Brodmann
BRODMANN loudspeakers have recently had their successful introduction to the market after taking over the previous Bosendorfer range of speakers. The previous range has been extensively revised and new models added to bring the even greater realisation of true music reproduction. I could clearly hear and appreciate the various differences between piano manufacturers like Steinway and Brodmann etc. If you appreciate genuine music realism then these could be the ultimate speakers for you.
It was at RMAF - Rocky Mountain Music Fest, where I first experienced Brodmann speakers, incidentally they were bring driven by Electrocompaniet gear, One of the occasions I was in their room a Recording Engineer came and bought a pair of their new Festival F1 stand mounting speakers, when asked why Brodmann amongst all the rest at the show, his comment, "I have been looking for 3-1/2yrs for speakers that gave me what I know music sounds like, I have been playing my recordings throughout the show and Brodmann speakers are the first to give me what I know is true to the real sound, so I am buying them today." What better acclamation or higher praise do we need than that for a loudspeaker?
RMAF 2011: Brodmann, Electrocompaniet: comment by Socrates7
"Brodmann Acoustics was showing off several speakers at the show over the weekend, paired with some wonderful gear from Electrocompaniet. But unfortunately for me, I can’t find the sheet of notes that talked about them.
I did get treated to a lengthy discussion about what makes them different, however. First, there’s no internal bracing at all. “Why would you stuff a Stradivarious with damping material?” was the line I remembered. I ventured that vibrational energy might not be conducive to good sound, at which point I was told that not all vibrational energy is bad. While the cabinet itself is entirely inert, I was told, there is a twist. Namely, the precisely mounted side panels — easiest to see on the burled-veneer units, below. These panels are mounted precisely at 4mm from the main cabinet — and will resonate during playback. Interestingly, they’re said to act as a woofer, greatly increasing depth and the quality of the tone. I was also told that the discovery itself happened quite by accident, but happily one that was replicable and applicable.
While the actual explanation on why this works is entirely beyond me, I have to offer this: whatever it was, these speakers had some of the best, most inviting sound at the show. And the little speakers on the side, the Festival FS, not only filled the room with deep, moving music, they struck me as simply incredible. The sheer size, scope and depth of the image they threw completely belied their size. In a word? Enthralling"..
And they’re my second nod for Best in Show. Fantastic speakers. Just fantastic
Brodmann has been very successful since 1828 in the world of high quality sound. However I must admit that I had never heard of Brodmann pianos from Vienna. The only Viennese piano manufacturer I was aware of prior to the 2010 RMAF was Bösendorfer, and Brodmann's Bernd Gruhn (pictured) enlightened me, explaining that back in the day, Herr Brodmann had been Herr Bösendorfer's teacher. I mentioned that it was a coincidence that a second Viennese piano manufacturer was branching out into loudspeaker production—Bösendorfer launched an idiosyncratic line of speakers at a New York Stereophile Show a few years back—only to find out that it wasn't a coincidence at all. The Brodmann speakers are designed by Hans Deutsch, who had licensed his designs to Bösendorfer. When that company withdrew from the speaker business, Deutsch approached Brodmann.
The Bösendorfer speakers had featured vibrating panels, which made them sound superb on piano recordings and colored on other kinds of music. The Brdomann speakers still feature vibrating panels below 130Hz, but sounded uncoloured on the Joshua Bell recording of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto. (Elecronics were an Electrocompaniet EMC-10P CD player, EC4.8 preamp, and AW250 power amp.)
Gruhn told me that unlike the Bösendorfer designs, the Brodmann's vibrating panels, one on each side, are loosely coupled to the cabinet, which reduces the coloration and allows the benefit of the large radiating area at low frequencies to be realized. The VC2, which was being demonstrated, uses a pair of conventional midrange units mounted on the sides of the speaker to cover the range from 130Hz to 1600Hz, with two dome tweeters mounted on the front of the cabinet taking over above that region.
Brodmann Loudspeaker - The Philosophy:
Our commitment to this great musical tradition has led to the development of the loudspeaker program, with which Brodmann sets another new standard in the world of quality sound.
