Xavian Unica speakers
Not long ago, I had a great time reviewing a pair of Xavian Grande Unica loudspeakers. This time, the owner of Xavian brought me a pair of Unica monitors. The same idea, the same kind of wood, and the same drivers — minus the second woofer. Roberto Barletta makes his Unica speakers from real wood, covered only with a mix of varnish and wax to protect the surface. The Unica is also available in matte black or matte white finishes. Manufactured by hand from solid oak and always made to order, delivery might take a few weeks, but you will be rewarded. Xavian recommends a run-in period of approximately 200 hours, which, in my case, had already been taken care of at the factory.
About Unica
Italian-born Roberto Barletta lives in the Czech Republic but still maintains strong connections with Italy. The custom drivers used in Xavian Unica models are manufactured in Italy under his own brand name, Audio Barletta. The single mid/bass driver is a 150mm model with a polypropylene cone and a short-circuiting copper ring on the pole piece. The 26mm AudioBarletta tweeter uses an impregnated soft dome in this two-way configuration.
The cabinet is a damped bass reflex enclosure made from 23mm thick solid oak. The crossover uses precision Jantzen Audio components and crosses over at around 2.5kHz. The nominal impedance is 8 ohms, while sensitivity is rated at 87dB and recommended amplifier power ranges from 30 to 100 watts, although more power can be used provided care is taken, this is not a public address system. On the front, you find a small flared reflex port, while at the rear there are single-wire terminals suitable for spades, bananas, or stripped wire.
The Unica is a standmount loudspeaker, preferably used on stands 60–70cm high and the mirrored tweeters should face outward. The 7 kilo cabinet has rounded edges and corners are finished by hand, while even the organic-shaped bass reflex ports are the result of careful craftsmanship.
Falling in love
After more than three weeks listening to the Xavian Unica monitors, anyone can imagine that a great deal of music passed through them. Friends came over for a listen and all of them considered these loudspeakers a bargain. Personally, I never played music that disappointed; any kind of music is welcome through the drivers in these speakers.
For starters, Stacey Kent sings a fine track composed by Stevie Wonder, assisted by her husband Jim Tomlinson on saxophone. Easy-on-the-ear music is presented in a natural manner by the Xavians, although this is far from her best album. The stereo image is rather small and the sound a little flat; you cannot fool a Unica. What the recording does not offer will not be ‘fixed’. By contrast, her album The Lyric is the complete opposite: Tomlinson’s saxophone is big and sexy, Stacey sounds far more intimate, and the soundstage grows effortlessly from modest dimensions into a wall-to-wall presentation. Stacey’s voice comes very close to the best I have heard on other systems, including my Falcon LS3/5A, which is a true compliment to the Unicas.
The piano is clear with intimate jazzy notes, bass is tight and controlled, and percussion has a satisfying punch with metallic shimmer from the cymbals. Tracks like If I Were a Bell are tremendous fun to hear, some listeners might prefer a little more bass energy, but I do not mind. Better slightly less bass — which can always be reinforced with a good subwoofer — than an overblown low end filling the room with standing waves. Xavian tuned the reflex port to help the woofer breathe more easily, not to terrorise your neighbours. If you still want greater bass weight and higher efficiency, the Grande Unica may be the better choice.
American-born David Roth is a singer very much in the folk tradition familiar to listeners in Ireland and the UK. Guitar in hand, his voice is clear, direct, and distinctly male. The Unica is capable of bringing David alive into my listening room. At moderate listening levels, you get the impression that he is singing unplugged in front of you, without microphone or speakers. His voice remains at ear level, as though he were seated on a chair. Personally, I prefer voices slightly higher, since most singers stand behind a microphone, but not all recordings are engineered to achieve this.
What truly matters is the ease with which the Unica reproduces this music, its natural tonality, the clarity of the guitar, and the way supporting musicians are positioned behind David. The music flows free of the cabinets, opening up a convincing soundstage in all dimensions. You are listening to physical loudspeakers, yet on a decent system, they virtually disappear. That is one of the Unica’s greatest strengths. I do not want my attention drawn to the speakers themselves; the music should simply exist within the room. Xavian fully understands this requirement. Meanwhile, David continues singing almost the entirety of Will You Come Home, and at no point did I feel inclined to change artist or genre. I simply enjoyed the Unica’s manner of presentation.
Old and rough
Let us get rough with Private Dancer by Tina Turner. The Unica creates a wall-to-wall soundstage with Tina precisely focused in the middle. Percussion is punchy without overwhelming Tina’s commanding vocals, while organ, saxophone, bongos, and Jeff Beck’s howling guitar all come through loud and clear. The message is unmistakable on the Xavian Unica: the life of a private dancer is hard, and there is no easy escape. On this relatively small system, Tina’s performance becomes utterly believable, whereas larger amplifiers and bigger loudspeakers might simply turn it into another pleasant song.
