tall transmission line) I realised I have come full circle. My first real hifi speaker was design made in Melbourne by Graeme Rodwell that featured the 8inch JBL LE8T. This was a magnificent full range speaker. Amazing. I used Dynaco kit amps. I loved them for years and wish I still had them. My brother still has his. By the way the PMC FB1"s with the CHN 110's just keep getting better. I will never go back to Xovers. Cheers.
Thank you, 🙏 Tarun. That Pearl CG, along with the Larsen 9, The Ohm Walsh 5000, The Audioplan Konzert IV, and Paradigm’s Persona 7f are my dream speakers that I simply ADORE! Their sophisticated engineering mark them as true set, and forget references anyone would be proud to own. My vision, in having my own private concert hall, powered by both ASR, and Luxman will indeed take mega-million$, and at $7700 U.S. so far, I’ve only gotten luke-warm in my Lotto winnings. -wish me continued luck
Thanks Tarun for your honest review, you're one of the few reviewers who tells it like it is in a day when most reviewers cater to manufacturers, that is highly appreciated! At a price almost equal to my Dynaudio Heritage Specials I find it hard to rationalize the Sibelius speakers. I really like Harley, he's a wonderfully generous man with his time and energy but my thinking is that these are boutique speakers, that's not to say that I wouldn't like to audition them, in fact I building a clone with the basically same speaker. Since I'm absorbing the labor cost they'll run under ~$5 or $6 hundred dollars which make it worth it for me. I'm not sure Pearl is concerned about the extra cost of the painted cabinets, they have a specific and loyal audience. For me the upside is the low power amps required to spin them and that's what I want to explore with my clone. Rob
🤗 TARUN,I AM VERY HAPPY YOU AND HARLEY CROSSED PATHS AND WERE ABLE TO REVIEW THEM, AND DESCRIBE THE CHARACTERISTICS AS YOU ALWAYS DO TO HELP OTHERS 🤔…PERSONALLY I LOVE ❤️ SOLID WOODS …MADE LIKE A BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF FURNITURE AND QUALITY AS THE PRIORITY…AND WITH PASSION…JUST LIKE 👍 HARLEY HAS DONE AND LIKE THOMAS ALSO DID WITH THE GALION TS 120 SE🤩🤩…and from what I see described about both…A PERSON COULD FINE TUNE A SYSTEM / KIT FOR SO MANY DIFFERENT TASTES 😋😁💚💚💚
Good thorough review with more specific tech explanation than others, for sure. These seem niche (and out of my price range), but visually I just LOVE the white ones with the copper drivers & black stands!!! ( I outgrew stained wooden boxes from seventies a while back 😀)…. Fantastic review! This brings to mind needing your "take" on the new Q Acoustics Concept 50's…(super value?). They would be a good fit for your review wheelhouse…no?
My Voigt enclosures are back in service. The large flat panel speakers alluded to in a previous post are no more. I just missed treble so much. So now my wife and I are enjoying these Voigts once again while I continue the D'appolitos for which I've made new enclosures using the original robust front baffle. However, I do love the simplicity of Voigt Full range single driver speakers. The 4 inch Fostex used probably aren't the last word in single driver goodness, but I like 'em. A lot.... I can see why Tarun likes these Sibelius speakers...
Great review; again. I have fitted a pair of Mark audio CHN110's in my PMC FB1's. They sound amazing. Playing the sound track to the movie Interstellar really shows how this design works with really low bass.
@@jedi-mic Hi, The tweeter is just there to fill the hole. No Xover. They sound better than the original speaker ever did. All the qualities that ABA described. Class A amp.
I have a pair of single driver speakers that I pop into my system every now and then.These are the Omega compact floorstanders with 6.5 inch alnico drivers , these include a whizzer cone.These are very engaging indeed and clearly demonstrate the effect of crossover components in the signal chain.Lively and engaging with an open midrange, massive soundstage(if that’s your sort of thing) , and great timing.Brilliant for low to medium level listening but if I want to play loud their shortcomings are obvious.Single driver speakers are usually very efficient and mate well with low power tube amplification (the Sibelius isn’t particularly efficient though) The Sibelius is an interesting speaker and I have yet to hear them although the pricing may be a little off putting.
Another very good review from Taran. As regards the speakers, mmm.... They remind me of Celestion, although I am a big fan of transmission line speakers which has some resemblance as they have vents rather than ports. However, the price will put them out of most people's pockets. The most inventive speakers I've demoed were ones I've mentioned before: Monopulse S32. Stunning with the right amplification. Designed to work with low powered tube or SS amps, despite the weird cloth cloaking them.
I’ve not considered myself any kind of audiophile, I can’t say I’ve listened to enough speakers, but one of the best setups I had for a while was a NAD preamp with a good processor in it, feeding a QSC stage amplifier at 200watts into 8ohm into a pair of old BNW Matrix 804 floor standers made in England. If you could out one word on this setup it would be “resolving” I think. Thanks for your videos, I’ve learned a lot.
I use Magnepans for 30 years! I have a set of Zu 6, for about4 years. I have had Sibelius speaker plugged into a Rogue audio tube Amp hooked to a Geshelli Preamp I can tell you it is magical!
There is a lot of gray areas when naming a design - and transmission lines *can* be straight - or tapered in either (or both) direction(s). The terminus opening on the Sibelius is certainly smaller than the interior sections of the cabinet, so is effectively tapered down toward the open end. So, suffice it to say that the qualities you mentioned - the extended and controlled and articulate bass and the clear and clean midrange, are qualities that I have found in mass loaded transmission lines. (I have never heard a Voigt Pipe speaker.) The other way to know that the air column behind the driver is being coupled with the cone, and it's mass is being added to the driver *in the bass* - is to look at the driver's Fs and the fundamental frequency of the speaker. In the midrange, because the cabinet is effectively open (very little air spring), you get performance similar to an open baffle (but with a much lower Mms driver than a typical open baffle speaker). And you get progressively more and more air coupled with the driver as the frequency goes down.
