German Physiks HRS-130 receives 6th Editors’ Choice award

[Basile: Locrian Audio]

German Physiks HRS-130 in black high polish polyester We are proud to announce that our HRS-130 loudspeakers recently received their sixth Editors’ Choice award from The Absolute Sound. This is a testament to how impressed their senior reviewer Dick Olsher was when he originally reviewed them. Dick is a scientist by training and he also has experience in loudspeaker design. This gives him a useful insight into the physics of loudspeaker drivers like our own DDD driver. Dick’s original review was full of great quotes. Here are just a few: “Slicing and dicing the music for consumption by several drivers has a major consequence, namely the loss of coherence since most instruments are reproduced by multiple sources of sound on a baffle. By contrast, the DDD sings with one voice—just like the real thing. The driver is literally positioned outside of a box, which allows for its 360-degree radiation pattern and is responsible for its outside-of-a-box spaciousness.” “What you get here is a world-class wide-range driver that is exceptionally well engineered and superbly integrated into a speaker that is almost perfect for a small-to-medium-sized room. In my estimation, the carbon-fiber DDD is one of the top five driver innovations of the past 40 years, delivering the coherent phase and uniform power response first envisioned by Lincoln Walsh.” "Expect an exceptionally wide sweet spot coupled with palpable image outlines. The HRS-130 is almost perfect for a small-to-medium size room, providing that the room is acoustically tuned along the lines of live-end/dead-end to sharpen image focus. Midrange textures are capable of exceptional purity, characterized by low levels of distortion through the upper midrange.” “Given the right amplifier and room setup, the HRS-130 ticks all the important sonic boxes and clearly edges out the competition when it comes to palpable imaging.”

The Absolute Sound, Issue 276; Read the full review here.; For German Physiks loudspeakers: https://locrian-audio.com/brands/german-physiks-loudspeakers/

We also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the German Physiks team for their outstanding work, innovative designs and continuous pursuit of excellence. Best regards, Basile Locrian Audio www.locrian-audio.com

 

[Hi-Fi Chambers]

Dick Olsher nailed it in his comments, but I wanted to share how the HRS-130's sound in over 28,000 cubic/ft of volume. My dedicated listening room is under renovation forcing me to relocate to the living room, I was very surprised how these speakers faired in such a large space.

In short, amazingly well! Did they lack the precise control of a dedicated space, of course, but what they exuded was delightful. From every seat you see in the picture, the music sounded downright engaging and full of life. Even the corner orange seat was enjoyable delivering a tangible presence of the band, instruments or singer coming from between the speakers! I did pull in my outside sub to assist with 20-42Hz in such a large space, and I'm limited to about 90db before lots of glass begins to call attention to itself. My living room is what I would call a harsh environment for great music. However, I was thrilled to get such life-like performance from these speakers. They even sound excellent in my loft office just above the orange chairs!

When I want to soak in every ounce the music offers, I move my black chair just forward of the coffee table for another level of envelopment. I didn't expect to hear sound stage differences when moving the speakers a few inches in any direction. After many days of experimenting with these speakers in many different positions, I realized these speakers are going to sound good anywhere you place them. But if you have the luxury to pull them off the wall 4 feet or more, these speakers' character really starts to bloom.

In my 45-year audiophile journey, I've owned many cone and dome box speakers, but always preferred my Martin Logan electrostatic panels for my intentional listening sessions. I welcome my HRS-130's to the list of high performers. I've tested these speakers with 6 different amplifiers. I consider the perfect pairing for me to be the McIntosh MA-12000 which should be arriving in early April. Until then, happy listening!!

 

[Robert@German_Physiks]

Dick Olsher nailed it in his comments, but I wanted to share how the HRS-130's sound in over 28,000 cubic/ft of volume. My dedicated listening room is under renovation forcing me to relocate to the living room, I was very surprised how these speakers faired in such a large space.