Moving from Private Dancer to Private Investigations from Love Over Gold by Dire Straits takes only a few taps on my iPad. The first thing I notice is that the Xavian Unica never fails to create a large soundstage where the recording warrants it. Released in 1982, this is the original, non-remastered version of Love Over Gold, exactly as it should be. Even so, it sounds considerably better than many modern recordings. Knopfler’s guitar slices through the air, while the bass drum keeps a steady rhythm until the explosive climax. Even with a modest 30-watt amplifier, the Unica delivers impressive impact from the drum kit. Honestly, I did not expect such strong results from this older recording. It had been ripped from CD to my Melco music library years ago and was almost forgotten.
Danish musician Soren Bebe and his trio play very honest jazz. The album Now is beautifully recorded, much like most Scandinavian jazz releases. Fine cymbal details shimmer in the background while piano strings occupy centre stage closer to the listener. Bass is controlled and melodic, avoiding the one-note boominess that bass reflex systems can sometimes produce. The Unica refuses to exaggerate sonic effects merely to impress in demonstration. Too often, such loudspeakers later prove fatiguing and uninvolving at home. The Italo/Czech approach to sound favours long-term musical enjoyment, encouraging you to keep exploring fresh music.
With Soren Bebe, you almost feel transported into a small jazz club, the trio performing on stage in a relaxed atmosphere. Nobody talks because the music itself draws your mind away from daily worries. Want more speed and energy? Switch to the Tingvall Trio and play Spöksteg instead. This is powerful music that really comes alive at higher volume levels. The Unica handles it without complaint, within reason, of course. Xavian designs for domestic listening and long evening sessions where going to bed becomes difficult because your music library still has more to offer.
Mozart on Unica
Sharon Bezaly is the featured soloist on Mozart’s Flute Concerto No. 1 in G Major, K.313, accompanied by the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra. Her flute appears exactly the right size for a soloist, clearly separated from the orchestra and floating effortlessly within the acoustic of what sounds like a Finnish church. Naturally, the orchestra itself cannot physically fit inside my room — no loudspeaker can fully shrink an orchestra into a pair of compact cabinets — but the Unica works hard to create a believable illusion.
You gain an excellent impression of Bezaly’s interpretation of Mozart. Over the past few weeks, I have listened to a substantial amount of classical music: small ensembles, large orchestral works, solo piano, and soprano voices, far too much to mention individually. At no point did I feel the Xavian lacked anything important. I genuinely enjoyed every recording, whether modern high-resolution releases or older CD-quality material. To be fair, some older recordings sound quite poor on modern systems, yet I still found myself engaged with the music. Thanks to the Xavian, the system always did its utmost to keep me connected to the musicians and composers. The shortcomings never felt like the fault of the Xavian Unica, nor of the Naim Audio electronics or Inakustik cables.
Keep them?
While the Grande Unica was deeply impressive in both of my listening rooms, the Unica delivers much of the same performance while representing an even greater bargain considering its price. From the moment I received the loudspeakers — already run-in at the factory and ready to play — they became part of my smaller study system. They were also tested in my living room with amplifiers other than my modest Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition.
My small but high-quality 30-watt-per-channel solid-state power amplifier was perfectly capable of driving the Unica to levels more than sufficient to annoy the neighbours. Performance was excellent not only relative to the price but in absolute musical enjoyment. Even my small Air Tight tube amplifier proved an excellent match, although such an amplifier would be financially excessive unless you already happen to own one. The Unica appears easy to drive and very amplifier-friendly.
After an unusually long listening and review period, I am convinced that the handsome Xavian Unica loudspeakers will be exactly the solution many readers are searching for. They are easy on the ear, highly musical, and well suited to all genres. Unless, of course, you dislike wood finishes or require speaker grilles. In truth, I enjoyed the Unicas so much that I repeatedly considered keeping them, occasionally swapping them with my LS3/5As when reviewing moderately priced amplifiers. Neither visitors nor I could identify meaningful flaws in the Xavian Unica, certainly not at this price level. Most of my audiophile friends assumed they cost considerably more based on both appearance and performance. Well done, Xavian.
Pros
Natural, relaxed sound signature with a smooth, non-fatiguing presentation ideal for long listening sessions
Excellent tonal balance with no obvious peaks or dips across the frequency range
Impressive soundstage and imaging; the speakers disappear effectively
Controlled bass performance that never becomes boomy
Despite 87dB sensitivity, they remain relatively easy to drive and work well with moderate-powered amplifiers
Versatile across genres including classical, jazz, pop, and electronic music
Superb build quality with handcrafted solid oak cabinets and attractive finishes
Good compatibility with both small and medium-sized rooms
Excellent value for money with performance beyond expectations at the price point
Cons
Slightly laid-back character may not satisfy listeners seeking an analytical or highly energetic presentation
Not intended for sustained party-level listening volumes
No grille option available
Made-to-order production can mean delivery waits of several weeks
Requires an extensive run-in period of around 150–200 hours before reaching peak performance