Hi Tarun. Thanks for this review. Its great to see a commercially developed and manufactured TQWP. This design has been justifiably popular with DIY speaker builders for decades. The pair I built are now in the hands of my son. They have been used with budget and more upmarket (Fostex) pulp cone full range drivers but sounded marvellous when using Jordan metal cone drivers. We addressed the tall cabinet/tiny footprint issue by bolting them to concrete paving slabs. My own current speakers are heavily Voight influenced, I listen to Lowther horns. Their high efficiency is better suited to the single-figure power output figures from the single triode amplifiers I prefer. I would describe their presentation as "unflatteringly transparent", they really let you hear the rest of the components in your system. I'd love to see you review a pair of the current Lowther 117s if you can lay your hands on a pair.
This is an exceptional review. It is a detailed mixture of advantages and disadvantages of the speaker and a perspicuous rendering of the sonic qualities which make it distinct from many other types of speakers. Given the cost of the speaker, it was refreshing to hear an honest evaluation as to whether or not it represented a good value, and for whom. I think the advice offered to the company, namely, to try to bring down the cost incurred by some of the labor, is worth serious attention by the owners. One difficult fact for a company like this to get around is the cost of living and labor in a developed country such as Belgium. No doubt those standards of living are similar in places like Denmark (with their famous speaker makers, e.g. Dynaudio, Dali), but since they make things at scale (outsourcing, in part, to other countries), they manage costs in a way hard for Pearl to duplicate.
Hello, I was just presented with this video thanks to the algorithm. I very much liked your description of these speakers as it aligns very closely with mine. However, I cannot speak to the stereo aspects since I only have one Sibelius SG. Yes, that's correct; I use a single Sibelius in a dedicated mono system. A couple of years ago, I became interested in what a HiFi system from the 1960's would have been capable of. To that end, I assembled a tube(valve)-based system and in my search for an appropriate speaker ran across the Sibelius. As you describe, the design was certainly known in 1960 and when I reached out to Pearl Acoustics they very kindly worked with me to produce a single speaker. I can say that a HiFi enthusiast of that era (with means) could have enjoyed remarkablely good sound. Of course, the, in my opinion, excellent Sibelius is a major factor in that sound. Thank you, and I will check out other videos of yours. All the best.
I recently purchased vinyl recordings from Pearl acoustics. Wonderful to follow the musical production process until final product delivery. I own extremely similar Jean Marie Reynaud loudspeakers that adopted the same design theory. I know what pair will be my next ones.
I have recently built a pair of speakers with Alpair 12p, bigger brother of Sibelius Alpair 10. Sounds exceptional, if you like specific, full range speaker "feel".
Excellent review 👏👏👏🙏 Audio Note UK make very good speakers, their AN/E range is well worth checking, several models and prices in that line (from « reasonable » to outrageous!)
Well, Tarun, I'm going to jump the Shark in that the designer of Pearl Speakers so loved Thomas and Stereo's TS-120 Tube Amp he bought two for his demo room and his personal listening space. So, lol... don't try this at home ..boys and girls. And of course an immensely satisfying review. As always thank you. My only wish would be to have a miniature version of these with virtually the same response as my ears have always had a thing for Voight or Transmission Line Speakers goning as far back as the Kef's of my yesteryears and their Ovaloid Bass Radiator. The same era as the Kef's 104's. 😂 The joys of Nostalgia.
Beautiful speaker and great review. My 2014 Chevy Silverado pickup with almost 300,000 mi has six delco bose 4” full range drivers. Sounds coherent and easy to listen to while not high definition. I’ve always loved it. Don’t laugh. The cd mechanism has to be replaced periodically since that’s really all I listen to. I don’t want to part with this truck.
Excellent review Mr Tarun! Surprised when Harley told me that the painted Baltic birch cabinets would be more expensive. (I wonder if they will do a tardis blue🤔 ) I'm with you on the desirability of solid oak! I hope to get to hear these next time I'm in the UK I have a 1999 set of oak veneered Rega Naos transmission line speakers occasionally use with an el34 tube amp. I t takes a couple of days to appreciate after the step down from maggie LRS with custom oak frames and RELs 😅
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Yes. No bass bump.The bass output is evenly spread.... They just go lower and lower. The 27hz lowest note coincides with one of my room's nodes however. I'm not complaining 😂
Thank you for this fascinating review. I would love to listen to the Sibelius one day, but I doubt that these are the speakers for me. This reminds me that the designs for a transmission line speaker, the "MLTL-6 Mass Loaded Transmission Line Speaker", are for sale. It looks a bit complicated, but if I ever have access to a CNC machine, I would be very tempted.
I believe Harvey likes to use the Sugden A21 Signature with the Sibelius. I saw that you reviewed that one two years ago. If you are into mid range the combination should be a winner. Watching the two year old review was an interesting experience comparing it to your reviews now.
