PureAudioProject Trio15 Voxativ open baffle speakers Review

Compared to the Deadalus Ulysses

A fairer comparison is to a full range floor standing dynamic speaker such as the Daedalus Ulysses. After years of ownership, I determined to sell my set to a man who has become a member of our local audio club, whom you know as the man mentioned above as the buyer of the Exogal Comet and Ion. I heard the Ulysses just this past week with the Exogal pair, and the Ulysses played more brilliantly than ever. Chalk up another speaker taken to its best performance by the Exogal pairing. The Trio15 Voxativ is more fairly compared to the Ulysses, and in that comparison it stands as a strongly recommendable alternative to the standard multi-way dynamic speaker.

The Trio15 Voxativ is as capable of rich, organic hues as the Ulysses and reaches more deeply in the low frequencies. Lacking the cabinet coloration of the Ulysses, it presents an overall tighter and more effortless bass, with a seamlessness from the Mid-bass on up that the Ulysses cannot match. If everything hangs on the central part of the soundstage for you as a listener, for instance the vocals and instrumental solos, then the Trio15 Voxativ is the superior choice. More attention must be paid with the Voxativ driver to dial in the right amount of warmth, but once achieved through judicious use of cabling, it captures an ease of listening not dissimilar to the Ulysses. When driven hard, especially with overloaded LF, the twin Neo15” bass drivers of the Trio15 Voxativ will sound less stressed than the twin 8” bass drivers of the Ulysses. The cleanness of the upper end between the two speakers seems on a par, which is a complement to the Trio15 Voxativ as the crossover used in the Ulysses is high grade. This shows the quality of the componentry selected for the Trio15 Voxativ to compare favorably with at least this custom floor standing speaker.

Open baffle, non-panel

Most open baffle speakers are panel speakers; few are the open baffle dynamic speakers. Fans of panel speakers think they are hitting the transparent sound jackpot by using a hybrid electrostatic or magnetic planar technology. They presume there are no designs capable of more openness and transparency. The Trio15 Voxativ shows that thinking to be wrong. Though the wave launch is fundamentally different, with the right driver a full range hybrid such as the Trio15 Voxativ is potentially even clearer sounding!

The greatest difference is the perceived scale of the performers. A panel speaker presents the size of the performers grandly, making it seem as though there is far more information striking the ears. However, even though the Voxativ driver as a point source makes a more localized center image (think bulls eye, with intensity increasing toward the center), when one listens closely a prodigious amount of information can be heard. In addition, with magnetic planar speakers in particular the “Mylar sound” becomes evident. Unless one has an extremely powerful amp magnetic planar speakers tend to inhibit macrodynamics, splay treble and create acoustic images so large (i.e. piano or guitar) that the edges tend to push into each other in a way that causes the ear to lose the outer boundaries of the imaging. With the exception of bass impact it is a “go big or go home” proposition.

Moving from the Magnepan 1.7i, on review, to the Trio15 Voxativ one notices quickly the improvement in transparency looking into the sound field. How can that be? Aren’t magnetic planar speakers supremely good at transparency? Actually, not so much the lower end ones. I interject that I am not bashing Magnepan, as the same affect is noted with the Eminent Technology LFT-8B. With upper end models much of the haze is lost, but the 1.7i when compared to the Voxativ full range is evidently less clear. The Tang Band version of the PureAudioProject speaker is closer to the 1.7i’s transparency level.

This was perhaps the most surprising discovery about the Trio15 Voxativ. For many years I championed the perspective that one cannot find a more transparent speaker technology than found in panel speakers. Over the years I have experienced that an extreme dynamic speaker such as the Vapor Audio Joule White 3 has as much precision, transparency and speed as even the Kingsound King III electrostatic speaker. However, I would not have predicted the much more humbly priced Trio15 Voxativ to better any panel in terms of transparency.

Verastarr aftermarket “internal” cable set on the horizon

The Achilles heel of the speaker is plainly the “internal” cables routed from the Leonidas crossover to each driver. PureAudioProject has provided a lot of sound quality for the owner at a reasonable price by avoidance of a fancy, expensive cabinet, and inclusion of the user-assembled crossover with modest wiring. Thankfully, the unterminated wiring is easily exchanged, as there are no solder joints for it on either the crossover board or speaker driver terminals. This is wonderfully helpful, as upgrading this wiring is fundamental to improving the speaker’s sound.

