{"id":35791,"date":"2023-07-31T10:10:22","date_gmt":"2023-07-31T08:10:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hifi-advice.com\/blog\/?p=35791"},"modified":"2023-07-31T10:48:58","modified_gmt":"2023-07-31T08:48:58","slug":"goldmund-tethys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hifi-advice.com\/blog\/review\/loudspeaker-reviews\/loudspeakers-passive-reviews\/goldmund-tethys\/","title":{"rendered":"Goldmund Tethys"},"content":{"rendered":"

Review performed on location at PUUR hifidelity<\/a>
\nRetail price in the Netherlands, incl. 21% VAT: 70.250 euro<\/h4>\n

The beautifully understated and elegant Tethys is the latest addition to Goldmund’s portfolio and it marks the brand’s first passive<\/em> loudspeaker in give or take 15 years. Given that all other current Goldmund loudspeakers are active designs, that is a pretty big deal. For the first time, there are no digital inputs, no wireless connectivity, and no amplifiers built in, leaving the choice of DAC, cables, and amplification entirely to the user. A word of caution: With their ultra-transparent and exacting performance, the upstream electronics better be of excellent quality! Of course, Goldmund’s own products will be perfect but PUUR chose to present the system paired with pre- and power amplification by the equally no-compromise Dutch brand Modus Audio.<\/p>\n

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The upper midrange and treble cabinet is mechanically coupled to the woofer section via a central spike system that bears the bulk of the weight. There need not be any fear of dislocation as construction feels very sturdy.<\/p>\n

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The Tethys’s design follows visual clues and technology designed for the flagship model Ga\u00efa, pictured below. Note: That’s Robert Brijde of PUUR hifidelity leaning against one of the speakers. He’s a 1.90m tall which illustrates how massive<\/em> these speakers are.<\/p>\n

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Every element of the Tethys, from the precision-engineered drivers to the carefully tuned cabinet, has been designed to reproduce sound with the utmost accuracy, detail, and clarity. Goldmund has employed “advanced crossover technology” that is said to be derived from development for the Ga\u00efa. Of course, that is an active speaker while the Tethys is passive, and curious minds want to know how an active crossover translates to a passive crossover. Alas, the precise inner workings are not revealed but as I understand it, the same topologies used to create a seamless and coherent sound across a multitude of drivers are used in both models.<\/p>\n

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The speakers can be connected using regular single-wire or bi-wire speaker cables ending in bare wire or terminated with either spades or bananas. Additionally, the speakers can be wired with Lemo connectors, a reliable locking connector standard that stems from the Pro Audio world and is also present on Goldmund mono power amplifiers. Incidentally, Ikigai cables can also be ordered with Lemo terminations.<\/p>\n

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Underneath the grill are a 9-inch woofer, a 7-inch midrange, a soft dome tweeter, and two bass-reflex ports or vents.<\/p>\n

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Out of curiosity, I asked Robert to remove the grilles. There’s nothing about the construction that looks exotic or screams “high-end” but I was nevertheless pleased with the tidy appearance. That said, I feel the speakers look better with the grilles on and that’s also how they are designed to be used. Grilles are available in black fabric (as seen in the photos made at PUUR) as well as grey fabric. The listening session was done with the grilles in place.<\/p>\n

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As usual, Goldmund does not share specifics of the drivers, leaving us only with a quoted frequency range of 38Hz – 25kHz (-6dB) and a nominal 6 Ohm impedance with a minimum dip at 4.7 Ohms. What this tells us is that the speakers should not present a very difficult load to the amplifier. With no other specs to theorize about, what remains is to simply focus on the music, which is precisely what I have done during a 3.5-hour listening session at PUUR hifidelity in Zeist.<\/p>\n

Next: System Context and Listening<\/p>\n

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System Context<\/h3>\n

The review system consists of the Pink Faun 2.16 Music Server, Chord Dave DAC, and Modus Audio SPR01 Pre-amplifier and SPA01 Power Amplifier. At the time of listening, the cables were a mix of AudioQuest (FireBird between DAC and preamp) and Ikigai (Sugure between pre- and power amp) while the speaker cables were Ikigai Kinzan and the power cables were AudioQuest Dragon and Firebird.<\/p>\n

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Modus Audio SPR01 Pre-amplifier and SPA01 Power Amplifier<\/em><\/p>\n

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With respect to the finish and materials of the Modus Audio components’ enclosure, the buyer has complete freedom. Would you like a wood finish in a certain color, or do you want an exotic type of wood, metal, or other material? Or any combination thereof? Anything is possible.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Chord Dave DAC<\/em><\/p>\n

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Pink Faun 2.16 Music Server<\/em><\/p>\n

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AudioQuest Niagara Power Conditioner<\/em><\/p>\n

