Pearl Sibelius Speakers can take you to Another World.
By Steve Huff
The Pearl Sibelius.
DISCLAIMER: I was not paid for this review nor did I get a free unit. This review is not sponsored. I made zero money on this review and do not offer ad space here. My words here are just my honest feelings and to me this is important. Enjoy!
Video Review of the Sibelius
I have been chasing sound for about four decades now, so I always look for things that are unique, beautiful and are regret free.
Just recently I found pure magic in my all new AGD Duet amps and Alto MKII preamp. I just adore these end game amps but they are not the only amps I am enjoying the heck out of these days, but more on that later. See my review here of the AGD amps if you missed it.
These AGD products have a zen like quality to them and really do bring a “less is more” type of vibe to the audio game. The Pearl Speakers are another example of this simplistic “less is more” attitude, and they shine bright in a dull world of “sane old same old” speakers.
As I sit and write about this speaker and my experience with them I am listening to them at the same time so as my words flow, the music is flowing as well. The Sibelius came to me all the way from Belgium several weeks ago and I have been enjoying them ever since. This speaker looks pretty simple but do not let that fool you.
Made of solid Oak, using only one small driver and having no crossover…well, it goes against the tech of all of the big speakers we see these days. You know the ones, with multi drivers, space age construction, advanced crossovers and blingy fancy looks. The Borresen X2 come to mind as I just reviewed them.
I must say that these Sibelius speakers have really surprised me as they are leagues better than I ever expected them to be. The Sibelius is one of those speakers that many may look at and say “I cannot be happy with one small driver”! Looks can be deceiving here and indeed they are. This speaker sounds nothing like it looks, I will state that right now. Yes it may have one small driver but these deliver things such as bass down to 38hz, a smooth treble and glorious full midrange that has delicacy to it as well. Revealing all of the character in the vocals of some musical performances.
For me, these are as close to the word magic as a speaker can get, for most (but not all) music. They have a special way of transporting me to other worlds when listing to certain kinds of music. They also have a beauty, an inner depth, warm glow and solid projection that really can bring artists to you, in your space, in a big full way. Again, do not let that single small driver trick, fool or confuse you my friends, as these can really paint a huge scale wall of music. The brush they use is fine yet the shading is extraordinary. What I mean is, the way these bring forth music is in a gentle yet broad dramatic way. There is so much information coming out that is rich, fluid and delicate and this allows the music to flow in a way I have not heard before. Not in the Borresen speakers or even my main reference, the OGY/BOB combo. These are also, like the X2, beautiful at low volume listening.
It’s almost miraculous what this small little single driver can do when paired to the right cabinet and amplification. These are, without question, speakers that one can be happy with for life (with some limitations) and the price of admission for this is VERY low in the grand scheme of things. For about $7k one can have a set of hand made instruments delivered to them from Belgium and yes these are musical instruments my friends, of the sweetest kind.
Never a MKII, just these.
The brands founder and main man Harley Lovegrove says these are end game speakers and they do not ever plan on making a MKII or different version. How incredible is this. A company that made a speaker so good they never want to mess with changing it or swaying their customers into new speakers with minimal change like some companies do.
I agree with this concept though I have never seen it in audio with speakers. I applaud Pearl for this, in a big way. It’s also just one reason why I love the AGD amps as well. They are all upgradeable by the customer to new versions for a fraction of what a new amp would cost. The Pearl’s though, will never need an upgrade, so says the company.
Most companies want to keep bringing out MKI, MKII, MKIII, etc. This is what brings big profits as people feel the need to upgrade all of the time in this hobby. Not with Pearl. These are so good according to Harley that they are made to be with someone for life. I can say right now that yes, they are that good and the price is absurdly amazing for this quality of sound and minimal nature of the speaker.
This is the “buy once, buy your last” kind of motto.
But why are these so good? What makes people fall in love with the Sibelius? Why do you almost never see them up for sale on the used market?
The Pearl Sibelius comes in several colors and is also offered with two different color drivers. Silver (SG) or Copper (CG). Then there are the different finishes. The pair that was sent to me for review was the plain light natural oak version. Upon checking out their website I see a few “ready to ship” models available, in various finishes. Otherwise it may take a few weeks to get a set built to your preferences and likes.
Since the Sibelius arrived I have been addicted to the artist Briq a Braq. This is an artist I discovered a year ago or so and I love the way these piano pieces are intertwined with other instruments to create lovely and very spatial presentation that, at times, can surround you with music. These recordings can sound very 3D in the right setups and with the Sibelius powered by these AGD Duet amps these recordings sound otherworldly, the best I have heard them. Powered with the Galion A20 Class A 20 WPC amp, again, pure magic but more density than the AGD. More warmth in the mids, a bit thicker and without the all out refinement of the reference AGD. Both amps though are simply gorgeous with the Pearls. These do very well with GaN Class D and Class A.
