Stoic reproduction unit
Contents
Your reviewer has spent weeks wondering “what am I listening to?” The answer to that question is “no speaker”, and that is a strange sensation. The notion came when listening to Brahms’ “Alto Rhapsody”, a recording that often gives the orchestra a metallic reverb, setting Nathalie Stutzmann’s voice somewhat apart from the orchestra. The effect was gone with the Audio Physic Sparks as the reproducers. Instead, it felt like listening to a live orchestra, the same sensation as when you are sitting in a hall. The sound of the horns is astonishing, very natural and alive. It must be that the overtones you hear match what your ears perceive when you are sitting in a hall. Hats off for that achievement.
In the right spot
Placement of these speakers in the living room is crucial to getting the soundstage right. You need to shift them around within centimetres, until the picture clicks together. They are playing extremely correct and then the room acoustics play an important role.
Average recordings, such as Alison Moyet’s “This House”, become enjoyable. The speakers do not hide the shortcomings of this recording, but the her voice grabs your attention, which makes these shortcomings less distracting.
With the speed of the sound
The speaker’s impulse response and agility is evident in “Missa Pro Defunctis” by the Huelgas Ensemble. The voices flow, the purity of the harmonies stands out, the beautiful intimate reverb of the little church surrounds you and this is rendered as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The openness, transparency and ease with which every little modulation in the sound comes towards you, without ever thinking “well well, that is impressive” is exactly what these Sparks are all about.
Not for bass fanatics, but oh that bass!
The specifications of the Audio Phsyic Spark speakers state a frequency range of 40 Hz – 40 kHz. As such, the Spark is not a bass monster and anyone craving deep bass and a punch in the stomach will have to look for other speakers.
The bass has no problem keeping up with the speed and airiness of this speaker though. It gives just enough weight to the sound. This is evident in “Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tellis”, where the violins sing and the cellos and double basses provide a wonderful foundation without being emphasised. The sounds interlock organically; you don’t listen for “layers” in the orchestra. But even with Metallica, the speakers hold up.
No huggers
The Sparks will never hug you with music, they do not produce a warm blanket of sounds and remain stoic under any load. The reproduction is high-level and at times even impressive, but something was also missing. They sound a bit aloof, preventing you from being fully involved in the music as usual. Presumably this is the limitation of the setup at home, so on to Haarlem to listen there
Interesting. Appreciate the clarity and the imaging, but just found this sound sterile and aloof, like it just doesn’t want to get riled up about anything happening in the music. I agree that something is lacking. The test for me now after so much test listening is the Mammal Hands cut. I got up and retrieved a water out of the fridge. The JBL 1600s over the little D Nilai moved me more. So…positive takeaway for this newbie: more money doesn’t necessarily buy you what you want. It pays to pay attention. Thx for making this test available.