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AudioQuest Fog Lifter speaker cable lifters<\/em><\/p>\n

Listening<\/h3>\n

At the moment of listening, the speakers had been used for a few days but they were likely not yet fully run in. Nevertheless, they sounded captivating right from the start. Well, maybe not the first minutes as it took some adjusting from the previous situation with the Clarisys Audio Minuet speakers. It was interesting to note that while these two speakers use entirely different mechanisms that understandably produce rather noteworthy differences in their respective presentations, they also share some important similarities.<\/p>\n

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First and foremost, whereas the Minuets produce sound in a wave-like manner filling the room with lushness and flow, the Tethys speakers produce sound in a highly energetic, fast, clean, tight, extremely stable, and well-focused manner. With such a marked difference in the overall presentation, it took me a song or two to get accustomed. But when I did, I grew ever fonder of their utter neutrality, purity, transparency, and precision. Oh, and the bass… Oh boy, it was ever so tight and articulate. These may be bass-reflex designs but they truly offer all the advantages of closed cabinets. The bass went deep but was never boomy or thick while the speakers were never lacking punch, propulsion, or drive. Rather the inverse! There is no rounding and transient attack is instant. These speakers are highly nimble and fast and deceptively expressive and dynamic!<\/p>\n

On that note, the treble could at times be a little bitey but I attribute that to the speakers needing more running in. By the way, I’d rather have the sound be a little over-enthusiastic than the other way around. While the tweeter is “merely” a soft dome design, it shows absolutely no signs of being rolled off or soft, and more importantly, it blends so well with the other drivers that there was never a moment where I could tell how many drivers are in the system. In the best sense of the word, these speakers sound as if they contain only a single driver.<\/p>\n

Unlike some designs that always sound large, the Tethys sound principally compact right until the recording demands them to branch out which they do with absolutely zero hesitation! With this, we already have three personal audiophile boxes ticked for yours truly: superb articulation, fantastic transparency and linearity, and transient attack like there is no tomorrow.<\/p>\n

Their neutrality, purity, and transparency mean that there is no additional color or body. Don’t mistake this for the speakers sounding lean or devoid of saturation. Depending on what is the personal reference, it may appear that way because some speakers have a lot of personality such as a wooden tonality, extra-rich bass, or a velvety warmth. But if you ask me, many speakers have a fuller and warmer sound than I feel is strictly neutral or natural. On the other hand, all Goldmund products are equally neutral as they are natural, and coming from an active Goldmund design, the Tethys are very easy to switch to. The Tethys sure can sound smooth or warm, but only when the recording contains these sonic traits.<\/p>\n

Throughout my listening session, I had the feeling that I was now hearing more air, higher resolution and more refinement than during demos of the brand’s bigger active systems. This may well tie in with the amplification and cables used, but I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of reaping the benefits of staying in the analog domain.<\/p>\n

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Loudness is also not a problem. These speakers will play very loudly without compressing, and more impressively, without ever allowing the mix to become messy or clumped together. No matter the volume level, all the individual instruments are crisp and focused and their place within the soundstage is rock-solid. When playing very softly, the clarity is all there, and it remains that way no matter how loudly you play.<\/p>\n

Orchestral registrations are also special, for starters, thanks to the superlatively nimble bass that is perfectly crossed over to the pure and clean midrange, and secondarily, thanks to the high resolution and transparency, and the speakers’ true to the source timbre that leaves all instruments be their self, rather than an interpretation. I don’t know how Goldmund managed it, but these drivers simply do not overlay any character of their own.<\/p>\n

Having listened to the Tethys for these 3.5 hours and when Robert confirmed that Coherence was a key aspect of the Tethys’ design brief, it finally dawned on me what was meant by them being modeled after the work done for the Ga\u00efa. I’ve been told that Dr. V\u00e9ronique Adam, head of the Goldmund R&D team, is one of the very best in the field of crossover design. That cannot be a coincidence.<\/p>\n

These speakers may cost serious money but what they offer is the rare trait of combining Magnetostatic-like purity and transparency with incisive and lightning-fast bass and\u00a0exquisite dynamic behavior.<\/p>\n

Of the 94 pairs produced at this moment, PUUR hifidelity has 1 pair available for demo and two pairs reserved for immediate delivery.<\/p>\n

Some More PUUR<\/h3>\n

Here are some pictures showcasing other systems in the PUUR hifidelity listening rooms.<\/p>\n

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PUUR hifidelity – Daan Vreeswijk & Robert Brijde<\/strong><\/h4>\n

PUUR hifidelity Website: puurhifidelity<\/a>
\nManufacturer’s Website: Goldmund<\/a>
\nEmail: info@puuravd.com<\/a>
\nPhone: +31 (0)30 307 84 77
\nSlotlaan 306
\n3701 GX Zeist
\nNederland<\/h4>\n
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