Ophidian Seren speakers
Reviewing hi-fi is frequently about fascinating juxtapositions. Analogue and digital are the background forces in opposition but, bubbling up from that, competing versions of sonic reality are undoubtedly the most diverting, as night and day differences can sometimes seem equally convincing. The phenomenon was thrown into sharp relief just after I’d reluctantly waved goodbye to Oephi’s Lounge 2, a 2-way standmount speaker I described as ‘the most engrossing, temporally exact, endlessly entertaining and dangerously addictive sub £3k’ models ever to come my way’.
Pity, then, the prospects for the almost identically priced and sized 2-way standmount that immediately followed it, the Seren, from Gareth James’ Wirral-based company Ophidian. Judged by the metrics the Lounge 2 excelled at – its hard-line template for musical veracity, if you will – the Seren appeared to suck. My initial notes included the words ‘slow’, ‘dark’, ‘muggy’ and ‘turgid’ and, seeming to contradict my stated warm feelings for previous Ophidian speakers I’d reviewed, which perfectly exposed why snapshot assessments, that can seem vivid and definitive, are completely useless.
Over the following days and weeks, I came to appreciate and love the Seren, not because I thought it could outshine what the Oephi did well but because the alternative it offered seemed equally valid, if quite different. Nonsensical as it might seem, I believe there is no absolute ‘right’ in hi-fi, even though that’s what everyone might claim to be aiming for. If there was, the subject wouldn’t be half so interesting.
In 2011, Ophidian’s first commercially available speaker – the aptly named Solo – was favourably reviewed by the late and much missed Malcolm Steward announcing the arrival of a vision-led, auteur-style loudspeaker maker, creatively combining fine, bought-in ingredients and applying fresh thinking to some old, established ideas. The Solo was followed by the truly diminutive Minimo standmount (still on the books and selling well). But the speaker that really put Ophidian on the map was the £5k P3 Evolution floorstander that headed up a premium range incorporating a smaller P2 floorstander and P1 standmount.
Big hitters
A big hit at its Bristol Hi-Fi Show launch, the P3 Evo showcased Ophidian’s proprietary Aeroflex bass loading topology – essentially a hybrid of transmission line and conventional reflex porting, the reasoning behind the design being that in many conventionally ported systems the size of the port is inadequate, leading to unwanted noise and distortion and reduced dynamics. Aeroflex’s job is to keep the drivers fully loaded until they hit their natural useful excursion limits. James says that most reflex systems ‘unload’ the drivers once the port velocities reach a certain point, precipitating a lack of cone control and the onset of port ‘chuffing’. By utilising larger and longer port systems in combination with bass drivers with high motive force, Aeroflex drastically lowers air velocity, properly controlling the driver throughout its stroke which, in turn, greatly enhances dynamic range and ensures the speaker produces the same tonal balance at both high and low listening levels.
The low frequency impact of this tech is potentially greater still in the smaller Seren. Clean, accurate bass for even the most compact of cabinets is the goal, says Gareth but, at 38cm (15”) tall, 20cm wide and 35cm deep, the Seren is far from the daintiest of standmounts so maybe floorstander rivalling extension is on the cards.
The Seren is a logical fit in Ophidian’s current line-up, the broad objective being to make a larger and more capable standmount than the company’s well-established Mojo 2 but with a sonic signature somewhere between the ‘fun’ tuning of the entry level M-series, to which the Mojo 2 belongs, and something more serious like the floorstanding Ffion. The 180mm mid-bass driver has a single piece anodised aluminium cone with an indexed cone/surround junction – essentially an extra fold that the edge of the surround fits into – which is said to minimise reflections and maintain a smooth response through the crossover region which, typically, coincides with the middle of the vocal band.
Lifted from the floorstanding Ffion, the Sonolex 22mm coated fabric soft dome tweeter features a wide surround for better handling of lower midrange frequencies while the smaller internal diameter of the dome itself is there to keep a wide dispersion, and broad listening sweet spot, at the top end. All the components in the six-element crossover – two air cored copper coils, two poly-film capacitors and two metal oxide resistors – are from Germany’s Mundorf with each driver fed by a second order filter.
Aeroflex loading
Aeroflex application in the Seren means a shortened transmission tunnel in a U shape located on the rear panel and exiting through a stainless-steel grille near the base of the rear baffle. The aim as always, says Gareth, is to keep overall air velocity down and allow the driver to perform as accurately as possible within its own mechanical limits. The extra panels that make up the Aeroflex port also help to brace the cabinet, joining an additional horizontal ring brace behind the front baffle that runs back to the internal rear panel which helps brace the front baffle and provides additional bracing to the taller side panels which, like the rest of the cabinet, are dressed in real wood veneer, with a choice of oak or walnut finishes.