If you wish to read an extended discussion of the importance of the internal cabling used in speakers, then peruse my review of the aforementioned Legacy Audio Whisper DSW Clarity Edition, wherein I discuss comparison of the speaker before and after Legacy Audio upgrading the speaker to 10 Ga. Clarity Cable internal wiring and Clarity Caps (no relation to Clarity Cable). It is understandable how speaker companies decide to build using inexpensive wires. It usually comes down to a combination of the chief designer’s disbelief that those wires make that much of a difference, and the cost reduction in building the speaker to hit a price point. My assessment is that opting for an inexpensive internal cable harms the speaker’s sound and does the speaker manufacturer no favors. Increasingly speaker makers are paying more attention to internal wiring.

In the case of the Trio15 series PureAudioProject knows that enthusiasts will seek their own flavor of replacement wiring, so why put in custom wire? The provided stranded and braided wiring is the equivalent of a stock 15A IEC power cord, which knowledgeable audiophiles consign to the shipping box forever and replace with an aftermarket power cord. Though I am reporting on the stock speaker’s sound, I will be happy to update the review in time as it is retrofitted with Verastarr’s new series of cables suitable for such purposes, available sometime in 2017. I expect nothing less than a transformation of the Trio15 Voxativ! Take my assessment of the speaker as it comes from the manufacturer described in this review as a baseline anticipating future improvement, because most aftermarket cabling, including the brands I have reviewed for Dagogo, will dramatically improve the Trio15 Voxativ across the board. For the Trio15 Voxativ to perform so admirably with the basic wiring is a testament to the quality of the other elements of the speaker.

Critical aspects of performance; toe-in and baffle slope

To elicit the magic of the Trio15 Voxativ one has to be quite particular with placement of the speakers. As might be expected, the further away they are, the more vast and relaxed they sound, however. at the expense of a proportionate degree of macrodynamic impact and image density. With the 15” bass drivers this is not a particularly problematic issue; just turn up the volume. It is the toe in and baffle slope that allows locking in on the perfect scene. As a projector gains focus and the image is crystalized before you, so when the toe in and baffle slope reach their optimum positioning the audible image is resolved.

Most of the review period I placed the speakers closer together than typical, i.e. well under the 8’ span I normally use between speakers, but flared out the front baffles more than usual. This ensures the tightness and consistency of the acoustic landscape the speaker creates. Everyone finds their own spacing and toe in to suit their taste. I ended up with the speakers 7’ from each other and positioned more widely of the respective ear than other, more traditional dynamic speakers.

The Trio15 line of speakers come with smallish adjustable spikes that are well made and aesthetically pleasing, but in my experience insufficient to rake back the baffle to the degree necessary to elevate the sound field and center image to my taste. I use a far more aggressive baffle angle than the speaker normally allows – I put risers approximately 5/8” thick under the front spikes. Upon occasion I have even used hockey pucks. Oh, how awful, how un-audiophile! I have said many times over the years I am about results and performance, not status quo or maintaining appearances. The truth is that many devices and tweaks in audiophilia are overpriced and underperform. A dense rubber hockey puck is among the most useful and sensible items any audiophile can own. I use them under main speakers and subwoofers when appropriate. I only wish there were half width hockey pucks to allow more incremental elevation of transducers, but the adjustable spikes usually accommodate, or the spikes can be removed entirely.

Does this messing with hockey pucks harm the sound? Perhaps slightly, but who wants to do the blind testing? In my experience such testing, i.e. placement of a more audiophile approved object under the speakers versus hockey pucks would not pass my Law of Efficacy, that is, there would not be an immediate beneficial change noted. I have conducted similar tests and find tweaks to be an insipid way to drive system performance forward. Consequently, I am unafraid to use something like a hockey puck to achieve a far more important goal, the seismic shift of a soundstage. That is a fundamental change to a speaker system’s performance and one that should not be overlooked.

