Gradient Helsinki 1.5
The Gradient Helsinki 1.5 is a work of art; a brilliant effort by designer Jorma Salmi to literally sculpt the soundfield into a expansive and holographic experience.
“This unusual design from Gradient’s Jorma Salmi, with wave-guided tweeter, disc-mounted midrange, and side-firing dipole woofer, is intended to erase your listening room from the sound you hear. And it delivers the goods: Few other speakers can give you an equal sense of being transported to the performance venue. With the right setup, its spatial performance is at the top level attainable at any price.” – Editors Choice Award 2011, The Absolute Sound
While the audio industry is busy designing speakers that measures well in anechoic chambers, the team at Gradient is thinking hard about the interaction between loudspeaker, listener and the room. The Gradient Helsinki is the cumulation of years of original, innovative thinking. This is a design that applies very finely tuned controlled directivity and dipole bass, such that the sound-field interacts primarily with the listener, and minimally with the room. You hear much more of the recording, and much less of the room.
You probably can tell from the name; yes the Helsinki and all Gradient speakers are hand-built in Finland.
“Though I was skeptical at first, I came away thinking that the Helsinki 1.5 is a must-hear for anyone with a taste for hi-fi adventure, and quite possibly a must-own for anyone for whom clarity of presence can tip the scale toward ecstasy.” – Art Dudley, Stereophile
“One of the most exciting and realistic-sounding loudspeakers money can buy.” – Alan Sircom, Hi-Fi+
“Best Sound of the SSI Show (Montreal SSI 2010)” -Marc Philip, Audio Magazine
“This speaker has things to offer that no other does, especially in putting you in the space of the recording venue. There is literally nothing else like it, and it is an indispensable audition if you care about the proverbial ‘state of the art’.” – Robert E. Greene, The Absolute Sound
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