REVIEW: Hawthorne Audio Sterling Silver Iris Speakers

Model:	Sterling Silver Iris
Category:	Speakers
Suggested Retail Price:	$1500
Description:	15
Manufacturer URL:	Hawthorne Audio
Model Picture:	View

Review by mattcecil1@yahoo.com on June 26, 2008 at 21:03:32
IP Address: 216.80.117.65 Add Your Review
for the Sterling Silver Iris

This is the 2nd pair of co-axial speakers I've owned from Hawthorne Audio. The Sterlings are ridiculously better than the Silver Iris'.

Open baffle speakers are starting to make real waves, a lot of mfgrs are hearing the advantages. The Sterlings from Hawthorne Audio are setting the bar incredibly high now. Every aspect of performance, and every shortcoming of the SI, sounds like its been addressed 100%, with a lot of extra's thrown in for good measure...

Hawthorne's initial offering, the Silver Iris, is a heck of a speaker. Anytime a 15" driver is used (or 4 in the case of my DIY Duets) fun is going to be had, lots of air moving. Luckily, OB drivers are lightning fast and none of the normal 15" caveats exist with the Hawthorne drivers allowing both full-range co-axial drivers & a subwoofer to get created.

My Sterling speaker system also has a pair of Auggie's, Hawthorne's 15" OB subwoofers, and they all reside in a baltic birch DIY baffle of the Duet style. A Rhythmik PEQ370 plate amp powers the Auggie's, which play in mono and are wired in parallel. It has the ferocity, speed and tone to keep pace with the Sterlings. Highly recomended for OB subs. It comes with a special OB shelf from the factory. The Auggie's play quite a bit deeper with this amp.

Aside from cast frames and the amazing Radian driver, the biggest visible change are the humongous outboard x-overs...they are gorgeous! works of art. Mundorf Silver/Oil caps, Alpha Core inductors, Solen inductors and Mills resistors. Each board probably weighs 5-7 lbs or more, just gigantic.

I've used the Hagerman Frybaby on them with extremely positive results. My set is about a month and half old and the holographic, 3-D separation of musicians is the biggest attribute. Sweetness, clarity, warmth & purity of tone are all there too - but imaging is going to be a recurring comment from reviewers of the Sterlings. As they break-in further over the coming months, the effect is going to be quite psychedelic.

I have to mention the intense customer service that one gets with Hawthorne, and the MAC speaker cables also purchased. As far as the cables go, incredible. Both for the $, about $200, and the dope performance.

Darrel and Diana Hawthorne offer just about any custom service you might want, from baffles to mounts for the drivers, to surrounds for plate amps, tiny 'spud' tube amps, loads and loads of advice and a killer forum.

By the sounds of it, i'll be rocking the Sterlings for a very long time. They play quite deep, magically smooth and transparent with a complete sonic picture. The base co-axs from Hawthorne fall short in this area. The Sterlings excel like no speaker i've heard barring gigantic Magnepan speaks of the $20K variety.

To say the Sterlings are a deal is understatement. To say they are highly accurate, involving and capable of recreating large scale music with ease..well i'd just be talkin' I guess!

Highly recomended.

Matt

Product Weakness:	none
Product Strengths:	n/a

Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: CONN organ console tube amp
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): none
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Imod
Speakers: Hawthorne Sterlings
Cables/Interconnects: Revelation Audio Labs, Blue Jeans Cable
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Ipod mixing it up...
Room Size (LxWxH): 15 x 25 x 8
Room Comments/Treatments: RoomTunes Deluxe
Time Period/Length of Audition: 1.5 months
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner

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Amplifier:	CONN organ console tube amp
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	none
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Imod
Speakers:	Hawthorne Sterlings
Cables/Interconnects:	Revelation Audio Labs, Blue Jeans Cable
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Ipod mixing it up...
Room Size (LxWxH):	15 x 25 x 8
Room Comments/Treatments:	RoomTunes Deluxe
Time Period/Length of Audition:	1.5 months
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

REVIEW: Hawthorne Audio Sterling Silver Iris Speakers

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