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"Sheesh that sounds great!..."

It took a few hours of serious listening but Peter finally muttered it......"Sheesh that sounds great! Really, really nice," he said.See, I invited Peter over that night to gather his initial impressions on this brand new Canadian made speaker. Peter is a toughsell and he has to really believe a product offers great sound before he'll say anything good about it. Usually his vocabularyconsists of expletives that center around other words that begin with the letter S when he doesn't like something. When I couldsee that Peter was really enjoying what this speaker was doing, I knew I wasn't the only one who thought this was one darnfine loudspeaker.

I first caught wind of this speaker and company upon receiving an outta-the-blue phone call from Coincident Speaker Technology honcho and main design guy - Israel Blume. Israel heard of the 'Stage through a fellow manufacturer who in turn recommended him my way. I could tell from the moment I got on the phone with Israel that he was serious about his sound. Other than a fleeting reference to it being a smallish type speaker, he spoke only of the Triumph's sound and how he felt it could easily compete against speakers many times the price (I know, where have we heard that before?). I could sense his enthusiasm over his products and he wanted to send 'em down pronto. Who was I to say NO? Almost equaling the excitement over these speakers was finding out that he too lived in Canada, located only four hours away in Toronto. With no customs, border guards, taxes, or duties to get in harm's way the Triumphs were at my door lickety split.

I was going into this review totally blind. Not only could I not name any speakers in the Coincident lineup, I hadn't even the faintest what this company was about before that fateful phone call. Some quick research revealed that their claim to fame is a loudspeaker called the Troubador. A speaker that a publication named Audioland called a "Poor Man's Watt." As well, word of the audiophile mouth said the Troubador is a speaker to be reckoned with, particularly for its price. As for the Triumph, it was brand new and I didn't have a clue what to expect.

Upon uncrating these little beasts I found a tremendous resemblance in size and configuration to one of my favorite speakers that I owned a number of years back - the B&W Matrix 1. It's a bookshelf (or minimonitor, or whatever the correct jargon is) type design. Still, the Triumph is fairly large and measures 16" high by 9" wide by 11" deep. It's a 2 way configuration with a 6.5" woofer mounted slightly below center and 1" soft dome tweeter 3/4 of the way up. A small port, 1" in diameter, is on the back. The cabinet has an exceptionally dead feel and is constructed from 1" MDF throughout.

Are they beauties to behold and be-looking at? Well, not I nor my other-half with much better taste would say so. Like I said,Israel seems serious about sound. Heck, these black boxes don't even have grills to get in good sound's way! That's right, they're every decorator's dream. Woofers and tweeters on permanent room display. But all in all they're elegant in an audiophile sort of way. Besides, as my friend Ron says, "how much can you do with a 2-way box speaker to make it look different?" Not much unless your name is Sonus Faber I guess. The review pair were painted in the standard lacquer black. Inthat regard, the fit 'n finish were quite good. For a couple hundred bucks more you can get a wood veneer finish to smarten things up.

I plunked the Triumphs into my standard setup consisting of a Theta Data Basic and Prime II digital front end, Sonic Frontiers SFL-1 preamp, Classe Fifteen amplifier, and Silver Sonic wiring. From the outset I could sense some fine sound coming from these lacquered black boxes that has been improving by the day. As well, the bass performance is quite exceptional for a speaker of this size. Still, Israel warned me not to take them seriously until I had at least 50 hours of break-in on them. Since these are the marching orders you'll have to wait til next month to get the complete lowdown on how they sound. But I've saved the best this month for last. Budget-hounds rejoice cuz these speakers with the great parts in their shorts and audiophile aspirations in their eyes clock in at 999 bucks a pair! Those are Canuck bucks partner. Try 799 US dollars! That's right, they're the cheapest thing in my system except for the cables and stands. Heck, straight from Peter's mouth came, "less than a thousand bucks!?!?!? how could anyone go wrong?" Furthermore, they're 90db efficient. This means you can crank 'em upwith low powered amps - maybe even some of the current fave rave single ended jobs! Interested? Well you should be. My first impression is very good. So in the meantime, kick around on Coincident's web-site for a look-see til I can get back to you next month.

Later.....Doug Schneider - DAS

"A triumph over will..."

Back to sneek peek

Price: $999 CDN, $799 USD

Coincident Speaker Technology
51 Miriam Crescent
Richmond Hill, ON
L4B 2P8 Canada
Phone: (905)886-6728
Fax: (905)886-2627

"Interesting and sophisticated..."

