Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: Piega P 10 Speakers by calloway

Model:	P 10
Category:	Speakers
Suggested Retail Price:	$ 12,500
Description:	3-way,floor standing
Manufacturer URL:	Piega
Model Picture:	View

Review by calloway on November 01, 2001 at 19:23:01
IP Address: 208.30.87.59

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for the P 10

The Piega P10 speakers,3-way,floor standing,are the culmination of my search for an affordable,reference speaker.I have owned them for 3 months or about 150 hours at the time of this review.I have previously owned Merlin vsm with BAM,Aliante Pininfarina Model ones,and most recently Von Schweikert ref VR5 HSE speakers.All of the aformentioned speakers did something right but lacked some part of the total package that i had been looking for.I had listened to the P10s' on 2 occasions at a local dealer but didn't want to believe that what i was hearing was as good as I knew it to be.My VR5s were/are great speakers and it was hard for me to admit that the P10s' were,indeed,that much better.They are not only 'that much better' they are superb....at everything a speaker is supposed to do RIGHT.
THE SPEAKER
They are Swiss made.A 3-way,floor standing speaker made in Zurich.The company,with the exception of the woofer drivers,Vifas',made exclusivly for piega to exacting standards,in Denmark,make all the components in each and every speaker.The P10s' consist of 2-8" LDB (linear drive bass ) woofers, 1-LDR II ( linear drive ribbon ) midrange,and 2-LDR II tweeters,( one front firing and one rear firing ).The ribbon aluminum foils are fixed on a Milar foil for higher mechanical power handling.Piega uses the strongest Neodymium magnets for reaching high efficiency (94db for the tweeter and 100 db for the midrange,'measured in free air and without crossover networks'.)Sensitivity is rated at 89bd/W/m....impedence -4ohms...frequency range is 22hz-50khz +/-2db. Recommended amplifier power is 20-250 watts. Demensions are (H xW xD ) 47" x 11" x 16", and weight is 139lbs.Cabinet finishes are ..stndrd..satin black varnish, satin white varnish,or satin silver varnish. Optional finishes are black grand piano..my choice,or white grand piano.
The cabinets,made of MDF composites,are reinforced,internally,with brackets every 15cm in a matrix configuration. Between all the brackets and the MDF surfaces they applicate bitumin plates. The whole cabinet is covered and damped by these plates.
THE SOUND
The sound of the P10s' is the most seamless top to bottum that I have ever heard.The ribbon midrange and tweeters are cryatal clear,fast and incredibly extended.They speakers completely disappear in your room.Every micro detail and nuance is naturally presented.Cymbals shimmer like no other speaker i have heard.Instruments decay naturally.Three dimensional imaging amazing.Stereophiles' new Test CD 3,[10],Microphone Techniques & Soundstage Maps produces as real a depth of field rendering as you will hear.The soundstage is wide,layered and deep.
The bass response is the best I have evr heard ( I keep saying that ) from cone drivers.Jesse Cook's 'Vertigo' CD is a great test of any speakers' bass response and the ability to elicit every transient impact individually.The P10s reproduce bass response that is tight,fast,and alive. they move alot of air very quickly.No bloated or tubby sound here.
Voices are reproduced with a 'you are there' quality and naturalness.Piano textures and brass portrayals are tonally perfect.Jacintha's SACD,track #6,'Days of Wine and Roses'is one of my favorite demo tracks for SACD.Listeners,most of them non-audiophiles,comment,without fail,of her in-room presence and the feeling that they are part of the event themselves.
I don't believe there is a sonic downside to these speakers.I am not an engineer or physisist.I am an audiophile,however you define that term,that has been involved in this crazy addiction for about 15 years and have heard my share of 'high-end' speakers,some costing much more then the P10s and have not heard any that can do everything as well as they can.I agree with jonathan valin in his assessment of the P10s..that they are in a group of 3 'affordable reference'loudspeakers that he would recommend.The price will probably place them out of the reach of some audiophiles but for those that can afford speakers,in this price range,you need to audition a pair when the upgrade bug strikes....my guess is your findings will mirror my own..that being that the Piega P10 loudspeakers are one of the best speakers,top to bottum,available currently in the marketplace,at their price or multiples of it.
The P10s are probably too much for small rooms.My room,as noted below,is large enough to accomodate them easily.They have a little brother,the P8 and P8 limited edition,that lend themselves better to smaller rooms.A good friend has the P8 LE and they don't take much of a back seat to the P10s in performance.
These speakers are superbly designed...sound unbelievable...and are asthetically beautiful,carrying a very high WAF.

Product Weakness: cost may place them out of possibility to some
Product Strengths: most seamlessly perfect speaker,top to bottum without a sonic flaw to my ears

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	aloia 13.01 x2 ( biamped-vertically)
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	aloia 11.01
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	SCD-1
Speakers:	Piega P10s
Cables/Interconnects:	XLO LE Digital,2-pair XLO LE interconnects (RCA),2-pair,audio tekne interconnects-RCA,Nordost 'Valhalla' speaker cables,3-shunyata 'Python powercords,2-Whale Elite powercords
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Classical/Jazz/Rock
Room Size (LxWxH):	25' x 18' x 25'
Time Period/Length of Audition:	3 months/150 hrs
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	Shunyata 'Hydra,PS Audio Ultimate Outlet
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	cost may place them out of possibility to some
Product Strengths:	most seamlessly perfect speaker,top to bottum without a sonic flaw to my ears