Shearwater

two way lover's two way

by

Meadowlark Audio

Quick, natural, robust. Sublimely coherent. The Shearwater embodies the reasons why so many of us would rather have a top notch two way than any other kind of speaker.

 Tech talk aside, there is just a certain 'rightness', a sense of transparency and timing that can only be achieved via the combination of extreme simplicity of design and very excellent parts. The funny thing is that great parts are well behaved and thus allow simple designs, and that simplicity of design allows for the expense of the great parts. A rare win-win! Contrast this to a three way in this price category: More drivers means that they can't be so great, and taming the 

anomalous behaviors of modest drivers inevitably requires a complex crossover, which in turn limits the driver budget.  Complexity breeds poor sonics: compressed dynamics and a processed, 'electronic' sound. Not exactly a lose-lose; you do pick up some bass extension, and the ability to play a bit louder. If this seems like a favorable tradeoff to you, then I'm glad to have helped you recognize it, and maybe the Shearwater is not your speaker. But if, instead, you value musicality and realism, read on.

Naturally, the heart of the Shearwater is its woofer. This carbon fibre design from a small, but preeminent Danish maker is roundly regarded as perhaps the best 7" there is. If you look closely, you'll notice that it shows up in a "Recommended Component" floor standing two-way that sells for $4,700. You'll also see it in a pricey $10,000 dual woofer two way. And, it appears as the midwoofer in one of the most written about three ways in audio history (you know, the one that sells in the high teens of thousands). This woofer is the standard for low distortion, linearity and control. The use of exotic materials, an absolutely enormous motor and the fact that each one is hand built make this an expensive - but - worth - it woofer. In the Shearwater's transmission line it positively sings.

For natural, quick and dynamic sounding trebles with genuine detail, not edge, we are using a wonderful silk dome tweeter designed and made for us by the same folks who make our woofer. Free of the notorious bite and ultrasonic ringing of the more common metal dome designs, our tweeter imposes no grain, zip or hash on top of the music. Rather than a blurry crash, you'll hear the wood of the stick as it strikes the cymbal, then the swell, sheen and decay of the brass. Rivets bobble plain as day. Vocal sibilants sound like breath rushing past teeth, not bursts of noise.

These two superb drivers marry seamlessly via a true first-order crossover. No fudging or added complexity. No dynamics robbing capacitors in the woofer section. No secret circuits. No baloney. Just a handful of the best parts available, placed outboard below the enclosure for isolation from vibration.

As with all of our products, fanatical attention is paid to cabinet resonance control. The multiple partitions that form the transmission line mean that the 1" thick cabinet is built like a brick. Drivers are decoupled from the baffle with a layer of Keldamp proprietary elastic damping material, and the 2" thick baffle is, in turn, decoupled from the main cabinet with a second layer of Keldamp. This 'Double Decoupling' technique is unique and accounts for a very low mechanical transfer of energy from the drivers to the enclosure. In the Shearwater, panel colorations are out of the picture.

The result of all this is a speaker that disappears into a deep and wide soundstage. Pace, drive and heft are quite realistic. Instrumental timbres are faithfully portrayed, and vocalists sound like flesh and blood. No fatigue, no nagging doubts, just music.

Conceived as a two way lover's two way, the Shearwater's performance places it squarely among the best in its class regardless of price.