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EquipmentReview
September2000
VerityAudioFidelio
Loudpseakers
byDougSchneider
"TheFidelioisreallysomething
special."
Imasguiltyasthenextpersonfor
sometimesfallingpreytogeewhiz
technologyandimpressivevisual
presentation.YouknowwhatImean,
thekindofstuffthatgrabsyouand
holdson,ifonlyforamoment,
becauseitappearstobetoogoodto
betrue(andoftenis).Unfortunately,
modernadvertisingandpromotion
seemtorelymoreandmoreonthese
things,withcampaignsandslogans
thatservelittlepurposeotherthanto
assaultoursensesjustsoproducts
getnoticed.Asaresult,understated
productsnomatterhow
exquisitelydesigned,beautifully
builtandsuperbsoundingtheyare
oftengetoverlooked.Beinga
reviewer,though,forcesmetolook
beyondallthat.Themainreasonis ReviewSummary
thatIlivewithaproductforsuchan
Sound "Neutral,precise,andarticulate,"yet
amountoftimethatIgettoreally
"transparentandresolving"toothey"never
ceasedtoimpress[Doug]withtheirlevelof
assesswhetherit'sspecialornot.
TheVerityFidelioisaproductthat
arriveswithoutalotoffanfareand
hoopla,butitisindeedveryspecial
anddeservessomeseriousattention.
sonicrefinement""pristineclarityand
outstandingresolutionthroughouttheentire
frequencyrange,"butsomewhatlaidback,
perhapssounding"polite"tosomelisteners.
Features Rearfiringwooferandwiderangemidrange
driver"refined"looksoptionalhardsided
Infact,ifallowedonlyonewordto
summarizethisspeakerssonic
presentation,buildquality,and
outwardappearance,Iwouldchoose
refined.This,inanutshell,iswhat
theFidelioisabout,bothvisually
andsonically.
shippingcasesmakemovingthespeakers
easyandsafe.
Use Becauseoftherearfiringwoofer,boundary
reinforcementiscrucialtothebassresponse
workbestinmediumsidedrooms,wherehigh
SPLsarenotrequired.
Value OfferalargetasteofVerity'sflagshipParsifal
Encorespeakersatalittleoverhalftheirprice.
Description
LookquicklyattheFidelioandyoumaybetemptedtowalkrightby.Itsrelativelysmall,
10.3"Wby13.8"Dby37.5"H,andcomesinabeautifulpianoblackfinishthatallowsitto
disappearinaroom.Itlooks,ifonlythroughaquickglance,likeanicelybuilt,butrather
simpleloudspeakerbutlookscanbedeceiving.Cynicsmayevendismissitasjustthe
"littlebrother"tothecompanys$13,100perpairParsifalEncoreloudspeaker.Botharefrom
designersBrunoBouchardandJulianPelchat(coownersofthecompanyaswell).However,
itsnotuntilyoureallylookattheFidelioImeanreallylook,andthenpreferablylivewith
itforatime,likeIdidthatyoubegintoappreciatetheextraordinaryattentiontodetailof
thisratherdeceivingdesign.
At$7150perpair,theFidelioweighsinat52poundsandisconsideredatwopiece
loudspeaker,eventhoughthetwopiecesarepermanentlyconnected.Thetopportioncanbe
thoughtofasbookshelfmonitorinthatitemploysa3/4"ScanSpeaksoftdometweeterand
acustommadeAudiotechnology5"polypropylenemidrangedriverintheirowncabinet.The
woofercabinetusesthepopular7"carbonfiber/paperwooferfromScanSpeakinarear
firingconfiguration.UnliketheParsifalEncore,whichyoucanbuythemonitorportionof
andthenaddthewoofercabinetlater,theFideliomustbepurchasedasacompleteunit.
(WiththeParsifalEncore,thewoofercanbeplacedaseitherforwardorrearfiring,while
thewooferoftheFidelioisonlyrearfiring.)
Constructionisexceptional.Aknucklewraponallsidesrevealsthatthecabinetisquite
inert.Thebottomandtopcabinetsareseparatedbyauniquelockingmechanismthat
involvestheuseoftwoMDFplates.Thebottomofthesetwoplatesisactuallyattachedto
thetopcabinet,andtheupperplateisattachedtothebottomcabinet.AccordingtoBruno
Bouchard,thereisamechanism,sortoflikea"U,"thatattachesoneplate,andcabinet,tothe
other.Thegoalhereisobviouslytoattachthetwocabinetstogether,butinawaythatreduces
theirinterferencewitheachother.Brunosaysthatthismethodisnotquiteasgoodaswhats
employedintheParsifal,withitsgraniteslabandall,butitisstill"verygood."
