Raidho Ayra C1.0 Bookshelf Speaker Review

Soundstage and Imaging

Mini-monitors are known and loved by their admirers for their abilities to disappear and produce a reach-out-there-and-touch-someone soundstage. The Ayra C1s took everything people love about mini-monitors and didn’t just raise the bar, they moved the bar higher than you ever thought possible. It has been my experience that speakers with really good treble extension also image well. I think we get spatial cues from those extended high frequencies. Thus, it should be no surprise that with the kind of extended top-end, the ribbon tweeter in the Ayras also have that world-class imaging. Fact is, they may just set a new class for soundstaging.

I need to stop at this point and talk about soundstaging.

When it comes to soundstage specifics, different audiophiles surely are looking for different things. For time’s sake, I’m going to divide them into three types. First, there is the huge and powerful type, that if placed in a large enough room can produce a “they are in your room” soundstage. These speakers usually produce a soundstage that extends behind, in front, and to the outside of the speakers. The downside to this category is that they can sound forward and aggressive in the wrong room or with the wrong electronics. Type two are speakers, normally planers or Walsh types, that seem to have the music float up and out of them. They produce a very big, spacious, and natural soundstage. The drawback with these is that sometimes they lack specificity. This type of soundstage often sounds whole and very coherent, though.

This brings us to Type 3; the type the Ayras fall into. In this category, the speakers are capable of producing a soundstage that hangs in air behind the speakers and to the outside of the speakers. These speakers never have sound that comes from in front of them and usually not even in the same plain as the drivers. If this is done really well, it seems like nothing is even coming out of the speakers and surely the sound is being produced by some unseen speakers behind them. In fact, non-audiophile visitors often ask where the speakers that are playing are located. This is the kind of soundstage that many audiophiles go ‘gaga’ over. I understand why, but if not done very carefully this can be very distracting from the music. Done correctly though, this kind of soundstage is very captivating and very addictive.

It is this type of soundstage that the Raidho Ayras produced and set a whole new standard in my experience. I’ve spent a lot of time with some of the classics at this kind of soundstage. The Crosby modded Spica TC 50s were the first and best I had ever heard with this kind of soundstage, but they were lacking in other areas. The Celestion 7s were nearly the equal of the Spica at this ability, and they possessed true high-end sound. The magnificent Aliante Pinninfarina mini-monitors were the most recent speaker I have lived with that excelled at this ability. I mention these three speakers because of all the time that I have spent listening to each of them, and because the Spicas were groundbreaking and the other two raised the bar. As I have said though, the Ayras didn’t just raise the bar, they left all those and any other mini-monitors in the dust in producing this kind of soundstage. The Ayras soundstage was rock solid, without even a hint of that spacey sound that all the other speakers in this category have.

Well, there is no reason to go on and on about their soundstaging abilities. It’s simple; the Ayras produced by far the best Type 3 soundstage I have ever heard.

Dynamics Macro, Micro and Scale

The Ayras had dynamics that were world-class; again not for a small speaker, but for any speaker. They had startling dynamics, the kind that would make you sit up and listen. When listening to Muddy Waters sang the blues, I was very impressed with the micro-dynamics from this speaker. Adding to this, I have never heard his voice sound more articulate, and you have a very special sound.

In every review I talk about scale. It is something very important to me in a system. By scale, I mean the ability of a speaker system to allow a performance to have a lifelike size as well as volume. When reviewing the B&W 805S, I said they did this better than most small speakers. Which is a high compliment for the B&Ws, but the Raidhos had great scale for any speaker. Now they didn’t have the same kind of scale as Audio Note Es, or for that matter a speaker like the Teresonic Ingenium Silvers, but that’s not because they don’t have scale as good as these speakers, just different. I refer you back to my discussion above about soundstage to understand what I mean. The Ayra C1s had great scale, it’s just more of a you-are-there type of scale.

Comparisons And Conclusion

Well, I still don’t know how many mini-monitors it takes to make a “flight”, but now I have reviewed five in the “Flight of Mini-monitors” as our esteemed editor has called this series. The Teresonic Magus was the first: They used a single Lowther DX55 driver in a bottom ported, round cabinet. Next came the GamuT L3, followed by the Genesis 7.1p Petite, and then the B&W 805S speakers. Now, with the Raidho Ayra C1, we have the most all-out-assault at this type of speaker I have encountered.

The Magus is the only crossoverless design in this group. The GamuT L3, the Genesis 7.1p, the B&W 805S, and the Raidho Ayra are all two-way designs. It should be noted though that the Genesis is the only sealed box speaker in the bunch. There is no reason to go back through and do a one-by-one comparison. The C1 raised the price and the bar above the other speakers. There may be those who prefer the natural warmth of the 805S, or the ultimate coherency, transparency, and ability to sound like real music from time to time of the Magus speakers. Still, in the end if you love a reach-and-touch-it type of soundstage, if you love a flat frequency response, if you love a fast, tight, and powerful bass, and if you love an extended but not etched top-end and midrange, then the Raidho Ayra C1 just plain set the pace in this race. In fact, they can run the race with any speakers, not just mini-monitors.

U.S. Distributor’s Comment:

I would like to thank Jack Roberts for a well written detailed review of the Raidho Ayra C1.0 speakers.

I first became interested in working with Raidho after speaking with both Michael Borresen (Head Designer) and Lars Kristensen (Marketing Director) who, after several phone conversations and a visit to my home in Parker Colorado, explained in great detail why the Raidho speakers are different from other high-end speaker brands.

Once I received my first shipment of Raidho speakers that included pairs of the Ayra C3, C1 and X-Baby MK2, I felt their explanation made perfect sense. I spent the next 2 months listening to the C3’s, barely able to pull myself away and get back to work. These speakers had something special about them that I hadn’t experienced before.

Then Michael said, “Just wait until you hear the C1’s.” He said, “You can compare with all speakers large and small at all price levels.” Well, I think Jack’s review explains that quite well.

The Raidho brand has 3 series, namely the Emile, Eben and Ayra, and they fit perfectly into my company’s philosophy in representing manufacturers that develop products with cutting edge technology, and precision workmanship: Companies that stand apart from the mass market, and have a greater love for the art.

I believe that Raidho has done just that…

Sincerely, Brian Ackerman
President; Aaudio imports