H IGH END AUDIO PH YSI C

AUDIO P HYSI C YARA 2 SUPERIOR

A world full of

Many loudspeakers try to dazzle us with an exceedingly pleasant sound. Theyare likely to capture our attention for the moment, however this does not havemuch to do with authentic sound reproduction as such. The Audio Physic Yara 2Superior does not try to blind us and yet it does not beat around the bush whenit comes to how it sounds. A truly remarkable loudspeaker.

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coloursColours have a strong influence on our daily liveswithout us being aware of it. They play an importantrole in our well-being, they influence our livingenvironment as well as our dress code and theyeven determine our behaviour. What if you wentthrough a red traffic light? This could have seriousconsequences. Even sound colours have a powerof their own: designed for a wide range and with arich bouquet, they bring us to a higher level of sonicbliss. In the case of a limited range, the sonicimpression is flat and colourless, fading into thebackground and minimising the potential forentertainment. If we are blinded by sound coloursglowing as bright as neon lights without the velvetytexture and sense of warmth provided by naturaltonal hues and timbres, our attention may betemporarily captured, but in the long run we willnotice the lack of depth and down-to-earthness. What defines the true greatness of aloudspeaker and sets it apart from other top-classmodels in their own right? It is less theloudspeaker’s quantitative features such as “more”bass or a higher level accuracy than the ability tonaturally reproduce sound colours and the finestdetails. It is important not to overdo it, making sureto deliver the dark and full-bodied sound of aGuarneri as well as the bright and vibrant vivacity ofa Stradivarius taking into account the specificcharacteristics of each particular violin. A number ofloudspeakers as well as amplifiers and otherequipment are not able to get past that hurdle. In itsclass, the new Audio Physic Yara 2 Superior movesthe benchmarks usually applied up to another level.This is all the more remarkable since the slim,column-like loudspeaker is far from being theflagship of the German based manufacturer –rather it is introduced as the new top model of theYara series for newcomers to the audiophile world.Speaking of “newcomers” I do not wish to give youthe wrong impression here. Let us not forget thatonly a few years ago the 3 series was consideredBMW’s entry level model into the range of theGerman car manufacturer from Bavaria. I guessthat no-one would have ever thought of the BMW 3series as a newcomer model subject tocompromise. The same applies to the Yara 2Superior. The loudspeaker is elegant inappearance, well-proportioned and manufacturedwith exemplary care. A vintage Audio Physicproduct and a fine piece of furniture rather than acold, technical product. The Yara 2 Superior isavailable in five real wood veneers enabling you toperfectly match the loudspeaker to your livingenvironment. If you have a knack for thingstechnical, choose the new look brushed-aluminiumveneer. The Yara creates a world full of colourseither way. A look into the interior of the loudspeakerunderlines the high quality approach. Rigidstructures are used to provide a stiffer cabinetwhere Audio Physic generously provided themidrange driver with its own sub-enclosure.Therefore, driver performance is not adverselyaffected by the two woofers which are mounted inthe sides of the cabinet near the floor. Without sucha configuration, problems are likely to arise from theinteraction between the midrange driver and thewoofer where it is the reproduction of fine dynamicstructures as well as the naturalness of tones and

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H IGH-END AUDIO PH YSI C

5/0612/07Audio Physic Yara 2 Superiorwww.audiophysic.deLoudspeakerSound quality 495 max. 700 P.Naturalness 75 max. 100 P.Resolution 75 max. 100 P.Spatial image 75 max. 100 P.Vitality 75 max. 100 P.Bass precision 65 max. 100 P.Bass volume 65 max. 100 P.Level accuracy 65 max. 100 P.Features 40 max. 70 P.Design 190 max. 240 P.

timbres that suffer the most. The midrange driver isfitted with a treated paper cone in order to combinehigh rigidity with a low weight. It comes with apowerful ferrite magnet as well as a 1.3’’ (32mm)voice coil, an unusually large design for such amidrange driver, which ensures accurate powertransmission to the cone. As a general rule, voicecoils for midrange drivers have a smaller diameterin order to save weight. Manfred Diestertich, AudioPhysic’s chief designer, opted for the larger sizeconfiguration in order to achieve an idealcompromise as well as improve the electricalbehaviour, and he turned out to be right. When put

of the works of August Macke and EdouardManet may give you an idea of what we aretalking about. Loussier loves challengingperformances. When he hits the keys, even amellow pianissimo thrills with the joy of life. Withthe Yara 2 Superior, this joy came throughprecisely in our listening room and we did notneed to rely on high levels to achieve this. It wasamazing how quickly a solid sound stage startedto unfold when music was reproduced at lowlevels. Even when hooked up to the Magnat RV1 tube amplifier (page 58), the Yara 2 Superiormade a formidable impression.

