Years after first hearing about them, the speakers arrived last week.
The photos really don’t explain how they feel in person, which is unusual in itself, since many things actually look like their photographs.
In the case of the Aspens, it all depends on where you’re standing. From the front, they seem almost whisp-like. I’ve got the Magico A5 at home (I’ll get back to that in a minute), and compared to the solidity of these, the front-view of the Aspen is pretty slender.
But move yourself about five feet to the side and you’ll see more of the speaker. A lot more. They’re way deeper than the photos give them credit for. I’m calling this out because it calls itself out–I’m getting used to it, but it’s the biggest difference.
Chris wasn’t happy to hear that I was powering them with the 12wpc Shindo Montille, but in the 18 x 25 rectangular apartment room I am using, they were magical. That’s my word, and I’m sticking to it. They don’t just tickle the speakers, they cause it to burst into hysterics, singing and dancing with an energy I didn’t expect.
I swapped in a Rogue 60wpc (in triode) tubed pre-amp and the speakers filled in a bit with even more dancing and even more singing.
This is straight-up veil-lifting. I did that hackneyed reviewer thing of digging deeper and deeper into my Roon vault, wanting to re-hear songs that I’d gotten tired of. And now I wasn’t tired of them all over again.
I helped Patricia Barber with the launch of one of her recent albums and so she was first in the rotation. Then the new Strauss recordings. Then Roxy Music, cause no one else was in the room to smirk. Then Christian McBride and what the heck, a little Magic Dick whamming and jamming.
I contemplated playing some obscure opera just so I could tell you I was cool enough to do so, but I don’t like obscure opera, so I’m not going to lie–I skipped that.
Sometimes, you want to keep turning a speaker louder and louder to let it clear its throat and sound the way it wants to. With the Aspens, I found myself happily making it softer… because my office is in an apartment and because it just kept sounding real. I could listen to Cyrille Aimee at the volume I heard her live in a jazz club, not in an over-amplified semi-simulacrum of the real thing.
Okay, back to the Magicos. The Magicos weigh a ton. Almost. I mean, you would need 8 of them to weigh a ton, but still.
And they sound like they weigh a ton. They are not speakers, they are part of the house. With the right amps, they bring clarity and presence and accuracy and truth to the music. But that foundation comes at a cost–I’ve never heard them sing. For daily listening, I’m thrilled to own them, but I find myself itching for the speakers I have in my office now.
I miss Art Dudley, and I shared my friend’s taste in amps and speakers. Before the Magicos, I had a pair of the 96 Devores with Shindos. No one ever accused them of living in the grey. When I switched, I was generally delighted with the increased presence, but I guess I missed some of the magic.
The Aspens bring that back, dramatically.
The biggest leap PS Audio has made with these speakers is embracing the fact that they are not for everyone. The amps are for anyone who has a stereo. So are the power conditioners. But the Aspens? They are for people who want a certain kind of speaker in a certain kind of room. A speaker that, like an aspen not an oak, can bring resilience and awe to whatever they’re playing.
If that’s you, you’re in for a treat.
Thanks to Chris and Paul and the team. These are groundbreaking, ear-delighting and joy filled.
