Review Context
Listening started with the most resolving components that I have available which are the CH Precision C1 DAC and A1.5 power amplifier, interconnected using CH Precision Balanced Link XLR cables and Jorma Trinity speaker cables and with an Antipodes CX running Roon via HQPlayer to the Aqua LinQ, connected via Jorma AES/EBU cable to the C1 DAC. In a later stage, I will involve the Vinnie Rossi L2i hybrid tube/transistor integrated amplifier and the Ayon Spirit III integrated full-tube amplifier.
Listening
In this setup, the WvL SONs are absolutely stunning with superlative speed, immediacy and resolution. With the Magico S1 MkII’s and, to a lesser extent, the Martin Logan ESL15A’s, I am used to high levels of transparency and hearing deep into the mix but the SONs are simply on another level. Not only do they reveal more about the upstream components and the source signal but they also present the music in a highly communicative fashion with new levels of purity and realism. There’s a refreshing absence of filtering-effects and not a trace of artifice. And irrespective of their immense analytic capabilities, if there’s one thing the Sons make absolutely clear, it’s that they are all about getting the listener closer to the music.
In playing track after track, it soon became clear that the SONs are musical omnivores. In any conceivable genre there were tracks that blew my mind with the amount of realism and expression. For instance, Melody Gardot’s The Rain was rendered with more intimacy than ever before, Yosi Horikawa’s Bubbles finally had all the dynamic immediacy that the track deserves and ((( O )))’s track Nature Joint on the album ((( 1 ))) was so captivating that it left me breathless. And when I then played Rutter’s Requiem for chorus & Orchestra, I was simply floored with the extent to which the system convinced me that the singers were actually in the room with me. It’s not just about reach-out-and-touch imaging but also about the sense of listening to real flesh and blood musicians along with their instruments, all fleshed out right before you.
The big ESL15A Logans with their individually-powered dual 12-inch woofers can produce seriously deep and powerful bass but even in this field, the SONs managed to amaze me. They may not sound quite as powerful as the 15A’s but they do reach very nearly as deeply and, I kid you not, they go just as loud. If you want to blow the roof off, the SONs will not let you down. I am serious: these speakers are simply unflappable. Meanwhile, the SONs’ bass feels speedier with clearer definition and better pitch accuracy and, overall, there’s a measure of coherence in the bass and lower midrange that will spoil a person to such an extent that many other speakers will sound somehow indirect, indistinct or even blurry.
The SONs are also incredibly punchy and dynamic, considerably more so than either the Logans or Magicos. In fact, during my initial listening sessions, their communicative directness and lightning-fast transients much reminded me of a certain speaker with a very different working principle: the AvantGarde Uno G2’s. Mind you, minus the “horniness”. Like the Unos, the SONs are capable of startling dynamics but unlike the horn speakers, they absolutely never, and I mean NEVER sound aggressive. That’s quite a skill to have since that would normally require forgiving speakers which, inevitably, round things off and present a version of the truth and not the actual truth. Yet, the SONs are in no way rounded, smoothed or forgiving. If the recording sucks then these speakers will let you know about it. But, all the same, I have yet to encounter a recording in my collection that is unplayable. Such is their enthusiasm and energetic behavior that they make the best of whatever they are fed, even if the recording quality is so-so.
Musicality. It’s a pretty meaningless word when trying to describe the performance of a piece of audio equipment but I can’t help but use it this time as it most definitely applies to the SONs. Mind you, it’s not in the manner of Sonus Fabers or other speakers that have a very distinctive character and a certain euphoric coloration. Rather, it is a unique combination of direct honesty and unrestricted musical flow. I hasten to add that this should also not be interpreted as the SONs injecting the music with extra liquidity or creaminess for, truly, they do not. If the recording is dry as bones, that’s what the SONs will relay. But they will always do so in a manner that makes musical sense.
