Like the Calibre, they all share Legacy’s “house sound” of which the key components are balance and ease. Legacy, however, does make a number of large floor-standers, many of which were on display in the company’s huge room at RMAF. There’s also a 30-day, full-refund (no restocking fee) guarantee.Īll in all, the sonic marksmanship demonstrated by the Calibre could make an audiophile seriously wonder if he or she needed anything bigger, especially for those shopping in this price range. The price, while not cheap, includes personal delivery from Raven’s Groveton, Texas, plant and setup by owner Dave Thomson, and includes an extra set of tubes. The unit, as I heard it, contained 6550 tubes, but can also handle KT 150s. The Calibres also proved to be admirable in the pace department, with the song’s driving rhythm having plenty of snap.Īlso undoubtedly contributing to the excellent reproduction was Raven’s impressive-looking Shaman amp. My next test track, a special radio single remix of the Cowboy Junkies’ “ Rock and Bird” (a favorite of mine during the show, so prepare for many more mentions), revealed the Calibres to be equally adept at female vocals, with Margo Timmins’ ethereal sighs nicely rendered. Upper frequencies also sparkled, with Beck’s own glockenspiel practically jumping out of the speakers.
#CALIBRE MONIT FILE FULL#
The bass not only was surprisingly full for a compact speaker, it sounded deep and tuneful while avoiding the “cheating” lower-midrange bump some monitors employ as an aural illusion. With the Calibres, Beck’s slurred vocals hung dead-center in space, while synths suggested swirling desert winds and the steady rhythm section moved the song forward at a mournful, mid-tempo clip. This atmospheric track contains so many layers of guitar, keyboards and percussion that it puts demands on any speaker to project a coherent image that creates the right amount of air around each part. My first test track was Beck’s “ Golden Age,” from the Nigel Godrich-produced Sea Change.
The Calibres I heard were finished in cabernet/black pearl and were driven by room partner Raven Audio’s 320-watt-per channel Shaman MK2 monoblock amplifier ($49,995 a pair), working with Legacy’s Wavelet DAC/ preamp/processor/room correction unit ($4,950).
#CALIBRE MONIT FILE PROFESSIONAL#
To make sure the Calibre could handle the demands of professional studio applications or a wide range of home installations, Legacy gave the Calibre a 500-watt power-handing capability, and created a handsome wood-veneer cabinet. It also allows the Calibre to sport a frequency range of 38-30,000 Hz. And to control resonances and avoid smearing, engineers crafted a 1.75-inch-thick front baffle.Īll of that creates a lot of air-moving potential for a speaker measuring just 16.25x10x15.25 inches and weighing 50 pounds.
#CALIBRE MONIT FILE DRIVER#
To pull off this shot, Legacy outfitted the Calibre with an 8-inch woofer that boasts a full inch of displacement capability, a titanium-encrusted 7.5-inch mid-bass/midrange driver and two eight-inch passive radiators.įor the crucial highs, Legacy installed a 4-inch EMT ribbon tweeter. If a half-hour demo of the Calibre ($5,500 a pair) at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest was any indication, Legacy has hit its target. With the Calibre, however, Legacy sought to retain the best attributes of monitors without losing dynamics and the low end. There have been many impressive, small-box speakers over the years, but often they traded bass response and heft for pinpoint imaging, deep sound-staging and mid/upper-frequency clarity. Legacy Audio is taking aim at the monitor market with its new Calibre stand-mounted speaker.
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