Jeżeli tak gra monitor, to chcę posłuchać podłogówek. Jest sporo do nadrobienia, bo EgglestonWorks faktycznie był wielkim nieobecnym i nijak nie jestem w stanie zrozumieć, dlaczego o tych zestawach nie było dotąd głośno w Polsce. Opinie, że to „jedne z najlepszych głośników na świecie”, przestają mnie dziwić, a już zupełnie nie jestem zaskoczony, że wybierają je dźwiękowcy.

Od Nico EVOlution powiało high-endem. Do uzyskania tej nobilitacji pozostał jeszcze kawałek drogi, ale i tak dźwięk prezentuje wysoką klasę i rozwiewa wątpliwości co do renomy amerykańskiej wytwórni. Jasne, że znajdą się obszary, w których coś przeszkadza albo czegoś brakuje. Nie zmienia to jednak faktu, że mamy do czynienia z produktem firmy przez wielkie „F”.

Zacząłem od symfoniki i chyba dobrze się stało, bo Szostakowicz dmuchnął szeroką falą, rozsuwając ściany, jak gdyby dźwięk pochodził z podłogówek za inne pieniądze. Nie chodzi nawet o bas czy dynamikę, bo okna nie zadrżały, ale o równowagę i naturalność. Szybko zrozumiałem, dlaczego dźwiękowcy wybierali te, a nie inne głośniki do studia. W prezentacji słychać koncertowy realizm, iluzję wizyty w filharmonii. Oczywiście, tam doświadczymy szerszej skali dynamiki, ale jak zaznaczyłem, nie w tym rzecz. Punktem wyjścia jest tutaj naturalność brzmienia instrumentów. Jeszcze bardziej interesujące, jak składają się w grupy i w zespół. Bezkontaktowo, jakby wszystkie grały osobno, a scalała je akustyka. Przejrzystość okazuje się wzorcowa, a prezentacja zachowuje swobodę i rozdzielczość nawet w dużych składach i – co już niebywałe – w tutti. Ile już słyszałem dużych podłogówek, które wpadają w hałas ożeniony z chaosem, a tu, za przeproszeniem, taki kurdupel dmucha koncertową kulminacją i nadal da się wyłowić uchem każdy instrument. Orkiestra jest wielka, a przynajmniej to złudzenie skonstruowano tak przekonująco, że zamyka dyskusje o dynamice. Ta jest po prostu rewelacyjna w kontekście wielkości skrzynek.

Szczegółowość Egglestonów nie bierze jeńców. Jeżeli szukacie ciepłego, relaksującego grania, to poczujecie się, jakby ktoś was oblał lodowatą wodą. Obiektywizm prezentacji sprawia, że niektóre nagrania zadziałają na zmysły niczym sole trzeźwiące. Może też być agresywnie i twardo. Czy to dobrze, czy źle? Jeżeli ktoś chce, żeby każda płyta grała mu pięknie – to źle. W przypadku amerykańskiego monitora o brzmieniu decyduje bowiem jakość realizacji. Dlatego te koszmarne zabrzmią koszmarnie, a genialne – genialnie. Każdy błąd realizatora zostanie postawiony w ostrym świetle reflektorów. Ten mechanizm działa zresztą w dwie strony, ponieważ sprzęt, który poprawi kiepskie nagrania, będzie się starał zrobić to samo z wzorcowymi, a to już im zaszkodzi. W tym kontekście wspomniane zgrzyty w symfonice były całkowicie a propos, ponieważ dowiedzieliśmy się, że zarejestrowano je na płycie, może nawet świadomie. Czy zatem głośnik miał je zamaskować? Przytłaczająca większość tak zrobi, ten nie.

Nico EVOlution są wybitne, nie mam co do tego cienia wątpliwości. W swoim rodzaju nie mają konkurencji. Wiem też, że nie jest to głośnik dla każdego. I dobrze, bo 250 par rocznie? Nie dla każdego wystarczy. 

