PureAudioProject Quintet15 10” Coaxial open-baffle speaker system Review

Dense center with more diffuse periphery

The 10” Coaxial driver is such a pleasure to hear! It captures much of what I wish for in a single driver speaker without the potential costs of many thousands of dollars. It does so without sacrificing robust midrange, too. Recently, Andrew Jones put his mind to work designing a mid-sized bookshelf coaxial speaker, the Mobile Fidelity (MoFi) SourcePoint10, which also uses a concentric 10” driver. It is light on the bass; seeing as the loose specifications show it reaching 42Hz, it is to be considered a bookshelf with shallower bass for those who want the single driver experience emphasizing center image coherence, as discussed above. I have no doubt it is wonderful in the midrange and treble, but then again, many speakers sound oh-so-wonderful in the midrange and treble because they have not so much bass. The mid/treble tends to stand out and be captivating when there is not much below to draw some of the attention away. Many listeners mistakenly think the mid/treble is inherently superior in a bookshelf design, when it is not. It is simply lacking a large portion of the frequency spectrum.

While I have not compared these two 10” drivers— an informal comparison of the PAP 10” open baffle coax driver isolated from its 15” woofers to the SourcePoint 10 would be of interest to me —I affirm that the 10” driver that PAP uses is enchanting. At this point I am not looking for speakers that, in the pursuit of excellence in one design characteristic, eliminate another characteristic of excellence, in this instance bass extension. Could the SourcePoint 10 be mated to subs like the Perlisten D212s and great results achieved? Absolutely, but no one can say apart from direct comparison whether it or the Quintet15 10” Coaxial would be preferred. The other bugaboo about smallish box speakers, even when coaxial, is the cabinet coloration. There is a “thudiness” associated with dynamic speakers. The more I use open baffle and dipole speakers, the more sensitized to the box speaker thud I become. Regardless of how many designers may say it’s not there, it’s there. Buy a box speaker and you will have to accept that. Some speakers handle it better than others.

PAP’s 10” Coaxial driver is great for vocals because its wavelaunch concentrates energy in the middle where vocals are often located. It’s good for electronic and symphonic music —it doesn’t mess it up. But the real magic is with music that showcases vocals. I am enjoying Leann Rimes’s quieter acoustic version of “How Do I Live (Re-Imagined),” as it showcases her strong and well-controlled voice. She would make an excellent jazz singer, as does ex-rocker Alison Moyet. In this instance the Coaxial driver shows it is capable of commendable precision as it reveals the subtleties of Rimes’s reinterpretation of her light country song of the same title.

The primary driver is robust and does not sound strained when confronted with harder-driving music. Reliving the Alan Parson’s concert I saw last year, which I felt was overloaded with electric bass and drum, playing “Standing on Higher Ground” at elevated listening level — but not replicating the dB level of the concert by any means — did not cause compression or noticeable strain on the speaker system. Without the subwoofers, even the quad of 15” woofers have a bit of the popping effect that is characteristic of smallish woofers being pushed hard. But I am talking about heavier LF in play with songs like Imagine Dragons “Boomerang” or “Whatever It Takes.” At moderate listening levels and with less basement level frequencies there is no chuffing or popping.

Switching gear

The 10” Coaxial driver displays sensitivity to changes in equipment, as fine audio components should. Moving to the COS Engineering D1 DAC + Pre-Amplifier upgraded the system’s sound, which would be expected considering it is a pre/DAC three times the cost of the Exogal Comet.

Here are a couple of the songs I played; you may find one that strikes your ears as pleasant: “Walk on By” by Trijntje Oosterhuis and the Metropole Orchest, and “It’s My Party” by Martina DaSilva. I also revisited Golub and Cohn’s “Isn’t That So” and LeAnn Rimes “How Do I Live (Re-Imagined).” In order to get a wider experience with the speakers, I also replaced the Iconoclast XLR interconnects with the special set of Schroeder Method (two pair conjoined) Audio Sensibility XLR Cables. These have good information retrieval but tilt the tonal balance of the system upward, such that the bass is lighter and the frequencies from the mid-treble up are emphasized.

The result of these two changes was a system that was just a smidge less appealing overall than the initial setup. I think someone who wishes for the brighter, stronger top end when listening would think it to be a good change. An important outcome was to show that the tweeter of the coaxial driver is not dulled or muted inherently. If one wishes to push the system toward a brighter sound, this can be done specifically through components and cabling. A sure way to influence the tonal character of the 10” Coax driver is to play with different speaker cables. As the speaker uses more practical wiring from the crossover to the drivers, one can experiment with alternative cables. Be aware that a press-on clip is used as a termination for the tweeter, so you would have to seek compatible press-on clips. Most people would not bother, but someone who is seeking a perfect result may find it worth exploring. Keep in mind that PAP voiced the speaker with the supplied wiring, but like a recipe taken from a restaurant, what is to stop the individual from attempting to improve upon it? In fact, I did so myself! I used some odd 16-guage Radio Shack wiring that had copper for the negative leg and silver OFC for the positive leg! It brought more crispness and slightly more brightness to the 10” driver, which, in association with the subwoofers, was appreciated. However, when the doubled Audio Sensibility interconnects were inserted into the system, I found it to be too much high-end emphasis.