About 3 years ago I built (from a kit) a pair of Frugelhorn Lite speakers which used the smaller 2" Mark Audio full range driver, the bass loading was similar to the Sibelius, the main difference was they vent to the rear, the low end and dynamics was unbelievable for such a small driver and cabinet going to under 40hz in room, the only thing which let them down was limited low bass power handling. Midrange, treble and imaging was first rate, the Mark Audio drivers are tremendous imo. A couple of years previously I had a pair of Jordan VTLs, also amazing bass and dynamics from the 4" full range drivers, the Jordans have a bit of a cult following unfortunately I couldn't live with their unfortunate severe FR dip in the upper mid lower treble region, the drivers now are very expensive 😮
Ah, the vagaries of the YT algorithm’s timing of delivery of viewing recommendations- I’m seeing this in mid May ‘24. I happen to be one of the members of the team that originally developed the FH series, and built initial prototypes of FH1 through to XL, using mostly Fostex and MA drivers, as well as many of Scott Lindgren’s Pensil and Megalith and V-bomber series. After almost a decade, I’m still enjoying the 10.3 in the Pensil enclosure, which while bearing a nominal visual similarity to the Sibelius, is quite different internally. It (Pensil) is basically an MLTL, a very simple enclosure to build - the Frugels and most of Scott’s other manifold design, on the other hand take a bit more time. If I was asked to name my favorite Mark Fenlon designed driver, it’d probably be the original MAOP7
There are so many speakers I'll probably never hear to audition in my life. Some have been around for decades. The Pearl Sibelius is on my list. Trouble is, I live in a rural area of a laid-back province in Canada where a drive to a larger centre with a lot of serious audio stores is a two day journey each way. (And I am sure there are very few Sibelius's in Canada privately held, let alone as demos in showrooms.) A single driver design intrigues me. But your review covers their limitations, and I know they are not at all cheap. A speaker that cannot go effortlessly above 100 is not a deal breaker, but it is nice to know you can let it rip when the occasion calls for it. My fleet right now includes a pair of vintage Leak 2060s and a pair of 2030s and some early KEF Concords. The smaller Leaks I found years ago in a Goodwill Shop for £5. Best audio value I ever had! Cheers.
What interesting products have I come across? Most recently, the CARDAS AUDIO Clear Reflection Interconnect. Many years ago, I owned some Cardas cables, but neither my hearing nor my system were well-developed enough for me to know what they were doing. A month or two ago, when I found that my Yamaha R-N2000A and Monitor Audio Silver 100 7Gs (my "desktop" system!) sounded too dry and thin, I remembered Cardas. The Cardas interconnects brought smoothness to the treble and kind of evenness and organic quality that is hard to describe. The metallic harshness was gone, the sound is more full-bodied, and the soundstage might just be deeper too. That was really a great investment.
Well done, Tarun!
Sean!
Your review was also great 😊
Take care of yourself!
Thank you Sean. Glad you enjoyed it 👍
@carlitomelon4610 Thought I might see you here, Carlos. Definitely a Sibelius fan.
I'm glad you guys can agree with one another.
Sean, Tarun and Harley on the same page. Nice!
I have been wondering about these speakers. Thank you for the informative review!
Thank you for watching 😊
Having watched very good reviews of these speakers, I must say that I find yours Tarun the most thorough explanation into the technical insights. This is a very useful and instructive video. Thanks!
Thank you kindly 😊👍
Have been waiting for your review of sibelius. Your explanation is just remarkable and very musical to listen to and is only getting better after each review.
Thank you. That is very kind of you to say 😊👍
I respect your opinions and approach, thanks for reviewing this pair!
Much appreciated 😊👍
A very thorough review Tarun and interesting to boot.
As always, I enjoyed it immensely.
Thank you Shane. Much appreciated 😊👍
I've been curious about these from watching their videos. Thank you much.
Thank you for watching 😊
Excellent review 👍enjoyed that very much. Thanks!
Interesting speaker and excellent review of it, as always. It really sounds like this is the right speaker for a very precise set of needs.
Thank you. Very well said. That is exactly what it is 👍
Another good and honest review. Thanks Tarun!
Thank you 👍
Great technical explanation. Good job Tarun.
Thank you. Much appreciated 😊👍
Finally! Totally worth the wait. The review gets an Outstanding! Cheers to Harley too.
Thank you Jeremy 👍
Wow, spot on fantastic review!
Thank you kindly 👍
Excellent review of the Sibelius CG loudspeakers! You speak of several caveats of the speakers which I appreciate, because being able to play a bit loud was one that is a deal breaker for myself, that and the price. Thank you very much for an eye opening review.
Thank you. Much appreciated 😊👍
Very balanced, informative review. Bravo!
Thank you. Much appreciated 😊👍
Thank you Tarun. I would not buy speakers this expensive but really appreciate such reviews to help to understand what is available. Your description of the products you review is top quality.
Thank you David. Much appreciated 😊👍
I’ve always loved your reviews, and am grateful you have reviewed Harley’s speakers. I enjoy his channel, and his approach. Although the speakers will not likely find their way into my house, I really admire the simplicity of the design, and am glad you gave them a highly recommended.
Thank you my friend. That is much appreciated 😊👍
Great review, as always! These are very special, very musical speakers!
Thank you kindly 😊👍
Reallly really great review, Mr T👍🏼
Thank you kindly 😊👍
Great review. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching 👍
Thanks Tarun, great review.
Even though these are out of my price range I thoroughly enjoyed your review and it should have given anyone interested in buying them a good idea if they'd be what they're looking for.
Keep up the good work!
Thank you. Much appreciated 😊👍
I love these speakers great review Tarun
Thank you 👍
Great review. Love the comparison to other speakers.
Thank you. Much appreciated 👍
I had my eyes on them since I watched few album recommendation by pearl acoustic, Harley always replies even Any sort of questions.. brilliant review once again
Thank you my friend. Harley and his team have been very straightforward to deal with from my perspective too 😊👍
Man…so we’ll done. Great review and presentation as always. The fine addition of the history behind the science only enhanced appreciation for this design and approach. Peeked my curiosity! Also better justifies the price. Wonderful surprise in the equipment pairing, too 👍🏼🙏🏼👌🏼
Thank you my friend. Much appreciated 😊👍
Superb video Tarun, thanks and subscribed. I've been fascinated by these single cone speakers.
Thank you mark. I appreciate your support 😊👍
I am a big fan of Harley and his discussions, loved your review
Thank you 😊
Wow Tarun, I must say, you are just getting better and better at this aren’t you!
Excellent review. Maybe even better than Harley himself! 😉
Thank you kindly. That is very encouraging 😊👍
Very nice review. Appreciate it.