Link do recenzji: Eggleston Nico EVO – Hi-Fi i Muzyka

While the Nicos produce sufficient low-frequency information (with a claimed LF limit of 38hz) and perform admirably in a bigger room, they prove stunning in my 13 x 15 smaller room, pairing up with the Luxman L-550AXII, class-A solid-state amp. (25 watts per channel). Thanks again to the low-frequency articulation that the Nicos offer, and a little bit of room gain, these speakers provide a fulfilling small room experience like few other speakers. This is one of those few speakers that make such an excellent HiFi show presentation because they don’t overdrive the room.

Running through a series of tracks favoring low-frequency information from Massive Attack, Aphex Twin, and Snoop Dogg, the Nicos never disappoint. Those living on a diet of bone-shattering bass aren’t going to buy a pair of 6-inch two-way monitors anyway. But, when your musical tastes turn to this flavor, you’ll still be happy.

As mentioned earlier, the Nicos are slightly forward in their balance, but as someone who enjoys listening nearfield, this gives a big, almost planar headphone like experience. In comparison to something like a pair of comparably priced Harbeths, or even the less expensive Falcon LS3/5a. It all boils down to taste. If you’d like a pair of modestly sized monitors, with a broader frequency range and more sheer dynamic urge than the Brit-monitors, I would highly suggest the Nicos.

The resolving nature of these speakers is what makes them feel a lot more expensive than the price tag suggests. Whether tracking through heavily layered selections, either vocal or instrumental – they paint a big picture. Things don’t get lost in the mix, and it’s easy to see why recording engineers have such high praise for Eggleston.

Link do recenzji: Eggleston Nico EVO – TONE

Right away with the Nico’s I was gripped but the bass extension. Playing known favourites like Simple Minds “Colours Fly and Catherine Wheel” (Qobuz, 16/44) the depth, gravitas but with control was a revelation. Extension and dimensionality are deep and wide but never slouchy or languid. The bass drum bumping along, hitting right in the gut but with a finessed boundary. Timbre across the mid’s really is beautiful. There are so many clichés used to describe HiFi but there is a great sense of separation and layering here; positioning has space and there is no muddling among even the busiest of tracks. Even Jim Kerr’s at times less than dulcet tones on “Promised You a Miracle” have a bandwidth all of their own and slide across the guitars and drums beautifully, synths crystal cut and vibrant. That bass I have to keep commenting on as its simply sublime. The Hegel has class-leading grip (damping factor) so I’m sure that it is adding some restraint, but the Nico’s are handling themselves beautifully.

To get a real sense of air and space as well as subtlety in mid’s’ and highs I moved to Melody Gardot’s truly stunning “The Rain” from her Live in Europe album (Qobuz 24/48). Cymbal washes and crashes, guitar strains, tabla’s, that lamenting saxophone and then that golden voice all given their own position on stage, perhaps a hint of warmth just edging in around mid’s but it only added to the audio goodness. I’ve tried to think about how best to explain what the Nico’s bring to the party and while all the usual platitudes could get an airing, I think it’s best explained thus; Imagine your music as existing in a cube, in 3D, and you are used to where all the parts sit in that cube. Now imagine stretching that cube just a smidge, enough that every player is given some extra room and the overall space is increased in all directions, including down into bass – that is how I sum these speakers up. Melody’s breathy low voice and glass high tones fill the stage like fog and lasers in an 80’s video. The overall effect is incredible.

I have sat and listened to these speakers now for hours on end and not once am I feeling fatigued, instead, every listen I find something new. It feels like that slot port, and cabinet topology is changing the physics of what I’m hearing and there are new players, new extensions in the space. And they are beautiful to sit and look at to boot! Piano strikes bounce along and ring just right, bass guitar is full of dynamics and transitions to the point you feel you could see and feel the weight of it, see the strings vibrating in the puckers hands. No speaker is perfect, there is at times just a warming around the lower mids and that bass at times threatens (but doesn’t) let fly, for some who may prefer dryer, clinical sounds there may be too much on offer here, but for those who want in your face dynamics, power behind the stage, full delivery these Nico Evo’s are way high up the must-try list, and at a price of entry that belies what is on offer. As I finish this paragraph Melody is continuing to embrace me lyrically with “Deep Within the Corners of My Mind” and I don’t want to leave! The sheer vividness of the audience applause and resonance of those strings in the intro are a joy!

