Falcon Ram 20 $2700 Per Pair
(17h, 9w, 10.47d)
Falcon Acoustics of England makes speakers that pretty well hit the stereotype of what we expect from English speakers. There’s nothin’ wrong with that!
In England, people generally don’t have large rooms. I have visited vendors there and it’s amazing how over a thousand people can live in an apartment building the size of the Titanic. We Americans are spoiled by the space and privacy we have. The Brits want speakers with rich sound from a small profile. They need to sound full without playing loud. Falcon, founded in 1972, hits the nail on the head.
First of all, they’re not bright or tizzy. They perform like a TV picture that has been dialed in accurately in color. Nobody has cranked up the setting to VIVID.
If you imagine high frequencies in the form of a bar graph of 1-10, Falcon lands precisely at a five. Most brands skew towards 7 or 8 to grab your attention on the sales floor. Tizzy and edgy might grab your attention, but it’s likely to drive you nuts and wear you out.
The bass is robust. Yep, these smallish cabinets will rock your world. They image magnificently with off set tweeters that allow you to tailor the image more centered, or more spacious- to your taste. Stronger center? Wider spread?
The cabinets are thick, (1” all ‘round) and are lined internally with 1/4” rubber panels. This assures that the cabinets are heavy enough to supply real muscle, and yet won’t ring in the process. The cabinets have an Italian leather finish. Luxurious touch.
Ram 20 is especially sweet in that it’s not too big to fit on a shelf. It is a legit bookshelf sized speaker. Yet its bass performs more as you would expect from a tower. No foolin’. Ram 20 will punch you in the nose if you ask it to.
Ram 20’s image is large and spacious. The mids & top are warm as toast- no bite to irritate you. Since its bass is indeed robust, you don’t have to crank these boys up to feel the motion of the ocean. What a sweet speaker for an application where you want real high end performance from a modest sized footprint.
Diamond 12.2 $500 Per Pair
(13.18h, 8.77w, 11.22d: 6.5” 2-way)
My new favorite speaker for $500 is the Diamond 12.2. $500 is an important price point. We’ve always had strong speakers at that destination. But the D12.2 is a nice step up from years past and will be a tough nut to crack for the other guys out there.
D12.2 uses a Silk Dome tweeter fairly similar to its predecessor. It’s open, airy and spacious. Where D12.2 really steps ahead is with its new, Klarity cone- Polypropylene infused with Mica. The stone material of Mica, is infused as “ribs” within the poly. The Klarity driver subsequently delivers deeper, stronger and especially TIGHTER bass than any speaker we’ve had in this range over the years.
D12.2 can deliver bass that will make you think it runs a grand, or that we’ve connected a subwoofer hidden in the corner. Everyone that has heard it thus far asks if a sub is on- it’s that deep.
D12.2 is also “new” in that… it makes me try more expensive amps with it. There aren’t many $500 speakers where you’d say, I’d love to hear it with a Hegel or Rogue. Well, this IS the case for D12.2.
Of course it isn’t as refined as Wharfedale’s Denton 85 ($900 per pair). But if you’re considering a serious speaker for only $500, look no further than Diamond 12.2!
Diamond 12.1 $400 Per Pair
(12.28h, 7.08w, 9.85d: 5 1/2” 2-way)
As wonderful as D12.2 is above, D12.1 is the surprise of the new line. For $400 per pair- are you kidding me? D12.1 has the same character as D12.2- but isn’t as full in the bass. If you have a Den or Office and don’t listen loudly, it’s possible D12.1 is going to be plenty for your application. I have to say I’ve never been happier with what so little will buy in a loudspeaker.
Diamond 12.0 $300 Per Pair
(10.43h, 6.3w, 7.87d: 4” 2-way)
Using the same tweeter as its bigger brothers, D12.0 is an ideal small room or surround speaker option. First of all, D12.0 doesn’t bottom and crap out on you. I can give you a list of $1k speakers using a 4 or 4.5 that just puke their guts out if you ask them to WORK. Not so for D12.0 with its Klarity driver. It’s a tough little guy and stays tight and solid. Yet D12.1 is well worth a C-note more.
MoFi SuperHeavyweight Noise Dissipation Record Weight $200
First of all, the SHW actually WORKS. It improves your sound because it diminishes the ringing of your vinyl. You hear more of what’s in your grooves. Extraneous resonance is far less of an issue and won’t detract from the REAL information on your records.
The SHW isn’t just a weight. I will tell you it is misnamed. While it feels kinda heavy, it weighs just under a pound (13 oz) and won’t pulverize your main bearing. It is a sonic drainage device. Yup.
It is a billet aluminum shell with internal, proprietary HRS designed polymer. It works mostly because the polymer drains the extraneous energy away from the LP to the inside of the SHW. It dissipates the resonance with absorption, vs just trying to kill it with mass.
You’ll notice the sound images better and is more balanced. It is less splashy and bright. It will fit on almost any turntable. You’ll be very happy with how it gets rid of annoying “tizz” and distortion!
Mozart At Eleven
That’s when he wrote his first opera, “Apollo et Hyacinthus.” It had three acts and a story line that would be quite surprising coming from an 11 year old- if you care to dive deeper.
What were YOU doing at age 11?