TherealhallmarkofbothVerityspeakerdesignsisintheimplementationofthemidrange
driver.Thedesignersfeelthattheearisextremelysensitivetomidrangeanomalies,sotheir
goalistokeepallcrossovercomponentsawayfromthemidrangefrequencies.Todoso
requiresaveryuniquedriver.The5"midrangecomesspeciallymadefromAudiotechnology
ofDenmarkanditisthesameonethatisusedintheParisfalEncore.Itisrunverywide
band,from200Hzto5.5kHzamuchwiderrangethanyouwillfindwithmost
loudspeakers.Whatsmore,attheupperlimitthereisnoelectricalnetworkemployed.The
designerssimplyletthedriverrunfree,andbyusingmechanicalmethods,theyclaimto
achieveathirdorderacousticalrolloff.Thetweeterdoesuseathirdorderelectricalnetwork
toachievetheintegrationbetweenitandthemidrange.Onthelowend,thespeakercrosses
overfromthemidrangetothewooferat200Hzusingafirstorderelectricalcrossoveron
boththewooferandthemidrange.
Runningthemidrangeunitoversuchawidefrequencybandkeepselectricalcomponentsout
ofthemidrangearea,butitbringsupafewotherissuesthatshouldbenoted.First,the
companyhadtofindadriverthatcouldoperatewelloverthatrangebecausenotallcan.The
Audiotechnologydriverwaschosenforitscombinationofbeinglightweight(tomovevery
fastforthehigherfrequencies)andexceptionallyrigid(toreproducethelowerfrequencies).
However,aproblemsurfaceswhenadriverisallowedtorunatsuchahighfrequencyand
then"naturally"rolloff.Asadesigner,youhavetobemoreconcernedwithbreakupand
distortionsincethedriveris,infact,reachingitsperformancelimits.Rollingitoffearly,
throughelectricalmeans,helpseliminatetheseproblems,butVerityisnotdoingthathere.
Verityclaimsthatthiswasallfactoredintothedesignwithspecialdampingand
modificationstomakesuretheconebehavesproperlyintherolloffregion.
However,thereisanotherprobleminpushingthedrivertosuchahighfrequency.Whena
conedriverlikethemidrangeusedintheFideliorunsintohighfrequencies,itbeginsto
"beam"(i.e.,itbecomesmoredirectional,somoreenergyisfocusedinfrontofthedriveras
opposedtobeingevenlyspreadaround).Asaresult,offaxisresponsewillbeaffectedat
certainfrequencies.Thisisbasicallyacompromisethathadtobemadetoachievesuchafree
andopenstateforthemidrange.
Sensitivityisratedas88dB/W/m,andnominalimpedanceissaidtobe8ohms.The
designerstellmethattheimpedanceneverdipsbelow6ohms,which,iftrue,makesthe
Fidelioaneasydriveformostamplifiers.My75WpcsingleendedBlueCircleBC2
amplifiersworkedverywell.
Finish,size,andotherstuff
Haveyouseensomeloudspeakersthatlookgoodfromfaraway,butarefarfromgoodwhen
yougetreallyclosetothem?ThecloserIgettotheFidelio,themoreimpressedIameven
inchesaway.Overallbuildqualityandstylingareexceptional.Thefinishonallsides,
includingthebottom,iswithoutflaw.Thefrontoftheupperportioniscoveredinathinfelt
likematerialwithsilvermetalpointsneareachcorner.Thesepointsareactuallystronglittle
magnetsthatthegrilleattachestoniiiiiiice!Thebigmetalfloorspikesandexcellent
speakercableconnectorsarecustommadebyVerity.
Thespeakermaynotbeallthatbig,butlikeeverythinginthiswellthoughtoutdesign,that
tooisdeliberate.Veritysgoalistomakereferencelevelspeakersthatcanactuallyfitwell
intoamoderndcor.Intermsofstylingandbuild,thereissimplynothingtocriticizehere.
TheFidelioisunderstated,butgorgeous.
Averyworthwhileinvestmentforloudspeakersofthiscaliberistheoptionalpackingcrates.
Optional?!?Likealmostallspeakers,theFidelioscomewellpackedincardboardcontainers
aspartofthestandardprice.However,for$750,Verityoffersspecial,hardsidedcarrying
casesthathavemetaledges,ahandle,andwheels(thecaseisstandardwiththeParsifal
Encore).Fourkeylikelatchessecureitclosed.Insideisfoamperfectlycuttohouseeach
Fidelio.Transporteaseandoverallsafetyforthespeakeraregreatlyimprovedwiththiscase.
