Background

During the Hifi Expo 2013, I visited beforehand selected and the most interested rooms. However, I decided not to write about it, just because of the lack of informative contents. This did not mean that there was not good sound available. Instead, there was nothing very new for me and other experienced enthusiasts, except in one specific room! The short listening in this room took only a couple of minutes, but it made me so impressed that I still remember it clearly and still wonder how high results a proper listening would have actually given.

So, why couldn’t I make a deeper analysis? Well, I was unlucky! When I came into this room for the first time, the listening session was quite near of its ending. Anyway, I managed to sit down on the sweet spot and listen to the setup a couple of minutes. Immediately, I was sold and asked for a continual. However, the session was ended and the setup was changed. I decided to come back later, but when I did, I was unlucky again! The funny thing was that my colleagues could not listen to this setup at all. This is what can happen during events!

The case has bothered me continuously. Finally, I decided to write about it afterwards. You can believe that this kind of a mental tension could not be possible without a very special experience in the background. So, you can trust that the session, even done in very short time, really impressed me.

The Setup and the Sound description

The setup consisted of System Audio Pandion 2 speakers and Primare/NAD/Project front end. Those few minutes which I managed to had, were full of enjoyment and positivity. The sound was utterly transparent, well balanced, faithful in dynamic contrasts
and surprisingly big. Additionally, the notes of instruments were delivered exemplarily clearly, which gave a good basis to concentrate also on the interpretation. But, too soon the time came up and the session was over. Anyway, it was clear that I had just
got the most impressive demo of SA speakers in my audiophile history. I truly became convinced that SA had made a speaker, which had something special to offer. This notification was actually verified when I found some information from the speaker.

Information and Conclusion

Firstly, the SA based information:
SA Pandion 2 is the first loudspeaker in the world that has been created in an open forum. Everyone has been invited to participate, contribute or just curiously follow the project, step by step. It is a result of 110 volunteer engineers’ collaboration with the experienced design team of SA.

Besides the other high grade achievements, the acoustics of the loudspeaker has been carefully designed. For example, the high frequencies will spread around the room so that they cover more listening area than loudspeakers usually do. In other words, the directivity of the speakers is very well managed.

Secondly, the Highendnews conclusion:
This was the short story of the most memorable event minutes which I had last year. Please, make a favor to yourself and have a listening session with SA Pandion 2. The price in Finland is around 3500 euro/pair, but the speaker seems to be worth of every penny.


SA Pandion 2 technical specifications

Dimensions (WxHxD) cm: 19x34,5x26,5
Power handling: 200 Watts
Frequency range (+/- 1.5 dB): 40 - 25.000 Hz
Impedance: 4-8 ohm
Sensitivity (1W, 1m): 87 dB
Crossover frequency: 2000 Hz (24 dB/oct.)
Woofer: 15W/4531G08 Q113
Tweeter: D2905/990007 Q113
Construction: 2-way bass reflex
Rec. amplifier: min. 70 Watts
Packing method: in pairs
Weight loudspeaker (kg): 8 kg per speaker
Finish: white satin or high gloss black

For more information:
http://www.system-audio.com/_en-GB/loudspeakers/compact speakers/SA_pandion_2

Importer:
http://www.ah-hifisystems.fi/