Link do recenzji: Eggleston Nico EVO – HiFi Pig

As already mentioned above, the first impression given by the Nico EVO is their impressive solidity, immediately put to the test by large symphonic masses, from which a superb spatialization immediately stands out. Thus, despite a large orchestra, it is possible to identify the location of the instruments, especially the woodwinds, which are particularly crystal clear thanks to the precision of the tweeter. As the music progresses, it flows without ever causing the slightest fatigue; on the contrary, it creates numerous moments of surprise in recordings that are nevertheless perfectly familiar. Thus, we can sometimes guess the gestures or the intentions of the conductor on a counterpoint or a secondary phrase. In the Finale of the 9th of Beethoven (Karajan 63) with voices, the level of detail is again surprising: the notes drag and choir is both integrated and identified on a plane above that of the orchestra, just like the singers, almost possible to place thanks to the amplitude of the sound stage.

On complicated, medium-quality recordings, such as Nirvana’s Live at Reading, the speakers manage to integrate the stage perfectly and draw the audience into the background, without detracting from its importance; they surprisingly enhance the concert rather than make it less audible. When tested with other complicated recordings, the Nico EVO confirmed the feeling that they almost always improve a recording, good or bad, without ever accentuating its flaws, unlike other speakers that require you to listen only to the best recordings.

Thanks to the extreme quality of details, every instrument of the great orchestras stands out, for example on jazz or blues albums the slightest spatula, the slightest noise of the tongue or mouth of the singers, and therefore obviously also in quiet public recordings, the slightest crumpled paper or tilted seat. However, the feeling of realism created by this level of accuracy only accentuates the listening pleasure, except when the sound engineer wanted to play with the balance, and placed too much on one side such artist or such instrument. Listening to R&B and electro music at a volume that is outrageous for the neighborhood, the Nico EVO, already perfectly balanced over the entire midrange and treble spectrum, impresses even more by bringing out the big game in the bass. They could then be compared to several columns of the same price, or even much more expensive, like the American Magico and Wilson Audio at twice the price, except that the EgglestonWorks avoid in addition any overrated effect of big sound. Bass and sub-bass, available up to 38 Hz, that is to say at a level very close to what the human ear can perceive, are perfectly integrated and prove with what quality the MDF body is prepared to take without ever creating parasitic noises, even on the most inflamed organs, by the dynamics of our test turntable.

Link do recenzji: Eggleston Nico EVO – VUmetre

I know, however, that my Hegel H590, and particularly its built-in DAC, is really analog-sounding. It doesn’t have the transient snap and sparkle of older Hegel integrateds, instead providing a greater sense of midrange palpability. Knowing that the hyper-accurate, more analytical-sounding Benchmark DAC3 HGC would make the Eggies sound far different, I hooked the Benchmark up to the Nicos and the Simaudio Moon 700i v2 and again played “The Hanging Tree.” Lawrence’s voice now had slightly better definition in space, and the Sim’s airier sound contributed to Lawrence and the stringed accompaniment being reproduced with greater zest and drive than did my Hegel H590. With modern, well-recorded music, the differences between the two signal chains were noticeable but not profound. With older tracks with less nuanced mastering, however, the Nico Evolution’s midrange prominence could really call attention to itself, depending on its partnering electronics.

Listening to Winter 1, which redeploys one of Vivaldi’s most famous melodies, I was smitten by the Nico Evolutions’ ability to capture the nuances of Richter’s subtle but deliberate opening. The lightly plucked violins resonated pretty far back on the soundstage, and the recording venue sounded big, even if it wasn’t re-created with the extension and effortlessness that I’ve heard through more linear, dead-neutral designs. Still, I was impressed with the smoothness of the Nico Evolution’s soft-dome tweeter, which never sounded hard or etched. The harpsichord sounded natural, as did the violin of soloist Daniel Hope, which was very well defined, and even had a hint of sweetness I wasn’t anticipating. The Eggies proved deeply engaging with this track, a quality I highly value in a speaker. If you’re after warmth, or a polite, relaxed sound, the Nico Evolution isn’t for you. But if, like me, you prefer a sound that’s highly resolving and articulate, the baby Eggleston may well fit the bill -- it was great fun.

