Opinion 1

If you regularly follow our reports from various events and all sorts of exhibitions, you can probably guess what was the reason for the appearance of the title columns in today's meeting. If not, let me remind you that it is about the informal third place in the so-called box in the sound category of the Munich 2024 exhibition . Of course, I mean my subjective view of this event, the special feature of which was the search for a sound without compromise in conveying the spirit of the music being listened to. Both contemplative and rebellious, which I assure you, at the time when I had speakers that could cope with literally any material, was quite a challenge. As you can see, despite the high bar, the slim Lithuanians managed, which after talks with the Polish distributor Premium Sound as a continuation of the series of tests of this brand's designs - Rhapsody 80 , Rhapsody 130 , Vantage , Virtuoso S , Virtuoso M - resulted in the appearance of the title AudioSolutions Figaro XL2 in our shackles. How did they do? Did they repeat the result from less than two months ago? If you are interested, I invite you to the text below for the answer.

Figaro XL2 are tall towers, exceeding 190 cm in height. Exaggeration? Not at all, because on my own example I was convinced that the saying "bigger can be more" works in this case like nowhere else. Of course, it is about playing with free sound. However, size is size, but such an idea for a housing must be supported by ensuring the structure has the appropriate rigidity to generate a distortion-free transmission. How did the Lithuanian manufacturer solve this? It has been using this idea for several years in higher series of speakers, i.e. it applied something like a housing in a housing, separated by a thin layer of polyurethane. The inner box uses a light and rigid material that perfectly absorbs the acoustic power of the transducers. The polyurethane layer converts these vibrations into heat. On the other hand, the outer housing, made of a much heavier and less dense material as a mass damper, extinguishes the rest of the remaining unwanted baffles of this apparently complicated construction. The effect? Pure playing regardless of the volume level. With what? As shown in the photos of the transducer battery. One textile dome, two cellulose midrange drivers oriented symmetrically around the whistle and four, also symmetrically placed, also cellulose, two on the top and bottom of the bass drivers. What is very important in the context of building a virtual stage, apart from the tweeter, the rest of the speakers have been mounted in a light waveguide. Naturally, in order to obtain not only the right amount, but also the right quality of bass, we will find four bass-reflex ports on the rear panel. The equipment of the obverse is crowned by a double set of WBT connection terminals placed in the lower part. In order to obtain a stable positioning of the speakers on the ground, we screw two aluminum crossbars armed with spikes to the bottom surface of the housing. When it comes to the most important technicalities, the impedance of the speakers is relatively friendly and amounts to 92 dB at a load of 8 Ohms, while the frequency response extends from 24 Hz to 25 kHz.

What happened after the final placement of the Lithuanian girls in place of my German ones? True, after minor cable changes, in the style of changing to slightly denser playing signals and selecting a different filter in the transducer, but it was as I expected. The music was bursting with energy and freedom to fill my room. And all thanks to the strong impact of the eight-speaker, well-controlled bass, colorful, four-speaker and essential midrange and slightly less sparkling than my diamonds - here we have a textile transducer, but still brilliantly shiny high tones. In addition, one should not forget about the placement of most of the transducers in a slight recess, which gave a nice effect of slightly enlivening the foreground. The scene was still realized in the appropriate dimensions of width, depth and height, but the action on the first line gave the impression of playing more for me. But I would like to point out that this was only a minor, ultimately excellently received nuance of sound, and not the dominant aspect of the presentation, thanks to which the stage events always gushed with joy, which is so important for many hours of listening. I received such a universal presentation of the world of music that despite the use of a set of cellulose transducers, there was no general effect of thumbing my nose. Contrary to appearances, this is very important, because although many of us like this style of speaker presentation, it is already a slight obstacle to reaching a wide audience. That is why I think that one of the main advantages of this construction was the mentioned delicate emphasis on the importance of the foreground in the general view of filling the space between the speakers. Thanks to this, every musical trend benefited from the spectacularity of the projection without dividing it into easy and difficult ones. Therefore, I guess no one will be surprised by the fact that the positive reception of the same music, as described in the report from Munich 2024, was easily repeated.
And these were the performances of the rock band Led Zeppelin with their timeless guitar solo - apparently this riff has never been played in such a spectacular way again, a melodic story with the most famous guitar line by Stevie Ray Vaughan and a mastered mastering by Patricia. Barber. When the rebellious material required it, there was fire and aggression, which is everyday bread for brutal rock. And it does not matter whether it is full of sonic roughness far from the quality of recording even of old music, or even screaming, the only important thing is that thanks to the skillful presentation by a given system, which evokes a state of heightened emotion in the listener. Another time - I drink to Stevie's ballad - a good balance of saturation and sonority of projection perfectly emphasized not only the virtuosity of the work of the so-called rower, but also the multicolor and expression of this stringed instrument. Once long, once short, essential, delicate, long and short string phrases suspended in the ether clearly showed that the title speakers are good for reproducing not only strong playing, but also virtuoso cascades. And since their size allowed for more without fear of potential distortion, I did not even notice when, in a natural reflex, I turned up the gain knob unnaturally strongly. However, it is not because I was unable to enter this piece without restrictions, but when something sounds phenomenal and I can go wild with the volume, to my inner joy I do it instinctively. And what about Mrs. Barber? Well, compared to the performance in Munich it was much better. Naturally, due to the completely different amplification of the speaker sets, all the records sounded better to me, but in the case of the material from this lady's repertoire, the articulation of the double bass, previously somewhat averaged due to the amplification by class D, immediately returned to normal. Now I got not only good energy, but also information about the attack on the strings and the time of their decay was extended. It may seem like not much, but it is very important for the evaluation of the tested speakers, because it showed their ability to convey the full spectrum of information recorded in the source material. Therefore, for me it is a lot.

