Music and Movies I
warmed up my listening session with the late, great John Lee Hooker’s
Chill Out and the Song “Annie Mae” (Pointblank Records). I was
immediately struck by the Aeons’ ability to produce a huge soundstage,
with depth, clarity and detail that’s seldom heard from a speaker in
this price range. I’ve always been amazed by an electrostat’s ability
to reproduce acoustic string instruments or vocal music with such
lifelike quality, and the Aeons did not disappoint. When Hooker cried
out for his Annie Mae, I literally felt the emotion in his voice,
buying into the idea that he was right there in the room. I was
compelled to run out and help John find her. Every time Charles Brown
tickled the ivory, I heard tonal accuracy and had a sense of the size
of the piano as an instrument; this was largely due to the Aeons’
ability to produce a soundstage large enough to do a piano justice.
Next I listened to “Serves Me Right” from the same CD. Van Morrison
accompanies Hooker on this track, which really gave me the impression
those two enjoyed jamming together as they banter back and forth while
singing and playing the guitar together. Again, the Aeons produced a
deep, detailed soundstage that created an excellent ambient experience
with midrange and timber clarity that’s to die for, with tight,
accurate bass response that’s just shy of the ultimate in bass
extension.
The next CD I listened to was Dave Matthews
Band’s Busted Stuff (RCA Records), choosing the song “Digging a Ditch.”
The sound of Matthews’ voice had a very natural, open quality, and the
speakers imaged so well that I had to double-check to make sure my
center speaker wasn’t playing. Dave’s vocals came alive and the
speakers created a specifically wide, seamless soundstage. Next, I
listened to “Bartender” from the same Dave Matthews CD and was again
impressed by the natural timber of Matthews’ guitar strumming and the
Aeons’ ability to reveal the complexity of this musical number. I could
hear guitars, drums, flute, sax and violin, all with very distinct
clarity that lent itself to a very convincing presentation. The snare
drum in this number also had all the snap and crack I remember from my
distant days as a drummer.
The
last CD I listened to was Coldplay’s A Rush of Blood to the Head
(Capitol Records) and the song “The Scientist.” This song starts with a
beautiful, slow piano solo that the Aeons reproduced with all the
harmonic texture and realism that electrostatic speakers are so great
at, with coherent musical reproduction across the entire frequency
spectrum. Just as the sound of Chris Martin’s voice slowly begins to
accompany the piano, you hear an image deep and three-dimensional
enough to make me feel as if I could put my arm in it. I heard every
nuance of Martin’s voice and even his breath – clearly a strength of
electrostatic loudspeakers. The next song I listened to was “Warning
Sign.” I was again reminded of the Aeons’ ability to convey a sense of
realism, emotion and the presence of an almost scarily convincing
soundstage. When compared to a comparably-priced pair of speakers like
the Paradigm Studio 100s, the Aeons proved the winners when it came to
resolving detail, midrange presence, and soundstage height, width and
depth. The Studio 100s did out-perform the Aeons in both bass extension
and off-axis listening, but I feel the strengths of the Aeons
outweighed their weaknesses in this comparison and I enjoyed the Aeons
more overall.
Next up, I decided to try out the Aeons on
some movies. I started with “Minority Report” (DreamWorks Home
Entertainment), which is an aggressively mixed soundtrack and probably
Steven Spielberg’s best work since Saving Private Ryan. All channels
were active for most of the movie, which created a 360-degree
soundfield that completely drew me in. John Williams’ score was
beautifully rendered with a huge, open soundstage. Yes, from every
discrete effect to every subtle ambient sound, the Aeons performed
admirably.
I
then watched “Gladiator” (DreamWorks Home Entertainment). The epic
starring Russell Crowe sounded incredible through the Aeons. From the
gentle pluck of guitar strings to the dramatic Battle of Carthage in
Chapter 15, the Aeons had the ability to reproduce unrivaled detail and
believable dynamics. I had the sense of being right there in the middle
of the battlefield, with the sound of bows twanging and arrows whizzing
by overhead. Again, I compared the Aeons to the Paradigm Studio 100s
and felt the Aeons’ midrange detail and larger than life soundstage
more than justified some of the bass and off-axis listening
deficiencies mentioned earlier. The MartinLogan Aeons supplied me with
a more engaging overall experience than the Paradigms did.
