{"id":25295,"date":"2020-09-11T13:03:05","date_gmt":"2020-09-11T11:03:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hifi-advice.com\/blog\/?p=25295"},"modified":"2021-04-19T12:25:29","modified_gmt":"2021-04-19T10:25:29","slug":"xavian-premio-esclusivo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hifi-advice.com\/blog\/review\/loudspeaker-reviews\/loudspeakers-passive-reviews\/xavian-premio-esclusivo\/","title":{"rendered":"Xavian Premio Esclusivo"},"content":{"rendered":"

Review samples kindly supplied by Boelsz Audio<\/a>
\nRetail prices in the Netherlands:
\nPremio Esclusivo speakers – 4.400 euro per pair
\nPremio Esclusivo Stands – 858 euro per pair<\/h4>\n

After having lived with a pair of Xavian Perla Esclusiva<\/a> loudspeakers for over 2 years, one thing is for sure: I am a fan. Of course, at their price one cannot have limitless expectations but even if they are not the last word in finesse, resolution or bass extension, the cuties always go straight for the core and they never fail to make beautiful and engaging music. In the secondary room where they are permanently placed, their bass extension is precisely adequate, the room mode filling in nicely at the point where the speakers’ output rolls off.<\/p>\n

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Of course, one thing the Perla’s are not is full-range. With the Premio Esclusivo’s 23mm thick solid oak wood enclosure of 386 x 230 x 276 mm versus the Perla’s 315 x 190 x 236 mm, double the weight and a claimed -3dB point as low as 35Hz, that’s one aspect the bigger model aims to address. The cabinets are damped internally using bitumen and “other layers of damping material”. Other improvements can be found in the higher-spec AudioBarletta drivers and more exclusive electrical components such as audiophile Mundorf capacitors and resistors on the crossovers. Actually, when comparing the specs, the Premio Esclusivo closely resembles the more luxurious range-topper Orfeo.<\/p>\n

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Supplied with my review pair are the optional solid oak wood Premio Esclusivo stands that are a perfect fit both aesthetically and practically. The speakers can be screwed securely to the stands’ top plates and due to their wide bases, the speakers have absolutely no tendency to topple over, not even when nudged.<\/p>\n

Like the speakers, the stands are available in a range of colors among which the speakers’ High Gloss Black and the stands’ Dark Oak. For this room, I’d probably have made the reverse combination, using black stands with Oak speakers, but then, because of the Perla’s, I’m probably biased. The main message is that because the stands and speakers are sold separately, all combinations are possible. At 858 euros for the pair, the stands are relatively costly but they are solidly made and visually pleasing. Contrary to the stands that were supplied with my Perla’s, there is no option to use spikes with the Premio Esclusiva stands. Instead, Xavian implemented a system with steel levers that can be adjusted from the top while the speakers remain in their positions. Onto these steel levers, one can attach the supplied felt pads and for my review pair, that was already done.<\/p>\n

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Running In<\/h3>\n

The pair is indicated to require 400 hours of playing time before they give their best. When delivered to me they had played roughly half that while successive sessions at my place added no more than 60 hours to this. While I thus have not approached their specified fully run in point, I did notice clear improvements, especially during the first few sessions. Most obviously, the sound became more forceful and dynamic along with a further filling out of the presence and dynamic impact in the lower midrange and a subtle solidifying in the lower bass.<\/p>\n

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Listening<\/h3>\n

After placing the Premio Esclusivo’s in the Perlas’ positions in the secondary setup, it’s indeed blatantly obvious that these speakers go significantly lower in the bass. I did not often feel like I was listening to small speakers with the Perla’s in this room but once the Premio Esclusivo’s started playing, that perception changed right away. Despite only a modest size increase, the Premio Esclusivo is much more of a full-range system. The published -3dB point at 35Hz is quite lofty given the small bass driver and modest enclosure but as is evident from the moment that you start playing, the speakers definitely dive as deeply as any notes that I could find in my music. My rather imperfect secondary listening room does have a room mode\/resonance down below which is not normally activated by the Perlas’ more restricted bass range but with speakers that go as low as the Premio Esclusivo’s, there was some bass excess at certain notes. This was just another sign that the 35Hz value is to be taken seriously and if I were to use such deep-diving speakers in this room permanently, in order to extract the best of them, some serious bass-trapping would be in order. Here, I would also like to caution for using these speakers too close to rear- and sidewalls. As listening in the main room would confirm, they absolutely sound best when set-up entirely freely. For now, though, this was easy to ignore, because the sound was otherwise so superb.<\/p>\n

The Ayon Spirit III<\/a> integrated amplifier showed once again that it has remarkable bass grip and solidity not only for a tube amp but even when compared to some transistor alternatives. With its KT-150 quad, there was also certainly no shortage of power. Perfectly augmenting the amplifier’s solidity as well as its naturally colorful midrange is the Ayon CD-10 II<\/a> CD player, connected with FoilFlex XLR interlinks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While I know that the Perla’s are not as refined or as highly resolving as the best speakers I heard, during normal listening (not comparing), it’s not blatantly obvious they are lacking in resolution. Well, that changed instantly when the Premio Esclusivo’s started playing. They are much more refined and not only subtler in their unraveling of fine detail but these subtle details are also more distinct and better separated within the mix.<\/p>\n

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One of the most noteworthy aspects of these speakers is their super-spacious and free-flowing nature. This was already evident in the secondary setup but became even blatantly obvious in the main listening room. Incidentally, in this<\/em> setup, I felt that the speakers’ black appearance actually blended in particularly well.<\/p>\n

In the context of the Aqua Formula xHD v2 DAC<\/a> with the bargain-of-the-century Audio GD Master 1<\/a> preamp and the\u00a0CH Precision A1.5<\/a> amplifier and connected with FoilFlex speaker cables<\/a>, they amazed me by sounding so transparent and revealing to the point of unveiling the smallest differences that I made upstream with other components. To my surprise, it took almost no adjusting on my part to be able to reliably use the Xavians as review tools. More importantly, they have a highly lyrical and emotionally engaging delivery.<\/p>\n

With incredibly deep imaging (bettering the Magico S1 mkII’s as well as the Martin Logan ESL15A’s<\/a>) and soundstage layering that goes all the way back to the back wall (which is more than 3 meters away), the soundstage fills the room absolutely effortlessly. The music simply never seems to originate directly from the speakers and is dynamically and rhythmically entirely free. These are the aspects that make one forget about the technical aspects of the replay and enjoy the music itself.<\/p>\n

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While the soundstaging is benchmark-setting, the focus is great but not razor-sharp. The Magico’s, for example, project more sharply to form a very precise center image between the speakers but of course, these have prohibitive price tags. But I also can’t say that I have heard better focus from speakers at around the cost of a pair of Premio Esclusivos. Musically speaking, of course, this is of absolutely no consequence and I only mention it because the speakers otherwise perform so magnificently, not only musically but also ticking nearly all the usual audiophile boxes.<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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,\u00a0allowing the various bass stabs to hit deep and with good impact while avoiding ever sounding dry or technical in any way.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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Cables, Combinations and setup<\/h3>\n

The slightly<\/em> 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<\/a> speaker cables provided a rounder, fuller, darker and more intimate presentation that, while saturated and appealingly colorful, did not match ideally with the speakers.<\/p>\n

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The NuPrime ST10<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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Conclusion<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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Associated Equipment<\/a><\/p>\n

External Links<\/h3>\n

Manufacturer: Xavian<\/a>
\nDistributor for the Netherlands: HetNieuweAudio<\/a><\/p>\n

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