On This Track The GRP All Stars Big Band accompany King and when they make their entrance they sound huge, with very precise placement of the instruments on a broad, ear level soundstage and a dynamically powerful, natural sound. The muted trombone and B3 organ that interplay with King's vocals are particularly well produced by the Clarus components. I'm surprised at how well they render even the smallest details. Even the trumpets and upper voiced saxes sound as they should without any breakup or over-emphasis at reasonable listening levels. At very high levels, however, they tend to be a little overpowering. These instruments, as well as upper midrange piano, can produce notes that will rip your head off if the drivers playing them don't exhibit linear performance.
When King starts singing, his voice is stable and perfectly centered. It has all the rich, soulful character he's famous for and when Lucille (King's guitar) plays, she sounds totally lifelike and robust. The only complaint I have here is the lack of low bass produced by the 5.25-inch woofers. I'd expect the 6.5-inch version of the Clarus components to deal with this problem better than these smaller drivers. As I mentioned prior, this phenomenon could be easily eliminated by adding a dedicated subwoofer, which should be at the top of the list of any serious car audiophile's requirements when building an SQ system.
Score: 8.5/10
Rock
Eagles "Hotel California" (Live)
This version of "Hotel California" starts with crowd sounds that really convey the space and ambiance of the concert. When the solo guitar plays, the attack and decay of the strings is reproduced flawlessly. Everything is in proper proportion. The timbre of the hollow-body instrument is correct, and the guitar and percussion ensemble that accompany the solo spreads across the stage behind it. When the bass drum strikes it lacks the fundamentals of the tone, as would be expected with these small drivers, but still has a deep, dynamic presence that would be totally believable with the addition of a dedicated subwoofer. In addition, the bass drum sounds as if it's behind the rest of the band, exhibiting a great sense of stage depth.
Don Henley's vocal is solid and centered and doesn't waver. He sounds very natural and the backing chorus is just that as well, in the background-both physically and aurally. I truly believe that here again, the ultra light diaphragms of the tweeters and the natural-sounding pressed-paper cones of the midbasses contribute mightily to the performance of these components.
The guitar duet starting at 5:34 is particularly pleasing. The first guitar has a darker sound than the entry solo and the other guitar that shares this ensemble. If you and/ or your installer completely read the owner's manual that's downloadable for these components, and institute the damping and driver placement recommendations therein, you'll be able to realize the same excellent imaging and staging details these components are capable of producing. I wish more speaker manufacturers would take it upon themselves to educate their customers as to proper installation and placement of their products as Hybrid Audio has done.
Score: 9/10
Classical
Antonio Vivaldi "Flute Concerto in D"
Classical music is notoriously hard to reproduce faithfully because of its dynamic, complex nature. Think about it. You have maybe 100 to 150 musicians and sometimes more, contributing to the sound of the music. That's a lot of information for your speakers to replicate and if they're not very quick and light, they won't be able to keep up with all that's happening. From what I'd heard so far, I expected the Clarus components to do a pretty good job here.