Sound quality
‘Natural’ is both the most powerful and contentious descriptor of sound in the hi-fi lexicon. Many agree it should be reserved for the most exceptional items that can back it up with prodigious sonic assets of the right kind. Trouble is, there’s no real consensus about what ‘the right kind’ are. Judged against the Oephi Lounge 2’s ‘timing is everything’ speed, precision and resolution, the Seren appears to be way off base, sounding tonally warmer, darker and smoother with a weightier and more full-bodied presence. And yet, crucially, as neither speaker is conspicuously deficient in the other’s core strengths, both manage to sound convincingly natural, if very different. I could happily live with either speaker without missing the other’s stand out qualities.
The common factor here is coherence. The Seren, like previous Ophidian models, is something of a slow burner. No show off, it possesses a sense of refinement and tonal subtlety that points to exceptional crossover quality and driver integration. This initially may appear to dull the leading-edge snap of transients, but this soon gives way to an overarching impression of dynamic balance, tonal texture and harmonic finesse, detail seamlessly integrated into the larger musical picture.
For its size, the Seren delivers more than ample scale, authority and bottom-end wallop with confidence and control rather than unfettered exuberance. If I’m determined to be picky and focus on a particular trait, lean airy clarity isn’t on the menu, the midband sounding palpable if slightly thickened. This in no way stymies its lucid, free-flowing delivery or the remarkably solid imaging that sits within a truly spacious soundstage.
A stiff test for any speaker, large or small, is a Qobuz stream of Song from Lewis Taylor’s eponymously named debut album, a soulful and occasionally atonal melange of voice, crashing percussion, jazzy guitar and melancholy oddness that demands a high level of coherence to fully appreciate the brooding brilliance that lies beneath. Ably assisted by Chord’s remarkable Hugo TT2 DAC and M scaler feeding a Leema Acoustics Tucana II Anniversary integrated amp, the Seren extracts from this rather dense and potentially muddled production rare insight and organisation, keeping all the disparate elements in perfect proportion.
Verdict
As I said at the start, what might at first seem to be night and day differences informed by the expression of a designer’s personal preferences can be reconciled if the key assets are in order and the music connects at a deeper level. The rest is essentially window dressing and shouldn’t have a big bearing on ultimate satisfaction. The Ophidian Seren is no OePhi Lounge 2. And that’s kind of the point.
Pros
Natural and coherent sound: Once the listener adjusts to their signature, the speakers offer a convincingly natural performance with exceptional driver integration and coherence.
Impressive bass performance: Thanks to the proprietary ‘Aeroflex’ bass loading, they deliver scale, authority, and ‘bottom-end wallop’ that rivals much larger floorstanding speakers.
Exceptional build & components: Features high-quality internal components (Mundorf crossover parts) and a well-braced cabinet finished in real wood veneers (Oak or Walnut).
Spacious soundstage: They produce a truly spacious soundstage with ‘remarkably solid imaging’ and a wide listening sweet spot.
Refinement and texture: The speakers excel at portraying tonal texture, harmonic finesse, and a sense of refinement rather than just raw detail.
High power handling: The Aeroflex system prevents ‘port chuffing’ and keeps the drivers controlled even at high listening levels, maintaining a consistent tonal balance.
Insightful delivery: Despite a ‘darker’ tone, they are capable of extracting rare insight and organization from dense, complex, or muddled recordings.
Cons
Slow initial impression: Described as a ‘slow burner,’ the speakers can initially sound ‘slow,’ ‘dark,’ ‘muggy,’ or ‘turgid,’ especially when compared to faster, more clinical speakers.
Lack of ‘airy’ clarity: If you prefer a lean, bright, or ultra-transparent sound, these may not suit you; the reviewer notes that ‘lean airy clarity isn’t on the menu.’
Slightly thickened midrange: The midband is described as palpable but ‘slightly thickened,’ which may obscure some fine transient snap.
Physical size: For a ‘standmount’ speaker, they are quite large (38cm tall and 35cm deep), meaning they are not the most ‘dainty’ or space-saving option for small rooms.
Reduced leading-edge snap: The focus on refinement and smooth integration can sometimes result in a perceived softening of the sharp ‘snap’ of musical transients.