I just load up the music, press shuffle and sit back in my recliner to soak in the sounds, the depth, the three dimensions. I swear that when I close my eyes and calm my mind the music flows through me like an energy. It’s beautiful and the Sibelius has a way of communicating the musical notes without you feeling these notes are coming from a music system. Rather it’s more like the artist is there with you, playing for you. There is a gentleness to the sound but also a fullness in the mids that allows the treble to just float above everything else. These create a very tall soundstage which can be pretty cool to experience. Other speakers can do this and yes I have experienced this before but the thing is, all of these speakers do these things in a different way. Some with force, some with all out dynamic power, some with a gentleness and intimacy, others with an inner glow and beauty. The Sibelius falls along the “Glow, Beauty, Intimate” category for these ears.
Most speakers that do this very well, most, come in at the over $20k and up range.
These review units came with the speaker covers as well. They are plush and cover the driver only. Love it.
THERE IS ONE LIMITATION with the Sibelius. They are not meant for head banging volume levels so you will not want to push these too hard. No, you can’t play these at 110DB and expect perfection. There are limitations here with the single small driver but in the right volume range these do things other speakers rarely do. You can blow the little driver and also muddy up the sound if you go crazy loud with complex music. These can go to about 94db without breaking a sweat but they will not blow you out of the room. So party speakers these are not. Klipsch Cornwalls these are not. These are more for feeding the soul with music and for me, best on a very early morning when the birds are singing outside and the dew is fresh on the grass. I love playing ambient, jazz and even old vocal standards on the Sibelius as it brings the mood to me.
For me these can play very loud for me in my 13X18 room, much louder than I will ever listen. The beauty of these? Low and mid volume is mind blowing good. With Jazz, Classical, Vocals, Strings, Acoustic…forget about it. These give me a vibe like no other speaker I have here, and that vibe is one of relaxation, calm, beauty, glow, realism and a natural sound as well. I can see now why these are considered end game, one and done speakers by the folks at Pearl. I mean, they really are as long as you are not looking for head banging party speakers.
Yes, these one driver speakers have a way of creating a direct connection from the music directly to YOU. I talked about this a bit when I was reviewing the Daniel Hertz Amber speakers, also a single driver model. The Amber had a much larger driver than the Sibelius but I swear the Sibelius sounds more real, even richer and without question more involving.
There is something special here about this tiny driver. It’s even smoother and more textured in sound than the one in the little Closer Acoustics OGY.
I am running these with a set of Duet amps from AGD along with their Alto MKII preamp and for me this has bested the sound from any other amp I have tried with these speakers, though again, the Galion A20 Class A amp was also very nice but different. I enjoyed them both but the A20 is $8k less expensive than the AGD mono blocks. While I can hear the difference and the even more refinement in the AGD, the Made in Canada Galion sounds much better than it’s $3700 asking price dictates. In fact, it is one of the nicest Class A Stereo Amps I have experienced meeting the quality of say a Pass Labs XA25. No worries, I still prefer the AGD but the A20 is a gorgeous amplifier for a really great price. Besides, even those at Pearl say these speakers sound best with great Class D and Class A. When I tried a Class A/B amp with the Pearls I lost some of the magic I was hearing with the AGD and Galion boxes.
The AGD amps (Duet and Audion MKIII) also are experts at the emotional connection thing. With that said, I also tested these speakers with a Pass Labs INT-25 (Fantastic), Galion TS A 75 Amp (not my fave with these speakers) and a Yamaha A-S 3200 Integrated amp (too warm in the bass). My fave combo was the AGD duo (GaN Class D) followed by Galion A20 (Class A) and then the Pass Labs (Class A).
Together these make for a beautiful, intimate, ethereal and all out glowing performance with either amp and here is the thing… These speakers will change depending on the amp you use. Heck, even cables are making a larger difference than usual due to the fact that these have no crossover inside. These are about as pure of a speaker as you are ever likely to hear.
TUNED BY EAR VS MEASUREMENTS
One more thing that is unique about these and my guess as to why they sound so beautiful is that they were tuned by Harley Lovegrove’s own ear rather than using measuring equipment. This, I feel, brings a more human nature to the Sibelius. It almost seems while listening that there is a human element to these, someone behind the sound and this is absolutely the case.
Sure, all speakers are designed by a human but most are tuned by using gear/machines/electronics that tells them how to tune and create them. This can work well also but now I know why these Pearls sound as they do and I would do the same thing if I were a speaker designer. I always say, measurements mean nothing to me, nothing. I only go by what my ear tells me and always will. I have heard some gear that measured so well and yet left me uninspired and cold. The Pearl Sibelius is handcrafted using real wood, no crossover to get in the way and they were voiced by one mans ear. Pretty cool and unique.