Thank you 👍
Another fabulous review, if you play classical and jazz at moderate volumes, these are cracking speakers!
Thank you Adrian 😊👍
I'm really starting to enjoy "listening" to you from Canada////You sound like a true two channel sound expert! 😊😊🎧🎧
Thank you my friend 👍
This is the best coverage of the Sibelius. Thanks for explaining the concepts. My closest experience with a single driver is my pair of Zu Dirty Weekends I have owned for 10 years. It's a love/hate relationship. I do have to go back to multi-drivers after a month of listening to them. Then, I miss the glorious mid-range and wide soundstage and bring them back on. They have been weaving in and out for 10 years, and I intend to hold on to them for a long time.
Thank you. Great to learn about your experiences 😊👍
I think 🤔 you’re on the right track of exploring the differences different loudspeaker designs bring to one’s ears 👂.
Can multi driver sperakers have the same mid range as single driver spreakers, just use the same woofer in each cabinet.
I'm lucky enough to own a pair of horn based loudspeakers, from Tommy Horning, so I found this review particularly interesting - largely (and a bit embarrassingly) because I had no idea how my speakers worked - so I'm very grateful for you for doing this. The impression you gave is that you had just as much fun doing it as I did watching it - fabulous!
Thanks Tarun 👍😁👍
Thank you. You are right. It was fun listening to them and doing the review 😊👍
Hornings use the Lowther 4”. Great speaker. I’m an Acousta fan myself.
I imagine the only 'chuffing' sounds audible with these speakers were coming from Tarun having to carry these
out to his back garden! Thanks for an interesting and well composed review - as always, a pleasure to watch.
Considering I hurt my back two days earlier. There was plenty of chuffing 😂😂😂
Would love to hear them. Good review.
Thank you 😊
Thank you, Tarun. I've been curious about these for a while. Never heard Lowthers but Art Dudley wrote about them.
My biggest surprise(s). The absolutely 3d soundstage put up by the Celestion 600s and your Proacs. Heard them an audio show and was gobsmacked. And this in a hotel room.
Thanks as always.
Thank you Gerald 👍
Excellent review
Thank you 🙂
Another great insightful review of a very interesting, & sublime product design. The technical history is most appreciated! I have communicated directly w/Harley in the past and frankly would love the chance to own a pair of these unique speakers. I believe their design attributes would exactly suit my personal listening tastes and penchant for minimalist audio equipment as reflected in my current system. Now if I could only win the lottery here in the states! Take care Tarun.
Thank you. I hope get to listen to them one day 👍
I think you can turn anyone into a 2 channel enthusiast with your great reviews.
Thank you my friend. Much appreciated 😊👍
Well presented and knowledgeable. Thanks
Thank you 👍
Dear Tarun, it was a highly informative and honest review explained in a way that even non rocket-scientists could understand the physics behind it. Congratulations! In my opinion this is the secret many reviewers tend to forget about. Since you asked: here on the continent Bladelius amplifiers and Vienna Acoustics speakers are highly regarded. Would be nice to hear your opinion about them. Keep going!
Thank you kindly 😊👍
You never miss 🐐
Thank you kindly 😊👍
Excellent review! I have been living with a pair of Sibelius CG for 1.5 years and really love them. The stands though pretty good was no match for the Townshend podiums which I already had when I bought the speakers. Transparency, soundstage and bass improved with them. Coincidentally I have just installed the Stack Audio Auva 100 isolators onto the Sibelius original stand 3 days ago and I’m quite surprised at the difference they made especially in the upper octave. Paul Rigby’s (The Audiophile Man) review is spot on. I guess the word that describes the Sibelius best for me would be ‘musical’. Really enjoyed your detailed review.
Thank you. Great to learn about your experiences 😊
I've been following Pearl Acoustic's work for a while and really appreciate the effort and knowledge being served around to viewers of that channel.
Sibelius is out of my budget 😬 but it sure pulls the curiosity strings in my audiophile journey!
Keep up the wonderful work Tarun ✌️
Thank you my friend 👍
If the Sibelius is too costly, then I wholeheartedly recommend the Closer Acoustics OGY (1500€). This is the most criminally underrated speaker.
@@user-xg6zz8qs3q
I have great speakers. Advance Paris KC800. I think they are even more underrated 😜 But since my room is rather small (16m2) i am on the hunt for B&W Nautilus 805. I just have to sell mine AP first.
You can buy mark audio driver unit and diy
Nice job, hope to hear them someday, I've been rocking kef ref model 3's for 25 yrs.dont see a change coming soon! Thanx Tarun..
Thank you. I hope you get a chance to hear them 👍
Tarun, you’re by far my favorite reviewer on You Tube. I have watched them all, more than a few times. This was an excellent description of this speaker. You explained the design very well. I am building my own folded quarter wave Voigt pipe speakers using different full range 6.5” paper cone drivers. I believe if Pearl Acoustics had used a natural fiber/paper based material the tonal accuracy could have been better. These full range drivers in a QWVP (quarter wave Voigt pipe)enclosure have amazing bass and are extraordinarily revealing. It’s like an instrument to test all your upstream equipment, except it’s the very best instrument because it allows your own ears to be the judge. Differences in upstream source, amp, preamp, cable, interconnect, and recordings are very clearly audible. It’s quite amazing actually. But it makes perfect sense. The best crossover is no crossover when it comes to speaker design. “Less” is definitely “more” in this case.
