REVIEWS
CES 2008 - Another One from the Road (or, 41 @ 52), Page 2 by Greg Weaver
"Two industry members I've known for years now, Jonathan Tinn, of Blue Light Audio, and Kevin Malmgren, former
Vice President of Engineering at Von Schweikert Audio, have teamed up to create Evolution Acoustics.
Evolution Acoustics teamed with Switzerland's darTZeel electronics to pull off one of, if not the very best, sounding room
I heard this year.
Showing in a smallish room at the Alexis Park, they managed to put together one of, if not the, best sounding rooms at
the 2008 event. Kevin said that he had worked some ten months to develop the Evolution Acoustics flagship MM three.
With a projected retail of $70,000 (show specials of $38,000), the MM three is a visually arresting design, with sweeping
sides and a satin finish that photos just can't do justice.
The MM three is a three way design using a 5" aluminum ribbon tweeter centered on the front sweeping face, two 7"
ceramic mids immediately above and below on wider swept back portions, and two 15" treated paper woofers, one
above and below each midrange on yet larger portions. The response is given as 10Hz to 40kHz, ± 3dB and as 7Hz to
70kHz, ± 6dB.
A product of Blue Light Audio's Jonathan Tinn's imagination and Kevin Malmgrin's engineering, the $70,000 MM three
Jonathan has paired with Switzerland's darTZeel electronics, which he imports into the United States, for a number
of years now, always with simply stirring results. Driven by the $22,000 darTZeel NHB-108 amplifier which was
fed from the $26,000 NHB-18NS preamplifier, the MM three created absolute magic. Evolution Acoustics also premiered
their new interconnects, a rather largish cable, to say the least. Sorry, once again I find I did not note the digital
source…
One of the most starling things about this system was how deep it was able to go in this SMALL room. Standing anywhere in the room was great, but taking the "hot seat' was breath-taking. Focusing for a fairly small listening sweet spot in that smallish room made sense, and if you didn't take time to take a turn there, you missed 30 to 40 percent of the magic this room had to offer.
In that sweet spot, I was treated to a presentation so three-dimensional, so dynamic, and so life-like, as to be spoiled to virtually anything else I heard at this year's show. I was most taken with the extension, integration, horn-like dynamic attack, low frequency slam, and tonal balance I was treated to when I sat front and center in the "chair." Kudos to the hard work and dedication of the Evolution Acoustics' project."
CES 2008 - Make Way For The Big Boys by Jason Victor Serinus - Stereophile Magazine
Attendance was light at the Alexis Park on Wednesday, with the rooms closest to the front getting the most attention. That was certainly the case for Evolution Acoustics, whose imposing MM3 modular speaker commands respect. After seven years of development, this huge baby, designed by Kevin Malmgren (left, formerly of Von Schweikert) made its initial debut at RMAF 2006. Then, the company went low-key while Malmgren and his wife were busy raising their first child (who, after almost one year of development, has just made a most auspicious debut in his stroller at T.H.E. Show 2008). Well, not really. The speaker was back-ordered even before it was launched, and has kept Malmgren and its distributor so busy that they haven’t had the time or need to yet establish a dealer network.
The MM3 ($70,000/pair, intro price $38,000/pair) weighs 650 lbs per side and consists of three parts: the MM1 center portion ($30,000/pair, intro price $18,000/pair) and MM2 bottom and top ($50,000/pair, intro price $28,000/pair). The tweeter is adjustable for both level and crossover point to create a smooth and even response. The woofer is also adjustable on every level—how deep, how full, etc.—and is powered by a 1000W amp in MM3 configuration and a 600W amp in MM2 configuration. Because the woofer extends flat down to 10Hz, and actually reached down to 3Hz in the Alexis Park, it includes a subsonic filter to make it analog-friendly for platter spinners. Everything in the speaker except the midrange and tweeter is made in the USA.
Paired with DarTZeel electronics from Switzerland, Evolution Acoustics power cables with built-in power conditioners, and huge gauge EA interconnects and speaker cable, the system conveyed the weight of massed strings like no other speaker I encountered at T.H.E. Show save the Rockport Ankaa discussed earlier in this blog. When I played Martha Argerich performing Beethoven's Piano Concerto 2, the strings were so close that I felt as though my head was under the piano’s raised lid. Playing a track from the new John Marks-engineered Pipes organ CD, issued by the Rhode Island Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, all I could write was, "Holy Shit! This really sounds and feels like an organ."
