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Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: BC Acoustique Gange Speakers by Joaquin Mejia

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REVIEW: BC Acoustique Gange Speakers

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Model: Gange
Category: Speakers
Suggested Retail Price: 3000 €
Description: 3 way floorstander, sealed box
Manufacturer URL: BC Acoustique
Manufacturer URL: BC Acoustique

Review by Joaquin Mejia ( A ) on January 09, 2005 at 16:28:13
IP Address: 80.103.239.182
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for the Gange


Hello,

This review will cover my upgrade from Audio Note J (basic model, ca. 1996) to BC Acoustique Gange. While the Gange listed 3200€, they are currently discontinued and I got mine (new) from Cobrason in France for 1800 € a few weeks ago (I understand they still have a few pairs left). I have learned a lot from having the chance to extensively comparing both speakers at home.

To begin with, I was quite happy with the AN-J, but I felt it was time for an upgrade to get higher resolution.

The BC Acoustique Gange is a big floorstander, but hidden to the eye, each speaker is housed in its specific sealed box (acoustic suspension). Woofer is 17REX polypropylene from SEAS, mid-woofer is 26REX from SEAS. Tweter is compresion driver FT17 from Fostex. Some internet websites (including Cobrason) say the Gange has a response down to 46hz (-3db), but this must be wrong. I can hear clearly down to 30 hz in my room (using DVE calibration disc). But far important, bass has a presence and a definition that it´s miles beyond what I attained with the AN-J (whick theoretically goes to 28 hz -3db if my memory doesn´t fail). Even if the Gange has a listed 93db-4ohm, I feared they could be current-hungry and not suitable for valves. I phoned BC Acoustique and a nice guy told me they were easy to drive, their impedance doesn´t go nearly as low as the one from the reflex-loaded Nile (the Gange bigger brother). I have also read that acoustic-suspension speakers tend to be easier to drive. Well, my 25 watts tube amp handles them perfectly, with far more headroom and easinesss than what it obtained with the supposedly tube-friendly AN-J. Bass is generous, fast, very natural with tremendous power when needed. The 3-way acoustic-suspension bass from the Gange is in a word much higher quality (and quantity, but it is perfectly balanced though) than the 2-way reflex AN-J.

Well, to make a long story short, I´d say the Gange is a hell of speaker for the money I paid (1800 €), far outclassing the AN-J in almost every respect. It gives you FAR more information, with a much greater sense of "easiness-fluidity" specially in dynamics. It´s like I was hearing the music behind half a dozen of heavy-thick hanging CARPETS. I checked an old Hi-Fi Choice issue where the AN-J treble response quickly dived from 10k. The Fostex tweeter, on the other hand, is suppossed to reach 25K before decaying. It wouldnt matter much, except that the ears clearly confirm it. Now I can hear loads of information that was hidden in the highs, the mids and the lows. It is much more easier to see-hear what each instrument has to say, whether an orchestra or a chamber ensemble is playing. It´s like having new glasses.

There is one point where my AN-J sounded "nicer": they have a more "woody" midband, which together with the limited treble response, made string instruments and voices sound sweeter and more full bodied. It´s mainly a box related coloration, but very intelligently tuned it gives good results. The Gange, on the other hand, can sound somewhat lean in the mids when compared to that, but it is certainly more neutral, so at the end you hear more of the timbrical differences between singers that were hidden by the AN-J box coloration. The amount of information, the sense of scale and ambience, the dynamics, and every other parameter I can think of, are so much better with the Gange that there is no returning back for me.

I am sure higher quality speakers like SF Cremona have a sweeter treble-fuller midrange due to more expensive drivers-crossover, but for now I am very happy with the Gange.

One note: I understand the current AN-J are improved from my older model, but I feel its cheapo drivers are certainly a handicap to obtain greater results, no matter how much expensive cable you put inside.


Product Weakness: somewhat lean mids, treble could be harsh if not mated with valves
Product Strengths: sense of scale, great resolution, dynamics, neutrality, clean and powerful bass, easy to drive with valves


Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier: 25 watts-Class A tube amplifier: Audio Innovations S800 MkIII
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): Passive pre with DaCT (10k) attenuator
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Philips SACD1000 and Xerxes tundtable
Speakers: BC Acoustique, 93db
Cables/Interconnects: Silver Audio interconnects, Kimber 8TC loudspeaker cable
Music Used (Genre/Selections): mainly classical-baroque, but also pop-rock
Room Size (LxWxH): L-Shaped, a little more than 30 sq. ms. x x
Time Period/Length of Audition: 2 weeks
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): Digital player is suspended with elastic strings and has a weight on top to help levelling, and is also somewhat "fixed" to the ground by a navcom foot (absolutely fantastic tweak)
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner




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Topic - REVIEW: BC Acoustique Gange Speakers - Joaquin Mejia 16:28:13 01/9/05 ( 44)