Thanks for the very thoughtful review. You asked for discoveries we might have made. Mine isn't so much about new gear, but a discovery of sorts about my existing gear. I have a pair of B&W 804 D3s in a smallish space (15'x12') and I use a sub. I've had them for quite some time, and have moved them in various positions to get the best possible sound stage and imaging. I surprised myself by going against the general suggestions (including B&W) and pointed them straight ahead with only maybe a 1/4 inch inward toe. They are in an equilateral triangle of 92" (tweeter to tweeter, tweeter to ears) and tweeters 52" from the front wall. This has created for me the most amazing listening experience. It is like having a new stereo, it's that much better. I guess I am passing this along for those that might be struggling with their sound. It's possible to improve your system to an amazing degree by experimenting and not necessarily following "norms". And the nice thing is, it cost me nothing but time.
Thank you Bob. Great to learn about your experiences 👍
Good to see a design concept well executed - thank you for your review Tarun, with a concise explanation of the concepts with the pros and cons.
As for special products I lived with for some 10 years are the Elipson 1303 in white fibreglass. A similar pair even ended up in the New York Design museum. A 3 way design with a difference. The rear port used the Helmholtz resonator principle. The large enclosure volume for the bass unit was split in 2 chambers of the same volume, separated by the bass driver in a horizontal position. The resulting bass was very fast. Also the tweeter was special as mine had the Foster tweeters. I passed them on to my late father, who used them for another 20 years. The sound was excellent for classical music with a natural timbre and lots of detail. The workmanship was not perfect, as something annoyingly rattled at a resonance frequency. Definitely they were special.
Thank you. I enjoyed reading about your experiences 😊
Thanks a lot for the review. The first time I actually saw a cross section of the speaker! I own a pair for about a couple of years, pair them with a PrimaLuna EVO 300 pre and a PassLabs XA25 pure class A power amp. All your points were spot on and agree with my listening: great presentation and sound stage, revealing of sub-par recordings, rather for quality low volume listening than for window rattling bass, sensitive to toe in and also firing ~over shoulder. I cranked them up to excessive sound level in my 18x18 ft room (diagonal set-up), and speaker cone barely moved. So I think you can actually drive them quite hard/loud, if you really want to. I added a REL T9/i, but the sound lost cohesion so after trying everything I knew and crawling on the floor, I disconnected the REL again. Did not know about the painted version, have the natural oak finish in hour home surrounded by oaks. In terms of genres, I tried them with baroque strings, arabic rebec music, to darkwave, synth pop, indie, grunge and even punk. No problems anywhere. Some of those Homestead records (e.g. Nice Strong Arm's "Reality Bath") are spectacular on the Sibelius.
I found your remarks on mediocre show sound revealing. Recently went to my first audio show (T.H.E. in California) and was rather underwhelmed: too loud and not great quality. Saw one cool TT, the M1 from Ars Machine, never mind the $38K price tag! Still intrigued ...
The cross section of the Voigt Pipe is a design I found online that is very similar to the Sibelius but not exactly the same dimensions. Thank you for sharing your experiences 😊
Excellent review as always! I've always been curious about these speakers. I picked up a used Quad S2 today, a tiny bookshelf with ribbon tweeters. Paired it with a Hegel H80 and now I want these tweeters on my ATC SCM19s! I'm surprised how much I liked the Quads, they remind me of a pair of Raidho xt1s I had on loan for a while, without the refinement of the Raidhos of course. The Quads turned out to be a very 'musical' speaker with a hyper detailed top end which is still somehow relaxed and enjoyable. It's only let down by it's rather 'honky' mid range driver. It's almost as if Quad was selling a pair of tweeters, with the mid drivers thrown in for show. I added a very capable sub (Kreisel dxd808) and have been enjoying the setup a lot! I love discovering overlooked speakers for not a lot of money, and having them surprise me.
Thanks for all your hard work, never miss your videos.
Thank you my friend. Enjoy your new speakers 😊👍
Great review, was looking forward to it! Didn't know its voigt pipe design, now i am even more intrigued to hear it live:) Built long time ago one cheap DIY voigt pipe speaker, and still remember that coherent, nice and musical sound that i enjoyed very much. Maybe i should build another one again, until budget allows for Sibelius:)
Thank you Hudo. That would be a fun project 👍
I came along the 4 inch full range Tang Band 4W1879. Placed in open baffle with a Aurum Cantus Ribbon used as supertweeter (6dB/octave @22kHz without resistor), driven by SET tube amp, giving wonderful results.
That is great 👍
Hi Tarun , I’ve been looking at the Sibelius for some time. Your review has made my mind up. Great video.
That is great. Please let me know how you get on 😊👍
Thoroughly enjoyed this review. Thank you. I would look forward to your review of the new SVS ultra evolution bookshelf speakers.
Thank you 😊
Once again Tarun another stimulative, concise and informative review. I fully understand the Pearl Acoustics, they’re specialised speakers designed purely for certain genres of music. Classic, Jazz, Acoustic, Rhythm and Blues. I’ve watched a few of Harleys videos also, his favourite CD players, how many watts do you need? Etc. At what they’re designed for they’ll be exceptional.
Thank you Richard. Much appreciated 😊👍
If you were in the market for slim floor stand speakers, would these be first on your list? Near the tope?
@@josephfranceski1041 me personally no because my genres of music wouldn’t suit
I tried the Markaudio Alpair 7ms drivers in a Pensil enclosure and agree with the main characteristics you shared in the video. Remarkable, these full ranges. Cost me ca. GBP250 plus my own time to build 'em.
They just can't play loud though. Dynamics are clearly limited and I wouldn't want them as the only pair of speakers in my home.
My new project is a Joseph Crowe No.1786 (15" + 600Hz Horn), not yet finished...
The Voigt Pipe is also an integral part of how the Sibelius sound. Great to learn about your experiences 👍
Excellent review. I am intrigued by these and have followed Harley for some years now. I’d love to hear a pair and agree that the wood finishes are more pleasing for me.
Thank you Billy 👍
Top review. ❤
Thank you. Much appreciated 😊👍
Highly enjoyable review.. this will be on my shortlist for my next 2 channel upgrades. Harbeth 30.2 was my target but perhaps I just need to save a bit longer for these.