I'm not sure how you-know-who uses the terms yin and yang, but from my understanding of Chinese medicine, the system was far more yang than yin, meaning that it was better with the big, extroverted stuff than conveying a voice expressing vulnerability and tenderness. While there was a bit of buzzing on voices, probably caused by the smallness of the room, what this speaker did right was so right that it commanded attention. Contact Jonathan Tinn (right) at Blue Light Audio in Portland if you hear the call.
Tinn also distributes DarTZeel. The system boasted the NHB108 amp ($21,181 and Stereophile's 2005 Product of the Year), which outputs 160Wpc into 8 ohms; the battery-powered NHB18NS preamp ($26,250) complete with phono stage and remote control). The two units are connected by impedance- matched 50 ohm DarTZeel wires. They certainly did the Evolution speakers proud.
RMAF 2006 by Mark Wagner - Positive Feedback
"Evolution Audio - Jonathan Tinn of Blue Light Audio (Portland OR) along with the extremely nice and obviously talented Kevin Malmgren (formerly of von Schweikert) brought their new Evolution Audio MM-3 speakers ($38,000) powered with a DarTZeel MHB-108 Stereo Amplifier ($18,200), the DarTZeel NHB- 18S Preamplifier ($23,250) along with the new EMM Labs single box player ($9900). Sharing the room was the super friendly Alvin Lloyd (of Grand Prix Audio fame) where he was showing his new ultra sexy looking and fine sounding GPA turntable. The speaker and I/C cabling were all Evolution Audio wire, with the exception of some Jena labs AC cords (the new Evolution AC cords were not quite ready for the show). All of the electronics were stacked on one of Alvin's magnificent GPA racks.
I arrived early on Thursday and found the Evolution room very busy dialing in the system. Even though the system was still a long ways from being "ready", I was immediately astounded by this speaker, which is HUGE, well over 6' tall!
What I heard was detail, transparency, space, a colossal soundstage, and imaging galore. Throughout the show, I heard a wide variety of music on CD, SACD and LP. No matter what the style, the music was always engaging. There were times when the room was not so busy, so I got a chance to listen to all of the recordings I brought; from the new SACD of Mahler's 5th with MTT/SFO, Michael Haydn's Requiem (a killer Hyperion RBCD) to a CD of Bach's solo works for violin. No matter what I played (either delicate solo violin or thunderous Mahler) the system was superb. At $38,000 a pair, these speakers have to be the deal of the century! One could easily expect a price of at least double for a pair of speakers this size and of this quality! If I could have done so, I would have awarded this room best overall."
RMAF 2006 by Sam Roberts - Positive Feedback "Room worth losing a vestigial tail for (my favorite sound of the show)"
"The Evolution Acoustics/darTzeel /EMM Labs room was the only spot in the show other than the Kimber Isomike room that the speakers truly disappeared and you felt like you were listening to music instead of equipment. I was shocked that the speakers retailed for less than $40,000, still way out of my price range but well under many of the other flagship speakers at the show which impressed me far less. I liked this room so much I somehow forgot to take pictures in it. Evolution has smaller versions coming soon as well, be sure to keep on the lookout as these seemed to have great potential."
RMAF 2006 Writer's Choice Awards by Albert Porter
"This year I only choose two products for my Writers Choice Awards. The first goes to a recently introduced loudspeaker and the second to an established product that recently benefited from a world class upgrade.
The Evolution Acoustics MMthree speaker system is the new product, a joint design from Jonathan Tinn and Kevin Malmgren. I found much to like about this speaker with the biggest surprise being a suggested retail price of only $38K. Granted that is a lot of money, but considerably less than competing speakers and the Evolution Audio abounds with top quality fit and finish, superb driver choices and an overall appearance that won me over in a single listening session.
This speaker was making loud, dynamic music with moderate power at the recent Denver AudioFest and I wondered how the 100-watt amplifier managed this task so easily. The secret is the speaker's internal 1000-watt power amplifier, taking charge of the dual 15" woofers. There are several controls on the rear panel for altering the sound and I was allowed a bit of freedom to experiment. To me, a slight reduction in treble and tightening the bass did wonders in that particular room.
These controls worked so well, that with some experimentation I believe it could be adjusted to match an almost unlimited variety of amplifiers for the midrange and high frequency drivers. In fact, I would have preferred experimenting with tubes on top, but that's a matter of personal taste.
The twin midrange drivers are the super premium 7" Accuton ceramics, and appear to be the same as chosen for several others of my favorite speakers, The Martin Design, Kharma Exquisite and Avalon Isis.
The high frequency driver is a 5" ribbon tweeter with the whole package rated at 93 DB efficiency.
The woodwork was first rate and although I did not see the Evolution MMthree with the grills covers in place, I think this would make a handsome addition sonically and visually to any audiophile wanting first class sound."
