Page 26 - Hi-Fi World (January 2020)

REVIEW

Chord Company Epic balanced
cables.
Hi-res was sent through the
Oppo from a MacBook Pro running
on battery power to avoid ground
loop noise, using an Audirvana +
player to deliver DSD as well as hi-
res. For the most part though I feel
high quality CD best represents
the common listening experience
and used high dynamic range
(uncompressed) CD tracks of good
quality to avoid CD distortions.
This is something of an issue with
good loudspeakers, since their
revealing nature can make things
sound worse rather than better
when spinning dodgy digital.
However, the Orkan 9s are
not a loudspeaker that throw
"The Orkan

9s stay with

Quadral’s

design ethos

of absolute

accuracy

– one of the

reasons I like

them so much"

information out in brutal fashion.
Rather, like all other Quadral
Aurum series loudspeakers I
A large reflex port is positioned low on the cabinet's rear panel. have reviewed, the new Orkan
Below it are sturdy, gold plated mono-wire terminals. The feet 9s were creamily smooth and
shown are an optional extra. deeply svelte; “sophisticated” is
the word that I kept on using in
a gentle inverted bowl shape. Connection is through mono- my listening notes. What you get
This covers a wide range, working wire terminals – there is no here is an easy yet natural sound
from 3.7kHz they suggest in their bi-wire option. They are sturdy, that, the longer I listened the
specs, down to 260Hz, to give a gold plated and accept bare wire, more I was drawn in. With Henry
consistent sound from the Orkan spade terminals and 4mm banana Mancini’s Pink Panther theme
9, although our measurements plugs. (CD), gentle cymbal taps had
show the tweeter starts to come filigree detail, the ribbon tweeter
in around 2.5kHz. The midrange SOUND QUALITY making its abilities supremely
unit sits in a damped chamber that I ran the Orkan 9s from our obvious without any sense of
absorbs rear radiation. Creek Evolution 100A amplifier push imposed by deliberate
Below the midrange unit sit through Chord Company Signature emphasis. It was delicately sweet
two 180mm diameter Quadral Reference cables. Sources were in delivery. Meanwhile, the rest
Altima bass units, loaded by a an Oppo BDP-205D Universal of the orchestra cruised along
chamber reflex ported on the rear player to spin CD, still one of the with engaging strength. A lovely
panel. By using similar materials smoothest and best CD players performance, clear and refined.
for all drive units Quadral keep even though not available any Nils Lofgren’s complex finger
the Orkan 9s consistent in tonal more. Connection was XLR out to work on guitar with Keith Don’t
colour. the Creek’s balanced inputs, using Go was similarly set out with
26 HI-FI WORLD JANUARY 2020 www.hi-fiworld.co.uk