As I wrote last month during the 'Triumph' Sneak Peak, it is obvious that Coincident Speaker Technology is serious about their sound ( click here to see September Sneak Peek ). After all, for a 1000 bucks they could have built a huge floor-standing box, thrown in any old drivers, put a 'loud and proud' badge or something similar on the front and sold them at bargain-basement audio outlets amidst big screen TVs. Instead, what was created is a smallish, two-way box speaker sporting a 6.5-inch woofer and a 1-inch soft dome tweeter. A design that in general doesn't garner too much ogling in dealer showrooms. A mini-monitor is the monicker these days. And the Triumph's are not about boom, bang, and sizzle either. No tipped up tizzy treble to heighten detail or strategically placed low-end humps to extend the apparent bass range. Instead they're are about sound - elegant, smooth, and detailed sound. In short, they are refined speakers that feel comfortable making music with components many times their price. "The selection was quick, the crew was picked..." The Triumph's performed their tour of duty in my system with the regular comrades. On digital duty was the Theta Data Basic transport, which sent bits into a Theta Prime II Dac. Chaining the two together was the absolutely electrifying Illuminati D-60 coax interconnect (if this isn't the best coax around, I don't care; it'sfantastic in my system and I don't want anything else--but more on that another time). Amplification came from a Sonic Frontiers SFL-1 preamp and Classe Fifteen amplifier. Except for the digital link, cabling throughout was the wonderfully sane Silver Sonic BL-1 interconnect and T-14 speaker wire. Assorted review components on hand moved in and out of the ensemble intermittently. The Triumphs stood perched on Target Audio stands (graciously loaned to me by Rheal at Distinctive Audio, Ottawa, Canada).

"All your secrets will be told..."

Well, a pair of speakers at the $1000 price point are obviously compromised in some regard. There has to be some flaws orthere would never be a need to buy more expensive speakers. While $1000 is still plenty to spend on a pair of speakers andmany people couldn't imagine paying that much, in audiophile circles it's easy to spend much, much more. So what does$1000 get you in this case?

From the outside the Triumphs appear to be a standard looking two-way model sporting a 6.5 inch woofer and 1 inchsoft-dome tweeter. Constructed from 1" MDF, the cabinet seems tight, very well finished in the joints, and stained in a basicblack. In comparison to some of the cabinet art we're witnessing nowadays, it pales when lined up against some of thewonderful piano black finishes and the such. Still, it's highly acceptable, if perhaps a little industrial. One bonus is that theTriumphs are finished on all sides including the back. I absolutely hate when a manufacturer does not finish the back of aspeaker. It seems like such a blatant way to cheap out on finish. For the Triumph, improved veneer finishes are available for abit more money. Product documentation indicates "first order crossovers using premium components all hard wired andmatched to within 1%"

The only thing missing is a grill! Now, I am not a fan of grills for listening since none I've heard help sound. However, I likethem simply to give some driver protection as well as for a quick cosmetic enhancement. Luckily a foam grill is available for anominal charge of $25.

"But there's a power beyond control..."

Now the important part. On the sonic front I found much to like about this speaker and little to complain about, particularlywhen price is considered. It's a high-performing loudspeaker clearly aimed at bringing much higher levels of performancedown to a saner price.

Let's start with the obvious limiting factor. Bass, like any small speaker, is limited to a degree. Simply put, physics doesmatter. It just isn't possible to get earth-shaking, foundation-tearing bass from small cabinets and drivers. The best in thebusiness, from my experience, is from Totem with their Mani-2. Despite its small cabinet the Mani-2 can knock your jawloose with its vice-like grip on the bass region. Still, we're only talking powerhouse bass into the 30hz range - far fromfull-range and sub-woofer territory. As well, the Mani-2 wears a $4000 price tag. Performance like that really does cost.

That said, the bass from the Triumphs is still very good, both from a cabinet of this size and expecially at this price point.Furthermore, the speaker never sounded thin or lean. I was able to achieve strong, detailed, and dynamic bass, down to about50hz or so (lower closer to room boundaries). They certainly aren't bass shy. Good speakers should be designed to producequality bass within their limits. Coincident has taken what I refer to as the British Bass approach and kept the low end strongand tight, perhaps sacrificing a few HZ in the process. This is the right way in my opinion. Quality over quantity mate! Strongbass tracks, from the live-in-wife's dance disks, came through loud and clear. Actually I was very surprised just how loud andclear. I turned 'em up and up and up and the little critters just kept chugging with no signs of strain, bottoming, or fatigue. Ican imagine there are bass freaks out there that can ring these woofers well, but I'm not one of them.

Overall, the remarks on bass shouldn't be seen as criticisms. Rather, the bass performance is more than respectable, perhapseven excellent from this small of a speaker. Whereas many small speakers can sound warm and loose in the lower regions, theTriumph's were tight and dynamic. Come to think of it, I can't think of any speaker I like better near this price.

My only other sonic concern worth mentioning is in the midrange at high-listening levels. Keep in mind this is at LOUDlevels. When cranked up the Triumphs became a little 'shouty' in my system. Cup your hands around your mouth and startspeaking to know what I'm talking about. Your voice becomes more echoey and forced. This is my definition of shouty.However, compared to when I first received the speakers until their current fully broken in state, this has subsided noticeably.As well, it is also source dependent. With more forward sounding components, particularly in the midrange, the problemincreased. With more neutral gear it became barely noticeable.

"Turn your lanterns low ..."

