“Such precision in reproduction is not commonplace. It is not the speakers that stand in the room, but the music.”

Test:

28 August 2020

FIDELITY MAGAZINE IS ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT H10 LOUDSPEAKERS:

“IT’S NOT THE SPEAKERS IN THE ROOM, IT’S THE MUSIC”.

“Such precision in reproduction is not commonplace. It is not the speakers that stand in the room, but the music.”

By Harald Wittig – Fidelity Magazine

“SOUND FROM IMPERIAL GRACES”.

The test speakers in the “light oak” finish are true gems and bear witness to great craftsmanship, as do the speaker covers that can be attached by means of magnets. In other words: the buyer obviously gets a lot for his money. But the beautiful appearance is nothing if the ear impression is not coherent. Now it’s time to listen! First of all, we want to feed the noble Aacheners with digital sound fare – if Markus Höffner is aiming for euphony in perfect harmony, the formidable album In Tune by the Oscar Peterson Trio with the outstanding Singers Unlimited fits perfectly. For complex harmonies can hardly be sung better, and piano virtuoso Peterson provides the congenial accompaniment with his own rhythmic-harmonic power. Even the grippingly swinging “Sesame Street” makes you sit up and take notice: Such precision in reproduction is not commonplace. It is not the loudspeakers that are in the room, but the music.

A sound body of three-dimensional, holographic shape, shimmering in all colourful details, is formed by the sound transducers from Aachen, proving how valuable the evergreen MPS production is and will remain forever. Although it is difficult, I have to jump to the opulent arrangements of “The Shadow Of Your Smile” with the extremely sensitive Peterson solo and the final “Here’s That Rainy Day” and bask in the sound oasis – sensational. This also applies to the pure digital mode without a walking in-between step, without me deciding which mode I prefer.

REDISCOVERING VINYL TREASURES

In fact, I have the most fun with the H10 pair after connecting my Violectric PPA V600 phono preamplifier to the speakers and actually enjoy LPs for days on end, for example The Yes Album, Splendido Hotel by Al Di Meola – a perfect glossy production from 1980 – the peculiar German rock album Interzone by the band of the same name as well as the masterful CTI album First Light by trumpet master Freddie Hubbard. I thought I knew my LPs then – and now, thanks to the Höffners, I can discover the music all over again. The respective fingerprints of musicians and sound engineers as well as the effects of the time have never been so ear-catching and clear to me before. This is reproduction by imperial grace.

Conclusion Fidelity

A neutrally tuned, very high-resolution active speaker with excellent impulse response and terrific spatial imaging.