Thespeakersweredeliveredtomyhouseinthesecases,andIcanattesttothefactthatthey
makemovingandunpackingthesespeakersawholeloteasier.Isaygetem,especiallyif
youplanonmoving.
Setup
BrunoandJulianbothmadethetripfromthecompanysheadquartersinQuebecCity,
Canadatodeliverandsetupthespeakers.WhileyoumaynotbeabletogetBrunoandJulian
toyourhouse,Illletyouinonalittlesecrettheyusedthatworkedastonishinglywellin
settingupthespeakersinminekeepreading.However,beforewetooktheeasyroad,we
triedthegoodoltrialanderrormethodwithourhandsandearsandachievedsomefine
results.AssociatedequipmentusedinthissetupincludedtheBlueCircleBC2monoblock
amplifiersandBC3000preamplifier,NirvanaAudioSLinterconnectsandspeakerwire,and
bothmyownThetaDataBasic/PrimeIIDACcomboaswellastheoutstandingAudioAero
CapitoleCDplayerassource.
WefirsttriedputtingthespeakerswhereIthoughttheyshouldgo(whereIplacethemajority
ofloudspeakersinmyroom),andtheysoundedquitegood.BrunoandJulianthenmade
someadjustmentsbyplacingthespeakersevenfartherapartandadjustedthetoein.This
changeimprovedsoundstagingintermsofwidthandheight.Welistenedforatimeandwere
quitepleasedwiththeresults.However,thedesignersobviouslyknewthatthespeakerswere
capableofmorebecausetheystillwerentsatisfied.ItwasthenthatBrunopulledouthis
laptopandfiredupRPGsRoomOptimizersoftware(itrunsonWindowsplatforms).The
softwareallowsforinputofpreciseparametersintermsofroomwidth,depthandheight,and
surprisingly,itallowsforindividualinputofeachdriversexactplacementonthecabinet.
(Onelimitationisthatitappearstoonlyworkforrectangularrooms.)Afewminuteslater,
thecalculationswerecomplete,andthebestoptionthatthecomputercouldcomeupwith
wasgiven.Surprisingly,itwasagoodfootbackandevenwiderapartthanBrunoandJulian
hadsetthespeakers.WeplacedtheFideliosthereandreveledintheexpansivestageand
"evensoundingbass."Thecomputerprogramobviouslyknowssomethingaboutroom
responses.However,forwhatwegained,welostalittlebitofimpactandvibrancy.SoJulian
movedthespeakersaheadjusttwoinchesand,presto,perfectionwaswithinourgrasp.
Sound
"Neutral,precise,andarticulate"werethefirstwordsIjotteddown.AfterawhileIadded
"transparentandresolving."Manydays(andCDs)later,Iaddedthewords,withthe
followingpunctuation,"extraordinarilyso!!!"Andafterthat,Iunderlinedit.Nomatterwhat
typeofmusicIthrewattheFidelios,theyneverceasedtoimpressmewiththeirlevelof
sonicrefinement.Justliketheirunderstatedbutelegantappearance,thespeakersdon'tcall
attentiontothemselvessonically,leavinganexpanseofmusicalinformationthatisjaw
droppingattimes.Theyareneverharsh,spittyoremphasizedinanyunnaturalway.Isuspect
thatsomepeoplewhomistakeresonanceandmidrangecolorationformusicaltextureand
detailwillfindtheFideliosatadtoolaidback,butwhattheywouldbehearingistheoverall
skillofthespeakers.Thereispristineclarityandoutstandingresolutionthroughouttheentire
frequencyrange.
ThesoundtracktoTheMillionDollarHotel[Island3145423952]featuresU2,Daniel
Lanois,BrianEno,andahostofothermusicians.Thesoundispurelyartificialintermsofits
soundstagingmultitrack,heavilymixed,andwithlotsofunnaturalreverbyet,likemany
otheralbumswithwhichLanoisandEnohavebeeninvolvedintheproduction,thereisa
hugesenseofspaciousnessandloadsofdetail.Whilethisheavymixcansoundatadslow
andmuddledthroughsomespeakers(thoselackingdetailandprecision),thequickand
nimbleFidelioscastapreciseandexquisitelydetailedstagewithwonderfulwidthanddepth.