Those are my strongest criticisms of this speaker. Sure I could nitpick about a few things, but that would negate what's trulyimportant. This speaker played in a system with equipment many times it's price. As well, it played against and was comparedto speakers that cost much, much more. The Triumphs more than held their own and excelled in many regards. Frankly, mostof the time I had forgotten that they cost less than $1000!!! I'm not saying these are the best thing to happen since CindyCrawford became available again, rather I'm saying that at no time did I feel I was listening to a cheap or compromised pair ofspeakers. I never found myself muttering anything like, "well, they're pretty good for a thousand bucks," nor did I make anytype of excuses for their sound. These are plain and simply great-sounding speakers. If they were left in my system for good,I'd be very happy.

What did I like about them? Well, one thing that definitely took me by surprise was how easily they played any type of musicI threw at them. Simple acoustic, vocalists, classical, jazz - you name it - came through smooth and naturally with a wealth ofdetail. They were always clean as well as highly revealing.

"One day you'll just up and quit and that will be it..."

There was one day I was in a particularly foul mood and needed to hear The Tragically Hip's 'Fire in the Hole,' 'So HardDone By,' and 'Nautical Disaster' from their 1994 Day for Night disc (MCA - mcasd11140). Placed expertly on tracks 5 - 7these tunes seem to be something of a trilogy for me. To my ears, they convey everything that The Hip is about and is thesonic equivalent of 5 tequila shots in a row. I call it therapy and my neighbors call the landlord. 'Fire in the Hole' rippedthrough the apartment at the highly necessary decibel levels required at that moment in my life. Had Israel Blume been here towitness this, he would have probably ripped the Triumphs off their stands and bolted for the elevator. When rock meetshigh-end audio it can be ugly since many audiophile speakers just can't cut it. We're not talking just about two-way boxspeakers. Lots of big audiophile speakers die too. You can almost see them start shaking on their stands and spikes when arock CD or LP enters the room. However, I feel that a properly designed speaker must be able to play any type of music. Ifhigh-end manufacturers ignore that a majority of people listen to pop and rock, well, who do they have to blame when thebank comes calling? That wasn't the case here. I was left mighty impressed that this little bugger was an audiophile-gradespeaker that could rock hard and loud!

"Just then the room became more dimly lit, as the emcee carried on with it..."

As well, I was thrilled to find that the Triumph is an evenly balanced performer through the frequency spectrum. In particular,I never found the high-end hard and fatiguing as is common with many lower priced speakers. While not to the umpteenthlevel of cleanliness, the treble was extended, smooth, and never, never, never harsh. This speaker has a relaxed sound whereno one specific frequency area jumps out and assaults you. At first this can be a little off-putting. Sometimes when a speaker(or other component) has a pronounced aspect to its performance such as a forward midrange, highly detailed treble, oroverblown bass, etc. it can stand out and immediately impress. Over the long term, however, it can become tiresome. TheTriumphs simply sound natural.

As for the resolution and detail, what some people refer to as revealing, the Triumph's were more than impressive in thisregard. In some ways I found them outstanding. They could easily show differences between source components, cables, etc.The ability to hear into a recording was impressive and subtle recording cues and spatial information were easy to discern.

So where do they fall back in absolute terms? Although highly detailed, they do lack the final levels of refinement. That bit ofclarity that audiophiles are willing to lay big coin down for isn't quite there. But at this price level they are outstanding.

"Yeah that's awful close, but that's not why, I'm so hard done by..."

Room placement was relatively easy. I could stick them almost anywhere and not cause undo harm to their sound. Closer tothe rear wall (about 2 feet) produced the warmest, deepest bass. Farther from the wall (5-6') tightened things up somewhat,reducing bass extension. I settled on about 2.5' from the rear wall (it should be pointed out my rear wall is well damped), 4'from the side walls, with about a 6' spread between the speakers. In this position, the Triumphs threw a wonderfully hugesoundstage with excellent imaging. Depth was some of the best I had heard in my room. Vocalists hung rock solid and deadcenter. If an instrument was placed slightly back and over in the mix, well, that's where it was, rock solid, with the Triumph.The performance in this regard was simply fantastic.

"And we headed for home"

In summary, what I liked about the Triumphs most is that they did not sound like sub-thousand dollar speakers. I simplylistened, and listened, and listened without concern for their price. That's a high-compliment indeed. This was reinforced forme at the recent Canadian Consumer Electronics Exposition in Toronto, Ontario where the Triumph's were shown with a lowpriced Jolida integrated tube amp, an Alchemist CD-player, as well as budget WireWorld cabling. For a total system price ofless than $4000 CDN, it embarrased and outclassed many systems costing a whole lot more.

All in all, I can say that the Triumph's offer outstanding sonic value. The price, at just a hair under $1000 Canadian ($799 US),in average consumer terms is fairly hefty. Many perspective shoppers couldn't imagine paying that much for speakers (andit's too bad--they don't know what they're missing). However, this is a speaker clearly aimed at the audiophile market and inthis league it falls into the low-priced category where they can be considered something of a steal.

"The dream ends when the phone rings."

When I first spoke to Israel Blume from Coincident Technology I had no idea who or what his company did. Now I want to getahold of him again! If he can do this for $1000, I wonder what he has in store for a little more! Beware, another in a long listof fine Canadian speaker manufacturers is leaving a mark.

...Doug Schneider