In terms of frequency response, the SONs seem to be very flat, no single frequency range taking precedence over another. The AMT unit sure can be spicy if that’s in the recording, but it will never make itself heard. Likewise, the woofer has prodigious power but when the speaker is placed correctly, the bass is perfectly balanced and more linear and more natural than with many other speakers that I have owned. But that’s not to say that the SONs are entirely neutral. There is a paper-like, slightly nasal quality in the lower midrange that is likely induced by the bass driver material. It’s not at all severe and certainly multitudes lower than any Fostex or other brand full-range drivers that I heard. Also, it’s not evident with all music. I’m most aware of this when playing music that I know well and have played many times across many speakers and systems and specifically with smooth jazz and fusion that contain lots of synthesizers and electronic processing. When playing purer music that is made using acoustical instruments, the effect is typically not nearly as noticeable. Typically, when I hear it at the beginning of a listening session, I find that I have forgotten all about it after a few tracks. After that, the mind apparently adjusts and the speakers’ countless other qualities simply suck you in.
The grilles snap on via strong magnets. For the most open sound, in particular with respect to articulation and transient sharpness in the midbass and lower midrange, they are best kept off.
Of course, all loudspeakers add some sort of coloration. Even those without cabinets. With Martin Logans, it is a slight synthetic quality and a leanness in the lower midrange that becomes less and less as the foil width is increased, which is part of the reason why I went with the 15A’s over the 11A’s. With other speakers, it’s tweeter glare or -spikiness, midrange wooliness, cabinet resonances or what have you. The Magicos are the most linear speakers that I have heard in my room so far. And in terms of frequency curve and lack of character, I’d say that they are indeed more linear than the SONs. However, the Magicos sound considerably more restrained, both dynamically as well as in pure impulse behavior. They sound comparatively a little processed and the upper treble, while highly refined and of very high resolution, is just not quite as pure and direct or as energetic as that of the SONs. And, of course, the S1’s can’t begin to match the SONs’ incredible bass range down to 25Hz.
Without briefing him in any way, audio buddy JW heard it the same way: the SONs have more coloration than he is used to from his Apogee Duettas but after a while, he got used to it and he didn’t notice it anymore. Full-range Apogees do not have the punch of dynamic loudspeakers but they do have very clean bass and virtually no coloration. Still, even JW had to admit to really digging the SONs’ many talents and especially the immediate and ultra-pure quality of subtle percussive sounds in familiar recordings that most definitely sounded more subdued on his system.
Something else that ribbon drivers tend to do very well is decay, the sense of reverbs slowly diminishing rather than disappearing abruptly. The SONs not only excel with speedy impulses (transient behavior), they also produce decays with amazing clarity and, when the recording contains a reverb that goes on forever, the AMT unit will do likewise.
Amplifier Swapping
Being very efficient, the SONs really don’t need all of the A1.5’s power but at the same time, there was absolutely no sense of the amp overpowering the speakers or of it exerting too much control. In fact, so perfect was the match with the CH components, that I almost felt that I could conclude the review without further comparisons.
On the other hand, the SONs’ high efficiency makes them great partners for lower power amplifiers and, of course, tube amplifiers. As regular readers will know, the KT150-equipped Ayon Spirit III has been my trusted default amplifier in the secondary setup and it will be a prime candidate for the SONs. But before I get to this, I’ll kick-off the amp swapping with the Vinnie Rossi L2i Signature Edition integrated amplifier which has kindly been dropped off by Marco of Hexagon Audio to get a taste of.
Hello from Bonn in Germany,
many thanks for this formidable review. As I read some very important comparison points to the Magico, etc., and wondered which would be the SONs main strengths against the Aequo Audio Stillas. I am considering both as my next speaker, my main priorities are low-level details, transparency and soundstage.
Many thanks in advance,
Merry Christmas,
Adrian
Hi Adrian, While I’ve not had the SONs and the Stillas available at the same time I can safely say that they are very different. In terms of low-level details, the SONs are the very best that I have ever heard, period. In terms of transparency, the Magicos and Sons are more or less in the same ballpark while the Stillas lag behind a bit. The Magicos do sound more linear than the SONS and Stillas but the SONs are more direct and more revealing. In terms of soundstage focus, depth and layering, the Stillas and SONs are largely comparable and both are better than the Magicos. The biggest differences, however, are in terms of character and overall presentation, as described in detail in the respective reviews.
