Accuvoice Stream S3 wireless speakers
Wires are out of fashion big time, the days when regular folk could ignore a cable are past and now the things are avoided like the pandemic in the modern home. Likewise in sound systems, I suspect that the rise of one box systems and Bluetooth speakers is as much about getting rid of cables as anything else. Ease of use and, in this case appearance, trumps practicality every time and it’s easy to see why. If absolute sound quality is not a goal then convenience features that eliminate clutter are always going to be popular.
The hi-fi world has responded to this demand with a good range of wireless speakers at the more affordable end of the market with brands like KEF doing particularly well with compact systems in colourful finishes, but further up the sound chain there aren’t so many players involved. KEF has a floorstander at £5k, Sonus Faber offers Duetto (£3,490) and the Kii Seven will set you back £8,295 a pair.
Is there a market for high end wireless speakers? Accuvoice from Sweden think so as their Stream S3 speakers come in at just under £6k and do not require a signal cable. Like all but battery powered examples they do need a wire however, it just needs to plug into a power socket and most of us have a few of these (even if they aren’t always where they’re needed).
Accuvoice founder Anders Wijk started with Wijk Acoustics in 1994 when he made more conventional high end speakers prior to joining Audio Pro to create a range of wireless audio products that have established themselves in the mass market with some success. Wijk therefore knows a thing or two about getting a signal from A to B through the aether, most critically he knows that to build a contemporary fully featured streaming speaker you need some well designed software, thus for the Stream S3 he went to WiSA (Wireless Speaker and Audio Association).
The tech developed by this trade organisation allows the wireless transmission of signals at up to 24-bit, 96 kHz in two and multichannel systems and more importantly is certified by all the key systems in the wireless market; Airplay, Chromecast, Qobuz/Tidal/Spotify Connect, Roon and Bluetooth 5.2. The first two of these being the hardest thing for individual organisations to achieve if Kii’s experience is any indication, and gives WiSA certified products a clear advantage in the marketplace.
The Stream S3 is by on all counts a pretty serious loudspeaker beyond its wireless capabilities. It’s a five driver fully active design with 600W of power per channel and the option for equalisation to suit different rooms and tastes. The two bass drivers on either side of each cabinet are built in an force-cancelling arrangement in order to minimise energising the box – their motor systems are braced against one another and oppose each other’s chassis movement. It’s a system employed by Vivid Audio to great effect in their Giya range of high end speakers.
The tweeter is mounted on an aluminium plate that is compliantly mounted to reduce energy transmission from the main cabinet. You’ll note that it’s placed between the two midrange drivers in a D’Appolito array that was developed back in the day to reduce reflections from the floor and ceiling. Accuvoice then use a DSP crossover to time align the drivers and create a virtual source point with the three front firing drivers. That they use In-Akustik cables for internal connections in the Stream S3 is also a nice touch.
Accuvoice also use the DSP in combination with a microphone to provide a degree of room optimisation, tailoring the speaker’s balance so as deliver a flatter response in any given space. This is something that many have tried but few have mastered so Accuvoice take a limited approach and only use DSP to remove peaks in the response below 300Hz. Other systems attempt to fill in the dips as well which is difficult to do without undermining performance. You can tweak the response at home by using the Platin app and the microphone on an iPhone but Stream S3 dealers are equipped with a microphone for the purpose and will do the EQ as part of the installation.
The Stream S3 is a remarkably compact loudspeaker considering how much is built into it, standing a mere 40cm (less than 16”) high, its 17kg weight gives a better indication of what’s inside the box. It offers an analogue input on XLR alongside the wireless connection, should the idea of an interconnect from streaming DAC or preamp not be offensive. Wireless operation is achieved with a compact hub that takes a wired connection from your network and sends signal from its antenna to the speakers. You’ll note from the image on the back of the speaker that each speaker is assigned to its desired position in a stereo or surround set up. It should also be clear that these speakers come in a variety of colours often with contrasting tweeter mounts, they are not only packed with tech but look great with it.
If all you want to do is stream from online services the hub and the Stream S3 speakers is all that’s required, it’s a very neat and compact solution. If you have a library of music files to play it’s necessary to connect that to the hub via a digital connection such as USB, coax or optical. Alternatively you can connect a USB drive with music files directly to the hub although I’m not sure how this could be navigated. It’s also possible to connect an analogue source such as a turntable, assuming you have a phono stage, or take the output from a TV to the eARC input.
