Sjofn-Hifi The Clue Bookshelf Speaker with Fat Bass User Review

MSRP: $ 1500.00 Description: Driver Complement: Proprietary 5.5” wide-range driver (4” Active diaphragm diameter) Paper substrate with constrained-polymer damping layer, Silk dome dust cap Proprietary 7/8” dispersion driver // Super tweeter // Controlled directivity waveguide Silk dome with large roll surround, Multiple back-chambers, Copper shorting ring In Room -3 dB Frequency Limits: Low frequency: 28 Hz to 33 Hz* High frequency: 42,000 Hz (* Room dependent) Matched to (the clue) Reference Standard: +/- ½ dB Recommended Amplification: 30 to 150 watts Efficiency (1 watt // 1 meter): 87 dB Nominal Impedance // Minimum Impedance: 6 Ohms // 4.2 Ohms Crossover Frequency(s): 2,300 Hz to 11,400 Hz axis-transitional – phase coherent Crossover Slopes: Transitional: 3.0 to 8.4 dB/octave (√2 x First Order) Enclosure Structure: 1” Thick low diffraction front panel, Remaining sides ¾” MDF, Extensive bracing/Bituminous damping Low Frequency System Type: Critically damped Helmholtz // Step-down tuning www.sjofnhifi.com/ 4 Reviews 2 Quick Ratings 4.33 of 5 More Bookshelf Speakers from Sjofn-Hifi >> Search AudioReview forums for the Sjofn-Hifi The Clue >>

PlaceVendomeView (AudioPhile)
Review Date January 1, 2011
Overall Rating 5 of 5
Value Rating 5 of 5

I received a pair of Clues a bit more than a moth ago after hearing them at the RMAF. These are the type of auditory revelation you need to have in your listening room to believe. No superlatives can accurately convey the personal experience with these speakers. Of course, audiophiles have plenty of descriptors for talking about the bass, mids, and highs, and if you just write in all the good stuff here, that would be a correct review.

The claimed bass is down to 28Hz in room. The actual bass, while I haven’t measured it, easily plays music with which I am familiar with passages that go down to around 30Hz. So, I haven’t tested the very bottom of the claimed range, but I believe it. And the bass is fast, rich, taught, full and correct. No joke.

The mids and highs are totally holographic. That’s the best compliment I can think of. They are simply holographic.

The soundstage is as wide as the recording wants it to be. The soundstage depth, while not the speaker’s strong suit, is excellent. The imaging is simply excellent.

To give this review a little more balance, I suppose that it’s power handling could be greater for some folks who prefer very high volume listening for particular types of music. It has a 150W ceiling which can be reached quickly in a large room (over 2000 cubic feet), playing music with a lot of bass. But if you want to fill a very large room with a high SPL and are playing music with a lot of bass, perhaps you own a disco?

My previous pair of uber-monitors were excellent in most of these categories too, but The Clue takes the previous listening experience to a whole new level. In fact, I can’t even remember what my old speaker sounded like now. It’s as if my previous pair (which was a very highly praised design) was truncated in every listening aspect when compared to The Clue. I’ll not name my previous pair at this time, because I’m trying to sell them.

The price on The Clue, if you are in the market for high-fi equipment, is only worth mentioning because it is so absurdly low compared not only to the performance you get for the price, but also because The Clue beats the pants off both monitors and floor-standers costing 5x, 10x, 20x more. No joke. Nuff said.

When you do buy a pair of these speakers, pay attention to the recommended set-up: not more than 2″ off the wall, correct speaker stand height, and with proper toe-in. They sound merely really good if set-up poorly. But when dialed-in, the result is going to to change the way you think about how much you need to pay for uber-high-fidelity stereo speakers.

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