SET UP
When the Pearls arrived I first assembled the unique $350 metal stands that are sold as extras if you feel you need them.
Yes, there are stands for these even though they are tower speakers. It’s quite simple really as the stands also have a backing brace kind of piece that supports the speaker back and allows for cable management. It’s quite minimalistic but effective.
I have to be honest with my feelings here. I am not a fan of the metal stands for these speakers. One of them went together in a weird way and the metal brace was tilted/bent back and I couldn’t get it to assemble correctly no matter what I did. But even if the one stand did go together properly I also disliked having to lift the speaker on to this metal stand, even possibly allowing me to ding up one of the speakers (I didn’t). What I found odd was that the speakers do not attach or lock to the stand, they can easily move off of them. Moving them will be a pain with the stands as well.
After much testing, lo and behold, they sounded best in my space without the stands but with the stands there was a somewhat cleaner midrange. After a few days of back and forth tests I nixed the stands and placed some wood panels under them that I made from the wood on our property. If I owned the Sibelius I would probably permanently attach some wood bases to them that are larger than the base of the speaker. You may enjoy the custom made metal stands for these as they do also come with spiked feet. If you plan on setting them up once and not moving them often, then the stands will be just fine.
Continuing on, I managed to set the speakers up in my usual spot where most speakers sound good and lo and behold the Sibelius SG sounded GLORIOUS! Such a sound it is too…more on that later but let me state with instruments, jazz, classical, acoustic, vocals…holy wow. Piano? Goosebumps all day long for me.
Once setup I tested them out with tubes, solid state, integrated amps and separates. It seems Class A or GaN Class D make magic with these speakers above all else. I will say Class A may be the best bet as not all Class D is created equal. Then again let’s not forget there is THIS gorgeous amp, made by Pearl just for their speakers.
These sat about 8 feet apart as I sat about 7-8 feet from them, I toed them in slightly for a wider stage and more organic flow,
MY FIRST LISTEN
When I put in a new set of speakers I test them with all kinds of music right out of the gate. Seeing that Pearl breaks in the driver before even shipping the speaker, I knew that they were ready to roll. I also think these were review units that have been with other reviewers anyway, so well broken in for sure.
I played rock, metal, classical, jazz, acoustic, ambient, buddha bar, ambient, chill, folk and more.
Listening to “Skinny” from the latest Billie Eilish album brought forth that close intimate and spooky real vibe. Billies voice was so pure, so real, so present. The guitar in the background lies there, flowing with her voice all along. Then the song gets some bass heft and the Sibelius does amazing here, providing a heft and solidity that shocked me. These can go pretty low and provide that bass heft when it is in the recording. All while keeping all of the instruments clean, clear and floating out from the speakers. Such a beautiful experience. This track is recorded with some warmth so sounds really nice on the Pearl speakers.
BTW, these are 87 DB efficient and come in at around 7.2 ohms. The 20 watt Class A amps had zero issue driving these to their best potential and the AGD’s higher power GaN also allowed them to be all that they could be.
As I sat with the Sibelius SG for the next few weeks I was constantly treated to some of the most beautiful listening experiences in memory. Up there with the most memorable systems I have owned. My Sonus Faber Guarneri Homage, those Fleetwood Deville’s, the Dynaudio Heritage Special yet again, these Pearls do things differently, with a little more beauty and an inner glow that exudes from the enclosures. There is a gentle sort of way that these weave their grand big scale magic.
SOUND SIGNATURE
Powering up some music with my beloved HiFi Rose RS130 via Tidal I was blown away in some aspects and surprised in others.
I will say this now. With Jazz, Classical, Strings, Acoustic and music that “vibes” such as ambient or say this album from Arooj Aftab called “Night Reign” the sound signature is all out surreal.
As I listen to this album from an artist I never heard of (was recommended to me on Spotify, I then listened on Spotify and Tidal) I was soaking in the lovely gentle music, vocals and the three dimensions that the Sibelius was somehow creating. The instruments were separated from the mix, playing in their own space with a golden glow around them. Vocals were soft and sweet coming right at me down the middle and slightly moved up into the room.
The result was a very intimate experience as if the band was here, playing gently and sweetly in the room. I was listening at low volume and there was a fullness and sweetness to the sound. Every detail was heard but they were all exposed and up front.
These speakers have no brightness to them as the treble is refined and sweet/smooth as can be, at least here with this album.
NOT SO HEAVY METAL
Let’s just be clear. No one is going to buy these to listen to heavy or trash metal. There are better speaker for that for sure (Borresen X2 does this Genre well but so does JBL). Even so, I was curious if it was doable and enjoyable anyway.