Hi Chistiaan,
I really enjoyed reading your review and the more I read the more frustration came over me! It’s been a while since these SOUNDS have been eyeing me, these speakers look a lot like my ideal in terms of rendering and personality, that is to say, no makeup or other glitter to try to seduce at all costs, it is pure music, direct, alive, organic, present …! I can’t even imagine what the Chicago loudspeakers from the same manufacturer must look like! Regarding the choice of amplifier, I thought of the Greek tube amp manufacturer, as an integrated amp, the Aeolos Ultima model (KT150 tubes) or as a separate amplifier / preamplifier! there is also the Italian manufacturer Grandinote and its integrated amplifier Shinaï (Class A) with which the SON speakers should give their best! Also consider the cables from the manufacturer of the country of the maple leaf LunaCables (Orange, Red or Black), you should test them! Thank you for your review and happy new year to you !
Hi Christiaan,
Thanks for another interesting review. I was hoping you’d keep the Son speakers in your review set up.
I have a pair of them in a system in another house and previously ran a pair of S1 MkII here in my main system – Albeit both systems have way more modest front end and amplification than your reference gear – the Sons are nonetheless beguiling.
I think it’s your comparisons and analysis with a range of ancillaries that helps readers understand what equipment is capable of with synergy – can’t do that at home.
BTW I changed the main system speakers to A5 a while ago and have been impressed that the multiple drivers haven’t lost too much coherence from the s1’s, while achieving more balance through the full range.
Richard
Hi Richard, thank you for your kind words! Indeed, the SONS are absolutely beguiling. What they did do was move me to sell the Logans. The plan was to get Magico S3mk2’s but, alas, while they obviously have better bass and are slightly more highly resolving, they performed less well than the S1’s in several areas (spaciousness, flow, treble openness and air) and so I am currently only using the S1mk2’s in the main room. If I had more rooms as well as more budget, then I’d likely want to have a pair of SONs as well, especially now that I am reviewing Melody tube amplifiers and having concluded (using the modest Xavian Perla Esclusivas in the other room) that the Everest 211 SET amp is definitely something special. If it works (with uncomplicated and sensitive speakers), SET can be magic and given what the SONs do, the combination could be heaven. Oh, I also noticed that if Magico speakers have one overall quality, it is coherence, indeed, no matter how many drivers they use. However, I do find that the more recent models (most Mk2 S-series models, the A3, and many models in the M2 range) sound quite full and dark. That said, he A5’s actually offer good value for money which is something of an oxymoron for the brand:-)
Hello Christaan,
I am quite tempted by the WvL SON speakers, and in part because of your thorough and excellent review. But given that you found them to be a bit “finicky” about the amplifiers used to power them, I wonder if you might be able to provide any insights into any likely synergy – or lack thereof – with the Circle Labs A200 hybrid integrated amp? I own an A200, and am quite happy with it. However, as it is capable of generating more power than the amplifiers that are typically reported to match well with the SON, and also has a fairly high damping factor and capacitance, I have some concerns.
Any insights that you could provide would be much appreciated.
Best regards for the new year!
Tony
Hi Tony, high power and high power supply capacitance in and of themselves are no problem and can actually be beneficial. The main factor in my opinion for a speaker like the SON is that there shouldn’t be too much control (in essence, damping factor) from an amplifier, for the speaker to sound most free-flowing and emotionally engaging. That said, my CH A1.5 exerts quite a bit more control than the average amplifier, even when set toward 20% local feedback. After all, the amplifier always uses the same amount of feedback but allows the user to adjust the location from 100% global to 100% local. In conclusion, while I think that the SONS will sound most magical when used with powerful tube amplifiers, the majority of transistor amplifiers should also work well, provided they are not too rigid in their delivery.
