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Equinox Eclipses The Planets And Other Stellar Performers
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October 2001 Meeting - Equinox Loudspeakers
The October 2001 meeting brought to us the range of speakers from Australian manufacturer Equinox Audio. As mentioned in last month’s newsletter, Equinox Audio’s Rick Stadelmaier has been designing loudspeakers for a number of years now. Apart from the drivers, Rick has total control over the whole of the design elements, being the designer of the enclosure parameters/geometry, cross-over as well as the builder of the heavily braced and beautifully veneered boxes. Also showing his wares but on a more ancillary role was Rage Audio’s Trevor Wilson with a sample of ME Audio equipment. Of note is the fact that Rick and Trevor are also ASoN’s newest members.
System Details
- Transport: CEC belt driven CD transport
- DAC: ME Audio DAC
- Preamplifier: ME Audio 25
- Amplifiers: ME Audio 550 and 850
- Speakers: Equinox Audio Aphelion and Jupiter
Equinox, Eclipses, The Planets And Other Stellar Performers
First up was the smaller of the two models on show. The Aphelion is a reasonably sized floor standing speaker in a D’Appolitto configuration. The MTM arrangement features Audax Aerogel mid/bass drivers and an Audax tweeter. The cabinet is an extremely solid piece of work featuring rarely seen 32mm MDF walls rather than the more commonly used 25mm MDF.
We first auditioned these speakers with the ME 550. Master DJ Richard Wong once again did the honours. First impressions were positive. The sound was very detailed and dynamic. There was no trace of hardness from this very sweet tweeter. Imaging was precise and soundstaging very large and open. In our Haberfield room, some speakers tend to interact with the room in a way that bloats the midbass, creating a little boom and obscuring detail. The Aphelion was no exception, however the performance in other areas was exceptional at the price. We are talking about a $2,000 speaker that performed as well as many more expensive designs auditioned in the past. This opinion was once again extracted from a general member consensus. Given more favourable room acoustics, this speaker could shine.
After a mixed bag of musical treats, we chose a very dynamic Gypsy/Spanish guitar and percussion piece to perform a quick little experiment. Keeping everything else in the chain the same, we exchanged the ME 550 for the ME 850. The extra power brought to light the revealing and transparent nature of the Aphelions by reproducing a more detailed and expansive sound. Bass was also improved with a more potent and deeper balance. The room problem associated with the midbass however persisted (more on this later).
Mid-meeting break. Coffee, great biscuits, orange juice, conversation, and off to Jupiter. Well off to hear the Equinox Jupiter.
I have to say that sound quality aside, I don’t think that I am familiar with any speaker model available in Australia that can compete with the Jupiter when judged on material value. For $6,500 you get a massive speaker about ¾ the size of a Duntech Sovereign, with an extremely solid enclosure weighing over 100kg with a sculpted 3” thick curved baffle and high quality Audax drivers including four 8” bass drivers, two 6.5” mid range drivers and a tweeter. In addition, the package is dressed in a beautifully applied wood veneer. Beat that for value for your dollar.
As far as sound quality is concerned, we had a very pleasant surprise. The ME 850’s powerful presentation seemed to be a good match for the Jupiters.
Referring to the above mentioned bass problems, we were expecting a compounded effect due to the higher bass output the Jupiters can produce, however strangely enough, the interaction between the Jupiters and the room resulted in an absence of that bass boominess experienced earlier. In fact, an organ piece played during the demonstration was reproduced very well with deep, solid bottom end and good timbre. In regards to other aspects of reproduction, the Jupiters were very good indeed. Limitless dynamics, a very wide, deep and open soundstage, precise imaging and a very good overall balance. Music sounded alive with great presence and bags of detail.
On a personal note, during one of the classical pieces played and from my seating position (just off center and to the right), I was startled by the amazing stage depth that was reproduced. I can’t recall the last time I heard such a deep stage at Haberfield.
Another thing worth mentioning is the fact that these speakers sounded so good with basic speaker and inter-connect cable, further tweaked with high quality cable and some component isolation, the Jupiters would have challenged many more expensive speakers.
Thanks must go to Rick Stadelmaier and his wife Trish of Equinox Audio and Trevor Wilson of ME Audio for presenting ASoN with a very enjoyable October 2001 meeting.
Edgar Kramer
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