Evenoutofthecentersweetspot,Isatamazedattheamountofmusicalinformationthe
Fideliospresented.Theyarenotjustaboutstaging,thoughthecloselymikedvocalsand
instrumentationwereastight,precise,anddetailedastheimaging.Evenonmalevocals,no
bloatorchestiness,whichcanobscuredetailandaddunnecessarycoloration,couldbe
detected.ItsaslightlydifferentpresentationtothemorelivelyandvividsoundingJMlab
MiniUtopiathatIjustreviewed.SomewouldcalltheFideliosmore"polite"theyandthe
MiniUtopiaswillprobablybepreferredbydifferenttypesoflisteners.
InextmovedtoDanielLanoissownFortheBeautyofWynona[WarnerBros.CDW45030].
Essentially,itsablendofstudiotracksrecordedatvariouslocationsandheavilymixedinto
theresultingsongs(theinterestinglinernotesexplainallthis).Overallsoundqualityisgood,
butinspotsitsatadmechanical,evensteelyattimes.Itdoeshave,however,Lanoiss
trademark"euphoric"soundwithafantasticsenseofspaceanddepththroughmostofthe
tracks.Here,too,IwasamazedathowpreciselytheFidelioscastthestageandhoweasily
discernibleeachmusicianwasinsideit.ThiswasthefirsttimeIfeltIwasreallyhearinginto
thewholerecording.Forbetterorworse,theFideliosarecapableofastonishingtransparency
anddetail.ImsurethatifLanoiscouldhaveheardthisrecordingoverthesespeakers,he
wouldhavesofteneditssoundatad.NomatteritstillsoundedthebestIveeverheardit.
Theguitarsarerenderedwitharazorsharpqualitybutwithoutanyunnaturalresonanceor
looseness.Drumsaretightandvisceral.Everymusicalnuance,sound,andflawofthe
recordingisrenderedwithpristineclarity.
IrecentlypurchasedPaulSimonsShiningLikeANationalGuitar[WarnerBros.WTVD
47721],anewlyremastered,greatesthitspackage.Muchthesamethingwasheardwiththis
aswiththeotherdiscs.Voiceisexceptionallydetailed,nohintofanychestyorwoolly
characterthatplaguessomespeakersinthemidrange,andallinstruments,fromthesheenof
acymbaltothedeepthumpofabassdrum,arerenderedwithtremendousarticulation.The
Fideliossoundsofast,tight,andprecisefromthebasstohighfrequenciesthatitsno
wondersomerecordingcompaniesandmusiciansusethesespeakers.Onelimitationdid
comeup,though,asIwasoverenjoyingthesesongs.IlearnedthattheFideliocannotplayas
loudlyassomespeakers.Crankingthevolumeresultsincompressionofmacrodynamics.
Thespeakersonlygetsoloud,somethingIlltouchonagainlater.
EnnioMorriconessoundtracktothefilmTheMission[VirginCDV2402]givesahintofthe
resolutiontheFideliosarecapableof.Isay"hint"becausethereallimitationisinthe
recording(Idlovetoheararemastered,audiophilepressingofthismusic).Nevertheless,the
Fideliosrevealeverynuancethatthesourceinmysystemcouldconjureup.Onthechoral
passages,eachvoicewasbeautifullydelineated,andIwaseasilyabletofocusinoneach
singer.Furthermore,theclaritythroughthemidrangeandhighfrequenciesissimplya
revelation.Thetweetersoarswithinfiniteextensionthatgivesapreciseandairysound.Its
neverbright,edgy,grainyoranyofthat(unlessitsintherecording,ofcourse).Piano,oneof
thetoughestinstrumentsforaspeakertoreproduce,isdemonstratedwithNaidaColesCD
featuringthemusicofFaur,Chabrier,Satie,andRavel[DeutscheGrammophon
7697480212].Itistight,tunefulandexceedinglyclearwithoutanyoverhangorsloppy
soundthatplaguessomespeakers.
Alongwiththeexceptionallytransparentmidrangeandinfinitelyextendedhighs,bass
throughtheFideliosisdeep,tightandarticulateregardlesswherethespeakerswereplacedin
theroom.However,caremustbetakeninthesetuptogetthebestqualitybassperformance.
AccordingtoVerity,theFidelio'srearfiring7"driveriscapableofinroomresponseto
below40Hz,whichshouldbeplentydeepformostlisteners.Bymakingitrearfiring,
though,thedesignersarerelyingontheroomitselftohelpfleshouttheFidelio'sbottomend
andgivearocksolidfoundationtothemusic.Whenthespeakersaresetupcorrectly,Ican
attesttothefactthatmusicthatreallyplumbsthedepthsispresentedwithexcellentweight
anddetail.PlayingthehauntingmelodyfromJonBrionsscoreforthemovieMagnolia
[RepriseCDW47696],youcanfeelthefullweightoftheorchestra.
