I managed to get away to Greece in late July final 12 months, simply because it was reaching Greek temperatures within the UK, and loved two weeks of correct ‘scorchio’ climate. I seen how a lot hotter the cities had been (even within the shade) than the much less densely populated areas, particularly these with out buildings. This is essentially as a result of the roads and buildings absorb warmth after which slowly launch it over the day. This is what high-mass cupboards do, albeit at a unique frequency; they retailer the power that comes from the drive models and launch it over time, fairly extra time than it takes for the sign to be produced by the drivers. The heavier the loudspeaker cupboard, the extra excessive this may get even when heavy audio system do have a solidity within the bass that fairly interesting for a similar cause.

With most wood cupboards the power is instantly radiated by the panels of the field to some extent, the higher the bracing the decrease the radiation seems to be the rule. Vivid takes an entirely totally different strategy to controlling radiation by making the cupboard as stiff and light-weight as attainable. The Giya G1 Spirit is a big speaker that stands simply over 5 foot excessive and has a quantity of 180 litres however it weighs lower than 70 kilos. A Bowers & Wilkins 802, by comparability, is greater than a foot shorter and weighs practically 90 kilos.

Two skins

The Vivid Giya cupboards are produced from two skins of vacuum-infused glass-reinforced composite, a complicated variant on fibre glass, with finish grain balsa between the 2 skins to offer stiffness. A few producers make bass drivers in a sandwich association like this however they use foam because the filling; a speaker cupboard wants one thing a bit extra stable. The distinctive form of Giya just isn’t a whim of the Vivid styling division however a real occasion of type following perform. The tubular ring on the prime represents the top of the inverted horn that absorbs power from the 2 bass drivers on both facet of the cupboard. This is similar to the tapered tube idea that Vivid designer Laurence Dickie created for Bowers & Wilkins within the authentic Nautilus loudspeaker, which has subsequently discovered its method into the 800 collection fashions.

In Vivid loudspeakers, this tapered tube system is used with all of the drivers. You can see the place these for the tweeter, upper- and lower-midrange drivers terminate on the again of the cupboard the place small hex bolts are seen. The bass drivers which produce essentially the most power and are thus most certainly to vibrate the cupboard, should not fastened to it within the standard method. Instead they’re bodily braced in opposition to each other and held in place with a compliant mounting the place the chassis meets the cupboard, that is an strategy present in a few of the higher subwoofers, and I notice, an idea speaker that Monitor Audio confirmed in Munich High-End 2022, and signifies that the bass system is solidly anchored with minimal danger of transmitting power into the ‘field’.

This continues to be a reflex-loaded loudspeaker nevertheless; it’s simply that just like the bass drivers there are two reflex ports that look a bit like gills and sit reverse each other both facet of the cupboard behind the bass drivers. This association is used in an effort to stability the ports and let the bass system breathe evenly.

Breaking up the chain

Vivid develops and makes its personal drive unts. This is the one method that Dickie may use domes that aren’t typical hemispheres, as a substitute they’ve a catenary form which is the form a sequence kinds when it’s hung between two posts. This form was chosen as a result of its break up level is notably larger than an everyday dome even earlier than you add the carbon fibre reinforcing ring to its perimeter. If Vivid’s measurements are to be believed, and Dickie is a first-rate engineer, the catenary form has such clear benefits over common domes that one wonders why nobody else makes use of them, maybe there’s a patent at work right here.

The decrease midrange is probably essentially the most uncommon driver on the Giya G1 Spirit, it has a big oblate sphere (doughnut formed) central dome and really steep cone sides. The massive central dome signifies that this 125mm driver has a 75mm voice coil, which is a uncommon ratio. Like the domes above it this driver has a carbon fibre reinforcement ring on the base of the dome, an association not seen on every other driver together with these within the Vivid vary.

The G1 Spirit is accessible with a standard onboard crossover or a separate outboard one. The latter is available in a comparatively typical rectilinear case fabricated from the identical materials because the speaker, so it’s good and glossy with chamfered corners. Connection to the loudspeaker is by way of an umbilical that fixes proper beneath the speaker, with the onboard crossover the cable terminals are additionally beneath the speaker. This makes for a really neat look however requires that the speaker be laid on its facet in an effort to make the connections, which is true in each onboard and outboard crossovers. The benefit of the latter is straightforward speaker cable connection and fewer vibration for the crossover parts to deal with, nevertheless it was initially conceived to permit the G1 Spirit to be actively pushed, and this has been finished with electronics from Linn, Devialet and Trinnov prior to now.

Clean dwelling

The sonic character of this loudspeaker may be very distinct, inasmuch because it seems to have just about none of its personal. And but as a result of that is a lot extra clearly the case than with most different loudspeakers it actually stands out. The very first thing that hits you is that nothing hits you besides the music, that’s there aren’t any sharp edges, no sense of grain or distortion. Dickie disagrees with that final phrase and prefers the time period ‘coloration’ as a result of that’s the appropriate time period, nevertheless the Giya G1 Spirit doesn’t simply sound as if it has an excellent tonal response, it sounds as if it doesn’t have the sharp edges discovered with the overwhelming majority of loudspeakers. If something it is rather very like an electrostatic, it has the identical smoothness and ease as the very best examples of the style however that is mixed with the low finish energy and dynamics of a reflex design.

