FLOOR STANDING LOUDSPEAKERS CHARIO CONSTELLATION PEGASUS WOJCIECH PACUŁA Translation: Krzysztof Kalinkowski

In 2005 the company Chario Loudspeakers had its 30th anniversary. This is really a lot. If we look at the speakers another Italian brand comes to mind, namely Sonus Faber. And this is with reason – this is the same, Italian school of design, in Poland known mostly through Sonus, but not so exclusive for the latter. Let us look at the calendar again: if Chario is 32 years old, then it had to be founded in 1970, ten years before Sonus… Anyway, the company makes its products in Italy – the enclosures and the drivers, all in its own factory.

Thanks to that independence, their engineers – and the designing office is especially big – have the opportunity to create projects in unavailable for others, like the usage of the designed by them very large dome tweeter, with a diameter of 38mm (from the year 1998, coming down to 1000Hz) or NRS, a concept from 1987 of turning the speakers to the floor. Today this might seem ordinary, but it wasn’t then. The company was already once in Poland, but had not enough luck, or the position if Sonus was too strong here. I do not claim, that the Chario are better or worse, but it is very good that the market grows bigger, that we can choose something else Italian, that does not carry the Sonus Faber logo. This benefits all. Especially when taking into account that the sound of the Chario is different, more set for the fluency and vividness than the detail. The tested model is from the higher series of the company named Constellation. Only the reference models Academy S are positioned higher.

SOUND

The Pegasus are loudspeakers, that will not allow anybody to be bored. Like most Italian products, also Chario puts on emotional transfer. But it is a so refined product, that it keeps splendid resolution and detail while having all the characteristics of this trend. But about that in a moment. First of all I must say, that the tonal balance is set in a way, that we fall immediately in their world. When I fired them up for the first time, I immediately thought about the Audionemesis DC-1 - it is the same intensity and similar impressions about the treble. In objective categories, the instruments playing in that range, like cymbals, are a bit withdrawn, not as resonant, like from the M-100 Nextona. When for example the percussion is playing from the Japanese version of Art Pepper With Arne Marsh (Art Pepper, Contemporary/Universal, UCCO-5101, CD), then at first it is fully covered by the saxophones of Pepper and Marsh, although they are placed in the second channel. The same was with the percussion on the Wes Montgomery disc So Much Guitar! (Riverside/Universal, UCCO-5103, CD) and Playing The Angel Depeche Mode (Mute, Lcdstumm260, SACD/CD+DVD-Audio). And in moment it turns out, that although the tonal balance is shifted towards the saturated midrange and springy bass, but the resolution of the treble and midrange is good enough, that despite the first impression, there is incredibly much going on in the treble, that the sounds have splendid definition, but are just a bit less loud. This is not the case that there is less of the treble because it is bad – in contrary: in the Chario the treble, except for its top part, is juicy and always present. I mentioned its top part – this is not so present, it seems that the large dome is very directional, and above 15000Hz the loudspeakers need to be positioned directly to the listener to hear anything at all. But in my opinion there is nothing to worry about.

The other end of the spectrum is not only per se at the other side, but also in opposition to the treble. Now the bass is strong – oh, how strong! – springy and dynamic. If we would look at the whole with the cold eye of a specialist, then it should be said, that there is more bass than in reality. This gives large virtual sources, this is splendid, but we do also get an enlarged view of the contrabass (as this instrument is of everybody’s interest). I listened to Pasodoble Lars Danielsson and Leszek Możdżer (ACT, 9458-2, CD) and this is how this turned out. I played Groove Yard The Montgomery Brothers (Riverside/JVC, JVCXR-0018-2, XRCD) and it was the same. It reminded me the presentation of the B&W 800 loudspeakers in the Krakow Top Hi-Fi shop (a few years ago) – the same, a bit too large picture. But in case of Chario this has a deeper sense. And I am not talking about something very elaborate, something that needs exegesis, intently listening, etc. When we listen to the Pegasus with good electronics, then from the very beginning we get everything, what we normally want, meaning the timbre, resolution and bass. If we search for hi-fi in audio, then we should search somewhere else. I do not negate such view. But I went along a long road in my relationship with recorded music, and I am now where I am. This is why I can appreciate what the people from Chario did. And although I started with jazz, we can appreciate the speakers fully, when we listen to electronics, rock, heavy rock, etc. They combined into one: forgiving treatment of less well recorded discs and splendid definition of instruments. If we’d only have laid back treble without good resolution, then we would not have that defined virtual sources in the first plane and deep, deep into the stage.