However,allofthissaid,itmustbenotedthatthebasspresentationoftheFideliosisstillnot
quitelikethatofsomespeakersthatcometomind.MerlinsVSMSE(particularlywiththe
BAM),CliffhangersCHS2/W2andalsotheirBulldog,aswellasspeakerslikethosein
B&WsNautilusandJMlabsUtopiaserieshavemorevisceralbass.Thosespeakersseemto
playsomewhatloudertoo.Ifyouwantsomethingthatcanthumpyourchestwithadirect
rushofair,thentheFidelioisntnecessarilythebestbet.
Butisthisreallyalimitation?Thatdepends.ForthosewholiketheirmusicLOUD,orliketo
recreatelifelikemusicalevents(afullorchestrasurpassing100dBinyourlivingroom,for
example),orneedtofillaverylargeroom,theFideliomightnotbethebestcompanion.
Theyareideallysuitedformediumsizedrooms,thosenottoosmallforfloorstanding
speakersbutnotoverlylargeeither.Inmyown13'x15'room,IwasabletoplaytheFidelios
plentyloudlyformyowntastes.Iwouldntbelaborthispoint,butIdowanttopointthisout
giventhepricepointofthespeakersandthepossibleassumptionthattheycandoeverything.
Likeallotherspeakers,theFidelioshavetheirlimitations.Aninterestingcomparisoniswith
theMiniUtopiaswhichdon'tgonearlyasdeep,butcanhitthebasshomewithwallopand
impactthattheFidelioscantquitemuster.Bothspeakersareexcellent,buteachsimplyhas
itstradeoffs.
Finally,Askeenearedaudiophilesknow,howloudlyaspeakerplaysisntindicativeofits
quality.Sometimeshowquietlyitwillplaytellsasmuch.TheFideliosstillsoundwonderful
atthelowestvolumelevelmypreampcanbeset.ThisisatestamenttotheFidelios'fine
balance,neutralityandresolution.Asaresult,theFidelioswereplayedthroughoutalmost
everydaytheywereinmyhouseforbackgroundmusicandmainlistening.Theyare
speakersItrulylivedwith.
Conclusion
VeritysdesignerstellmethattheParsifalEncorespeakers,atsome$6000morethanthe
Fidelios,improveonthelessexpensivespeakersintermsofbassresponseandsoundstaging
ability,andofferasmidgenmoreintermsofroomfillingabilityandabilitytoplayloudly.If
thatstrue,itspeaksveryhighlyforthevaluethatsinherentintheFidelio.Ilistenedtothis
speakerformonthsandneverfeltIwasmissingathing.Despiteafewnitpicks,Veritys
Fidelioissimplyanextraordinaryloudspeaker.Itsnotnecessarilythebestloudspeakerfor
thosewhorequireplaybackatfarabovenormallisteninglevels,haveaverylargeroom,or
haveapreferenceforamoreupfront,visceralandgutsypresentationsomethinglikethe
JMlabMiniUtopiaorCliffhangerBulldogisbetterforthat.Aswell,theFidelioisnota
flashyspeakereither,intermsofitsappearanceorsound.Anditscertainlynotcheap.But
itsexceptionallyrefined.Forthosewhovalueacompletesonicpresentationprecision,
neutrality,musicality,andsimplyawesometransparencyandresolutionthisspeakerwill
standtallamongitspeers.
Whiletheseallmaysoundlikeaudiophilesuperlatives,fearnottheFidelioisanaudiophile
speakerthattrulyservesthemusic.Alongwithitshighlevelofsonicrefinement,itisalso
elegantlystyledandsuperblyconstructedandwillundoubtedlycomplementthefinestdcor.
IfitsoundslikeImgushingoverthisspeaker,Iam.TheFidelioisreallysomethingspecial.
...DougSchneider
[email protected]
VerityAudioFidelioLoudspeakers
Price:$7150USDperpair.
Warranty:Fiveyearspartsandlabor.
VerityAudio,Inc.
840SteThereseStreet,Suite110
Quebec,QCG1N1S7Canada
Phone:(888)VERITY5or(888)8374895(418)6829940
Fax:(418)6828644
Email:[email protected]
Website:www.verityaudio.com
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