Displaying items by tag: pylonaudio - StereoLife Magazine

Pylon Audio has introduced the Opal 23 mkII, a new version of one of its best-known floorstanding loudspeakers. The model develops a concept that has been part of the Polish manufacturer's catalog for years - a full-size, reasonably priced loudspeaker designed not for a narrow group of specialists, but for listeners who want solid engineering, room-filling sound and enough versatility to work in a normal domestic system. The original Opal series occupied an important place in Pylon Audio's lineup precisely because it offered this kind of balance. It was not an exotic or overtly audiophile design, but a practical loudspeaker for people building their first or second serious stereo system. With the mkII generation, Pylon has not attempted to replace that idea with something completely different. Instead, the company has retained the overall format and visual identity of the original model while redesigning the drivers, crossover, cabinet tuning and resonance-control measures.

Poland means different things to different people. For some, it brings to mind mountains, lakes, forests, turbulent history, beautiful cities, pierogi, kielbasa and stuffed cabbage. For others, it is a modern, entrepreneurial country - energetic, ambitious and full of people who, after decades of catching up, no longer feel the need to prove anything to anyone. They simply get on with it. They build companies, invest, design, manufacture and enter markets that, not all that long ago, seemed completely out of reach. You can see it in technology, industry, services and design, but also in far more specialized fields, including audio. Surprising as it may sound, Poland is home to well over a hundred manufacturers of audio devices, accessories and components - from large, increasingly recognizable brands to tiny, highly specialized, sometimes almost one-person workshops making unusual loudspeakers, amplifiers, cables, power distributors, isolation platforms, feet, supports and objects whose purpose sometimes has to be explained even to people who have followed this hobby for years. Some of these companies have long since stopped being curiosities for local patriots and have become serious players on the international stage. Fezz Audio tube amplifiers, J.Sikora and Muarah turntables, Mytek converters and digital devices, Lampizator's eccentric creations, Albedo and Audiomica Laboratory cables, JCAT network accessories, Enerra and Gigawatt power strips and conditioners - these are only the most obvious examples. When it comes to loudspeakers, however, the undisputed leader is Pylon Audio.

Manufacturers of hi-fi equipment like to brag about their peak performance, but in any company's product lineup, the key role is played by the models that simply sell best. They are the ones that provide funds for further development and indicate what ideas appeal most to customers. Recently, Pylon Audio has been working hard on high-end loudspeakers. Over the past few years, the Polish manufacturer's catalog has included speakers from the Jasper series, including six models, the powerful Amber mkIIs, the old-school Jade 20s, which just got a bigger brother, and the Emeralds 25s. However, diamonds dominate the sales statistics, and I'm not surprised at all. The models in this series offer everything music lovers seek - a discreet and modest design, high-quality craftsmanship, versatile sound, seamless compatibility with a wide range of electronics, a rich variety of color options, and an affordable price. It may not be a piece of equipment that relies on exceptional technical solutions and surprises its owner daily, but it is hard to identify any clear drawbacks. If only we do not save too much on electronics and choose a model that fits the size and acoustics of our listening room, we will get speakers that can do everything. Will the new generation of the Diamond series continue the story? For this to happen, the Polish designers had to meet only one condition - not to spoil anything. And they claim to have even improved this and that. Is it true?

Although Poland's most famous loudspeaker manufacturer started with budget speakers, its current catalog is dominated by mid- and high-end designs. The top position is occupied by the beautiful Jaspers, available in both passive and active versions. Then we have three series consisting of a single model - Amber, Jade, and Emerald. The bottom four is made up of the Ruby, Sapphire, Opal, and Pearl series. Right in the middle there's a series that has become a real market hit, combining minimalist design, high-quality workmanship, a rich color palette, and natural, balanced, and universal sound. The Diamonds were Pylon's flagships at the time of their launch. I remember how the bosses of the Jarocin-based manufacturer, still unsure of the rightness of their decision, wondered whether such loudspeakers would appeal to customers. Today, the company could probably produce only this series and would easily balance the books (especially considering that Pylon Audio is not only a manufacturer of equipment sold under its own brand but also a supplier of cabinets for leading foreign brands). However, since there was an opportunity to improve them, it was a shame not to take it. This is how the Diamonds mkII were born. To see what's what, I decided to review my favorite model from this series - the "twenty-fives".