Sound quality
I don’t dislike cables unless I have just tripped over one, so I have limited experience of wireless systems and was pleasantly surprised with the sound that the Stream S3s produced in their native, streaming from Qobuz Connect state. The system is supplied with a decent remote handset that allows volume control, input selection and even next/previous track selection which is clever, or you can control volume from the Connect app in use which makes the Accuvoice approach very user friendly.
It is not short on power either with weighty low frequencies and a relaxed mid/top, those dual bass drivers combined with the high power of the amplification mean that the Stream S3s deliver more bass grunt than might be expected from a speaker of this size. It’s worth mentioning that this is not a reflex loaded box which is a rarity today, but it means that the bass should be tighter and better controlled and that is clearly the case when suitably weighty tunes are played.
When I used the mic to measure the Stream S3s in the room it showed a trough at 50Hz, a point where many rooms have a peak, but there were peaks around it, with the EQ enabled the peaks were smoothed but that dip remained as the software promised. The EQ gave the sound more definition in the bass as you might expect but overall I preferred the sound without it in action, the difference isn’t huge in a direct comparison but I felt the timing was better without it. I am fortunate in having a relatively well behaved room and the option to place speakers wherever they sound best, in many more conventional situations the option to tame bass problems is likely to be a real bonus.
It’s worth noting that there is the option to apply manual room correction in the app: you choose which frequencies to cut, the Q factor and the level reduction, all with a clear visual display. You can take your own measurements using REW software or similar, and dial in corrections which suit the system and your tastes. For those looking for a particular tonal balance or to offset specific room issues this is a very handy option.
I played a wide range of music on the Stream S3s and got good results with virtually all of it, they have the ability to bring out the life and energy in the music and make it more engaging as a result. They also manage to get the sound out of the cabinets well, producing good imaging both between and beyond the two channels. Smaller speakers are generally good at this sort of thing but the presence of so many drivers in these Accuvoices could have created a muddled, poorly defined sense of space between the instruments and voices in each piece, I am happy to say that they do quite the opposite and clarify what each musician is contributing to the overall sound.
These are the sort of speakers that, once a playlist gets started, there is no inclination to change its direction, a rare state of relaxation in the reviewing world! And one that re-introduced me to Don Was’ rendition of Nubian Lady that came out earlier in the year, it hasn’t sounded so good in a while. I also tried Jerusalem by Alpha Blondy and the Wailers, a rare example of reggae with Hebrew lyrics and a fabulous beat, a really muscular bass line that bounces along like the proverbial rubber ball. The active element combined with the force cancelling bass drivers means that you get control in the low frequencies that is rare with passive speaker and amp combos even at far higher prices.
Being a hi-fi nut I decided to try the system with my Melco server and hot rodded Lumin streamer using the coaxial input, this proved that the Stream S3s have more to give as there was a clear uplift in transparency and presence, the qualities of the active speakers becoming more obvious with better timing and dynamics. Inevitably this lead to a pair of XLR cables being taken from the Music First preamp to the Stream S3s and the whole weight of a high end digital front end being brought to bear. The result made for an extremely entertaining experience that revealed that this system has a lot more to give for those looking to upgrade in future.
Conclusion
Accuvoice have taken the bull by the horns with the Stream S3 system, they have built an extremely good active loudspeaker and given it a feature set that few can compete with in a genuine high fidelity loudspeaker. They still need power cables of course but making this system accessible from any smart phone is a clever move, when combined with sharp styling, impressive sound quality and compact dimensions this should draw in music lovers who have never heard decent sound.
The fact that the Stream S3s have the potential to sound significantly better is the icing for those already converted to fabulous sound, and a potential upgrade path for the casual listeners. By combining a wealth of features with strong acoustic and electronic engineering, Accuvoice’s offering is an awful lot of loudspeaker system for the money.
Pros
Clean wireless setup with broad streaming support and minimal cable clutter
Powerful, controlled sound with impressive bass for such compact speakers
Strong imaging and musical engagement, with clear separation and a spacious presentation
Well-engineered active design with 600W per channel and force-cancelling bass drivers
Useful room correction options, including both automatic and manual EQ
Stylish, compact build available in attractive colour options
Upgrade potential via XLR and digital inputs for better external sources
Cons
Still not truly cable-free, since each speaker needs mains power
Auto room EQ may not suit everyone, and the reviewer preferred it off in their setup
Not so easy to connect local music libraries
Best performance may require added high-end source gear