Not satisfied with that degree of high-end energy, I returned to the Iconoclast XLR interconnects, but this time split the signal at the amp with Y-cables and used a pair of the interconnects in a reversal of the initial arrangement, as discussed above. This time I hit the magical combination of elevated resolution and improved richness of tone. It was the result that I usually seek, one that stands out after several iterations of systems. The Quintet15 10” Coaxial will perform admirably in nearly any system it is placed. However, with proper attention to system building it can be arrestingly beautiful. It is not at the level of the biggest SOTA speaker systems, but it is capable of impressive performance and exceptional imaging. Those who apply themselves to bring out the best from it will be well rewarded.

Refinement of the design

Summarizing all this, the presentation of PAP speakers over the years has grown more refined and amenable to longer listening sessions as the coaxial driver is less forward sounding and more balanced top to bottom. The Trio15 10” Coaxial is a fine example of an open baffle speaker that, while having solid but not overwhelming output in the bass, is well balanced from the mid-bass on up. It is worth consideration by those who especially enjoy vocalists or refined instrumentals but do not demand a visceral bass experience.

To get the extra load of presence and warmth with more capacity to render music on a perceptually larger stage, the Quintet15 10” Coaxial is recommended. Many readers of my work know I made special accommodation for the Trio15, to loft it and hang it sideways (what I call Landscape orientation) on custom Sound Anchor stands. That form of insanity is not available to you, as PAP has altered the frame of the Trio15 and now it wouldn’t hang evenly from the stand. I have something unique with those speakers combined with the Perlisten subs. But try as I might, it is not as special as the Quintet15 with the subs; the larger speaker is flat out better in every respect. Thankfully, I don’t have to choose. My Landscape scheme reminds me of a few very expensive high efficiency boutique speakers, the kind where entrepreneurs have saved older horns and field coil speakers to rehabilitate. The Quintet15, however, is an affordable answer to the oversized and often fantastically priced large tower speakers, the kind that are set up in quarter to half-million-dollar systems at shows. No, the Quintet15 10” Coaxial does not in my opinion quite reach the level of those speakers, but when set up well it does evoke memories of listening to such speakers.

If you must choose between the Trio and Quintet version of the 10” Coaxial, consider your goals. If you want the coaxial experience more inexpensively, get the Trio. If you want to reach for the sky and do so perhaps without subs, then the Quintet version is your choice, assuming you have the space (it is about 7’ tall). It works splendidly in my room even though the top of the speaker is only about 6” from the ceiling. The curved baffle focuses the bass and diminishes unwanted interaction with the ceiling. It is not what some would call sensible. I have never been about conventional setups but have pursued more audacious audio, reaching for an experience beyond where most stop due to convention.

If I were a conventional audiophile, I would not have reviewed the former version of the Quintet and consequently not had the experience of using the 10” driver. I’m happy I don’t listen to the received wisdom that you can’t have a big speaker in a smaller room. It would have meant losing out on my favorite experiences as an audiophile. Now that I have the Perlisten subs, which are tuned to my room and have countered room modes, I can put any big speaker I want into the listening space. At its price point, the Quintet15 10” Coaxial is a wonderful experience of a large speaker with the intimacy as regards imaging of a single driver or concentric design. It’s an unusual combination, but one that appeals strongly to me, and should appeal to many who want the big show with a relatively small price tag.

Associated Components:

Digital Source: Small Green Computer sonicTransporter and SONORE Signature Rendu SE with systemOptique; Wireworld Starlight CAT-8 Ethernet Cable

Analog Sources: Realistic LAB 400 Turntable with Schiit Audio Mani Phono; Nakamichi CR-1A Cassette Deck

Streaming Music Service: Tidal

Interface: Roon

DAC:  COS Engineering D1 DAC Plus Pre-Amplifier; Eastern Electric Minimax DSD DAC Supreme with Burson, Dexa NewClassD or Sparkos Labs discrete opamps; Exogal Comet DAC and PLUS power supply

Preamp: Kinki Studio EX-M1+ Integrated Amp in dedicated Preamp mode

Amps: Legacy Audio i.V4 Ultra; Kinki Studio EX-M1+ Integrated in dedicated amplifier mode; Exogal Ion PowerDAC (used exclusively with Comet DAC)

Integrated: Redgum Audio Articulata; Kinki Studio EX-M1+

Speakers: Legacy Audio DSW Clarity Edition; Kings Audio King III electrostatic speakers; PureAudioProject Trio15 10” Coaxial version and Horn1 version; Kings Audio King Tower omnidirectional; Aspen Acoustics Grand Aspen; Wharfedale Opus 2-M2 monitors

Subwoofers: Perlisten D212s subwoofers

IC’s: Iconoclast RCA and XLR Generation 2 with Ultra-Pure Ohno Continuous Cast Copper conductors; TEO Liquid Splash-Rs and Splash-Rc; TEO Liquid Standard MkII; Clarity Cable Organic RCA

Speaker Cables: TEO Cable Standard Speaker; Snake River Audio Signature Series speaker cables;

Digital Cables: Clarity Cable Organic Digital; Snake River Audio Boomslang

USB: Clarity Cable Supernatural 1m;

Power Cables: Clarity Cable Vortex; Snake River Audio Signature Series; Belden BAV Power Cord

Power Conditioning: Wireworld Matrix Power Cord Extender; Tice Audio Solo

Copy editor: Dan Rubin