Pacific Audio Fest Report - Part 4
The Pure Audio Project open baffle loudspeakers!
The Pure Audio Project traveled all the way from Israel to the Pacific Audio Fest to demonstrate their modular open baffle loudspeakers, which just ooze quality and innovation.
The Trio 15 Classic starts at $7740 USD.
The natural sounding musicality of the high-fidelity Trio 15 Classic (above) really impressed me, and the fact that this level of performance is available in loudspeakers that start at only $7740 USD, impressed me even more.
Rear view of the Trio 15 that was on static display.
I found the Pure Audio Project open baffle modular approach to loudspeakers to be particularly intriguing.
In the photo above you can see the sturdy frame of the Trio 15 that positions two 15-inch bass driver modules above and below a mid-range / high-frequency driver in a D’appolito configuration.
Front view of the Trio 15 that was on static display.
Pure Audio Project customers can choose between a horn-loaded compression driver, three options for 8-inch Voxativ full-range drivers, a proprietary 10-inch coaxial mid/tweeter driver, and ... wait for it ... field-coil drivers (more HERE about driver choices).
The Pure Audio Project loudspeakers room.
About the optional field-coil drivers ($$$), I was told that they provide remarkable resolution, while providing an extremely smooth and musically natural response, that takes performance to an exalted level.
That's very intriguing, as the Voxativ mid/tweeter driver in the Trio 15 Classic that was playing sounded remarkably good, and provided one of the best combinations of musicality and high-fidelity visuospatial performance I heard at the Pacific Audio Fest, and starting at a price of only $7740 USD.
The modular design allows the customer to upgrade the mid/tweeter driver at any time with a simple swap of the mid/tweeter module, without having to buy new loudspeakers.
Adjustable Thrier crossover design.
The adjustable Thrier crossover design allows for optimization for any choice of the mid/tweeter driver, so if you decide to try another mid/tweeter module at a future time a quick turn of a screwdriver optimizes the crossovers for your new mid/tweeter module.
VPI turntable & cartridge, Pass Labs amplification, and Denafrips R2R DAC.
Whether playing vinyl or digital sources through the Pass Labs amplification electronics, the Pure Audio Project Trio 15 Classic loudspeakers provided state-of-art performance at real world prices.
The highly adjustable Pass Labs XP-17 phono stage (review HERE) sounded brilliant with the VPI 'table & cartridge.
I was also very impressed with the Pass Labs INT-25 integrated amplifier, which is basically a Pass Labs XA-25 Class A stereo amplifier (review HERE) with a minimalist preamplifier stage.
This is the perfect example of a minimalist high-fidelity audio system, that is not only affordable, but can provide a level of musicality and visuospatial sound quality that exceeded the performance of many 'super' audio systems at the Pacific Audio Fest that cost ten times more.
If you feel a need to spend more money, just add the field-coil mid/tweeter option, and you've got a very exotic pair of loudspeakers with above state-of-art performance that is still in the realm of a cost-effective and sensible purchase.
Prototype Pure Audio Project listening chair.
Also on display was a prototype of the Pure Audio Project listening chair, built with the same modular frame approach as the loudspeakers, which I found to be quite comfy.
Click on the link below to go to Part 5.