Thank you. I hope you get to hear them 👍
Excellent as always Tarun. A speaker that I haven’t heard but find very interesting and am very curious about is the Linkwitz LXmini kits. They look unlike any other speakers and might be a fun diy project. Thanks!
Thank you Bryan 😊
A nice review - I had been wondering how these would sound.
It's good to see the NVA pairing worked well - I'm loving mine (although I added the M160's to bi-amp my old Wharfedales).
Thank you 👍
I have been researching these speakers for a year. You discussed everything in 20 minutes that I spent hours to research. I can’t bring myself to buy these without listening to them first. There’s not a place to listen in the United States. Great job on your review.
Thank you kindly 😊👍
If you have the budget available, I believe they offer the option to try them at home and return them if you don’t like them.
I live near New Orleans you can come here and listen to mine. also have zu and Magnepans all set up and running!
hi Tarun, glad to see you cover these speakers, was curious how they`d handle without a tweeter
Thank you for watching 😊
excellent review Tarun.
I was particularly interested in these speakers after hearing them at the recent Bristol Hi Fi show, Harley was on site to discuss the nuances of the speaker and assured me they would match well with my Rega Elicit mark5 and P8, good sales chat LOL. But seriously I was taken aback by the clarity of the sound in the small hotel room and will certainly consider these during my decision making for a compatible speaker.
Thanks for posting the vid
Thank you. Great to learn about your experiences 👍
I'm currently rocking Frugal-horn XL cabs fitted with Mark Audio Alpair 11ms drivers & these too sound very good... 😁👍
Another post if I may. Having just finished the project of fitting The Mark Audio CHN 110 drivers into my PMC FB1's (tall transmission line) I realised I have come full circle. My first real hifi speaker was design made in Melbourne by Graeme Rodwell that featured the 8inch JBL LE8T. This was a magnificent full range speaker. Amazing. I used Dynaco kit amps. I loved them for years and wish I still had them. My brother still has his. By the way the PMC FB1"s with the CHN 110's just keep getting better. I will never go back to Xovers. Cheers.
Thank you for sharing your experiences 😊
Thank you, 🙏
Tarun.
That Pearl CG, along with the Larsen 9, The Ohm Walsh 5000, The Audioplan Konzert IV, and Paradigm’s Persona 7f are my dream speakers that I simply ADORE! Their sophisticated engineering mark them as true set, and forget references anyone would be proud to own. My vision, in having my own private concert hall, powered by both ASR, and Luxman will indeed take mega-million$, and at $7700 U.S. so far, I’ve only gotten luke-warm in my Lotto winnings.
-wish me continued luck
Thank you and good luck 👍
Thanks Tarun for your honest review, you're one of the few reviewers who tells it like it is in a day when most reviewers cater to manufacturers, that is highly appreciated!
At a price almost equal to my Dynaudio Heritage Specials I find it hard to rationalize the Sibelius speakers. I really like Harley, he's a wonderfully generous man with his time and energy but my thinking is that these are boutique speakers, that's not to say that I wouldn't like to audition them, in fact I building a clone with the basically same speaker. Since I'm absorbing the labor cost they'll run under ~$5 or $6 hundred dollars which make it worth it for me.
I'm not sure Pearl is concerned about the extra cost of the painted cabinets, they have a specific and loyal audience. For me the upside is the low power amps required to spin them and that's what I want to explore with my clone.
Rob
Thank you kindly Rob 🙂👍
You're the gold standard of HiFi reviewers!
Thank you kindly. That is much appreciated 😊👍
Nice review. Pernell Sweet Pea Whitaker RIP. One of the greatest :)
Thank you 😊
🤗 TARUN,I AM VERY HAPPY YOU AND HARLEY CROSSED PATHS AND WERE ABLE TO REVIEW THEM, AND DESCRIBE THE CHARACTERISTICS AS YOU ALWAYS DO TO HELP OTHERS 🤔…PERSONALLY I LOVE ❤️ SOLID WOODS …MADE LIKE A BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF FURNITURE AND QUALITY AS THE PRIORITY…AND WITH PASSION…JUST LIKE 👍 HARLEY HAS DONE AND LIKE THOMAS ALSO DID WITH THE GALION TS 120 SE🤩🤩…and from what I see described about both…A PERSON COULD FINE TUNE A SYSTEM / KIT FOR SO MANY DIFFERENT TASTES 😋😁💚💚💚
Thank you 😊
Good thorough review with more specific tech explanation than others, for sure. These seem niche (and out of my price range), but visually I just LOVE the white ones with the copper drivers & black stands!!! ( I outgrew stained wooden boxes from seventies a while back 😀)…. Fantastic review!
This brings to mind needing your "take" on the new Q Acoustics Concept 50's…(super value?). They would be a good fit for your review wheelhouse…no?
Thank you kindly. No plans as yet but I hope to get to the Concept 50s in time 👍
Great review. would love to hear your take on Totem Acoustics Element Fire V2
Thank you 😊
My Voigt enclosures are back in service. The large flat panel speakers alluded to in a previous post are no more. I just missed treble so much.
So now my wife and I are enjoying these Voigts once again while I continue the D'appolitos for which I've made new enclosures using the original robust front baffle.
However, I do love the simplicity of Voigt Full range single driver speakers. The 4 inch Fostex used probably aren't the last word in single driver goodness, but I like 'em. A lot....
I can see why Tarun likes these Sibelius speakers...
Thank you 😊
Great review; again. I have fitted a pair of Mark audio CHN110's in my PMC FB1's. They sound amazing. Playing the sound track to the movie Interstellar really shows how this design works with really low bass.
Sounds good did you keep the tweeter and what did you cross over at?
@@jedi-mic Hi, The tweeter is just there to fill the hole. No Xover. They sound better than the original speaker ever did. All the qualities that ABA described. Class A amp.
