The midrange is often where it all happens but with the Premio Esclusivo, the midrange and treble are so utterly seamlessly forged together that you can’t discuss them separately. The delivery is absolutely seamless. It’s an effortlessly liquid yet highly transparent nature that simply makes the best of whatever is played. They have a subtle hint of warmth and are capable of rich, saturated colors but they are also very transparent and revealing and absolutely never sound colored in any way. While they will never offend with hardness or grain, they are actually very dynamic and in an utterly natural manner.
Further adding to the success story is that the timbre is very natural and highly convincing. There is absolutely no trace of electronic-ness or artifice here. The treble is also noteworthy as it maintains a superb balance between expression, articulation and openness on the one hand and refinement, air and liquidity on the other hand. The tweeter may have a simple appearance but the impregnated soft dome with a flat aluminum wire voice coil and ceramic magnet clearly deliver outstanding performance.
While the bass goes very deep indeed, I did find that it is more of a round and smooth kind of bass rather than the chiseled-in-stone kind. It’s smooth rather than square. Don’t get me wrong, the bass is of great quality, not woolly or slow, but in its upper range, it doesn’t quite have the direct impact that the Perla’s do. When thinking of speakers that have similar bass behavior, Graham Audio LS5/9’s spring to mind, although the Xavians are more percussive and faster on their feet.
The speakers very craftily thread the fine line between being revealing, precise and highly nuanced while simultaneously being easy-going and supremely involving. They are especially gorgeous with guitar, piano and choral works but they also work remarkably well with modern R&B, allowing the various bass stabs to hit deep and with good impact while avoiding ever sounding dry or technical in any way.
Perhaps the nicest compliment that they received was from a neighbor who commented the next day how the choral works had sounded so realistic and simultaneously non-intrusive when heard through our open windows.
Cables, Combinations and setup
The slightly soft upper bass is the only area where I feel that the speaker could do better. It’s also what dictates the use of a fast and dynamic amplifier and open and transparent cables. What worked remarkably synergistically are the very neutral and very transparent FoilFlex cables, both the interlinks and speaker cables. The Driade Flow 405 speaker cables provided a rounder, fuller, darker and more intimate presentation that, while saturated and appealingly colorful, did not match ideally with the speakers.
The NuPrime ST10 drove the speakers effortlessly and elicited a remarkably full-blooded bass from them but its dark and sonorous character did not pair quite as well as the airy and transparent CH Precision amp. The latter really showcased the speakers’ high resolution and transparency.
In the introduction, I mentioned the felt pads for the stands’ feet. My demo pair was already fitted with these pads and together with the felt pads on top of the stands, this makes a double felt-coupling which I think is not ideal for obtaining the tightest sound. Indeed, when bypassing the felt strips by placing Finite Elemente Cerapucs underneath, the bass firmed up and became a little bit more articulate. While I wouldn’t say that this transforms the sound, it’s worthwhile to note that I feel that it’s best to avoid the felt pads.
As with the Perla’s when used in the main listening room, I found that it’s best to position the speakers a little closer together than I do with the Magicos or the Martin Logans. This way, you obtain the best in overall solidity and impact as well as the fullest timbre.
Conclusion
The Premio Esclusivo is a superbly natural-sounding speaker that always brings the maximum in engagement. Their liquidity and free-flowing nature convey emotion with incredible ease while just as easily bringing excitement dynamically and rhythmically. There is a subtle hint of warmth and the speakers are capable of rich, saturated colors but they are also very transparent and revealing and they absolutely never sound colored in any way.
Understandably, they are not the last word in mid-bass slam but they do go very deep. While not ideal for hard-rock or grunge (which requires a less subtle and more hard-hitting JBL-like delivery), they are especially gorgeous with guitar, piano and choral works but, really, they fared absolutely fabulously with every musical style that I played.
For their natural and convincingly lifelike quality, superb transparency and absolutely gobsmackingly fabulous soundstaging, the Premio Esclusivo’s are easily my favorite speakers at this price point.
External Links
Manufacturer: Xavian
Distributor for the Netherlands: HetNieuweAudio
Hi Christiaan, ik neem aan dat je het hier over de Premio’s hebt: Of course, one thing the Perla’s are not is full-range. With a 23mm thick solid oak wood enclosure of 386 x 230 x 276 mm versus the Perla’s 315 x 190 x 236 mm,
Hi Dick, I am referring to the Perlas when I say they are not full-range. I’ve now slightly modified the text to make this clearer.
hi Christiaan,
You awarded the Premio Exclusivo after a raving review.
You were also enthusiastic about the Graham Audio LS5/9, how do these two speakers compare in your opinion ?
I listen to classical, vocal and jazz mainly, which of these speakers would you recommend taken into account that my room size is about 45m2. Or would the LS5/9f be a better choice in my situation ?
best regards
The Premio Esclusivo is well-balanced and quite versatile and will work in many circumstances whereas the Graham LS5/9’s (and any other Graham speaker) is more of an acquired taste. They have a very special liquid and organic (typically classic-English) quality in the midrange that no other modern speaker really does quite so. However, I think bass behavior is the biggest differentiator. While the Xavians are also not the punchiest speakers that I have heard, the Grahams are lusher and more relaxed in the bass. Great for many styles, but not Rock and Roll.
thanks Christiaan for taking the time to answer my questions, much appreciated !
May I recommend you try to review the Q Acoustics Concept 500 loudspeakers ? They have a special designed enclosure that seem to work pretty well and also offer great sound quality because of it.
Hello,
congratutlation for your article, one want´s to hear or even buy this speakers immediately. Do you know the Ambras as well? And can you tell the difference between them. The Premio cost 1.400€ more, do you think they are worth the extra money?
Thanks and best regards
Glad you like the article! Alas, I have not heard the Ambras. I *suspect* that they are slightly more punchy and upbeat (as the Perlas) while the Premio Esclusivo will sound lusher and go deeper in the bass. But this is pure conjecture… 🙂
Hi Chris,
A great article once again;=) Though I missed your view how it compares to Serblin Accordo. I would love to hear your TaKe on this matter.
Your input would be a higly appreciated. how this speaker sounds (low/mid/high, tone, coherence, etu) when comparings to Franco’s design.
Of course, from your memory;=) I’m just curious as Accordo does not have your ”Highly Recommended” status, but this speaker has it.
Thank you in advance for your time and effort.
Usually, when I don’t have a product at hand for direct comparison, I don’t make references in a review as to how they compare sonically. But I can tell you that the Premio Esclusivo has considerably deeper and fuller bass, and overall, it sounds a little richer/warmer/creamier. Bass depth is a qualitative matter but richness versus neutrality is more of a personal preference. The “Highly Recommended” status is assigned based on personal preference and how a product compares to others in its price range. With the Accordo’s, it’s mostly their high price that was taken into consideration. I like the Accordo’s a lot sonically and think they look fantastic but they are very costly for speakers that are as limited in the bass as they are. The Premio Esclusivo offers better value for money, hence they are highly recommended and the Accordos are not (even if the latter can also be recommended if you don’t mind paying the premium).