28 Test Loudspeakers Cessaro Chopin

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Every legend carries some truth – also in the world of loudspeakers. The unmatched dynamics of horn

speakers for example is such a legend, and Cessaro proves most impressively that there is more than just

a germ of truth in this one.

Mystical

Horn loudspeakers always have hu-gely fascinated listeners, but they

also polarized them more than any other type of speakers. For some they are merely squawking funfair noisemakers, for others they are just the best loudspeakers availa-ble. Undeniably, horn speakers differ from other build forms with respect to sound

characteristics, also because they use the physics of sound waves themselves in or-der to amplify them. The sound becomes “natural” of a sort. The problem however is that the sound amplifi cation has nega-tive effects, too. This sometimes results in the “noisemakers” many people (those in the fi rst group) have in mind when they’re thinking of horn speakers. But: When they are thoroughly designed and properly built, horn loudspeakers can play in a class of their own. Ralph Krebs obviously be-longs to the second group of listeners. With his entry-level model “Chopin” he presents a horn speaker that not only attracts atten-tion because of its looks, but also knows how to convince the listener with its sound characteristics. Without a doubt: Concept and realization must have been fl awless in this case.

When you see the Chopin for the fi rst time, the fi rst thing you will notice probably is the treble horn made from wood. It so-mehow reminds us of a donut – but it is made from solid noble Zebrano wood and has been specially attuned for the tweeter using computer simulations and CNC pro-duction methods. The tweeter is a 1” TAD driver with alnico magnet and beryllium diaphragm. The tweeter unit is supported by a Supravox chassis in the lower frequen-cy range. It also features an alnico magnet and is carried out as a horn-loaded refl ex system; for a true bass horn the course is to short, for a bass refl ex system it is too long. The principle aims at uniting the best of both worlds and also fi ts in the middle of the two extremes with respect to sound.

The result of the efforts is a 132 cm tall, two-way fl oorstanding speaker that picks up the looks of the tweeter horn with its curved side parts. The middle part, which incorporates the horn refl ex system, is made from sandwich-layered wood and covered with the fi nest black piano lacquer. In combination with the real wood veneer of the side parts this makes for a beautiful contrast. From a distance one almost has the impression that the tweeter horn is “fl oating” in front of the speakers, which seems to consist only of the side parts.

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Loudspeakers Test 29

Audio System

Integrated Amplifi er: · Quad II Classic Integrated

Pre-Amp:· MalValve preamp four line

Power Amplifi er:· Accustic Arts Amp2 MK2· SymAsym

Turntable:· Transrotor Fat Bob / SME 309 /

Lyra Kleos· Clearaudio Master Reference /

Universal / Goldfi nger Statement

Phono Pre-Amp:· MalValve preamp three phono· Audionet PAM G2/EPC

Accessories:· Power Cables: PS Audio & HMS· Analog Cales: van den Hul & SME· Speaker Cables: Transparent· Vinyl Cleaning Machine: Clearaudio

Reference

· Klang + Ton „Nada“· Audio Physic „Avantera“

little damping are preferable. The Chopin therefore is predestined for the use with tube amplifi ers; probably the engineers had that in mind during development, too.

Once they had arrived in our listening room, we set up the Chopin (contrary to the recommendation of the manufacturer) freely in the room without the support of a wall in their back and connected them to a “normal” amplifi er, not a tube amp. Also this room is about double the size of what Cessaro recommends for the Chopin. But what can I say? The manufacturer appa-rently is very modest; apart from the lack of really deep bass – a fact that is mostly due to the position of the speakers in the room – we didn’t have anything to criti-cize at all! Quite the contrary: The Chopin shows a joy of playing and a naturalness that is pure fun to listen to. The sound is reproduced in such a direct and dynamic manner that it is almost breathtaking. We cannot help but think that we have liste-ned to music with the wrong speakers for all our lives, that’s how fi nely resolved and fast the Chopin play. This is the pure “horn feeling” and it is really hard to stop the music again. When the Cessaros are placed in front of a wall, they seem to know no limits anymore. The deep bass range is slightly enhanced, making the sound even more full and balanced while the incredi-ble dynamics and speed remains intact. Finally, we have mated the Chopin with the adequate partners it is intended for, a tube amplifi er combo consisting of the big MalValve pre-amplifi er and a single-ended 2A3 power amplifi er. Of course we put on a vinyl record – in this case it was Bruce Springsteen. And now it fi nally becomes crystal clear what the developers wanted to achieve with the Chopin: A special sound that can only be created with such a combi-nation, a sound that combines speed, ease, and weight at the same time. In the end, every legend must have a provenance, and

