|
Ed
Momkus reveals the secrets of the
$28,000
Eventus Audio Lysithea
Loudspeakers
June 2008
Manufacturer:
Eventus Audio USA
1111 Essex Ct.
Batavia, IL 60510
Phone: (630) 879-6000
Website:
www.eventusaudiousa.com
Email:
info@eventusaudiousa.com
In Greek mythology, Lysithea was a daughter of
Oceanus and one of Zeus’s lovers. In astronomy, Lysithea
is a satellite of Jupiter that was discovered by Seth
Barnes Nicholson in 1938 at Mount Wilson Observatory. In
high-end audio, Lysithea
is a great-looking three-way loudspeaker manufactured by
the Italian company, Eventus Audio.
BASIC INFO
When I found out I was going to get these speakers for
review I did some preliminary research on the Lysithea’s
specifications, as well on Eventus Audio. In
Chicago-speak, “da following” is “da facts”:
Speaker Type: Bass
reflex
Woofer: Carbon fiber cone 7,5"
Midrange: Carbon fiber cone 5"
Tweeter: Ring radiator
Crossover: 3-way, elastically fixed
Frequency Response: 30 Hz - 45kHz.
Sensitivity: 89db at 1W/1m
Power: 30 - 300 Watts (RMS)
Dimensions: 41(H) x 12(W) x 21(D) (inch)
Weight: 99 lbs (45 kg) ea.
The crossover typology
comes from the Eventus Audio's top-of-the-line Nebula.
Eventus states that the Lysithea employs a modified
version of Eventus’ patented Simulated Anechoic Cabinet
Construction [SACC] technology, whose goal is to reduce
cabinet vibration and internal reflections.
APPEARANCE
The Lysithea is a very
attractive speaker. The overall design looks like a
large stand-mounted monitor, but don’t be fooled.
 The
“stand” is composed of a black base on which is mounted
a round, polished silver post that supports the weight
of the speaker itself. The “stand” is non-removable. The
crossover is located outside of the cabinet at the back
of the loudspeaker, and is damp-mounted in a long sleek
black housing that runs the vertical length from the top
of the speaker to the bottom of the base. The speaker
wire connectors are located at the back of the base, so
you don’t have wire trailing down the way you would with
other stand-mounted speakers.
The Lysithea is not
small, but its sophisticated appearance and relatively
modest size for this type of speaker makes it a very
good choice for a living room/formal entertainment area.
It’s quite deep at 21.3 inches but not very wide at 11.8
inches. The width and depth accommodate the side-firing
woofers that are meant to point inward.
Thus, from the point of
view of the listener, the speakers appear smaller than
they actually are and present very clean sight lines.
The style can be described as “modern” and has an
elegant feel. In fact, I’d say that the Lysithea is one
of the more attractive speakers I have seen. Several
people who abhor speakers in a living room commented
that the Lysitheas looked like very nice modern
furniture.
INITIAL SETUP
My life was made very
easy by the folks of Eventus Audio USA, located in
Batavia, Illinois. They came over and carried the
speakers into my house and set them up in the room where
I was going to warm them up. Not that the Lysitheas are
hard to move or position – quite the contrary. However,
it was very nice to lounge around and watch someone else
do the work.
The Lysitheas were
originally placed in my family room and powered with the
Pass Labs amplification system of the $20,000, X-600.5
monoblock amps and the $10,000, 3-chassis XO.2 preamp.
The source was a David Schulte (The Upgrade Company)
modded EMM Labs CDSA SACD player. Cabling was with
Silver Audio Appassionata balanced interconnects,
Tributaries interconnects and Monster original flat
speaker cable, which had to go under a rug. The Power
cords were by Silver Audio and Kimber Kable.
I let them play at a
low level for a few days to make sure everything was
properly warmed up. I did not do any serious listening
that first week, but the sound was obviously very
smooth, though it seemed a bit bass-shy when using the
Pass amps and the Silver Audio interconnects.