So I threw on some death, trash and normal metal and rock.
No, these will not slam you like a set of Borresen X2’s with rock and metal. With that said they can do this kind of music easily, just not turned up to ear bleeding levels. These are not speakers that are made to go crazy loud as if you do this with heavy complex music the sound may get a bit muddled. So at low to mid volumes that metal, even trash and black metal were very good but not ideal. But turning it up to party levels will result in blurred images and not so great of sound. These don’t have the chunky type of bloated mids that work well for metal or aggressive music.
These speakers are for those who want to get that “artist in the room with you” experience. Female vocals in particular are surreal at times, goosebump inducing. I have to once again praise the AGD Alto II and Duet amps as they are so remarkable with the Sibelius. These amps are as silent as it gets, allowing the music to just appear from a depth of blackness as if it is some kind of supernatural feat. I have never heard such a deep black background before. Close, but not quite.
Every detail and I mean every detail will be exposed within the music here but the Sibelius do this in a way that is gentle, fluid and smooth. There is weight from the Piano that is conveyed. Guitar strings can be heard individually yet at the same time there is a body and glow to each string. Hard to describe but so good.
Can these really be your last Speaker?
There are other audio manufactures that claim their speakers are the last ones you will ever buy. They are all legit as well. Fleetwood Sound comes to mind, with the Deville. Truly an end game speaker if it suits your tastes. I have a set of speakers here from Triangle, the 40th Anniversary Duettos which I found to be rather special. So much so I bought them to add to my speaker stable (for review purposes). I also own the OGY and BOB’s which are from Poland and very lovely though some have said they look a bit DYI. True, but they sound lovely and I have no desire to move them on. They are special to me.
Now there is the Pearl Sibelius and they have also infected me with what they can do and they are unlike the others in many ways. These sound the purest. They sound like they have a direct connection to the music, as they do. Nothing is here to congest or redirect the frequencies to other drivers, rather this one small little driver handles all of it from treble to mids to bass. Having no crossover inside allows that deeper connection, at least I believe this. Less CAN really be more and the Sibelius proves it.
While they are not the best you will hear for big music like metal, hard rock and maybe even some EDM what they do for all other music is beautiful and serene. All in all, these are probably the most magical speakers I have reviewed to date with music they excel at reproducing. When I throw on some ambient stuff and sit down to write, these Sibelius wrap me in the mood more so than the X2, Duettos and even the OGY/BOB. There is something going on here that is outside the norm but so so good.
The imaging is surreal and superb. The soundstage is very tall and massive in size and scale. The vocals come out a bit with a fullness and clarity that may just bring goosebumps to your body. There is a naturalness and revealing nature as well but also a touch of fullness all around and the way details are brought forth is incredible. I am hearing things I never knew existed in very familiar music.
This is one speaker I wish I could add to my review/reference stable as I have never heard speakers like this, even with the OGY and BOB. Even with the Hertz Amber/Maria. Even with the X2/AGD setup. Yes my friends, there is something very special about the Pearl Sibelius. I would love to acquire a pair in Cherry with copper drivers for my space but sadly I just bought those AGD amps after selling off some old 5 year old monoblock amps and a couple of speakers. I am broke, so I will have to revisit the Sibelius on another day, at another time and even another place possibly.
It’s an EXPERIENCE
Close your eyes, sit back and soak it all in. Music heals the soul and these are top notch when it comes to communicating the music right to your senses. Slight warmth, slight glow, very spatial, very human and so so real. That’s what I get from the Sibelius. I love these as they prove that sometimes less is more, and truly, less is much more here. I will be very sad to see these go and I my memories of them will stay with me for some time to come. Also, the Sibelius are available in a variety of colors and finishes.
See more about the Pearl Sibelius HERE at the Pearl website. They sell these direct (no, I do not make any commission or money from this review or sales they make as a result). I was not paid for this review. In fact, I spent weeks doing this review for absolutely nothing in return. It is what I enjoy doing here, writing about audio gear I enjoy and gear that touches my heart. You will never see reviews here of gear I hate, feel is a rip off or a money grab.
Only the stuff I adore will get a block of my time to talk about. So yes, these are a real special instrument, a special loudspeaker. Does this mean these are “The Best”? Of course not as “the best” doesn’t exist in the audio world. All that exists is what is best to you, your room, your ears. For me, the Sibelius are not the best I have heard for all music but are indeed some of the best, if not the best I have heard with some music, as explained within this review.
The Pearl Sibelius can be had starting at around $6k shipped.
The draw to these speakers can be three fold. For their unique looks and simple design (one driver, no crossover), for their workmanship and materials (solid oak construction) and of course for their sound, which is quite unique and very human in nature. Enjoy!
Steve Huff
