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Review 2 of 2
Price Paid:
$1695.00
from Decware factory dire Summary:
I have come to realise that I am in fact becoming an audiophile. Although I did get into this system(single driver speakers/tube amp)with the intention of just enjoying the music as a music enthusiast I have come to realise the actual potential this gear from Decware has, which has motivated me to construct a complete soundroom and optimise this gear, results pending as I type this.
I have held back for over a year before coming on here and writing a review. This was tough because although i have never met the man, I greatly respect Steve Deckert and would like nothing more than help out his sales with a good review a month or so after I bought the gear. In hindsight, I am glad I waited and have learned lots the past year about component break-in, warm-up etc.
The HDT speaker uses a full range single driver speaker by Fostex. It is a model FE206E. Steve Deckert modifies the driver by applying a black dye, removing the dust cap and bonding a 15/16 socket to the pole piece which acts as a phase plug. He also damps the basket with felt.
The cabinet design itself is very esoteric and I recommend visiting the Decware site and reading the design notes of the HDT's. Also worth mentioning is the absolute, painful breakin required for this speaker design to completely resolve itself to full potential. I estimate a full 1500 hours for maximum midrange liquidity and optimal low end extension as the driver suspension and most notably the passive radiator surrounds loosen up and respond with full attention and authority. My amplifier could also become a factor in this as well as it was purchased new approx. the same time as the speakers.
I have always had a fascination with speaker design in that a really good, or even reference design does not need to, or perhaps should not cost mega bucks. I mean, we are really dealing with the physics of wood and drivers. Single driver speakers of popular brands like Lowther CAN run a few more bucks, but all and all a well designed speakers' main focus goes into the physics of its design geometry in the purist sense. With that said, do not become biased at the relatively modest selling price of the HDT speaker compared to the large dollar units available. The latter is simple markup and or use of extravagant design materials demanding big dollars(profit). That is fine with source or amp components with world class power supplies and trannies but in my opinion the HDT loudspeaker gives worldclass performance for a modest price and has taken speaker design about as far a one can take it, the old school way of good old fashioned, get your hands dirty, tweaking. 6 years went into the complete design of this cabinet.
The strongest points of these speakers are their coherency, realistic tone and low end definition. You can forget about lack of low end response with these speakers, period. They have the tightest, most highly defined and musical bass I have ever heard.
I have also never heard a speaker with the coherency and ability to completely disappear like these do. These speakers simply vanish, they are gone. This is the type of trick a good pair of single driver speakers seems to be designed for in the first place. I mean, isn't that the point of single drivers, that awesome coherency? Set up in a diamond configuration relative to the room(45 degrees) I have heard sounds 20 feet back and approx. 3 feet forward of the drivers. The soundstage is back and deep, coming forward slightly on certain passages. They are not "forward" in a traditional sense so if you like it in your face than look elsewhere.
The strongest point of these speakers is by far their depth of tone and midrange. Even out of the box, these speakers absolutely nailed ALL vocals perfectly even without breakin. The realism was truly there from the start and that midrange just liquified through breakin. The transmission line and dispersion plate emit a completely natural, complimentary resonance to the midrange that I can only describe as "real" sounding. I can't describe it any other way. You want to hear male or female singers in your room? These speakers can pull it off, perfectly. You want to hear the reverb snap off a snare, or the throaty growl of a stand-up acoustic bass? These speakers nail it. You want the rich harmonic stacking of a buttery tube guitar solo or delayed tone of a keyboard, like I said, the midrange is just real.
The fact that these speakers are called "High Definition" Towers should be a clue. They pull no punches in a traditional sense. They are simply efficient enough and responsive enough to let it all hang out if you haven't done your exercise.(room treatment) I suspect no problems on quality tube gear and vinyl but I have dedicated them to digital. In short the high end is crisp and revealing. If you want to play loud rock surrounded by drywall then I suggest you keep your listening sessions to a minimum. These are audiophile gear but not a Lowther nightmare. Strengths:
Midrange realism, depth of tone, low end timbre and response, top end dispersion, soundstage depth, efficiency and build quality. These speakers have incredible attack and dynamics across the entire band. They are NOT dry or clinical. Weaknesses:
Off axis top end response. If you want a speaker that hits 20K in another room then look elsewhere. They also do not hit the lowest octave so home theater is out for these. Similar Products Used:
All previous speakers used completely out classed by this product.
My Decware SE34-I tube amp was actually designed for this type of driver. It prefers the 6-50 ohm impedance curve this driver sweeps and is actually voiced for digital in its parallel configuration which I run 99% of the time. Beautiful synergy.
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5 of 5
5 of 5
