Acoustic Zen Crescendo Mk. II Speakers Invade Sacramento
I love music...! And as a music lover and audiophile, I was recently afforded the opportunity to attend a demo in central Cali of some special speakers, Acoustic Zen’s recently updated Crescendo Mk. II.
Based out of San Diego, Acoustic Zen is the brainchild of noted design engineer Robert Lee, who happened to be conducting the demo…! An affable fellow, Robert’s energy and passion for music are reflected in his products. His audio cables and speakers have been garnering rave reviews for years. Three floorstanding speaker models are currently available from Acoustic Zen, and in the middle of that lineup, the “sweet spot”, is the Crescendo Mk. II.
A full range speaker (no subwoofer needed), the Crescendo Mk.
II is a 3-way transmission
line design, with a 2” horn loaded ribbon tweeter for the highs, a pair of
5” midrange drivers in a MTM configuration, and two 8” woofers for the low
stuff. The Mk. II update brings improvements
to the drivers and their magnet assemblies, as well as a reinforced cabinet
design, all resulting in lower resonance and distortion. For a detailed rundown of Robert’s
engineering on the Crescendo, see his technical notes here. Truly fascinating stuff...! The speakers themselves weigh in at 125
lbs/per, and stand 50” H x 11” W x 17” D, and are available in four stunningly
finished wood veneers: maple, walnut,
ebony and rosewood.
“Hey Feldmann, how do they sound...?”
Powered by top-shelf electronics from Pass Labs (more on
Pass Labs coming soon), Meitner and Oppo, the speakers sounded scary good! Excellent dynamics and imaging caught my
attention, along with coherence from high notes to low. I was especially enamored with the tight, tuneful
and properly proportioned bass notes, resultant of Robert’s successful
transmission line engineering. These
speakers sounded good on all types of music, from small ensemble jazz to large
scale orchestra, rock and roll, and everything in between.
If you are looking at speakers under $30,000, the Crescendo
Mk. II at $18,000 is a must audition.
You might not let them get away…!
I would also be remiss without sending a thank you to the
good people at the Sierra Nevada
Audiophile Society for providing a wonderful day of music.
Cheers…!