Occasionally, I’ll walk into a room and instantly know that the speakers, the room, and the electronics are right. There’s a sense of cohesiveness to a room that’s right. After experiencing room after room where the music is missing that elusive something, you’ll walk into one of these magic rooms, and within a single bar, you’ll just know.
On the morning of the first day of the Florida International Audio Expo, I walked into such a room, hosted by UniQue Home Audio, importer of Popori Acoustics electrostatic speakers. I was stopped in my tracks by a bass solo slamming out from a pair of the company’s WR1 speakers.
These speakers aren’t huge, they’re not extravagant in size or design, but just based on that bass solo, I stopped, took a seat, and pulled out my laptop. Popori Acoustics rates the $64,000/pair (in USD) WR1 down to 26Hz, and it didn’t feel like they were telling a porky pie. Single-panel electrostats shouldn’t do bass like this. Tight, lithe, and room-filling, this bass solo just rocketed out at me.
Popori Acoustics is based in Hungary and was founded by Otto Popori, a veteran of 20 years in the audio industry. Popori started out by repairing electrostatic speakers. In 2001, he built his first speaker, using much of what he’d learned by fixing broken ones. Judging by the results, he’s got it figured out.
While UniQue Home Audio had a pair of Margules tube amplifiers on the rack, the WR1s were driven by a Coda No. 16 stereo amplifier. A Theoretica Bacch-SP Adio DAC, a Margules SF-220 SE preamplifier, and an Angela-Gilbert Yeung power conditioner that’s so new it doesn’t have a name did support duty.
During my visit, the streamer wasn’t connecting to Wi-Fi, so we listened only to a curated playlist of onsite music. I didn’t recognize any of it, but I did recognize that these speakers were doing things that electrostats normally can’t accomplish.
I love electrostats. I love their richness, depth, and aural transparency. They are also incredibly cool looking. But there’s generally a downside—you have to make allowances for them in a similar way to how you have to overlook the many flaws of single-driver speakers to focus on the few things they do well. Electrostatic speakers generally have flabby bass and a rolled-off top treble. Big deal—I can listen around that.
But the WR1s had neither of these failings. The highs shimmered and sparkled, aided no doubt by the ribbon super-tweeter you can see near the outter edge of each speaker. And the bass flat-out kicked ass. Although I’m finishing this post at the end of day one of the show, this is the best sound I’ve heard so far.
Jason Thorpe
Senior Editor, SoundStage!
