Email Continuum 0.5: Testimonials
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Reviews, awards, comments
1999 | Home Theater | Reviewer: Brent Butterworth, editor
"The sound stage was amazing, stretching way outside the speakers...treble is so clear, it is just unbelievable."
"With their cast-marble cabinets and ultra-minimalist design, the Continuum 0.5 speakers bring real meaning to the term 'high-end.' I have heard a lot of speakers in my day, but I was not prepared for what I heard from the 0.5...
"The first cut I play whenever I review a set of speakers is Holly Cole's "Train Song" from her Temptation CD, so I have heard that recording on literally hundreds of speakers. I have to say I have never heard it sound better than it did on the Continuum. The sound stage was amazing, stretching way outside the speakers -- if I had been blindfolded, I would have sworn I was hearing bipolar speakers.
"The imaging sounded very natural, as if every single instrument was playing right there in the room. The drum kit on the next cut from Temptation, "Jersey Girl," sounded like it was sitting right where my TV is -- as a guy who still plays the occasional jazz gig here in New York, I know what that sounds like! This speaker's treble is so clear, it is just unbelievable. Percussion sounds incredibly crisp and dynamic...
"I would say the Continuum 0.5 has a somewhat bright balance (the designer says the speaker mellows out after a couple hundred hours) which brings up another point: These speakers are not forgiving; they do not cover up flaws in a recording. I actually found it a little frustrating when listening to Julian Cope's Peggy Suicide. For years, this has been one of my favorite CDs, and I have now discovered that the quality of the vocal miking varies somewhat from take to take -- some tracks sounded great, some flawed...
"...I heard stuff in Holly Cole's Temptation that I have never heard before. I have always ridiculed reviewers who make that statement because I notice stuff I have never heard before in recordings even when I am listening to really bad speakers. But the fact I am comfortable making a statement I have refused to use throughout my 10 years as an audio reviewer says something very nice about GMA's engineering. So, are these speakers high-end? And how! Performance = 98, Build Quality = 98, Value = 90; out of 100."
1998 | Soundstage! | Reviewer: Frank Alles
"Not only do they sound magnificent, but they look fabulous."
"I have to tell you that from an aesthetic viewpoint, these (Continuum 0.5s) are beautiful speakers. 'Everybody gather `round now, let your body feel the heat. Do not worry if you cannot dance -- let the music move your feet!' No, the Continuum 0.5's are not disco speakers by any means, but they sure can, and do, make music.
"Well holy cow, folks, I have to tell you that I was just down in my listening room and Branford Marsalis was there wailing on the sax. He could not have been more 'there' if he was here, and that is the truth. He was playing "Nearness Of You," which I recognized from his Trio Jeepy album, and upon finishing that tune, he opened "Three Little Words" with a loud blast that nearly blew my head off. Yessiree, the little Continuums made a believer out of me. Not only was the timbre spot-on, but the dynamic contrasts -- macro and especially micro -- were delivered so convincingly that when I closed my eyes to listen, I had a very hard time not believing that Branford was actually there.
"These speakers are super clean, focused, and deliver ultra-fast transients accurately and without any hint of ringing, distortion, or rounding off. What that does, combined with the very smooth and linear frequency response, is to let real acoustic instruments sound very authentic and distinct. Come to think if it, 'distinct' is a very appropriate adjective to describe the sound of these speakers. Even with all kinds of instruments and sounds playing all at once and at differing levels of volume, every sound remains clear, distinct, and identifiable. I found the speaker's ability to resolve low-level details to be unsurpassed in my on venue.
"It was uncanny how the Continuums allowed one to eavesdrop on the background conversations going on in live recordings such as the Ray Brown Trio's "The Real Blues" from Summer Wind. At one point, I could hear the audience laughing at one of the band members poking fun at the band leader. This was certainly hinted at with my other speaker, but it was plainly more discernable via the Continuums.
"As much as I like the high-frequency reproduction of my Paradigm Reference Studio/100 speakers, I believe the Morel tweeter, as implemented in the Continuums, sounds even better. It is clearer, smoother, more detailed, and more extended. High-hats, cymbals, and all genres of high-frequency percussion instruments are extremely well served.
"In comparison, the Paradigms are a bit more splashy and a bit less articulate. The midrange of the (Continuums) does not exhibit the slightly recessed or darker character of the Paradigms in the crossover region.
"What about imaging? To my ears these little honeys are the very model of precision when it comes to layering a sound stage. They are exacting, stable, and very focused. They throw a very deep and respectably wide presentation that needs no apology...the quality of the bass is first-rate -- tight, agile and tonally accurate...
"I like these little gems very much. Not only do they sound magnificent, but they look fabulous. You will find that properly set up, the Continuums provide a clear, detailed window to the sound stage that is surprisingly dynamic, fast, and rife with natural timbres. While a little shy in ultimate bass extension, the speakers are above average in terms of bass articulation and neutrality. Orchestral fortissimos were impressive in their delivery, but I found that the speakers' ability to deliver subtle gradations of micro-dynamics and low-level details to be exceptional. The reproduction of acoustic instruments as well as the human voice was startlingly authentic, and the treble frequencies were airy and extended. In fact, the treble quality was much clearer and more detailed than most other speakers I have heard..."
Continuum 0.5 - Gallery - Testimonials
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