Material 95 max. 120 P.Impression 95 max. 120 P.Overall (72%) 725 max. 1010 P.Test Result goodPrice/Performance outstandingüberragend

to the test, the mids neversounded compressed andthe full details came through,even at high levels.The woofers are able to hold

lively and colourful reproductiongreat imagingdeep and dynamic bass

superb finish and choice ofveneers, long warranty

A solidly engineered loudspeakerthat will seduce you with itsdelightful yet honest charm.

W el l we ighed : Au d ioPhys i c de l i ve rs t he Ya raw i th a s p i r i t l eve l wh ichi s ve ry he lp f u l when youwan t t o pe r f ec t l y ad jus tthe l oudspeakers .

a candle to the midrange drivers. In fact, wooferswith such a design and configuration cannot bebought at bargain prices, nor can they be foundin the bargain box of the world-wide chassismarket. A generously cut drill hole through thepole piece as well as holes drilled into the coilformer allow for good ventilation. This designfeature speeds the removal of heat, generated athigh volumes, from the voice coil. It is the firsttime that Audio Physic has revamped aloudspeaker from the Yara series with thefavoured metal cone bass drivers. Due to thewoofers being arrayed on each side of theloudspeaker, cabinet width can be reduced to aslim 5.9'’ (15cm). Can it also be that the Yarasounds thin? Not at all. During the first listeningsession when Mozart’s variations on a minuet byDuport (Divox) were played on the Burmesterreference CD player, the Accuphase E 450handling the signals, the Yara 2 Superior wasable to reveal the authority of a Steinway eventhough top pianist Atsuko Seki barely touchedthe low keys of the piano. The loudspeakerprecisely kept up with sudden changes of moodas the pianist’s fingers glided across the keys,crisp and delightful moments alternated with amore restrained, almost contemplative feel whileat the same time taking account of the very ownsonic character of the Steinway. There are onlyfew loudspeakers in this class which can actuallyachieve this. The Yara 2 Superior’s rendition ofJacques Loussier playing Bach truly created asmall sensation across our team of reviewers. Afew moments before the loudspeaker hadaccurately portrayed the brilliant, brisk timbre ofthe Steinway and now it was just as capable ofdelivering the elemental, darker and almostearthy sound of the Bösendorfer responding toLoussier’s touch. The difference in colour intensity

Do not make the mistake of under-estimating the power of the Audio Physic loud-speaker. We threw Supertramp’s “School” into theplayer, cranked the volume knob of the amplifier allthe way up, and the Yara 2 Superior came throughwith visceral clarity and impact - at which point youheard a “wow” from one of the reviewers. At Home-Vision we know that there are similar-priced loud-speakers offering a more “dirty”, raw and earthysound, however we asked ourselves whether theycould also produce such a wide soundstage, suchfree and lofty highs and such a wide variety of tonalcolours and timbres. The answer is no. What setsthe Audio Physic loudspeaker apart is the mannerin which it is capable, in every situation, of focusingon and communicating the essence of the musicinstead of just reproducing sound events which arehappening at a particular moment.

RésuméWhile the price of the Yara 2 Superior is notpeanuts, it is still possible to save up for. Theloudspeaker offers great value for money: Sonicbliss combined with magnificent and authenticsound colours, well-balanced and grown-up. In itsclass, the Audio Physic Yara 2 Superiorestablishes a new benchmark for sonic perfor-mance and superb finish.

by Knut Isberner

W el l tes t ed :A f ter t he f i n a lins pec t i on , ac er t i f i ca te i si ssued to c on -f i rm th e qual i t yof th e Yar a .

T E S T L A B R E S U L T SDimensions (WxH xD) 5.9’’ x 39.4’’ x 12.6’’ (15 x 100 x 32cm)

Weight 19 kgDesign 3-way bass reflexWarranty 10 years

Loudspeaker Positioning: Due to AudioPhysic’s excellent solution for coupling the side-firing woofers to the cabinet, the Yara can be easilypositioned where the distance to the side wallsmay be different for each loudspeaker. In heavilydamped rooms, the Yara should be adjustedtowards the listening place or just slightly angledtowards the listening place,

The frequency response curve shows ripples over anarrow band, however the overall picture is well-balanced with a slight peak in the brilliance range.The bass extends very low in frequency.

W ell connected:The easily

accessible jacksallow for safe

connections evenin the case of

strong cables.

The frequency response measures a loudspeaker’s ability to reproduce sound across an audible range of20Hz to 20KHz with the same level. An ideal frequency response would be a nearly flat line.

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The Yaras are able to reproduce the very own character of aSteinway or Bösendorfer, a Guarneri or Stradivarius.