Hello Tony,
I have the SONs as my main speaker pair. Somehow in contrast with Christiaan systems footprint/paradigm, which obviously allows him to review a large spectrum of components, I purchased them as a „high efficiency“ dynamic speaker to allow me to use the more powerful SETs ( for example Coincident Frankenstein or similar), It was disclosed in an audio magazine here in Germany that Wolf von Langa uses SET from Sun Audio in his system and it is well documented that he used on München shows Meyer or ATM SET amplifiers (all low powered). Ron Ploeger from whom I purchased the speakers recommends however somehow larger amplifiers ( more like 20-30Watt, tube based) having a higher damping factor! I am running them currently with a YBA 50Watt solid state amplifier with excellent results but I am planing to try a hybrid or OTL low power amplifier around 20-30 Watt like the ones from Thöress (Model EHT) or a Berning based design OTL (Linear tube Audio). So for the first iteration an amplifier with no output transformer.
Hope this helps as a hint,
All the best,
Adrian
Thank you, Adrian. I appreciate your input.
An interesting, associated set of questions would also revolve around the WvL STAGE, which has a passive driver. I would guess that it would benefit more from higher powered amps than the SON.
I would like very much to compare the sound of the two models, but travel restrictions are making that difficult at the moment.
All the best,
Tony
Thanks for the feedback, Adrian!
Thank you, Christian. I appreciate your further insights.
Cheers,
Tony
Hi Tony,
I recently upgraded the power supply to the new FCCS PSU for my early edition Son speakers, with an outstanding result. Power clearly makes a big difference for the field coil driver.
I purchased them for a second system that didn’t happen, but they muscled their way into my home system on almost full time duties. It’s driven by a Vitus RI-101 and the results have been impressive compared to my other speakers costing approximately double, though these still have a role.
I’ve also heard Sons in-store driven by Constellation amps to great effect. I wouldn’t necessarily hold back because of the suitability of your existing amp – they are very revealing and may inspire you to upgrade at source end first. Worth a demo with similar equipment if you can. That’s what I’ll do.
Richard
Thanks for chiming in, Richard!
Hi Richard,
Thank you for your contribution to the topic. Your experience is encouraging, and particularly with regard to the Vitus.
All the best for the new year,
Tony
Hi Richard,
I am curious about your experiences with the placement of the SONs, and particularly in relation to the back wall. It appears that a high percentage of users’ images, including Christian’s, show the speakers well away from the back walls. But, oddly enough, Christine von Langa suggested to me that when used along a long wall, as would be the case in my room, the SONs should work well at only “about 30-40cm” out.
I do have a concern that my space, while not exactly small (~29 sqm), could be a bit compressed for use with the SONs. If, for example, I were to bring them one meter out from the back walls, they would be two meters from my listening position, though there would be another meter of space behind me (an open staircase).
If you (or Christian) happen to have any related thoughts, I’d appreciate hearing them.
Cheers,
Tony
Hi Tony, 30-40cm may well work in some rooms but it depends entirely on the room and its oddities. I really can’t make any hard recommendations for your situation. I think that most of the time, the speakers work better when given more space but depending on the circumstances, that space could also be behind the listening position. Sometimes, that works better than the other way around. Bottom line: I’m afraid you just have to try it. Your space of 29 square meters should at least be large enough.
Thank you, Christian. I fully appreciate that there will be vagaries until the speakers are actually auditioned within my specific context, but unfortunately I don’t have the luxury of doing that prior to a purchase.
What you say about the space behind the listening position is interesting, and adds a bit of optimism on my end.
A final question, if you don’t mind: what are your experiences with feet on the SONs? Have you experimented with and without, etc.?
Thank you,
Tony
I have tried the SONs with and without feet and I think I have also written a section about this in the review. In any case, the speakers sound most free-flowing when you use somewhat compliant feet, especially when using an amplifier with a high damping factor or a very controlled sound. However, as always, the bass is tightest with hard couplers. Ron of Callas initially swore by using the speakers directly on the floor but he is now using purpose-made bamboo stands. The bottom line is that there is no prescribed best method. All I can say is that the speakers respond in a familiar and predictable fashion to footers or the lack thereof.
Thank you!
Hi ,
These Sons speakers are at the top of my very short list of speakers with the Grandinote speakers and at the top, the AtlantisLab AT31 speakers (€ 9,990) which I strongly suggest to seek to listen to them urgently! AT31s are UFOs, whatever the style of music! They also have phenomenal power handling! It’s exhilarating! A good hearer !