It's not surprising that more and more people are interested in hi-fi equipment that is luxurious, beautiful, and offers excellent performance, but at the same time is as simple to use as a network speaker. Some audiophiles believe that increasing the comfort of our music experience automatically reduces the sound quality. If we have a pile of sources and amplifiers connected with expensive cables, if our living room has been transformed into an anechoic chamber, if before each listening session, we carry out an elaborate procedure of warming up the system while checking the humidity of the air and the voltage in the socket, we deserve great sound, and if we buy easy-to-use active loudspeakers, we don't. Is it true? Manufacturers of audio electronics have already discovered that it can all be simplified. Almost every new all-in-one system is an instant sales hit because all you have to do is add a pair of decent speakers and your home stereo is ready. But what if you could go one step further and eliminate the need to buy any electronics? This mission has already been undertaken by many companies, as the idea itself is not new or revolutionary. However, it has usually involved rebuilding budget boxes so that, with additional electronics inside, they don't cost a fortune. The result was cheap speakers powered by poor electronics, meaning lots of compromises and a sound far from ideal. Now Pylon Audio introduced its first series of wireless speakers. And it has done it quite differently.

When I review new Pylon Audio speakers, the same word usually comes to mind - progress. First loudspeakers available in high-gloss and mat lacquers, the first proprietary drivers, first cabinets manufactured for well-known foreign brands... Enumerating the next milestones and delighting in the technical, qualitative, and business successes of the Polish company, however, doesn't interest me as much as in what direction its offerings are heading and what value its new models will represent. Here, too, one can observe stable, thoughtful development driven by rising customer expectations and investments in machinery. Over the past few years, many speaker series has expanded to include the most majestic three-way models, and new designs from the excellent Ruby line have been introduced, but we had to wait a very, very long time for the next price and quality barrier to be overcome. Finally, Pylon Audio introduced the powerful Amber floorstanders, now available in mkII version. The new flagship should generate huge excitement, but such gigantic speakers are not for everyone and will not play well in any room. However, we have known for a long time that Pylon Audio is working on a series of loudspeakers that is a development of the concept known from the Diamonds and Emeralds. And we finally got it. The Jasper series now includes sleek monitors and two floorstanding models, including one already available in the mkII version. But, for many reasons, I decided to try the smaller Jasper 23 floorstanders.

Choosing a loudspeaker is a task that requires matching many factors at the same time - size, construction type, finish, performance, and, of course, price. When we have solved this puzzle, all we need to do is to carefully remove the new equipment from the box, connect the cables, and arrange speakers in such a way as to get the best possible sound out of them. However, the latter turns out to be quite complicated. Finding the optimal positioning of loudspeakers in the listening room costs pretty much nothing and can surely give a lot of satisfaction. All it takes is a little experience, intuition, and commitment to turn this "problem" into an exciting adventure.

We became interested in the products made by a Polish company, Pylon Audio, when it had just started being successful and their loudspeakers - Topaz and Pearl - gained recognition. Then, other products followed, such as Sapphire, Diamond, and Opal. Not to mention the floorstanding loudspeakers manufactured for Unitra or Audio Physics's Classic series, both using cabinets made by Pylon Audio in Jarocin - a city in which, in the 80s, the biggest rock music festival in Europe used to be organized. Testing their products was always a chance to catch up on Pylon's latest achievements. It seemed as if the company had been, step-by-step, checking off the next points on their earlier prepared plan. Launching a new series of speakers, adding glossy lacquers, entering international markets, designing their own mid-bass speakers, establishing collaboration with the award-winning partners, awards, exhibitions, honours, expanding wood veneer palette, extending the factory… Every now and then a thought comes to my mind that reportage about the Pylon factory would be something worth making, yet every time one problem arises - such article would have to be often updated, since in one year the situation may change so dramatically that a huge part of knowledge about Pylon Audio may simply become obsolete.