Thank you. Cool stuff 😎
Great review. Would love to hear them next to a pair of Lowther Acoustas. Something lovely about speakers becoming part of the room.
Thank you. Lowther, what a blast from the past 👍
I have a pair of single driver speakers that I pop into my system every now and then.These are the Omega compact floorstanders with 6.5 inch alnico drivers , these include a whizzer cone.These are very engaging indeed and clearly demonstrate the effect of crossover components in the signal chain.Lively and engaging with an open midrange, massive soundstage(if that’s your sort of thing) , and great timing.Brilliant for low to medium level listening but if I want to play loud their shortcomings are obvious.Single driver speakers are usually very efficient and mate well with low power tube amplification (the Sibelius isn’t particularly efficient though)
The Sibelius is an interesting speaker and I have yet to hear them although the pricing may be a little off putting.
Thank you for sharing 😊
Another very good review from Taran.
As regards the speakers, mmm....
They remind me of Celestion, although I am a big fan of transmission line speakers which has some resemblance as they have vents rather than ports.
However, the price will put them out of most people's pockets.
The most inventive speakers I've demoed were ones I've mentioned before: Monopulse S32. Stunning with the right amplification. Designed to work with low powered tube or SS amps, despite the weird cloth cloaking them.
Thank you for sharing 😊
I’ve not considered myself any kind of audiophile, I can’t say I’ve listened to enough speakers, but one of the best setups I had for a while was a NAD preamp with a good processor in it, feeding a QSC stage amplifier at 200watts into 8ohm into a pair of old BNW Matrix 804 floor standers made in England. If you could out one word on this setup it would be “resolving” I think. Thanks for your videos, I’ve learned a lot.
Thank you for watching and sharing 👍
I use Magnepans for 30 years! I have a set of Zu 6, for about4 years.
I have had Sibelius speaker plugged into a Rogue audio tube Amp hooked to a Geshelli Preamp I can tell you it is magical!
That is great 👍
There is a lot of gray areas when naming a design - and transmission lines *can* be straight - or tapered in either (or both) direction(s). The terminus opening on the Sibelius is certainly smaller than the interior sections of the cabinet, so is effectively tapered down toward the open end. So, suffice it to say that the qualities you mentioned - the extended and controlled and articulate bass and the clear and clean midrange, are qualities that I have found in mass loaded transmission lines. (I have never heard a Voigt Pipe speaker.) The other way to know that the air column behind the driver is being coupled with the cone, and it's mass is being added to the driver *in the bass* - is to look at the driver's Fs and the fundamental frequency of the speaker.
In the midrange, because the cabinet is effectively open (very little air spring), you get performance similar to an open baffle (but with a much lower Mms driver than a typical open baffle speaker). And you get progressively more and more air coupled with the driver as the frequency goes down.
Thank you for sharing Neil 😊
Hi Tarun. Thanks for this review.
Its great to see a commercially developed and manufactured TQWP. This design has been justifiably popular with DIY speaker builders for decades. The pair I built are now in the hands of my son. They have been used with budget and more upmarket (Fostex) pulp cone full range drivers but sounded marvellous when using Jordan metal cone drivers. We addressed the tall cabinet/tiny footprint issue by bolting them to concrete paving slabs.
My own current speakers are heavily Voight influenced, I listen to Lowther horns. Their high efficiency is better suited to the single-figure power output figures from the single triode amplifiers I prefer. I would describe their presentation as "unflatteringly transparent", they really let you hear the rest of the components in your system. I'd love to see you review a pair of the current Lowther 117s if you can lay your hands on a pair.
Thank you for sharing 😊
This is an exceptional review. It is a detailed mixture of advantages and disadvantages of the speaker and a perspicuous rendering of the sonic qualities which make it distinct from many other types of speakers.
Given the cost of the speaker, it was refreshing to hear an honest evaluation as to whether or not it represented a good value, and for whom. I think the advice offered to the company, namely, to try to bring down the cost incurred by some of the labor, is worth serious attention by the owners.
One difficult fact for a company like this to get around is the cost of living and labor in a developed country such as Belgium. No doubt those standards of living are similar in places like Denmark (with their famous speaker makers, e.g. Dynaudio, Dali), but since they make things at scale (outsourcing, in part, to other countries), they manage costs in a way hard for Pearl to duplicate.
Thank you. Very good points 😊👍
Hello, I was just presented with this video thanks to the algorithm. I very much liked your description of these speakers as it aligns very closely with mine. However, I cannot speak to the stereo aspects since I only have one Sibelius SG. Yes, that's correct; I use a single Sibelius in a dedicated mono system. A couple of years ago, I became interested in what a HiFi system from the 1960's would have been capable of. To that end, I assembled a tube(valve)-based system and in my search for an appropriate speaker ran across the Sibelius. As you describe, the design was certainly known in 1960 and when I reached out to Pearl Acoustics they very kindly worked with me to produce a single speaker. I can say that a HiFi enthusiast of that era (with means) could have enjoyed remarkablely good sound. Of course, the, in my opinion, excellent Sibelius is a major factor in that sound. Thank you, and I will check out other videos of yours. All the best.
Thank you. I hope you enjoy my content 😊
I recently purchased vinyl recordings from Pearl acoustics. Wonderful to follow the musical production process until final product delivery. I own extremely similar Jean Marie Reynaud loudspeakers that adopted the same design theory. I know what pair will be my next ones.
Cool 😎 Thank you for sharing 😊
I have recently built a pair of speakers with Alpair 12p, bigger brother of Sibelius Alpair 10. Sounds exceptional, if you like specific, full range speaker "feel".
Cool 😎 thank you for sharing 😊
Excellent review 👏👏👏🙏
Audio Note UK make very good speakers, their AN/E range is well worth checking, several models and prices in that line (from « reasonable » to outrageous!)