There is one characteristic of the Pegasus that makes us think not only about themselves, but about the mist important element of our system, the room. The speakers have the bass driver and the bass-reflex radiating to the floor. So one would think, that we are not depending on the placement of the speakers in the room here, the room dimensions, etc. That is not true!!! It is completely the other way – the Pegasus need to be kept away from large, flat surfaces and sound best in large rooms. I will not say, that it will be bad in small rooms – we will get incredible, physical feeling on the chest, when the bass drum hits, or the bass in Hotel California the Eagles from the disc of the same title (Warner [Japan], WPCR-11936, CD). Something like this can be experienced near large stage loudspeakers. The Chario will give us exactly that, but with better dynamics and without hardening the edges. No, this will not be neutral sound, because there will be too much bass, but – my god! – many will happily die for something like that. We can find a way out (an audiophile way) of this if we provide the speakers lots of room around them. Depeche Mode played like this and later Tool 10,000 Days (Sony&BMG Music, 819912, CCD) sounded in a way I have not heard for long time from so inexpensive (of course relatively speaking – although the price of 9400zl for so sounding and so manufactured speakers is fair) loudspeakers. Attention was drawn by the already mentioned clarity. Dave Gahan’s voice (DM), that is not very well recorded, as one would desire, it is mostly reproduced, as if it would be melted into the background (with speakers with little vivid sound) or sounds hoarsely, or even sharp (with contoured and hard speakers), artificially placing it in front of the instruments. The Chario combines the two things brilliantly, because the sound was clear, and still without brightening..

And this throughout many, many discs. Now, the amount of discs listened to is a measure of how I liked the tested product (this does not always translate into the final judgment, but it tells much about my preferences and taste). Because when something interesting can be heard, coming above the average, then curiosity is awakened, how this, or the other album would sound. And so I pick up next and next from the shelf, until the time devoted to listening runs out (with me it is like clockwork – everything needs to have its time and tempo, otherwise I would not manage to finish anything…). With the Chario, I almost got late to the kindergarten to pick up my daughter (Ala). It is not that the loudspeakers sounded better than the Dobermann – absolutely not. Still everything in them is put together in a way, that they sound just like one big speaker, without inconsistencies in the cross-over point and they enchant… The only remarks are regarding the amount of bass (I wrote about that), room size (I also wrote about that) and the piano not being resonant enough. This is not a key thing, but with recordings like Pasodoble or the brilliant, beautiful disc from Keith Jarrett The Carnegie Hall Concert (ECM Records, ECM 1989/90, 2 x CD) it can be heard, that the right hand is not the favorite of the Italians. The left hand – splendid, with weight, attack and coherence, but the right hand not as vibrant as elsewhere. That is the reason, that you should audition the speakers minding your preferences, room and music that you listen to. Against appearances those are very universal speakers, but they have a strong personality and one should get acquainted with them thoroughly before making any decisions.

DESCRIPTION

The loudspeakers Pegasus, from the Constellation line of the Italian company Chario Loudspeakers are quite large, floor standing speakers. Above them in the series, we find only the majestic, composed from two sections Ursa Major, and below the floor standing Cygnus and the stand mounts Delphinus and Lynx. Although on first sight it might look as if the loudspeakers are a two-way construction – only two speakers are visible – in fact the Pegasus are a three-way construction – on the bottom, pointed towards the plinth integrated with the loudspeakers, there is a woofer and the bass-reflex port. The tweeter is equipped with all Chario key patents, as this is a very, very large speaker, the T38 Wave Guide, with the dome diameter of 38mm, placed in a kind of short tube, with a large front. Below it we have a coated paper cone mid-woofer, with 170mm diameter, working only in the midrange here, from 170 to 1700Hz. This part was placed in a closed, massively damped chamber, where, on the back plate the cross-over is placed, with air coils and polypropylene capacitors. On the bottom we have the same speaker, with paper diaphragm, and with the same diameter. The bass reflex is on the back of it, and in front of it the plinth. The latter is dilated from the main enclosure and integrated with it.
The enclosure is made from two materials – rigid HDF plates and screwed side panels from natural wood. This latter installment lets us immediately know, that we deal with something Italian. The side panels are wooden, but the front, the back and the top (and the plinth) was finished with a special varnish based on mineral composite, that is nice to touch and is very hard, so it is also resistant to damage.
On the back a single pair of wire terminals is placed. They are quite widely spaced, but are not easy to screw tight, as they are very short. The company is explaining this by stating, that much metal is eliminated from the sound path that way. Maybe this is also the reason, that the terminals are placed on the height of the midwoofer, shortening cable runs to this section.

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