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Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: Buggtussel Cingulate Speakers by jonbee

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REVIEW: Buggtussel Cingulate Speakers

216.58.198.66


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Model: Cingulate
Category: Speakers
Suggested Retail Price: $2000
Description: 2 way stand mount
Manufacturer URL: Buggtussel
Model Picture: View

Review by jonbee ( A ) on July 30, 2004 at 09:22:34
IP Address: 216.58.198.66
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for the Cingulate


I've had the fun of owning a number of the most highly thought-of small speakers in the last couple of years. Notable among them were Soliloquy 5.0, Paradigm Active 20s, GR Paradox1, Sequerra Met 7 mk4, Revel M20, Merlin TSM-M, Aerial 5, VMPS 626R, and now the Buggtussel Cingulate.
Buggtussel has had relatively little fanfare and notice. Their Cephalic Line is their high end line, which has 5 stereo models plus a sub and a CC. The Cingulate is the smallest, and uses a modified Eton 7-372/32 hexacone 7" woofer ($160 ea. list) and a very heavily modified (redesigned, really) Vifa aluminum dome tweeter, now acting effectively as a rear damped dipolar radiator. Woofer loading is descriibed as a variant of the transmission line. The cabinets are very heavily braced, solid, and very inert.
I was intrigued by the effort that went into the design of the speakers and the re-design of these fine drivers; so this pair came up quite cheaply I gave them a try. In a nutshell, both I and my music lover wife are very glad we did. The first thing that struck me is the sizer and openness of the soundstage. Instrumental spread and definition is
nearly as good as the best I've heard; poerhps a bit shy of the VMPS but actually superior to the Merlins and the rest of the pack. Bass is about as deep as the Revel, which is to say extraordinary, but the Bugs do not have the midbass boost of the Revel, which opens up the bass and midbass. The mids are open, balanced and detailed. The highs are as extended, clean, and airy- this metal dome sounds like no other I've heard. I use a speaker with the unmodifed Vifa tweeter as a center channel and this unit has been utterly transformed in the Bug.
Obviously, I'm knocked out by these speakers. I would place them on a par overall with the Merlins and VMPS, which I felt were a notch or two better than the other good standmounts I've owned. The VMPS played deeper, were even more "in-room" and detailed, but were not as well balanced through the mids. The Merlins were opposite, drawing the ear into the performance rather than putting the performance in-room, while the Bugs were airier and made a larger soundstage.
On the slightly down side of thing, the finish, while still quite acceptable, was not up to the standard of the Revels, Soliloquy, and Aerials, with a very slight orange-peel to the finish and some other details that are not quite as well done as the best.
This is a company whose speakers really deserve to be heard, and more widely recognized. Their larger models have already had some recognition. I think they're first class; with the usual caveat emptor and the sure knowledge that your mileage WILL vary.


Product Weakness: Finish quality is so-so for the price range (still quite acceptable in absolute terms), little known maker can hurt resale.
Product Strengths: Great soundstage size, depth, and instrumental delineation; neutrality, ultraclean airy top end, deep bass for standmount.


Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier: PS HCA2 w/ blackgates
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): CJ PFR
Sources (CDP/Turntable): ModWright Sig.Truth Sony 999ES SACD/dvd/cdp
Speakers: Cingulates, Aerial 5, Thiel 3.6
Cables/Interconnects: Goertz TQ, .99999 silver teflon braided speaker cables
Music Used (Genre/Selections): lots
Room Size (LxWxH): 19 x 17 x 8
Time Period/Length of Audition: 1 week
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): monster 2000 on inputs only
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner




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Topic - REVIEW: Buggtussel Cingulate Speakers - jonbee 09:22:34 07/30/04 ( 3)