My Clarisys Audio Studio Plus Review
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As I sit down to write this, I find myself reflecting on my hi-fi journey. Some years ago (let’s not dwell on how many), my interest in high-fidelity truly took off—and I remember the exact moment I thought, “I want to find my zen with
this speaker.” That spark ignited when I first heard an active version of the Apogee Mini Grands. I vividly recall listening to Rebecca Pidgeon’s “Spanish Harlem” and being utterly captivated by the creamy, soothing undertones of her voice as it filled the room.
In the years that followed, hi-fi became, for me (and I suspect I am not alone), not merely a quest for the best sound but also a bit of a pursuit of prestige. I still remember that unmistakable feeling when I first encountered a Focal Grand Utopia 1 system paired with full McIntosh gear. In that moment, I thought (and I’m not ashamed to admit it), “Yes, I want to find my zen with these speakers, but I also want people to admire the craftsmanship—like gazing at a Swiss watch in a high-end boutique.”
Fast-forward many years, and this hobby has come full circle for me. Not long ago, someone asked, “So what’s your perfect system?”—surely alluding to my reputation for “collecting” multiple systems and constantly testing and buying new gear. I mulled it over and realized it was my previous speakers, the refurbished Apogee Duettas, that steered me toward my final answer. I said, “There is no perfect system. You can only hope the system you’re listening to delivers that one critical attribute you hold above all else, in
exactly the way you want to hear it—and that becomes the perfect system
for you.”
Whatever I heard on those Apogee Mini Grands so many years ago still holds a special kind of magic for me. It was the resolute, refined draw of the bow across cello strings and the immediacy, the delicacy of vibrato in the human voice. I simply fell in love with planar designs. Though I’ve had plenty of experiences with dynamic speakers (understatement) and a fair amount with electrostatics, planar magnetics captivated me like nothing else.
Yes, I was smitten with diamond drivers for quite some time, and Marten’s speakers were my precious gems of choice. But I remember the day I pitted my Apogee Duetta side by side with the Marten Mingus Orchestra. Where Marten felt like a tricked-out sports car—“numbers off the charts and diagrams to die for”—the Apogee Duetta had a subdued, understated vintage charm: the openness, the lack of box coloration, and a more direct trajectory of notes toward the listener. It left me thinking, “This Lambo is amazing, but there’s something about that 1900s Mustang.”
At that point, I decided the Apogee Duetta would be my bridge back into planar territory, but this time I wanted something fit for the 21st century. I recall texting my friend
@Golum and saying, “I need to get my hands on these Clarisys speakers.” I hadn’t been impressed with their first public appearance at Munich High End, yet I had a gut feeling. Lacking local dealers, I relied on my technical knowledge of Apogees and on what I’d read about Florian’s evolution of the Clarisys line. The upgrades—from immensely stiffer construction (and thus greater weight) and more powerful neodymium magnets, to the meticulous crossover design (a first-order, 6 dB slope) and more manageable impedances—seemed like the recipe to “fix” the Apogee’s issues and elevate them for the modern era.
And boy, was I wrong!
But before I explain why, it’s worth noting that the pair I own is the latest evolution in the Clarisys lineup. Its foremost feature is the true ribbon, double-sided midrange/tweeter—think RAAL tweeters, only “slightly” bigger—handling most of the critical frequencies for the human voice via a first-order crossover. Because such a driver can drop to extremely low impedance (around 0.5 ohms), the speaker uses Lundahl transformers (their latest production) to provide a more manageable 4-ohm load to the amp. There are no resistors in the crossover, just minimal components for that 6 dB cut around 500 Hz. Anyone who’s studied crossover circuits knows how profoundly a simpler design can shape the resulting sound.
So, back to why I was wrong: The Clarisys Audio Studio Plus is a completely different beast, even compared to its earlier versions. It’s nothing like the first Clarisys I heard, and certainly nothing like the Apogee—and in a very good way. It creates startlingly clear images on the soundstage, with such refinement and accuracy that typical kapton/mylar-based MRT designs can’t compete. Its range and dynamics—both in the bass and the highs—are extraordinary, yet it never sounds harsh or in your face. When the notes call for brightness, the speaker delivers; when the music demands a natural, organic tone, it obliges. A less flattering trait of older planars (especially certain Apogees) was that slightly forward, aggressive edge. Here, you won’t hear it at all. The way that the Studio conveyed the richness of Harry Belafonte's voice in his legendary Carnegie Hall performance, will stick in my mind for a long time. The “Stealth Fighter Studio Plus” maintains near-perfect tonal balance, including spectacular bass performance. In fact, after my initial setup, I had to remove the REL 31 subwoofer and bring in two active PSI bass traps, simply because the Clarisys produced so much low-frequency energy. That’s more an issue with my listening space than with the speaker itself, but it shows you the speaker’s prodigious bass capability.
The midrange—likely thanks to that true ribbon MRT—might be as close to electrostats as I’ve ever encountered in a planar speaker, and I’ve owned my share of Apogees and Magneplanars. This means it doesn’t just excel at acoustic or mellow audiophile favorites like “Spanish Harlem,” but handles everything from Modern Talking to Tears for Fears to Spandau Ballet with an equal degree of refinement. It’s unpretentious and manages to do justice to music across the board.
So how does it compare to my Coltranes, the Mingus Orchestra, or my refurbished “Dis Planar” Apogee Duettas? In short, it doesn’t—this speaker stands apart with its own niche and its own organic approach to music. Upon hearing those first few beats and notes, the two words that kept coming to my mind were “refined” and “organic.”
Does that mean it’s free of the usual planar shortcomings, delivering a perfect Hollywood ending? Largely, yes. If I had to name a quirk, I’d say its off-axis performance isn’t the best. This is a speaker that demands a sweet spot, though it still sounds fine outside of it. But for those of us who cherish the idea of sitting down in that one perfect seat at the end of a long day, it’s hardly an issue.
Another thing worth noting is the build quality, which is now excellent—light years ahead of earlier versions. Still, I have to admit I prefer the aesthetics of the Alsyvox, though sonically they’re apples and oranges. This latest evolution of the Studio Plus shares the exact same MRT technology as the larger Atrium model, according to Florian, and you can hear the monumental effort in both mass and sound.
One final thought: I used to be quite vocal about disliking how a certain Swiss company called its components “instruments.” But in my humble opinion, if any speaker design earns the right to that label, it’s one that genuinely lives and breathes music. By that analogy, my “stealth jet” true ribbon MRT speaker deserves to be called a musical instrument as much as any other design out there.
PS This thing really doesn't have any mileage on it and Florian tells me in about 200 hours it should be at its peak performance. We'll get there I'm sure.