At the heart of this development and listening experience is the active acoustic principle, the horn resonator and the plate resonator, which enable the optimised adjustment of sound to the space around it. The entire loudspeaker box is a single body of sound - the entire loudspeaker is an instrument. Similar to the strings of a piano that causes the entire grand piano to vibrate through a complex interaction of a steel frame and wooden case. Brodmann loudspeakers produce an unparalleled, authentic listening experience.
We have managed to build cabinets with fewer unwanted resonances in the first place, eliminating the need for practically any damping.
Loudspeakers in accordance with the Acoustic-Active Principle
The high-fidelity scene has not remained unaffected by technological advances; contemporary amplifiers, for instance, are built with an almost purist lack of superfluous filters and equalizers. And it is the simplest set-up in the best quality available that achieves a minimum of sound distortion. A new standard in fidelity has been set: less is more. As Brodmann acoustic researcher Hans Deutsch explains: “I have been working with this technology and applying this principle since the 1970s and it is in this spirit that I have developed my speaker systems. Brodmann loudspeakers made in accordance with the Acoustic-Active Principle mark the pinnacle of my career. The combination of state-of-the-art recording technology and the most modern techniques in amplifier construction used to produce these loudspeakers in conjunction with the appropriate cables, electronics and recordings, achieve the most breath-takingly true-to-life listening experience. This has been repeatedly confirmed, not only by journalists and specialist dealers, but first and foremost by the musicians themselves and connoisseurs of authentic performance world-wide.”
The heart of the matter
As a rule, conventional technology suppresses all resonances and overtones, linearizing the frequency curves by means of an overload of frequency filters, with little regard for the overall sound. No distinction is made between unwanted vibrations and essential sound resonances. Yet according to a basic principle of acoustics, resonances form the foundation for authentic sound. The sound produced by conventional loudspeakers fails to be lifelike because their resonances have all been overdamped. Brodmann, however, has managed to build cabinets with fewer unwanted resonances in the first place, eliminating the need for practically any damping. The “Acoustic Sound-Boards” on either side of the cabinet function as passive and therefore neutral resonators. These resonators or absorbers are activated only when connected directly to the tuners and set into vibration (a principle going back to H. von Helmholtz, inventor of the eponymous Helmholtz resonator). The “Acoustic SoundBoards” are large, distortion-free vibrating membranes by which Brodmann loudspeakers acquire the properties of a musical instrument. The reproduction of the authentic resonances of musical instruments and the human voice is one of the secrets of the life-like sound created by these outstan-ding loudspeakers. Air core coil and distortion minimizing construction of the frequency filters.
Authentic sound reproduction has its price
Brodmann loudspeakers, operating in accordance with the Acoustic-Active Principle, reproduce only the information actually registered on a music recording. Your ear will appreciate the absence of any “additional information” produced by the loudspeakers.
How do you benefit?
A unique, true-to-life listening experience at "Greenslade House" in Hamilton and if you like what you hear then we can discuss an audition in your own home.
Audiophiles comments;
Submitted by Joseph:
I listened to all three models they had, the VC1, the VC2, and the VC7. They sounded equally perfect playing both piano and violin music as well as vocals, jazz, and rock. In fact, out of everything I heard in the show, I liked these the best. However, it was clear to me that they needed a much larger room for the VC7 speakers.
Submitted by Arthur:
From what I have heard, I would buy a pair Brodmann speakers before investing in anything else. The Brodmann speakers are equivalent sonically to the finest classical instruments resonating in just the perfect way. One could not hope for more.
Submitted by Morris:
Actually I had the pleasure of listening to these speakers at the RMAF and I found them to be very responsive and gave the "being there" feeling. The "Acoustic Woofer" they spoke about seemed to work very well. No chest pounding and no fatigue, just a clean accurate reproduction. The one thing that I found interesting was the voice quality, the voices always seemed clear to me and natural, one of the guys there explained that it was the fact that the response of the tweeter was not cut off in the middle of the voice range. I was even able to tell the difference between a good microphone recording and one where the Mic was basically over driven.I can't wait to hear them in a better setting than the tiny room in Denver, by the way my wife voted them best looking speaker at the show, she also went back for a second piece of chocolate.
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