Hardware Reviews

Perlisten S4b speakers must be heard to be believed

Perlisten S4b loudspeaker review https://the-ear.net

Perlisten S4b loudspeakers

Few new speaker brands have enjoyed the universal acclaim of Perlisten, and after a cursory listen, it’s obvious the critical acclaim heaped on its £7,000 S4b flagship standmount isn’t merely generous encouragement for a fledgling brand from Wisconsin, USA. Founded by acoustical engineer Daniel Roemer and former M&K Sound president Lars Johansen in 2016, it wasn’t until 2020 that Perlisten Audio’s fully formed production speakers landed with a thump, catering for both the hi-fi and AV sectors. The intervening years were all about a thoroughgoing R&D program, not least to optimise the company’s distinctive DPC (directivity pattern control) driver array, the core standout feature of all its speakers. More on DPC in a while.

Understandably, the seven-driver S7t floorstander (£18k and 56kg) made the biggest media splash at launch but its S4b sibling, sharing much of the tower’s ground breaking tech, is hardly a shrinking violet in the standmount stakes with eyes just as set on the higher-end prize. Size wise, it’s a stout, square-shouldered production that could be regarded as a lighter but no less arresting alternative to the KEF Reference 1 Meta and B&W 805 D4. There are dedicated heavyweight stands (heavier than the speakers) but, given the S4b’s sub-monster 15.6kg, wall mounting via the four screw hole fixings on the rear panel is a viable option. In the event, I preferred the results with my 24-inch Slate Audio stands; they’re about the same weight as the dedicated jobs but have a much thicker top plate.

Perlisten S4b loudspeaker review https://the-ear.net

Everything about the S4b’s build oozes the kind of luxury you’d expect of a seriously premium speaker, from the inert knuckle-rap solidity of the HDF cabinet to the high quality of its shiny bi-wire/amp twin binding posts. Finishes run to high gloss white and black as standard but, for an additional £1,520, you can have high gloss ebony. It’s high gloss white for the review pair, immaculate from tip to toe.

Likely to be more divisive is the busy and overtly technical look of the drivers mounted on the CNC-machined HDF front baffle, especially the unusually configured DPC array comprising a central 28mm beryllium tweeter with 28mm TPCD (thin-ply carbon diaphragm) domes above and below. Beryllium, while not the friendliest material to deal with, is one of the strongest materials known to man and doesn’t suffer from the typical unwelcome break-up modes of other metals thanks to its outstanding damping characteristics.  All three drivers sit within a large, moulded glass fibre acoustical lens waveguide, the driver/dish ensemble computer-modelled to optimise horizontal and vertical dispersion. Perlisten claims the dual TPCD ultra-lightweight carbon midrange domes allow the crossover point to extend more than an octave lower than typical domes and are fast and lightweight without the beaming associated with larger diaphragms. The company also says that all the effort and time ploughed into the technology wouldn’t be worth it without the waveguide lens orchestrating the directional characteristics of the array.  Presenting a coherent wavefront, while optimizing early reflections and sound power, it says, brings vocal reproduction to ‘an altogether new level’.

Perlisten S4b loudspeaker review https://the-ear.net

Being a three-way design, the S4b’s DPC section is joined beneath by a 180mm ‘Textreme’ thin-ply carbon diaphragm (TPCD) bass driver. It has a layered construction and claims to be 30 per cent lighter than a carbon fibre cone of similar size, while the distinctive chequered weave is said to ‘distribute break-up modes without sharp response peaks’.

Ostensibly of chief interest to those intending to use the S4b in an AV set-up is the speaker’s THX Dominus certification, though from a two-channel perspective, the prospect of a speaker capable of combining high output with low distortion is appealing. Another distinguishing feature is the decision to opt for a sealed cabinet rather than a ported bass reflex design. This, in part, accounts for the lowish 85.5dB sensitivity and the quoted 4 Ohm nominal impedance isn’t very valve-friendly, either. Big, low bass is seemingly off the agenda, too, though wall mounting will obviously provide some assistance, here. But encouraging as the 36Hz claim looks, it’s quoted for -10dB and not the more usually accepted -6dB or -3dB. That said, given a suitably muscular solid-state amp, smooth, tuneful, articulate low frequency drive shouldn’t be a problem and, if more bottom end extension is needed, Perlisten makes a range of active subs that will dial right in.

