PA-6F System in Two Channel Mode

2.0 and 2.1 Stereo Music Listening

The first test was in 2.0 (front speakers only) using a Cambridge Audio Azur 540D DVD, DVD-Audio and CD player. The first album to test was 1993s Into the Labyrinth by Dead can Dance. Its one of the finest-produced CDs Ive ever heard, recorded on location in an old Irish church called Quivy. The CD will test your systems ability to capture latent harmonics in the recording, as the harmonics in the 19th century cathedral contribute acoustics to the CD as if they were another instrument.

The music of Dead can Dance is an eclectic mix of vocals by Lisa Gerard and Brendan Perry and a variety of world instrumentation. (Lisa Gerards chanting vocals have been heard on the soundtracks of films by Michael Mann as well as Ridley Scotts Gladiator.) Into the Labyrinth was a perfect test of the front speakers soundstage. Any speaker system can present the illusion of a church halls harmonics when playing back through 5.1 speakers through Dolby Pro Logic II. The PA-6F pulled off the illusion adequately in 2.0 and 2.1 modes.

Dead can Dance - Into the Labyrinth

The PA-6F front speakers performed remarkably, as I was expecting noticeable loss of low end when unaccompanied by a sub. Although bass is not a strength with these speakers, the complete kit does include a sub. The strength in this case is definitely the soundstage.

The music enveloped me as I double-checked to see if the center and surrounds were active. There was certainly no mistaking the lack of bottom end, which the recording would expose mercilessly with a few tones from an organ. The speakers were at their best when presenting the middle highs of the human voice, and Gerards voice was particularly gripping when the merest echo was picked up from the recording. The neutrality of the sound quality was very strong in the PA-6Fs, and showed nothing of the harshness that is common in ported speakers in this price range.

Dont get me wrong, I love my ST-4s by NHT, despite the fact they cost me nearly twice the price of these PA-6F front speakers. In head to head comparison the NHT-ST4 offered slightly better neutrality and uncolored sound and was the clear superior in bass response thanks to their side-firing woofers. Still, I caught myself wondering: If I had to buy all over again is the modest gain in neutrality and a little extra bass worth the extra cost? I think so, Ive always been of the opinion that you should buy the best you can afford at the risk of slightly overspending. This trims the chances of looking for a replacement in the future which saves in the long run.

I slid more variety into the 2.0 testing, including some straight guitar-oriented rock. I threw in Blurs Song 2 for some aggressive rock treatment. Screaming guitars sounded excellent, but after stepping out of the Labyrinths Quivy Church, Blur sounded like cardboard by comparison. Radioheads True provided clearly-defined sound, articulate vocals and Radioheads signature synth sounds. Popping in Neil Youngs Harvest Moon exposed a hint of overpowering mid-bass for my taste. This seems to be common in budget speaker systems trying to mask weak low end. But the PA-6F werent plagued with this issue at every turn as Ive heard in many budget speakers. The recording probably had much to do with the perceived bump in midbass and overall I was pleased with the speakers musicality.

Everything above was tested in 2.1 mode with a 60Hz crossover to the sub, so only the deepest bass would get the sub. Leaving the front speakers to reproduce anything down around 80Hz was tough on the PA-6Fs, despite being rated at up to 35Hz. I tested the crossover at 60Hz and 80Hz and found they both sounded very good.