The method to the madness lies in the fact that the Trio15 Voxativ is a speaker of average floor standing height and the full range driver is not elevated as high as some much larger speakers. In this matter even an inch or two elevation of the soundstage is very significant. Look at the YG Acoustics Sonja, which vaults the midrange and tweeter drivers as if launched into space! They have to be fired downward to achieve anything like a convincingly realistic performance. Part of the secret to their popularity is their height, as is the case with a large proportion of big gun, big-ticket speakers. I often replicate that effect with huge speakers by placing shims under their back footers to tilt the speakers ever so slightly forward, bringing down the soundstage to very pleasing effect. What if your speaker is smaller or the primary drivers located more earthward? Jack it up! Put something under the front feet and lift the soundstage, or place the entire speaker on a pedestal. It is one of the most simple and profoundly beneficial moves an audiophile can make to elevate (pardon the pun) the performance!

The most noticeable outcome apart from the shifting of the soundstage is the complete homogenization of the frequency spectrum. I am a tall listener at 6’ 5”, so the Voxativ driver sits well below my ears. That is why I lift the front of the speaker. If you are not vertically enhanced as I am, then you may have no need to match the vector of the Voxativ to your ears. But whatever baffle correction is necessary, you may wish to do so because the result is a precipitating event, the final saturation point at which the Voxativ driver shows all its glorious beauty. In an effect similar to what is heard in a D’Apollito array, the twin bass drivers and full range Voxativ AC-1.6 merge, or mesh, far better sonically than when they are not heard on the same acoustic plane. The Voxativ driver is much better when oriented on the same plane as one’s ears, much the same way that Sanders electrostatic speakers are preferred placed on axis to the respective ear.

Play with the speaker’s baffle slope; if you don’t like it you can return it to the “factory setting” in minutes.

A great sequel

On this lazy Sunday afternoon I wasted two hours taking in Independence Day Resurgence. Some sequels should never be made, and Resurgence was like a burger cooked twice on a grill with a dry, hard bun. Was there anything original in the movie? Rehashed actors, plot and effects – yawn. It should have been named Independence Day Regurgitation.

Is the Trio15 Voxativ a regurgitated speaker? To the untrained ear it would seem so. Those looking at the pictures of the Tang Band and Voxativ drivers at the website would be tempted to not reach for the more expensive version, mistakenly thinking they could get the Tang Band to the same level of performance. No, you can’t. The Voxativ reaches levels of performance the Tang Band will not. Though the recipe is similar, one is more corner café and the other gourmet.

Having extensive experience with both setups the appropriate recommendation is that potential owners opt for the Tang Band version only if the Voxativ is a fiscal impossibility. Once you have acquired the Trio15 Voxativ, keep saving some money aside because PureAudioProject has at least one more trick up their sleeve for the Trio15 series that I will be assessing in a future article. Your options with the speaker keep expanding! Will it ever end with PureAudioProject? I hope not!

Associated Components:

Source: Salk Audio StreamPlayer Generation III with ROON interface
Streaming Music Service: Tidal
Playback Software: ROON
DAC: Eastern Electric Minimax DSD DAC Supreme with Burson, Dexa NewClassD and Sparkos Labs Discrete Opamp Upgrade; Exogal Comet DAC and upgrade power supply, LampizatOr Big 7
Preamp: TEO Audio Liquid Preamplifier; VAC Renaissance Signature Preamplifier MkII;  Cambridge Audio 840E
Amps: Red Dragon S500; VAC Phi 200; First Watt J2 (two)
Speakers:  Kings Audio Kingsound King III; Legacy Audio DSW Clarity Edition; Kings Audio King Tower omnidirectional; Vapor Audio Joule White 3; PureAudioProject Trio15 TB (Tang Band) and Treo15 Voxativ
Subwoofers: Legacy Audio XTREME HD (2)
IC’s: TEO Liquid Splash-Rs and Splash-Rc; TEO Liquid Standard MkII; Clarity Cable Organic RCA/XLR; Snake River Audio Signature Series Interconnects; Silent Source “The Music Reference”
Speaker Cables: TEO  Cable Standard Speaker; Clarity Cable Organic Speaker; Snake River Audio Signature Series Speaker Cables; Silent Source “The Music Reference”
Digital Cables: Clarity Cable Organic Digital; Snake River Audio Boomslang; Silent Source “The Music Reference”
USB: Verastarr Nemesis; Clarity Organic
Power Cables: Verastarr Grand Illusion; Clarity Cable Vortex; MIT Oracle ZIII; Xindak PF-Gold; Snake River Audio Signature Series; Silent Source “The Music Reference”
Power Conditioning: Wireworld Matrix Power Cord Extender; Tice Audio Solo

Copy editor: Dan Rubin