An LS3/5a with Area 51 tech

Talking of muscular solid-state amps, they don’t come much brawnier than Hegel’s H600 integrated. Chord’s estimable Hugo TT2 DAC delivers digital front-end duties and my regular Rega Planar 6/Ania Pro handles the vinyl via a Tom Evans phono stage.

Perlisten S4b loudspeaker review https://the-ear.net

A jumbo LS3/5a with an injection of Area 51 alien tech? Bizarre as that sounds, the thought did cross my mind during the first listening session with a 24/96 Tidal stream of Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah from Steve Miller’s fabulous Born 2B Bluealbum. A potent contribution from Miller’s guitar backed by electric piano, soaring synths and kick drum, here, with a production tilted towards body and presence presenting a challenging mix of punch and delicacy for any speaker to nail. And yes, it’s possible to detect some broad parallels between the self-proclaimed ‘overperforming little guy who will demand your respect’ from the Midwest and the diminutive BBC designed cult classic. Sealed box, low sensitivity, less than bountiful but nevertheless, fast, taut and tuneful bass, walk-in soundstage and, perhaps most gratifying of all, the gift of stunning believability thanks mostly, in the S4b’s case, to extraordinary transparency and detail retrieval through midrange/treble region and unerringly snappy timing. The virtuosic chops of Stanley Clarke and George Duke playing Heroes on vinyl, usually a tonally thin recording, emerge with real substance and generosity, the bass synth figures fat and elastic, the speakers seeming to exhibit an instinctive feel for funk.

When you can go as loud as the Perlisten can – ie much louder than any LS3/5a – with true scale, authority and dynamics to die for, these are the qualities you need on side and I’m pretty sure they place the S4b very much in the same league as its premium rivals from KEF and B&W. Also reasonably close in price to the Perlisten is a potent, good looking rival from the US in the form of Egglestoneworks’ £6,000 Nico Evo and, not to be sniffed at, dedicated heavyweight stands are included in the price. Beautifully built and finished like the S4b, its presentation is a little more mid-forward and less 3D than the Perlisten’s with sonic talents more grounded in tonal accuracy and rhythmic surety. Its no flim-flam, music-first approach might lack the ‘holographic magic’ of the Perlisten but it is musically engaging and properly satisfying for the long haul.

Perlisten S4b loudspeaker review https://the-ear.net

Conclusion

No subwoofer was employed in the making of this review, from Perlisten or anyone else. An absence of genuinely deep, powerful bass will matter less to some than others for whom the services of a sub will be de rigueur/felt necessary to release the speaker’s full potential. But even as a solo act, the S4b is extraordinary with the kind of agility, tonal realism and rhythmic precision that would embarrass a topflight small monitor yet scaled for volume, serious dynamic reach and soundstage dimensionality that, frankly, must be heard to be believed.

Specifications:

Type: infinite baffle 3-way standmount loudspeaker
Crossover frequency: not specified
Drive units:
Bass: 180mm with Textreme TPCD thin-ply carbon fibre cone woofers
Midrange: 2x 28mm Textreme TPCD thin-ply carbon fibre domes
Tweeter: 28mm beryllium dome
Nominal frequency response:  -10dB 36 – 37,000 Hz
Nominal/minimum impedance: 4 Ohm nominal / 3.2 Ohm min
Connectors: bi-wire binding posts
Sensitivity: 85.4dB @ 2.83v/1m
Dimensions HxWxD: 420 x 240 x 185mm
Weight: 15.6kg
Finishes: standard piano black, gloss white, ebony high gloss veneer
Warranty: 5 years (6 years with registration)

Price when tested:
high gloss black or white £7,000
high gloss ebony veneer £8,600
Manufacturer Details:

Perlisten Audio
T +1 (414) 895-6009
http://www.perlistenaudio.com

Type:

stand mount loudspeakers

Author:

David Vivian

Distributor Details:

Karma AV
T 01423 358846
karma-av.co.uk

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