ClairAudient 1+1 V5

I have to admit that I’m literally blown away by these diminutive loudspeakers from Audience. It’s not just the fact they image like a real, live performance, or the fact that their frequency response is so linear from 55 Hz up to 22,000 Hz (+- 3db) with usable response down to 40 Hz! Nor is it the measurable time coherence that reminds me of the fact that time and phase coherence is so fundamental to hearing the “real thing” when playing back any great recording. The Audience V5s just sound so real!

Imagine hearing the distinct harmonic differences in individual instruments and voices. What separates any saxophone, trombone, piano, etc. from others of the same description is how they reproduce harmonics - both upper and lower. No two Steinway Concert Grands sound the same. This simple truth is why we prefer one piano over another of the same model. Accurate harmonic reproduction is essential for discerning the “truth” in musical reproduction. The harmonic blurring resulting from time and phase inconsistencies can be annoying to those having been brought up hearing live music in person. Nonetheless, this “truth in time” is actually quite rare. However, once it has been significantly ameliorated (witness Dunlavy, Quad ESL, Magnepan, YG Acoustics, Vandersteen and a few others) this harmonic honesty is something hard to live without. This is why I’ve always been drawn to those few companies whose design philosophy values this quality.

Enter the Audience ClairAudient 1+1 V5 into the select few that accomplish this level of harmonic truth. Come for a visit, and check out this rare loudspeaker. It is simply a mind blower.

Geoff