Some evenings ago, while I was pleasantly chatting about music and good sound, I was asked a question. A question simple in its form but complex in its topic that could have been solved only after long and appropriate reflections on its content. The question was: “Which is the component of your system you are in love with?” It is easy to understand that, after having spent so many years aiming to get my "own" audio system, it is very difficult also to choose one of the components, let's figure out answering the question! Anyway, after much thought around the original question, I have made a sort of audiophile outing revealing my infatuation with the GamuT Phi 7 loudspeakers, about which I would like to talk, avoiding to dwell upon specs and technical data, that everyone can find on the company website.The choice of the GamuT speakers is the result of a journey oriented to understand which kind of sound could make vibrate the string of my musical sensitiveness. I had no straight knowledge of the Danish manufacturer, which appeared to me like a very exclusive company but, at the same time, extremely attractive. On the contrary, I had a mastery of Scan Speak drivers, and I was conscious of their performances. The GamuT were the very best product I could find. They have been designed by Lars Goller, who is Mr. Scan Speak himself. Meeting Lars at a hi-fi show, and saw him proudly sitting with his creatures, made sparkled inside me the sensation that beneath the famous Danish coldness, a very deep passion was on fire. I adore the kind of audio engineer who works to give life to a well-defined idea of musical reproduction. Goller's aim is stated: to transfer the musicians in your listening room!
The GamuT have deep conceptual roots in mythology, which is evoked by the acronym Phi 7. It refers to the golden ratio 1:1,618, which was implemented in architecture and art reaching the highest expressions in the Egyptian Pyramids and in the Stradivari violins. The cabinet sizes have been obtained just working on the golden dimensions and this fact is testified by the channeling running all along the tower perimeter that is not a feature merely decorative. It defines the groove of the control of the resonances. Its placement is coherent with the delineated theory and, according to its internal structure, is able to determine the cabinet reaction to the mechanical stimuli and to the sound impulses. The manufacturer's aim is to divide the panels into decoupled resonating areas, so much to store less energy, exhibit a faster decay and reduce any cabinet induced coloration.
The loudspeakers are agreeable, even though conventional, thanks to the slim lines and to the precious woods that cover a compact MDF body. It is fixed on a solid aluminum base with four holders that can be regulated separately in order to assure the angular control of the towers and the alignment of the tweeter axis at the height of the listener’s ears. The speakers are slim but not small; they measure 120 cm in height and 31 cm in depth. Besides, in order to bring down the dispersion of the sound at the high frequencies, the GamuT present a 17 cm front baffle: all along its axis six drivers have been lined up: five 15 cm diameter mid woofers in wood fibre and wide range suspensions, plus the wonderful Revelator tweeter. The midrange is below it. The three lower woofers, in tuning with the top one, attend to the bass line and operate in parallel. They have the same radiating area as a single driver with an effective diameter of 20 cm. The system is a bass reflex with two rear ports.
The three-way crossover adopts two interesting technologies: the first one is the NRLI and uses damping resistors to control the electrical and acoustical resonances. The other one is the DCCM - DC Coupled Midrange -, and connects the negative end of the midrange driver not to the earth, but to a point within the bass driver low pass filter circuit, bypassing the need of a high-pass section within the midrange network.
I have lingered on these emphatic descriptions with the aim of standing out the essence of the project, which adopts many innovative and effective solutions and saves from spending too much money. The loudspeakers are not so cheap, but I assure that their value is incommensurable.
The sound of the GamuT is exciting. I had never have the chance to listen before to a loudspeaker expressing a similar, visceral sense of musical presence whose intensity projects the instruments and the voices into the listening room and make them palpable. The Phi 7 are able to taking out the most hidden signal and the most remote vibration, giving back the original message with the highest transparency. They also make the silence spaces intelligible, so worthy as the sonorous ones, whereas often the special effects seem to be preferred, with the only purpose to dazzle the listener’s auditory faculties. The richness of information, the expression, the vivacity, the absolute control of music, the acoustic feedback are all sensational. Do not aspect a warm and rotund sound, even winking and a little pompous, but a quivering wave of incomparable energy.
I like listening to all kinds of music, rock and classic, world, blues and jazz: with every disc, I have never had the sensation of weakness. The GamuT get excited when reproducing acoustic ligneous instruments. Being very “wood oriented”, the speakers express the best of themselves when playing the three instruments I venerate: guitar, double bass and viola da gamba. Listening a soft arpeggio by Laurindo Almeida, a solo or a rhythmical mistreated string line by Ray Brown, rather than the ancient harmonies by Ana Alcaide, is like living a mystical experience. A live stage reproduction is not a chimera for the GamuT. The piano sound is extraordinary. When Tsuyoshi Yamamoto plays “Misty”, he seems to ask you to turn over the pages of the score! It flows fast, dynamic, percussive and clearly intelligible also in the midst of the instrumental mayhem. In short, from little combos up to the big orchestras, the pleasure is guaranteed. The soundstage is excellent, both in depth and in width, very well focused, but most of it stays between the speakers, rather than filling the space around. At the same time, the tweeter provides superior focus. If you like more airy sound, do not toe-in the towers.
Given the right requirements, nothing should prevent from a highly involving listening session.
The Phi 7 incarnate the three requisites that make a superb class loudspeaker: balance, coherence, harmony. And at the same time they are extremely beautiful and sensual.
Beware approaching too much… you could madly fall in love too!
Official Italian dealer: to Il tempio Esoterico website
Associated equipment: to Giuseppe "MinGius" Trotto system