What do I think about the described speakers based on two meetings in different local environments? Firstly, they are relatively universal, because they played very well both in the proverbial hamster hut at an exhibition across our western border and in my room prepared for this type of entertainment. Secondly, they play with a large, free, energetic and expansive sound, which automatically allows you to experience the full range of music from so-called plunking to classic driving without holding back. Thirdly, due to their high efficiency, they are relatively easy to control by the vast majority of amplifiers and power amplifiers. And fourthly, looking at the price asked for them and the quality of the sound offered, no matter how strange it may sound, they are a rare opportunity. I have listened to several pairs of monitors at this price more than once or twice, which, paraphrasing the classic AudioSolutions Figaro XL2 speakers, are not worth tying a strap in your shoes. Of course, the price for the average bread eater is a bit of a challenge, but comparing it to similarly priced designs, the Lithuanian proposal seems to have no competition. A bold statement? Maybe. But I sign it with both hands.

Jacek Pazio

Opinion 2

As loyal readers will surely remember, we have known each other for a long time with the Lithuanian brand AudioSolutions. Importantly, we started our adventure with the speakers they design with the extremely affordable Rhapsody 130 and Rhapsody 80 , and after a short break, we focused on the majestic Vantage . However, time passed, Baltic design evolved, and the eye-catching Virtuoso S and M passed through OPOS (Official SoundRebels Listening Room), so even based on the above-mentioned experience gathered during the last decade, we can assume that we have some knowledge of the subject. That is, we could, and the past tense is now fully justified, because during the last Munich High End , fortunately, we had a purely metaphorical encounter with the highest, literally and figuratively, representatives of the Figaro series – the nearly two-meter (1918 mm) XL2. As you can imagine, the first impressions were so intriguing that we agreed from word to word with both the manufacturer and the domestic distributor – Sopot Premium Sound – that if only these, or a smaller one (XL2M) speakers crossed the Polish border, we would gladly take care of them. And imagine that as soon as the MOC gates had closed and the first exhibitors had set off on their return journey, Gediminas Gaidelis himself (the owner and chief designer of the brand) called us, asking if by any chance we would like to open up his “luggage compartment” a bit and take the aforementioned giants under our wings for a while. In this way, in much more controlled conditions than the exhibition ones, we were able to familiarize ourselves with the capabilities of the Figaro XL2, and we are posting a report from the listening sessions below.

