Hi-Fi: Gemme Audio – Vivace Floorstanding Loudspeakers – 79

The old adage about less equalling more is no truer than in the world of hi-fi. Manufacturers galore have stripped their electronics of superfluous ‘loudness’ controls, parametric equalisers and countless other widgets that do nothing more than present an unnecessary obstacle course to your favourite music.

That’s all fine and good; hi-fi electronics have become less complicated but better sounding because of it. But the same claim can’t be made for the final link in the chain, the loudspeaker.

The loudspeaker scene is littered with multiple-driver designs — two-way, three-way and even four-way speakers are the norm these days. But there is a growing group of smaller manufacturers and like-minded DIY individuals bucking the trend and opting for single-driver designs in the search for purer, crossover-free sound.

Among these is Gemme Audio, a boutique Canadian company specialising in smallish floorstanding loudspeakers, including this exquisite Vivace single-driver model.

Unpacking the Vivaces brought a smile to my face: they are stunning examples of modern speaker art. Essentially backwards-sloping parallelograms, the Vivaces are coated with a premium piano gloss black lacquer that sparkled whenever I switched the lights on in the listening room.

Detaching the front speaker grille confirmed what I’d read about the Vivaces, for a solitary and tiny 4-inch Fostex FE108E Sigma driver was hidden underneath. This diminutive driver feeds back pressure into a very complicated internal horn-loaded enclosure, and Gemme quotes an in-room frequency response of 20Hz-20kHz — astonishing considering the underwhelming size of the driver.

Speaker terminals were of the cost-no-object variety, as were the solid metal cones Gemme supplied with the Vivaces.

The svelte Vivaces have a sensitivity rating of 92db, meaning they can be used with low-powered amps. I did connect them to my 12wpc Kingrex Class-D amp but they longed for something a bit better. For this test the importer supplied two Triode Corp tube integrated amplifiers for me to try (TRV-A88SE/TRV-A300SE), and these alternated with my Korsun monster 250W integrated during the listening sessions.

First of all, these speakers are blessed with astounding depth and presence in the bass department. Tracks from Donald Fagen’s Morph The Cat were reproduced with an articulate and nimble bass/drum performance, while electronica from Boards Of Canada’s Geogaddi album rocked the sofa with subwoofer-type extension and grip. As good as the Vivaces’ bass performance was, the single-point source made for explicit soundstaging and imaging. The only caveat is that the small driver means the speakers won’t go incredibly loud, though they were certainly loud enough for this reviewer. I detected a subtle roll-off in terms of high-frequency output, but this actually enhanced my listening pleasure.

Gemme Audio’s Vivaces are among those rare breed of speakers that deliver more from less. They most certainly aren’t cheap, but the build and sound quality have them in their own league, even at the asking price.

GARY PEARCE

Gemme Audio – Vivace Floorstanding Loudspeakers – Tech Specs

Enclosure type: Single driver, small tower
Driver: 4-inch Fostex FE108E Sigma full-range
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz
Sensitivity: 92dB
Impedance: 8 Ohms
Recommended power handling: 3.5+ watts
Dimensions: 915 x 254 x 406mm (H/W/D)
Weight: 36kg per speaker

Pros

• Sublimely musical
• First-rate styling and build

Cons

• They’re not for headbangers
• A serious financial investment

Verdict

Amazing sounding speakers, the Gemme Audio Vivaces captivated from the first note

CONTACT

www.audioreference.co.nz

This review is from Tone 79. Click here to check it out.