Coincident Speaker System

It's no coincidence if these speakers return you to your roots.

By Jeff Cherun

Being an audio writer is a curious occupation. The average reader thinks we have one of the coolest jobs on earth, next to Michael Jordan or Michael Douglas (contrary to public opinion, audio writers don’t get as much tail as you’d think). Of course, our job is really cool, but there’s another side to what we do. We listen to so much gear, month in, month out, that we unfortunately tend to lose some enthusiasm for what got us into home theater in the first place. Personally, I was an enthusiast for years, and found a way to make a living continuing to be an enthusiast. I’ve seen many reviewers who have lost their joie de vivre, as it were, for audio, and I always thought they were nuts. However, I do understand where they’re coming from. They just haven’t heard Coincident speakers. Coincident Speaker Technology, of Canada, is a company that has been making high end speakers for a while now, and their philosophy is that if you combine high quality parts with steadfast engineering, the result will be sonically pleasing. That being said, when Brent told me that he had met Israel Blume, president of Coincident, and he was sending a system for me to check out, I was very curious, because I admit I hadn’t heard of the company. Since I’m also Canadian, I was firstly embarrassed, but secondly excited to listen to one of my countrymen’s product. Since so much good stuff hails from the frosty country to our north (I know live in L.A., a much more Jeff-friendly environment), I sure didn’t expect them to suck. And suck they didn’t.

Before we get to performance, it would prudent to discuss specifications. The system Israel (the guy, not the country) sent me consisted of five speakers, all direct-radiators. The Super Conquests, the three-way towers used as main speakers in my review system, feature 1-inch titanium dome tweeter, a 5-inch polypropylene midrange driver and a side-firing 10-inch woofer to fill out the low end. The Triumph surround speaker is a two-way design with a 1-inch silk dome tweeter and a 6.5-inch woofer. The Triumph center speaker features the same 1-inch aluminum dome tweeter as the Super Conquests, and the same 6.5-inch woofer found on the Triumph, but it’s shielded for close proximity to a television monitor. Each speaker uses a high quality 1-inch MDF hardwood construction, which is said to be very rigid, and non-resonant, helping to minimize vibrations of the speaker cabinet at high SPL levels. Also, Coincident Speaker Technology believes that the most sonically transparent crossover is the first-order variety. A first-order crossover is the simplest way to attenuate the signal going to the speaker driver, because it uses only one component in the signal path, attenuating the driver at 6 decibels per octave. Theoretically, this preserve total phase coherency, which is a desired result. The exterior of the system is of very high quality. While not the fanciest of speakers at first glance, upon closer inspection, it’s easy to see the very respectable fit and finish. Corners are all beveled, lending a nice aesthetic touch. Available in the picture cherrywood veneer, or in straight black, this speaker would fit in with just about any decor, short of the Sistine Chapel (which would probably need some acoustic paneling, anyway). All binding posts are of a very high quality, which befits a system of this caliber.

Setting up the system was a cinch. Using our West Coast testing facility with some of our reference high end gear, I let the speakers burn in for the prescribed time (a couple of days). Once that was done, I experimented with some varying placements, settling on a position fairly close to where I listen to most direct-radiators. Slightly toed-in, aimed at the listening position, I achieved the best sound I could, with the Super Conquest’s woofers aimed in. I place the Triumph center speaker atop our Pioneer Elite Pro-200 RPTV, aimed slightly down towards the listening position. I placed the triumph surrounds on stands behind the listening position, facing the opposite corners of the room, where I achieved the broadest soundfield. Since they’re direct-firing speakers, I’ve found this is the best way to get the most diffuses sound out of this design. This works great for movie soundtracks, which demand such a rear speaker performance for ultimate enjoyment and suspension of disbelief. Using our reference Proceed AVP preamp/processor for the front end, I set it up that the front speakers were “large,” in order to send the entire main channel signals directly to the speaker, rather than roll it off to a subwoofer. I labeled the Triumph center speaker as “small,” as I did with the Triumph surround speakers, which achieved the best results.

On mutlichannel movie soundtracks, I was thrown back in my seat by the sheer size of the soundstage elicited by the Coincident system. The front soundstage rivaled that of my amazing Linn AV51 reference system, which excited me greatly. The Triumph center speaker reproduced dialogue very cleanly, only slightly coloring the speech uttered by Hollywood’s finest. What that means is that there was a slight chestiness in dialogue that isn’t present in the presentation of either the Vienna Acoustics center speaker or the Linn AV 5120 center speaker. Both these speakers offer a more natural rendition of the male voice, but it’s only very minor, and all fairly pleasing to my ear.

The Triumph surround speakers also performed admirably. While I’d probably choose another pair of Super Conquests for the rear for improved bass extension (if sufficient money were in my account), the Triumphs did a great job. Surround effects were very effective, especially gunshots whizzing by in The Big Hit and Desperado. They weren’t very hard to localize, but that’s inherent in direct-firing design. If you want a more spacious sound, your best bet will be for either dipole or bipole surround speaker.

On stereo music performance, such as the Gipsy Kings’ “Tu Quieres Volver” from their new Cantos de Amor record, the flamenco guitar really jumped out of the front soundstage. It had sparkle that I don’t regularly hear, making for a very pleasing listening experience. The soundstage wasn’t quite as huge as my Linn AV 5140’s, but few speakers can produce that type of sound as well. The imaging was fantastic, tricking me at times into thinking that there was really a performance occurring ten feet in front of me. Guitar picks were ultra-realistic, resulting in a spine-tingling result.

On Francis Cabrel’s Sarbacane record, the first track “Animal” is an amazing test for bass extension. The well-recorded bass drum hits resonated with great force, just the way I like it. The Super Conquests produced quick bass extension, with little or no reverberation or echo, with very quick transient response. This is very important for music listening, in that it makes for a much cleaner and more open soundstage.

If you want to return to your roots, and remind yourself what makes home theater so much fun, and what’s so magical about transporting yourself to another place through music listening, do yourself a favor and listen to the offerings of Coincident Speaker technology. You’ll love them, and appreciate your neighbors to the north that much more.

Super Conquests $2,295/pair (Cherrywood Veneer $2,495)
Triumphs $799/pair
Triumph Center $399

Coincident Speaker technology
51 Miriam Crescent
Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
L4B 2P8
(905)886-6728
http://home.ican.net/~coincid/cst1.htm

Testing System:
Linn AV51 system, SONY DVP-S7000 DVD player, Proceed AVP preamp/processor, Vienna Acoustics Beethoven system, Krell KAV-500 amplifier, Proceed AMP-5 amplifier, Kimber Kable speaker cable, and Monster Cable interconnects.

Performance: 90% "OUTSTANDING-AMONG THE BEST”

Highlights:

• Attractive cabinetry is sure to be a hit with the Mrs.
• Super Conquests are great value for high performance on music and movies.
• Triumph center and surround speakers complement the system nicely.