I am perfectly aware that both due to their extremely absorbing dimensions and their no less intriguing paint job (Azure Blue), the Figaro XL2 that are visiting us are extremely difficult to miss. And that is a good thing, because that was the intention of their designer, because against the background of hundreds, if not thousands of competing proposals presented in Munich, the AudioSolutions were to stand out and that is exactly what they did. I guess I do not need to explain to anyone that a potential buyer interested in the subject will configure everything "for themselves" when placing an order anyway, especially since the company's website offers such a possibility, both in terms of the colors of the front/rear part of the housings, as well as decorative inlays, top plate or rings surrounding the drivers. So you can go wild, especially since there are satin, metallic, "evening" varnishes available (including the amazing Midnight Purple), as well as carbon fiber, which is enjoying increasing interest. There is also nothing to stop you from proposing your own finishing idea, e.g. matching the curtains or sofa.
Returning to the point and focusing on the not necessarily designer but construction nuances, on their fronts Figaro proudly present their own set of symmetrically arranged seven drivers with four bass drivers, a pair of midrange drivers and a centrally placed tweeter. The soaring, mounted on plinths equipped with adjustable spikes that improve their stability, the housings gently converge towards the back, where we find double speaker terminals located right at the base and two pairs of bass reflex outlets.
Despite the impressive battery of drivers visible on the fronts, the top Figaro are almost classic three-way designs with a 19mm silk dome placed in a small waveguide (mini-horn) handling the top of the band, a pair of 152mm paper midrange drivers with an extended bandwidth, and a quartet of redesigned, also paper, but with a hard ER (Extra Rigid) membrane 233mm bass drivers. The XL2s owe their considerable weight (115 kg) not only to the aforementioned drivers, but also to the proprietary Cabinet-In-a-Cabinet technology, taken from the higher Virtuoso series, i.e. double housings, connected with a thin layer of polyurethane, effectively eliminating unwanted resonances. In electrical terms, the whole thing seems to be very kind to the cooperating amplification, because according to the manufacturer's data, the efficiency is 92 dB, which, with a nominal impedance of 8 Ω, should allow for tests with tube amplifiers that are not necessarily several hundred watts.

Moving on to the part devoted to the sonic qualities of our heroines, we were extremely curious how they would fare in much less random conditions than at the previous exhibition https://soundrebels.com/high-end-2024/ in a "cardboard booth" and with a classic - A class Gryphon power amp and not with a D class integrated (JAVA CARBON Double Shot LDR GaN FET). And I'll be honest, while they played really great in Munich, it was only an innocent preview of what they are really capable of. Of course, the first few days were spent on casual accommodation and allowing our guests to recover from the hardships of travel and unboxing , but even taken straight out of the transport crates, they were catching on the ear. However, without anticipating the facts and not wanting to spoil the fun for us or you, we gave them time to settle in the editorial octagon. However, when the grace period passed and we sat down in our chairs, the final effect exceeded our wildest expectations. We could have expected and received the scale and scope, based on the dimensions of the blue towers, but the leading role in the message they offered was played by... control together with great timing. Strange? It shouldn't be like that at the level of 100 kPLN, but believe me, for some reason some manufacturers still stubbornly believe that quantity can compensate for quality, which in effect means monotonously booming bass always and everywhere, physically impossible to tame. Meanwhile, the XL2s hit the proverbial point in terms of quantity, control, differentiation and quality of the lowest components, i.e. they maintain the perfect balance between juiciness, sexy roundness and resolution and crispness of bass growls. Starting from the soft, oscillating between club and synth-pop – dark wave aesthetics of “In Arms” by the Kaleida duo, through the truly infrasonic extremes served on “Ghosts”潘PAN to the possessed blast beats of Paul Bostaph from the surprisingly well-made “From Hell I Rise”Kerry King finished, we get exactly what we should get. Without any safeguarding, or pseudo-audiophile exaltation, which simply sound boring and theatrical, i.e. artificial, on heavier repertoire, as well as excessive drying and pharmaceutical precision. It is worth noting, however, that the key issue, which I have just drawn attention to in passing, is the quality of the source material, because the better the quality of the "input", the greater the wind in the sails of the top Figaro. In comparison with the mainstream, so-called mass production, after switching to albums that someone worked hard on, absolutely everything improves, but it is in the domain of resolution and tangibility of sound that the greatest progress can be heard. The slight distance and semi-transparent veil disappear, and their place is taken by holography and realism in such intensity that with more entertaining performers we kept glancing towards the Ardbeg collection, whether by any chance there was a missing limited edition.
And now, quite seriously, it would be hard to accuse the XL2s of any excessive tendency to select at the input, but due to the very clear differentiation of the reproduced recordings, I somehow subconsciously selected the repertoire so as to make the most of their potential and not make any more or less painful compromises. If even on Kari Bremnes' "Gåte Ved Gåte" , rather sparing in all kinds of fireworks, as well as on Leonard Cohen's "You Want It Darker", maintained in tempos similarly conducive to contemplation rather than chasing a rabbit and splitting hairs, I had full insight into the recording, the vocalists at my fingertips and a three-dimensional space far exceeding the spacing of the speakers themselves and the suspended ceiling, then what more could you want. And precisely - the ceiling, i.e. something that by definition limits the propagation of sounds in the vertical domain. That is, limits when it is allowed to do so by choosing, consciously or for more prosaic reasons, not very tall structures. However, with almost 2m AudioSolutions the issue resolves itself, because the sound stage is built in three dimensions according to the idea of the sound engineer, so if the reflections are to swirl under the vaults of the Noirlac Abbey ( "Monteverdi - A Trace of Grace" Michel Godard) this is how we will hear them. Of course, unless we try to put the XL2 in some basement with a ceiling almost touching their upper surfaces.

