Stand Loudspeaker Reviews

Manufacturer's Comment

Editor: We're confused!

Though Herb Reichert points out (the clue)'s transparency, dynamics, crisp transients, detail, "live" quality, gee-whiz low price, etc., he is disappointed in the "lean" bass, relative lack of warmth, and uneven tonal balance. We quote from his own blog comments from the Capital Audiofest, in July: "what I am now all about is finding that killer $5k system that out plays the $20k systems. And you know what? That is indeed possible and the sound in Sjöfn HiFi's room proved it. Typically, the first thing you give up in the lower end of the price scale is bass. Not with The Clue loudspeakers . . . They played the Ventures bass and drums with more weight and realism than I imagined possible. . . . The second thing you give up is midrange color and texture—again, not in the Sjofn room. Here, the guitars sounded more real than the prices!"

Blog comments about (the clue) from Stereophile's Art Dudley (October 2012): "I have no idea whatsoever how [Sjöfn's Managing Director, Lars Erickson] manages to wring such enormous scale, clarity, and impact out of such a tiny box. But he does." More from the esteemed Mr. Dudley (April 2013): "I've written before about . . . Sjöfn HiFi and their remarkable little loudspeaker called the Clue ($999/pair): an inexplicably huge-sounding thing that does a far better job than average of putting across force, feel, and fun."

And from Stereophile's Stephen Mejias (October 2010): "I walked into the room just as a thunderous bass note was struck. 'Whoa,' I thought to myself as I took the last remaining seat in the packed demo. . . . The system was small, but it produced nothing but big, room-filling sound. There was that well-controlled, thunderous bass and startlingly quick transients."

Furthermore, all of the dozen or so other reviews of and commentaries on (the clue) that have appeared elsewhere in the audio press have stressed the prowess and accurate fullness of its bottom end—and most have pointed out its consummate tonal balance. (Accolades include the Positive Feedback Online Writer's Choice Award for 2011, and Best Sound for the Money at the 2011 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest.)

And when we demo (the clue), whether at our showroom or an audio show, the first thing out of auditioners' pie holes is usually, "Where's the subwoofer?" (You get a free pair of speakers if you can find one!)

Clearly, something aberrant was going on in Mr. Reichert's listening room. We would have greatly appreciated a one-line e-mail along the lines of: "These sound different from what I heard at the show. Whassup?" Had we received such a message, we would have encouraged him to place (the clue)s within a micron or two of the front wall (rather than at almost 2" out), and/or to move one or both speakers closer to a side boundary, and/or to move the listening position forward or back a smidgen—while adhering, to the greatest degree possible, to the setup guidelines, including the optimal ratio of width to listening distance. We're 99% sure that he would then have heard the full bass energy and warmth of which our speakers are capable (and which he heard at the Capital Audiofest), as well as top-drawer tonal balance (which is also, for our speaker, dependent on room-correct placement)—and saved us the ignominy of unfavorable comments, and him the crazy-making, furious swapping in and out of amps and cables.

Instead, we received a copy of a final, set-in-stone review—with only a few days to craft our response, and with no opportunity to correct Mr. Reichert's setup. See, correct room-boundary coupling is critical to our being able to offer a monitor with deep, powerful bass, pitch-perfect tonal balance, and a Brobdingnagian soundstage (both horizontally and vertically)—and other of the positive attributes of which Mr. Reichert makes mention in his review. Get it right—it is not difficult (and we're here to help you get it right)—and you will have the vaunted "you are there" experience for under a grand. Of that, we are cocksure.

And please note: (the clue) is not for the Lawrence Welk crowd! If you like to listen to music in a soporific haze, you're well advised to seek out artificially warm, colored speakers and a mushy-sounding tube amp. Per the many comments in the audio press (see above), our diminutive wonders—punchy, dynamic as they come, replete with transient snap—are fun and exciting to listen to. We'll put you in the mosh pit for Patti Smith at CBGB's, at a front table at the Village Vanguard for Coltrane, at Folsom Prison with Johnny Cash. Of that, we're also cocksure!—Lars Erickson, Sjöfn HiFi

A technical addendum:

It is well beyond the scope of this short reply to address the complexity involved with measuring a device like (the clue), with its unique use model. But to make two simple, significant points:

1) When (the clue) is measured at an actual oblique-angle listening axis, the high frequencies are very smooth and extended, as Mr. Reichert stated in his subjective evaluation.

2) The nearfield bass measurement employed provides a half-space result, and does not represent the more complex "sequential" full-space to half-space to quarter-space, etc., enhanced bass loading of (the clue) when properly placed. When (the clue) is optimally set up, its in-room response provides transient-correct, reference-level bass down to at least 35Hz, and in many rooms lower (and as low as 28Hz).—Jim Croft, designer of (the clue)