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The overall shape is dynamic; it looks al-most as if the speakers were preparing for jumping forward. If you don’t like the Ze-brano or prefer a different wood you can have your loudspeakers customized by the manufacturer: Cessaro offers a wide choice of veneers and lacquers. Have a look at the company’s homepage for a foretaste.

The effi ciency is specifi ed with 97 db, which is extraordinarily high. Cessaro re-commends the use of an amplifi er that is fast and has a high resolution; a high power output is not necessary with such effi cien-cy. On the contrary: Small amplifi ers with

Proper opening: The mouth of the horn has a respectable surface area

The woofer plays more spec-tacularly than it looks like

The horn tweeter in all its glory: The elaborate unit is made from solid wood

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30 Test Loudspeakers Cessaro Chopin

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GespieltesTrentemoeller

The Trentemoeller ChroniclesVinyl Edition

SpacemonkeysLaika Come Home

JazzmatazzVolume 1

Massive AttackBlue Lines

Bruce SpringsteenDevils and Dust

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those who don’t believe it just have to listen to this setup. It produces this incompara-ble charm that could be called a “warm” sound. Voices have a sublime melodious-ness, instruments a unique naturalness. This is hot stuff! The sound is even physi-cally perceptible. The bass notes come ex-tremely quickly, they are dry and very deep – here the horn refl ex layout pays off. What we listened to was “The Boss”, and this is how he should sound! But also subtle vocal recordings or masterly guitar pieces are re-produced in a wonderfully clean and unco-lored manner. Trentemoeller’s album “The Trentemoeller Chronicles – Vinyl Edition” was a true highlight. It explores the very deepest bass regions, and the incredibly detailed three-dimensionality as well as the sparkle in the upper frequency regions make you want to kneel down in awe. In case you don’t own a noble tube amplifi er

Cessaro Chopin· Price ca. 28.000 Euro· Distributor Fink Fidelity· Phone +49(0)6043 9887070· Internet: www.cessaro-horn-acoustics.com· Warranty 2 years· W x H x D 132 x 34 x 78 cm· Weight 70 kg

In brief …Every legend has its true source. Cessaro pro-ve with their “small” Chopin model that there is some truth in the legend of the horn. It is a

well-engineered design with abso-lute high-end appeal; dynamic, un-believably fast and highly revealing. A true masterpiece!

Lab commentThe frequency response of the small Cessa-ro horn exhibits a small depression on the midrange and a slightly overemphasized tre-ble range. The frequency response does not change too much at an angle, which confirms our impression of a very good sound distribu-tion. The bass range has been measured free-standing but doesn’t let us miss anything; a very successful combination.

Measurements

On this picture the speakers can be adored in all their beauty

Quality from top to bottom: The back-side terminal is of the same high

quality as the rest of the speakers

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combo, you still should check out these speakers. They also excel with “normal” systems without making sacrifi ces. Thanks to the high effi ciency you won’t even need lots of power for great dynamics.

Furthermore, the Cessaro Chopins are extremely well built pieces of “music furniture” with an extraordinary design. Cessaro succeeds in managing the balance between perfect craftsmanship and great sound with the greatest of ease. Taking into account the fi nish options and the fact that no veneer is like the other, you can assume that you purchase truly unique pieces. Considering the efforts and the result, the price of 28,000 Euros is more than reasonable. What you get for this money has what it takes to become a legend. One can become addicted to this, and it might happen that you want to have even more – luckily, Cessaro will have the right solution in this case, too.

Philipp Busch

The high-quality TAD tweeters are barely visible behind the bespoke horn anymore

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