Listening
Contents
We begin with “Reclaim,” the debut from Spanish DJ Pépe. An electronic album that is particularly ingenious and full of little bleeps and blops. Although the Haydn SE Signature does not achieve pit-deep bass, we find the quality of the mid-bass in particular outstanding. Those who like a ‘full range’ sound will always need a subwoofer but even without a sub we enjoy the bouncing beats on this album. Only with the drum and bass tracks we sometimes miss some impact but that is simply inherent to the laws of a compact speaker.
Time for some calmer music with “Wide Open” by the Danish trio Little North. An album full of atmospheric jazz music. The interaction between the piano, double bass and drums is excellent and you feel on this fifth record that the musicians are now completely in tune with each other. The compositions are rather subdued which makes this music come into its own especially at night. The Haydn SE Signature puts the piano in the spotlight, as it should be. The drums sound very clean and fresh with perfectly timed sounds from the double bass. The Haydn SE Signature brings the atmosphere of this album right into our listening room and keeps the listener’s attention.
We don’t have much with dreampop but we really like the new Daughter. This is mainly due to Elena Tonra’s voice. It continues to captivate. The fact that the songs on the new album “Stereo Mind Game” are excellent also helps, of course. We catch ourselves listening to this album more and more often.
The Haydn SE Signature also brings credibility and honesty to this music. Vocals never get sharp which makes a lot of pop music sound excellent. We are in the music and sympathize with the London singer who has already had an intense life. The Haydn SE Signature, like the Haydn Jubilee, has the special quality of not drawing attention to anything but still pulling you completely into the music.
Noblesse oblige and so we seek a contemporary performance of Joseph Haydn’s string concertos. We find that with Quatuor Akos, four young artists, who breathe new life into Haydn’s string quartets. Or rather instill them. Haydn is often seen as the father of the string quartets and we notice that again here. The enjoyment of playing shines through and while for some listeners it may remain a bit too polite and not splash enough, we think the balance is just right. The placement of the musicians is precise and the texture and tonality of the violin, viola and cello is exactly what we expect from these instruments.
R&B and Soul is a genre we normally have nothing to do with but for Eddie Chacon we make an exception. What a discovery. This artist deconstructs the genre only to meticulously rebuild it. “Sundown” is the kind of album that takes you completely by surprise. It is excellently recorded and full of inventiveness. Chacon has a gift for catching the listener off guard but at the same time makes sure you understand what he is getting at. The title track transports us to a sunny beach in the Caribbean. The Haydn SE Signature seems made for this kind of music. Relaxed, chill and with a great flow. Delicious.
We also listened to Lana Del Rey, Boygenius, Nits, Henny Vrienten, Intergalactic Lovers, Flying Horseman, Carla dal Forno, Lady Blackbird, Damien Jurado, Isolde Lasoen and Sonny Rollins.
Compare
That the Haydn SE Signature goes beyond the Haydn Jubilee we have already established but what about when we add a speaker from the same price range? The Neat Petite Classic, for example. That one has an AMT tweeter and sounds a bit more detailed than the Haydn SE Signature. The Neat plays smaller and will also do more justice in a smaller room. The Neat is more critical on the whole chain and you have to put a bit more effort to get everything right. Also in terms of placement.
Our more expensive Revels sound more holographic and have a little more punch, slam and oomph underneath. You do have to equip the Revel with the right amp otherwise the highs can get a little too punchy. The Revels are also faster than the Vienna’s but we feel the sublow rolls on a bit less long than the Haydn SE Signature. The Revel is more neutral across the board versus the Haydn SE Signature which comes across as a fraction “warmer. The Haydn is more conversational and will perform excellently in most circumstances. Despite the price increase, we are confident that the Haydn SE Signature can hold its own with the better speakers in our latest multitest.