It’s a speaker that warrants top quality and effectively matched amplification, I used to be capable of provide this to an extent however not the complete extent so suspect that even with the unbelievable outcomes I obtained there’s extra to be heard from these extraordinary loudspeakers. Nonetheless having them within the system proved to be a completely revelatory expertise the like of which I’ve not often had the pleasure of. There is an effective number of very open sounding loudspeakers available on the market right this moment, the extra superior designers consider the truth that you’ll be able to’t get an excellent response in a traditional room except the sound that hits the facet partitions, ground and ceiling has the identical stability because the direct sound from drivers to your ears. This huge dispersion strategy requires nice driver design and a cupboard that doesn’t hinder power coming off these drivers in all instructions, the Giya G1 Spirit cupboard is devoid of sharp edges so the sign has nothing to replicate off because it exits the speaker. This reduces sensitivity to an extent but additionally reduces coloration to a a lot larger extent, this speaker’s sensitivity is definitely fairly excessive at 92dB (2.83 VRMS at 1m) and its nominal impedance a comparatively simple six Ohms. So Vivid has managed to maintain coloration down with out sacrificing ease of drive which is a uncommon achievement in itself.

Wide Dispersion

The huge dispersion is presumably one cause why this speaker sounds so relaxed, not the first cause however an element. It’s additionally why the picture scale modifications with every bit of music performed, actually all the things about each recording performed by way of the Giya G1 Spirit appears to be revealed. Give them a very good acoustic recording similar to Chasing the Dragon’s Mendelsohnn Octets and the sense of being there’s greater than palpable, it’s completely convincing. You get the openness of the excessive ceiling on the Henry Wood Hall the place the recording was made and also you get the timbre of the eight devices layered and dare I say it, vivid, in entrance of you. What additionally struck me about this and lots of different items of music is how effectively the Vivids monitor stage, that’s the quantity stage of particular person voices and devices relative to 1 one other in a given combine. Described as micro dynamics that is an space the place the extremely low noise (as a result of there’s so little cupboard vibration) of those audio system places them into one other league. It permits the listener to comply with and admire totally different performers inside a bunch and to listen to the best way that totally different components of a mixture have been handled.

If that every one sounds fairly dry what it boils all the way down to is a level of transparency that’s distinctive, and that signifies that extra of the musical sign will get into the room with out being coloured or distorted. With Mari Samuelsen’s first solo album Mari [DG] it signifies that a big group of musicians seems within the room come what may of magic, the diploma of realism is positively uncanny. This is a spectacular recording however simply how spectacular grew to become lots clearer with the massive Vivids, I’ve by no means heard string tone that’s so pure nor had a way of the dimensions and nature of a studio acoustic that was so effectively reproduced. It makes the music she creates that rather more highly effective and transferring, and it makes me realise that the Rega P10 turntable is even higher than I believed it was, and I used to be fairly impressed within the first place.

With much less pure recordings within the type of Frank Zappa’s stay You Can’t Do That On Stage Anymore [Zappa Music] releases, you’ll be able to hear how he has constructed up these tracks utilizing snippets from totally different performances, a guitar break right here, a voice there. You can hear the joins however this doesn’t get in the best way of having fun with the brilliance of the music, Zappa had requirements that not even his extremely rehearsed bands may all the time stay as much as and through the use of the very best bits spliced collectively he was capable of assemble the close to as attainable good concert events for these of us unable to attend the actual factor. Having a loudspeaker that’s able to delivering that music at an acceptable quantity with none sense of effort and the entire bandwidth required is a really particular expertise that will get you as shut as you’ll be able to to being there.

Not a cartoon

The bass on the G1 Spirit just isn’t apparent, that’s like the remainder of the bandwidth it doesn’t have sharpened main edges that outline it a bit like a cartoon. Rather the bass is three dimensional, it’s obtained depth and weight and strikes with easy velocity. Essentially it’s extraordinarily pure, and simply as prolonged and highly effective because the sign calls for, so if that sign emanates from a synth or electrical bass it may be very muscular certainly. But if it’s a piano or double bass there’s extra texture and depth of tone, extra selection and color. Whatever the supply it’s very juicy and interesting and all the time bang on time.

The Vivid Giya G1 Spirit is an distinctive loudspeaker, because of the best way that its drivers and cupboard have been executed it doesn’t have the issues related to 99.9% of dynamic loudspeakers. Instead you get sound that’s as thrilling, highly effective and delightful because the recording permits, and lots of of them allow an terrible lot of all three. It’s a speaker that I may all too simply stay with proper as much as the purpose the place enthusiasm wanted to be summoned for one more loudspeaker assessment. It’s not a speaker for reviewers, it’s a speaker for music lovers who don’t need to make comparisons.

Technical specs

• Type 4-way, five-driver, reflex loaded floorstanding speaker
• Driver complement One 26mm steel dome tweeter with Tapered Tube loading; one 50mm steel dome midrange driver with Tapered Tube loading; one 125mm alloy/carbon diaphragm lower-mid driver with 75mm voice coil, two 225mm alloy diaphragm bass drivers with 100mm voice coil in 45mm hole
• Crossover frequencies 220Hz, 880Hz, 3.5kHz
• Frequency response + / -2dB 29–33,000 Hz
• Impedance 6 Ohms nominal, 3 Ohms minimal at 20 okHz
• Sensitivity 92dB @ 2.83 VRMS at 1 m on axis
• Dimensions (H×W×D) 1600 × 440 × 820mm
• Weight 67.4kg/every
• Finishes Piano black, Pearl white, Oyster matte plus premium colors
• Price £82,500/pair

Manufacturer

Vivid Audio

www.vividaudio.com

Distributor

Vivid Audio UK LTD

www.vividaudio.com

Tel +44(0) 1403 713 125

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