Two-way, passive monitors that reproduce full-range bass don’t exist. It takes skill to make a stand-mounted loudspeaker sound punchy in the low end without sounding flabby, and the Nico Evolutions delivered. I fed them some warble test tones and was happy to hear ample output that remained flat down to 45Hz, with healthy if attenuated output down to 35Hz. That’s excellent for a speaker of this size.

Wanting to conclude with a dynamic cut, I settled on Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, as performed by the Minnesota Orchestra under the direction of Eiji Oue (16/44.1 FLAC, Reference/Tidal). The Nico Evolutions reproduced the massive opening bass-drum and timpani thwacks with genuine power and impact, despite being unable to reproduce most of the lowest octave of the audioband. Nor did they commit the cardinal sin of two-ways: make bass-heavy tracks sound gutless and lightweight. Higher up, the solo trumpet had lovely presence, and the Nicos cast a fairly wide, deep soundstage that placed instruments in convincing 3D fashion.

Link do recenzji: Eggleston Nico EVO – SoundStage Ultra

There’s clearly plenty of headroom here, no sense of compression or shoutiness at really quite antisocial volume levels, they just go louder without apparent strain. It’s a genuinely impressive trait and I think you could use these in quite a large room and not feel short-changed; these are clearly not standmounters designed just for a modestly-sized domestic setting.

This all seems to translate readily into the way the speakers depict the performance. Phrasing is both easy to follow and entirely unforced; if the musicianship is there the Nico Evos can bring it to you. Dynamics feel largely free and unconstrained, despite the modest driver size. Stanley Clarke’s ‘Bass Folk Song No 6’ from The Stanley Clarke Band [Heads Up], the instrument is vivid, colourful and beautiful, but the striking thing is the degree of insight into his playing, the phrasing, his style and technique. The music was just more enjoyable and enthralling. I’ve heard deeper bass, sure, but there is real quality on display here, taut and fast and tuneful, and rather better behaved than many ported designs I’ve encountered. The lucid, limpid presentation and the absolute level of communication of that musical intent, and how it was realised in the performance, was easily worth the trade in that bottom octave. I was reminded of EgglestonWorks’ own aim, to make each speaker the best it could be for its price. They could probably make this box go deeper, but if that meant losing some of this agility and communication, then the speaker would not be the best it could be. As it is, the bass response is deep enough, and so fast, solid and tight so you just don’t miss the stuff that isn’t there.

Smaller cabinet sizes also seem to help with imaging, and the Nico Evos excel at projecting a clearly delineated image, whether a small jazz trio, or a symphony orchestra and chorus. The spatial detail they evoke, and the stability of the soundstage they project is up there with the better box loudspeakers I’ve encountered. They do have that lovely habit of just disappearing – one of the main benefits of standmounting designs in my experience, but one seldom achieved quite as convincingly as this. The drivers used here are very similar to those employed in the larger, often much more expensive models, and their quality is apparent since they just don’t seem to draw attention to themselves. Timbres and textures abound, from the sheer variety of different marimba voices conjured up on the title track from Simon Haram’s album Frame [Black Box], to the interplay of sax, guitar and tabla on Andy Sheppard’s toe-tapping ‘Peshwari’ from Learning to Wave [Provocateur Records], and all helped by that uncanny way with imaging that larger, floorstanding speakers so often struggle to emulate.

Substituting a pair of relatively lightweight stands was revealing. Sting’s bass playing now took its proper place and everything locked in as it should. Even tracks that had previously impressed, were better. Back to Stanley Clarke, this time ‘Bass Folk Song no.10’, electric rather than acoustic bass now, and there’s a highly dynamic whipcrack riff which, on the supplied metal stands, had lacked that ultimate degree of impact and emphasis, the leading edge of the note didn’t pin you back in the seat quite as much as I know it can do.

Link do recenzji: Eggleston Nico EVO – hi-fi+

Link: Eggleston Nico EVO – TONE – TONE Audio Approved

Link: Eggleston Nico EVO – HiFi Pig – Outstanding Product