I will honestly admit that when I started the tests and meticulously noted down my observations, I did not bother myself with financial issues at all. I automatically assumed that with such dimensions, complexity of construction and, above all, sound, I was dealing with speakers worth several hundred thousand PLN. And it was from this perspective that I assessed them. Meanwhile, at the very end, when filling in the technical data, I was surprised to discover that we were talking about the amount of 100k PLN (with a small tail) and not for a piece, but a pair! Which puts the AudioSolutions Figaro XL2 in such a favorable situation that, having the above budget (and appropriate footage), it is from them that we should start our search and listening, in order to have a reference point at an appropriately high level. And I feel something in my bones that starting with the XL2s, in most cases the observed differences will mean at most a step to the side, or even down, because you will not find such scale, freedom and refinement for "100" anywhere else. Therefore, I can only sincerely recommend them, while regretting the fact that my 24-meter room is definitely too small for them.

Marcin Olszewski

System used in the test:
– transport: CEC TL 0 3.0
– streamer: Lumin U2 Mini + Silent Angel Bonn N8 switch
– digital/analog converter: dCS Vivaldi DAC 2.0
– reference clock: Mutec REF 10 SE-120
– reclocker: Mutec MC-3+USB
– Shunyata Research Omega Clock
– Shunyata Sigma V2 NR
Line preamplifier: Gryphon Audio Pandora
Power amp: Gryphon Audio APEX Stereo
Speakers: Gauder Akustik Berlina RC-11 Black Edition
Speaker cables: Furutech Nanoflux-NCF Speaker Cable
IC RCA: Hijiri Million “Kiwami”, Vermouth Audio Reference
XLR: Hijiri Milion “Kiwami”, Furutech DAS-4.1
digital IC: Hijiri HDG-X Milion
LAN cable: NxLT LAN FLAME
Power cables: Hijiri Takumi Maestro, Furutech Project-V1, Furutech NanoFlux NCF, Furutech DPS-4.1 + FI-E50 NCF(R)/ FI-50(R), Hijiri Nagomi, Vermouth Audio Reference Power Cord, Acrolink 8N-PC8100 Performante, Synergistic Research Galileo SX AC
Table: BASE AUDIO 2
Accessories:
– fuses: Quantum Science Audio Red, Synergistic Research Orange
– anti-vibration: Harmonix TU 505EX MK II, Stillpoints ULTRA MINI
– SOLID TECH anti-vibration platform
– power supply: Harmonix AC Enacom Improved for 100-240V
– power strip: POWER BASE HIGH END, FURUTECH e-TP80 ES NCF
– Artnovion acoustic panels
Analog track:
– turntable – Clearaudio Concept
– Dynavector DV20X2H cartridge
– RCM Audio phono preamplifier The Big Phono
– DS Audio ES-001 record clamp
– Studer A80 reel-to-reel tape recorder

Distribution: Premium Sound
Manufacturer: AudioSolutions
Price: from PLN 101,189 (depending on finish)

Specifications
– Sensitivity: 92dB @ 2.83V, 1m
– Suggested amplifier power: 20-900W;
– Impedance: 8Ω nominal
– Crossover frequency: 400Hz; 4000Hz
– Frequency response (indoor): 24-25,000Hz
– Drivers: 19mm silk dome tweeter, two 15.2cm ER paper cone midrange drivers, four 23.3cm ER paper cone bass drivers
– Dimensions (H x W x D): 1918mm x 336mm x 581mm
– Weight: 115kg each