Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: SP Technology Continuum A.D. Speakers by rms

Model:	Continuum A.D.
Category:	Speakers
Suggested Retail Price:	$3995.00
Description:	2-way, dual 8 inch aluminum cone woofer and 1 inch, waveguide loaded tweeter.
Manufacturer URL:	SP Technology
Model Picture:	View

Review by rms on May 01, 2008 at 07:56:19
IP Address: 137.54.69.101 Add Your Review
for the Continuum A.D.

I would like to offer some impressions of my SP Technology Continuum AD speakers. I bought them used from Jason Smith, SP Tech president Bob Smith's son. Jason builds the cabinets at SP Tech, and had decided to sell the Continuums to finance the purchase of exotic woods intended for his personal 5.1 set of Timepiece Minis. I found out about the company through sheer luck as I was in the market to upgrade from my Kef 104/2's and 103/3's. I had done a lot of reading and listening and was close to making another purchase when I came across some reviews of SP Tech, examined their website, read more reviews including Jim Merod's statement that he had chosen them for his studio, and then saw Jason's ad for his used Continuum's.

My background in music and audio is primarily as a musician. I have played in many different genres which have taken me from small bars to concert halls and everything in between. I have also worked in some very nice recording studios and have a small home studio of my own. I don't have a lot of high end gear but what I do own seems to be well regarded and suits my needs. My current signal path is my PC playing .flac files > Foobar > EMU 0404 usb > AVA Omegastar DAC > B&K Pro10 MC in passive bypass mode > Hafler DH500 with Musical Concepts mods. I also have a Technics SL1200 with Ortofon OM30 Super.

My main reference recording is the Sheffield labs drum test disc. If a system can reproduce all the nuances of a well recorded acoustic drum set it will be a good performer. For verification of what I hear in the recordings I can play the drum set that is in my studio - so I have the Sheffield disc and the real instruments right there. To get to the point, when I cranked up the Sheffield drum test disc through the SP Tech speakers I was blown away. It sounded like my drummer was in the room with me playing his kit. Every nuance was present - and the soundstage had every piece of the kit in its proper place so that when I closed my eyes I got an immediate 3D image of the drums being played. Several drummers and other musicians, as well as non-musicians, have heard these since I bought them and the comments have all been "that sounds live" and " I have never heard music sound so real". The dynamics, clarity, and speed of these speakers are such that I find the music playback sounds, and feels, exactly as it does live. I have also listened to a huge variety of other recordings from Bach to Zappa and everything that is recorded well sounds phenomenal. When listening to the recordings of Annar Bylsma playing the Stradivarius Cello from the Smithsonian collection the depth and sonority produced by the centuries old wood of the instrument is reproduced in a way I have never heard before. The best way I can describe it is that Annar is in the room with me, I am sitting directly in front of the cello, and could reach out and touch it. When I open my eyes I find that the virtuoso cellist and priceless Stradivarius are not really there after all.

The speakers really shine on those recordings that most others fall short on, directly recorded acoustic instruments and vocals, as on some of the Sheffield recordings and other truly well recorded lp's and cd's. You can really hear and feel the nuances of the instruments, the way the players handle them, and the effects that the room in which they were recorded have. The level of detail is a real step up from anything I have heard in studios or audiophile systems in the past. Simply put it is best described as real, dynamic, present, truthful. I have found it very easy to lose myself in the music sitting for hours enveloped in my new 3D soundscape. And when I have torn myself away from listening to other people's work and developed my own music I have found these speakers to be amazing tools for mixdown and mastering. I can focus on details that I could not pick out before with other monitors or my headphones. And even though I now have many hours of listening time in with the Continuums I still find myself saying WOW! after playing a really great recording.
RMS

Product Weakness:	none
Product Strengths:	Dynamic, realistic, huge soundstage, just plain fun.

Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: Hafler DH500 Musical Concepts
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): B&K Pro 10MC
Sources (CDP/Turntable): PC>flac>asio, Technics SL1200 Ortofon OM30 Super
Speakers: SP Technology Continuum
Cables/Interconnects: Custom made by Sound Ideas
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Classical to Metal to Jazz
Room Size (LxWxH): 24 x 14 x 8
Room Comments/Treatments: Various studio treatments
Time Period/Length of Audition: Owned for 5 months
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner
Your System (if other than home audition): see above and review

Amplifier:	Hafler DH500 Musical Concepts
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	B&K Pro 10MC
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	PC>flac>asio, Technics SL1200 Ortofon OM30 Super
Speakers:	SP Technology Continuum
Cables/Interconnects:	Custom made by Sound Ideas
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Classical to Metal to Jazz
Room Size (LxWxH):	24 x 14 x 8
Room Comments/Treatments:	Various studio treatments
Time Period/Length of Audition:	Owned for 5 months
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner
Your System (if other than home audition):	see above and review