In short, amazingly well! Did they lack the precise control of a dedicated space, of course, but what they exuded was delightful. From every seat you see in the picture, the music sounded downright engaging and full of life. Even the corner orange seat was enjoyable delivering a tangible presence of the band, instruments or singer coming from between the speakers! I did pull in my outside sub to assist with 20-42Hz in such a large space, and I'm limited to about 90db before lots of glass begins to call attention to itself. My living room is what I would call a harsh environment for great music. However, I was thrilled to get such life-like performance from these speakers. They even sound excellent in my loft office just above the orange chairs!

When I want to soak in every ounce the music offers, I move my black chair just forward of the coffee table for another level of envelopment. I didn't expect to hear sound stage differences when moving the speakers a few inches in any direction. After many days of experimenting with these speakers in many different positions, I realized these speakers are going to sound good anywhere you place them. But if you have the luxury to pull them off the wall 4 feet or more, these speakers' character really starts to bloom.

In my 45-year audiophile journey, I've owned many cone and dome box speakers, but always preferred my Martin Logan electrostatic panels for my intentional listening sessions. I welcome my HRS-130's to the list of high performers. I've tested these speakers with 6 different amplifiers. I consider the perfect pairing for me to be the McIntosh MA-12000 which should be arriving in early April. Until then, happy listening!!

This is a very interesting post and also a very interesting picture. May we have your permission to use this on German Physiks' social media?

Robert Kelly
German Physiks

 

[Hear Here]

Hi-Fi Chambers

Looking at your room, I'm confused about your calculated volume of 28,000 cu ft as the photo is of a room that appears to be a fraction of that volume! With what appears to be a fairly conventional positioning of speakers and listening position, I'm interested in your choice of omni-directional speakers.

I'm intrigued because I was seriously contemplating omnis myself, as they should be the obvious choice in my semi-circular room with kitchen and dining areas behind the centrally-positioned speakers.

I recently visited showrooms to listen to German Physics (probably my preferred brand) and MBL omni speakers. I was impressed by their very flexible listening position feature, but in both cases, imaging was not good compared with my Avantgarde Duo XD horns at the main listening position, though of course the horns have a very small sweet spot. Because of my 945 sq ft floor area, I was interested in their Borderline speaker, though the showroom could only demo the HRS-130. I'd dearly like to try Borderlines in my own room, but I doubt there's a UK dealer who could arrange this!

I do have a back-burning plan though, that might give me the best of both worlds. To get a pair of GP's PQS-100s (basically the DDD units on their own (plus XO) and good above 120 Hz) and to devise a circuit so I can switch between the horns for mid and top (when listening on my own at their small sweet spot), or the DDDs (when listening in the areas behind my speakers), but in either case sharing the Avantgarde's bass enclosures for sub 140 Hz frequencies handled by their twin 12" drivers. If I could switch between the horns and the PQS-100s (with a massive adjustment in woofer volume to cater for 107 dB sensitivity compared with 84 dB), this should provide great sounds at all listening positions. Dirac Live and DL Bass Control (included with my new electronics) could adjust for more subtle differences in frequency responses after switching the upper frequency drivers.

PS - I did purchase a pair of Martin Logan 13A Expression speakers that I hoped would replace my aging AG Unos from 2002. They sounded fantastic at the showroom and they enjoy great reviews, but they seriously disappointed when placed in my own room, despite the efforts of Anthem DSP. I concluded that, without a wall behind them to harvest some of the 50% of their energy projected backwards, they were unsuitable and had to be resold soon after purchase. Omnis shouldn't have that difficulty of course and neither do horns. Peter

 

[Robert@German_Physiks]

Hello,

Regarding getting a demonstration of our Borderland Mk IV loudspeakers, I suggest that you contact Adam Curtis at our UK distributor, Nexus Audio. Adam may be reached on 01376 526070. They are closed on Mondays. Nexus has a set of the latest Borderland Mk IVs.

Robert Kelly
German Physiks

 

[MRJAZZ]

Hi-Fi Chambers

Looking at your room, I'm confused about your calculated volume of 28,000 cu ft as the photo is of a room that appears to be a fraction of that volume! With what appears to be a fairly conventional positioning of speakers and listening position, I'm interested in your choice of omni-directional speakers.