Good Year !
Hi Tony,
I’m really a novice at positioning but this may help – the first room in which I had the Sons was quite long and narrow, with the speakers against a long brick wall with no side-wall interaction, but necessarily placed quite close to the front wall. They seemed to excel in what I thought were limiting circumstances, but this is consistent with Wolf’s brief comments on placement via email, which sounds like it was in line with the advice given to you by Christine (they’re both very helpful).
I think the passive rear radiator helps for close wall placement (compared to a rear firing port!) but the AMT tweeter likes a bit of space to the sides. I preferred the tweeters to the outside even with the speakers well-spaced.
Currently they have side wall interaction with a kind of “bulkhead” on one side and floor to ceiling window/french doors on the other. There is ~90cm each side of the speakers with 2m spacing. The sidewall interaction is offset with some basic absorption but it can be improved. Next project.
In summary, they seem to handle the combination of close to front wall with no side-wall interaction very well and have no trouble with relatively near-field listening position. Introducing side-wall obstacles is more complex but no game-changer. I think there’s an owner’s manual about, perhaps worth inquiring.
Hope this helps your line of inquiry, Richard
Hi Richard,
Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences – it was quite helpful.
In my case, the room that they would be used in is odd in some respects, but there will be plenty of room from side to side, as well as overhead. Your experiences bolster my confidence that they would be versatile enough to perform well given the relatively compressed front and back spaces.
I understand very well that, like any set of speakers, they are unlikely to reach their full potential in an imperfect space. But that is of little concern to me, as long as they aren’t stifled to any significant degree.
The temptation is strong now, even with the understanding that there are likely to be further temptations to upgrade some of the downstream components!
Cheers,
Tony
Hello Christiaan,
thank you for this detailed review and your work on this wonderful website.
I have WvL SON on my short list together with Pure Audio Project Trio 15 Voxativ.
I understand these are two different concepts – did you ever had a chance to hear these (or similar) open baffle speakers? How would you compare their character to WvL SON?
Currently it is so difficult to travel and listen to different brands of speakers… so these discussions with reviewers are only guidelines for prospective buyers…
Thanks for your answer
All the best
Michal
Hi Michal,
As fortune would have it I have indeed heard the Pure Audio Project speakers. It was on a demo during an audio show meaning no controlled environment nor any direct comparisons, but still, I think I can say a few things about this in comparison to the WvL SONs.
While the SONs are open baffle as far as the treble and midrange are concerned, the bass cabinet’s passive radiator on the rear makes the speaker fall in between the two camps. This is also where a large difference lies. The Pure Audio speakers have no sidewalls and thus have to cope with a lot of cancellation between rear and front and they do this using large woofers. While they do provide deep and powerful bass, my personal feeling is that this is more of the Apogee planar magnetostatic kind than being akin to a dynamic speaker in a cabinet. The SONS also have very deep bass but it’s more of the punchy and articulate kind as you would expect from a dynamic driver in an enclosure. When playing loudly, the SONs seem to breeze through while asking for more. When playing loudly with the Pure Audio Project speakers I feel that the bass units have to work very hard to keep up with the midrange.
Finally, the midrange and treble are very different in character tonality. The SONs’ ribbon is supremely airy and refined and I find it even better than the Magico tweeters in these respects but it’s in the lower midrange where the Voxativ’s properties may divide opinion. For me, they are too colored-sounding (the familiar cupped-hands effect) but I also can’t deny that they provide a very tangible and realistic property to acoustic instruments, perhaps more so than the SONs that are slightly mellow in that area. So, it’s not an easy one-or-the-other between these two speakers. You have to know what it is you are after and decide accordingly.
Thank you Christiaan, apreciate your response!
It seems that I know my direction now.
Btw. I had similar feeling from bass units on another open baffle speakers (Spatial) that I heard recently.
M
Hallo Christian. Just got my son.s in the house and machted them with the New nat gm 70 amp. Wonderfull combination. Now i am testen some footers