Thank you 👍
Like Harley, you are a thoughtful and independent thinker. I enjoyed the review, though I doubt I would prefer them to my DeVore Fidelity O/93s.
Thank you kindly. I hope you get to listen to them one day 😊👍
Well, Tarun, I'm going to jump the Shark in that the designer of Pearl Speakers so loved Thomas and Stereo's TS-120 Tube Amp he bought two for his demo room and his personal listening space. So, lol... don't try this at home ..boys and girls. And of course an immensely satisfying review. As always thank you. My only wish would be to have a miniature version of these with virtually the same response as my ears have always had a thing for Voight or Transmission Line Speakers goning as far back as the Kef's of my yesteryears and their Ovaloid Bass Radiator. The same era as the Kef's 104's. 😂 The joys of Nostalgia.
Thank you. They did sound good with the Gallion TS120 at the NW Audio show 😊
Beautiful speaker and great review. My 2014 Chevy Silverado pickup with almost 300,000 mi has six delco bose 4” full range drivers. Sounds coherent and easy to listen to while not high definition. I’ve always loved it. Don’t laugh. The cd mechanism has to be replaced periodically since that’s really all I listen to. I don’t want to part with this truck.
Thank you Damian 😊
Excellent review Mr Tarun!
Surprised when Harley told me that the painted Baltic birch cabinets would be more expensive.
(I wonder if they will do a tardis blue🤔 )
I'm with you on the desirability of solid oak!
I hope to get to hear these next time I'm in the UK
I have a 1999 set of oak veneered Rega Naos transmission line speakers occasionally use with an el34 tube amp. I
t takes a couple of days to appreciate after the step down from maggie LRS with custom oak frames and RELs 😅
Thank you. There is something special about the bass in a transmission line speaker 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314
Yes.
No bass bump.The bass output is evenly spread....
They just go lower and lower.
The 27hz lowest note coincides with one of my room's nodes however.
I'm not complaining 😂
Thank you for this fascinating review. I would love to listen to the Sibelius one day, but I doubt that these are the speakers for me.
This reminds me that the designs for a transmission line speaker, the "MLTL-6 Mass Loaded Transmission Line Speaker", are for sale. It looks a bit complicated, but if I ever have access to a CNC machine, I would be very tempted.
Thank you 👍
Yes! NVA review FTW ! ! !
Review coming 😉
We have forgotten more than we have learnt about speaker design. Highly relevant.
Thank you 😊
Good products should go to solid channels and reviewers - good job tarun!
Thank you 👍
I believe Harvey likes to use the Sugden A21 Signature with the Sibelius. I saw that you reviewed that one two years ago. If you are into mid range the combination should be a winner. Watching the two year old review was an interesting experience comparing it to your reviews now.
Thank you. Hopefully, I am improving 😂
Thanks!
Thank you. Much appreciated 😊👍
About 3 years ago I built (from a kit) a pair of Frugelhorn Lite speakers which used the smaller 2" Mark Audio full range driver, the bass loading was similar to the Sibelius, the main difference was they vent to the rear, the low end and dynamics was unbelievable for such a small driver and cabinet going to under 40hz in room, the only thing which let them down was limited low bass power handling. Midrange, treble and imaging was first rate, the Mark Audio drivers are tremendous imo.
A couple of years previously I had a pair of Jordan VTLs, also amazing bass and dynamics from the 4" full range drivers, the Jordans have a bit of a cult following unfortunately I couldn't live with their unfortunate severe FR dip in the upper mid lower treble region, the drivers now are very expensive 😮
I built something similar and they can be very good. Also the La Grande design here on youtube is taking off.
Great to learn about your experiences Steve 😊
Ah, the vagaries of the YT algorithm’s timing of delivery of viewing recommendations- I’m seeing this in mid May ‘24. I happen to be one of the members of the team that originally developed the FH series, and built initial prototypes of FH1 through to XL, using mostly Fostex and MA drivers, as well as many of Scott Lindgren’s Pensil and Megalith and V-bomber series. After almost a decade, I’m still enjoying the 10.3 in the Pensil enclosure, which while bearing a nominal visual similarity to the Sibelius, is quite different internally. It (Pensil) is basically an MLTL, a very simple enclosure to build - the Frugels and most of Scott’s other manifold design, on the other hand take a bit more time.
If I was asked to name my favorite Mark Fenlon designed driver, it’d probably be the original MAOP7
There are so many speakers I'll probably never hear to audition in my life. Some have been around for decades. The Pearl Sibelius is on my list. Trouble is, I live in a rural area of a laid-back province in Canada where a drive to a larger centre with a lot of serious audio stores is a two day journey each way. (And I am sure there are very few Sibelius's in Canada privately held, let alone as demos in showrooms.) A single driver design intrigues me. But your review covers their limitations, and I know they are not at all cheap. A speaker that cannot go effortlessly above 100 is not a deal breaker, but it is nice to know you can let it rip when the occasion calls for it. My fleet right now includes a pair of vintage Leak 2060s and a pair of 2030s and some early KEF Concords. The smaller Leaks I found years ago in a Goodwill Shop for £5. Best audio value I ever had! Cheers.
Thank you for sharing 😊
What interesting products have I come across? Most recently, the CARDAS AUDIO Clear Reflection Interconnect. Many years ago, I owned some Cardas cables, but neither my hearing nor my system were well-developed enough for me to know what they were doing. A month or two ago, when I found that my Yamaha R-N2000A and Monitor Audio Silver 100 7Gs (my "desktop" system!) sounded too dry and thin, I remembered Cardas. The Cardas interconnects brought smoothness to the treble and kind of evenness and organic quality that is hard to describe. The metallic harshness was gone, the sound is more full-bodied, and the soundstage might just be deeper too. That was really a great investment.
Thank you for sharing 😊