In the interim, I
received the Plinius Tautoro preamp and SA 201 power
amp. I decided that I needed to break them in, so I
substituted them for the Pass equipment. After a day or
two, it became clear that the Plinius is an excellent
match for the Lysithea, with a very smooth presentation,
good dynamics and better bass. I’m not sure what there
is in the synergy of those components, but they really
worked well together, and my first serious listening
session occurred with this combination.
This first serious
listening session with the Lysitheas was quite
unconventional.
We were scheduled to
host a fundraiser in our home for the local symphony.
The fundraiser’s theme was Hausmusik, with the
performer being Leon Bates, one of America’s leading
pianists. In addition to performing with the likes of
the Vienna Symphony, the Strasbourg Symphony, the
Philadelphia Orchestra, the Cleveland Symphony, the New
York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the San
Francisco Symphony, and the Atlanta Symphony, Mr. Bates
is a tireless goodwill ambassador to schools and amateur
symphonies, teaching students and helping raise funds.
He was scheduled to play at our home on February 16th.
The pieces were Edward MacDowell’s Sonata No.4 in E
minor, Samuel Barber’s Nocturne and
Ballade, Billy Strayhorn’s Chelsea Bridge, A
Flower is a Lovesome Thing and Lush Life,
George Gershwin’s Someone to Watch Over Me and
Louis Moreau Gottshalk’s Le Banjo.
We expected way more
people than could fit in our living room, which is where
the piano is situated. As a result, I asked for help
from an acquaintance, John Born, who works for Shure
Corporation setting up microphones for concerts. He
miked the piano and set up wireless transmission to
three sound systems located in three separate rooms in
the house. One of the sound systems was the Eventus
Lysithea/Plinius combination. Leone Bates put on a great
performance, and I was able to walk into the living room
to listen to him directly and then walk to the room
where his performance was transmitted through the
Lysitheas. The presentation by the Lysitheas was nothing
short of top-caliber. Every note was presented with
great tonality and dynamics. Listening in the “Lysithea
Room” was every bit as satisfying as listening in the
living room where you heard Leon Bates in person.
The day after the Leon
Bates performance I went to phase 2 and moved the
Lysithea/Plinius combination to my basement listening
area. You may think that it is strange that I kept
moving the Lysitheas into rooms other than my main
dedicated listening room. I started that approach when I
reviewed the Canton Vento Reference 7 speakers. I played
them in three separate rooms with different components
so I could evaluate their flexibility. I’ve done the
same with my review of the YG Acoustics Kipod, and am
doing the same with the Daedalus Audio Reference Series
Ulysses speakers I currently have under review.
The Lysithea’s love
affair with the Plinius components continued in my
basement. Even though the listening area wasn’t very
broad and the floors are ceramic tile, the Lysithea
maintained its very smooth presentation. However, with
the opportunity to play a wide variety of recorded
music, I was able to discern another defining
characteristic of the Lysithea: its dynamic prowess.
When listening to most
“smooth” speakers I get the distinct impression that
they lose something in dynamics. They don’t really make
me jump when playing music that moves rapidly from quiet
to explosive passages. That was not the case with the
Lysithea. The Lysithea was always a very lively speaker
regardless of the amplification I used. When paired with
the Plinius equipment (and later with my main system
equipment) the sound was smooth and rich, yet lively.
The Lysithea also demonstrated that it sounds pretty
good with lower powered “midfi” components. I connected
it to my Denon AVR-1705 receiver and, although there was
clearly a drop-off in the force and definition of the
bass, the rest of the presentation remained very
listenable and lively.
MOVING TO THE MAIN ROOM
After two weeks in my
basement listening room, I moved the Lysitheas into my
main listening room. I won’t list everything, but it
consists of a modified Esoteric P-70/D-70, MBL 5011
preamp, Electrocompaniet Nemo monoblock amps and B&W
Nautilus 800D speakers. Cabling is all Silent Source
Silver Signature cabling and power conditioning is
Walker Velocitor on the front-end and preamp, and
Audience Adept Response aR1p’s on each Nemo.
(Audience Adept Response aR1p
reviewed by Jack Roberts. –Ed)
The Eventus Audio
Lysithea is not set up for biamping (which I don’t think
it needs), so I only used 1 set of speaker cable to
connect it to the Nemos, versus two sets on the B&W’s.