I'm intrigued because I was seriously contemplating omnis myself, as they should be the obvious choice in my semi-circular room with kitchen and dining areas behind the centrally-positioned speakers.

I recently visited showrooms to listen to German Physics (probably my preferred brand) and MBL omni speakers. I was impressed by their very flexible listening position feature, but in both cases, imaging was not good compared with my Avantgarde Duo XD horns at the main listening position, though of course the horns have a very small sweet spot. Because of my 945 sq ft floor area, I was interested in their Borderline speaker, though the showroom could only demo the HRS-130. I'd dearly like to try Borderlines in my own room, but I doubt there's a UK dealer who could arrange this!

I do have a back-burning plan though, that might give me the best of both worlds. To get a pair of GP's PQS-100s (basically the DDD units on their own (plus XO) and good above 120 Hz) and to devise a circuit so I can switch between the horns for mid and top (when listening on my own at their small sweet spot), or the DDDs (when listening in the areas behind my speakers), but in either case sharing the Avantgarde's bass enclosures for sub 140 Hz frequencies handled by their twin 12" drivers. If I could switch between the horns and the PQS-100s (with a massive adjustment in woofer volume to cater for 107 dB sensitivity compared with 84 dB), this should provide great sounds at all listening positions. Dirac Live and DL Bass Control (included with my new electronics) could adjust for more subtle differences in frequency responses after switching the upper frequency drivers.

PS - I did purchase a pair of Martin Logan 13A Expression speakers that I hoped would replace my aging AG Unos from 2002. They sounded fantastic at the showroom and they enjoy great reviews, but they seriously disappointed when placed in my own room, despite the efforts of Anthem DSP. I concluded that, without a wall behind them to harvest some of the 50% of their energy projected backwards, they were unsuitable and had to be resold soon after purchase. Omnis shouldn't have that difficulty of course and neither do horns. Peter

Did you ever try putting your Martin Logan's on the wall where your sofa is currently residing.... IE: flip the current speaker location with the sofa, and vice versa...? I realize that this might negatively effect the current aesthetic (your lovely view, etc.).

 

[Hear Here]

Did you ever try putting your Martin Logan's on the wall where your sofa is currently residing.... IE: flip the current speaker location with the sofa, and vice versa...? I realize that this might negatively effect the current aesthetic (your lovely view, etc.).

No. I spent a great deal of time planning the layout of furnishings and this took account of the requirement for good music, but listening to music was not the top priority. By coincidence, the identically-shaped room above mine does have the sofa backing onto the central structural column, but this makes navigating around the room most awkward. The owners don't have hi-fi!

I'm sure that the MLs need to be placed such that both speakers have a wall of similar distance behind them (not possible with your plan) , as otherwise their sound will be seriously compromised. I'm still somewhat bemused by the fact that Quad 2912 speakers (that I bought used to see if electrostatics suited me) sounded very good in the same position as my horns. So why the Quads sounded good, while the MLs couldn't cope with the room's features (despite help from Anthem) remains a mystery. Both designs are such that 50% of their energy is projected backwards, but it seems that the Quads could cope without this energy being salvaged, while the MLs relied on it. There was no intention to keep the "barn door" Quads, so the semi-transparent and narrow MLs seemed a good choice, particularly as they sounded so good at the dealer showroom!

 

[Hi-Fi Chambers]

This is a very interesting post and also a very interesting picture. May we have your permission to use this on German Physiks' social media?

Robert Kelly
German Physiks

Hey Robert,
You are most welcome to use to post & pic.
I love the pairing of the MA-12000 with a RS-130 Network Streamer with this speakers.
I wish my website was further along. My web designer was in a car wreck which has stalled progress. He hopes to start work in another week or so.
Thanks!

 

[Robert@German_Physiks]

Many thanks. Much appreciated.

Robert Kelly