Greg Onesti of Eventus USA originally suggested a
straightforward setup with no toe-in, and that is how I
started out, with the speakers about 8 feet apart. The
soundstage was nice and wide, with excellent separation
and depth. The characteristics I heard in previous
listening sessions again manifested themselves: smooth,
sophisticated sound with excellent dynamics. Played
though my main system, the sound became richer, the bass
acquired more force and body, and the top-end became
more extended.
I have been used to a
very strong center image in my main listening room, and
I toe-in my B&W’s very substantially, pointing the
tweeters nearly directly at my ears when in the main
listening position. I decided to do the same with the
Lysitheas. I placed them further apart (nearly 12 feet)
and angled them to point directly at my ears. My center
position became incredibly distinct, even more so than
with my B&Ws. However, the placement of the bass
instruments became a bit amorphous, so I moved the
speakers slightly closer together and lessened the
angle, pointing the tweeters to a spot about 6 inches to
the side of each ear. I found that this was the
positioning that I enjoyed the most. It produced a
strong center image, a wide soundstage with very good
depth (better than my B&Ws) and very good performer
placement.
Compared to my B&W
800Ds, the Lysitheas were smoother, as dynamic, but with
less really deep bass. I really enjoyed small combos,
vocalists, flutes, violins and piano with the Eventus.
These instruments can sound screechy even in very good
systems, and they sounded like nothing but music through
the Lysitheas. The sophisticated manner in which the
Lysitheas presented these instruments was remarkable and
very enjoyable. Jazz had the feel of a smoky jazz club.
Symphonic music was a total treat, with the Lysitheas
creating the ambiance of an orchestra in my living room.
The bass was
surprisingly good from a 7.5-inch woofer, but it clearly
can’t match the two 10-inch woofers of the 800Ds when
compared on a side-by-side basis. However, I can
truthfully say that I never thought about the bass when
just listening to the Lysitheas. They presented an
integrated, holistic sound that invited you to listen
without judging individual characteristics. This
included rock and roll, perhaps because most rock
actually has very little deep bass. In any event, I
didn’t notice it much except when I deliberately
compared it to the bass of the B&Ws.
ONE
MORE ROUND
A few days after I had
disconnected the Lysitheas and reconnected my B&W 800Ds,
I received my Lyngdorf RP-1 RoomPerfect digital room
correction system (see
review in May 2008 edition of Dagogo).
As I mentioned in my
review of the RP-1, it took everything to a new level,
particularly restoring bass that is negatively affected
by my room; one visitor actually thought I had purchase
a new set of B&W speakers. I loved the sound I was
hearing and was very reluctant to make any change, but
after a week I decided to reinsert the Lysitheas into my
system. WOW! The Lysitheas benefitted tremendously from
the RP-1’s room corrections. In particular, the bass
improved very significantly. It still obviously couldn’t
go as low as my 800Ds, but the foundation laid by the
bass was now more realistic and impactful. I could also
really hear the Lysitheas’ top-end extension, which was
very extended yet very seductive, with no unrealistic
glare. (Having the RP-1 makes me want to re-review some
speakers I previously thought were shy at the extremes.)
In any event, this experience clearly showed me that the
Lysithea’s bass was better than I had originally thought
and was being negatively affected by my room.
CONCLUSION
The Lysithea’s sound
matches its elegant appearance. It is extremely smooth,
natural and dynamic. This is a combination of primary
characteristics that is just a tad rare. Many “dynamic”
speakers lean a bit to the aggressive side, while some
“smooth” speakers have trouble with really rockin’ music
passages. Not so with the Lysithea. I don’t know if it’s
the SACC technology, the selection of materials or
something else, but the Lysithea is like James Bond –
smooth, but not too polite. As for its
appearance, I must say that I was very enamored with the
Lysithea’s exquisite visual presentation and I would not
hesitate to put these speakers into an elegant living
room. If these qualities sound like what you are looking
for, contact Greg Onesti and audition these speakers.
Other reviews
by Ed Momkus
DAGOGO's Staff and their
articles
Send your feedback to
us:
editor@dagogo.com
©Dagogo 2008. All rights reserved. |
