Mordaunt Short Performance 6, Round one

ALSO FOR MULTICHANNEL

• They are a good first approach by the brand to the ever-demanding high-fidelity market.

• Price: €5,000

• Specialists' rating: 4

• Text: Ramon Sendra

England's Mordaunt Short, several of whose products we have already reviewed, has just introduced the star of its new Performance series, the Performance 6 floorstander. This series aims to fill the brand's gap at the top end in high-level loudspeakers, and it is a real pleasure for us to have been able to get hold of a pair of this caliber.

This series is the result of three years of research by the company's engineers, in search of and developing new technical advances that range from new resins for building the cabinets (with excellent mechanical results) to the third generation of its well-known CPC driver, with its unmistakable visual style. But perhaps the most spectacular feature of this loudspeaker is the tweeter's enclosure, christened the ATT (Aspirated Tweeter Technology) diffuser. In this way, the small

25 mm aluminum tweeter is paired with an enclosure of its own, completely independent of the loudspeaker's main cabinet. Literally, the driver and its enclosure "float" within the cabinet.

The midrange driver (a 100 mm unit) and the bass drivers (two 165 mm units), all CPC, feature new neodymium magnets which, together with a new design based on the FEA (Finite Element Analysis) technique, achieve minimal coloration thanks to a significant reduction in thermal compression. The cones of these drivers, as we saw in our review of the 908 Avant, are aluminum.

We must not forget the crossover which, according to the manufacturer, has been designed using the most modern computer techniques. Thus they claim that their crossover reduces distortion to minute levels, partly thanks to a very careful choice of electronic components (such as resistors of English and German origin).

All of this, as we can see in the pictures, is finished with a sophisticated and, to say the least, singular visual design, with an unusual shape that extends to the binding posts (for three ways), silver-plated for slower oxidation over time. Unlike other loudspeakers of more conventional design, these Performance 6s are built from a resin forming a one-piece (monobloc) chassis.



THE TESTS



For the tests we visited Werner's always pleasant premises in Barcelona. The store's staff set up the Performance 6s with a combination of North Star Design components, specifically the Model 192 transport and D/A converter, the Linestage series preamp and two monoblocks from the series.

Mordaunt Short has managed, in a way, to escape the easy label of "British sound" in many of its other designs (from the Genie satellite set to the 908s), always finding a balanced point that would appeal to a wide range of enthusiasts.

Listening to my first discs (ranging from jazz-fusion tracks on Luis Robisco's album Tiempos to something calmer, such as what Nergaard offers us, by way of Pink Floyd's powerful The Wall), the first impression is that the system lacks response at both the top and the bottom. At no point does the bass get out of control or, worse still, go missing. Far from it. The bass is there, but it lacks strength and presence, that "musical" (as opposed to audiovisual) punch that gives music energy and power.

The midrange is simply excellent, with compact and faithful reproduction of voices. It is undoubtedly the best feature of these speakers, which also achieve a lively and complete front soundstage, at least in its center.

As with the bass, the treble, which will never become forward or cold, lacks a certain presence, which may cause some high voices to sound somewhat nasal. The fact that the treble also has some rear radiation (but without phase or dispersion problems, which they achieve with the "floating" ATT enclosure) results in a certain lateral and three-dimensional opening-up of the image, although in my tests I always noticed a certain tendency for the front soundstage to close in toward the center. Fortunately, they are not very directional speakers, which will allow a larger number of listeners to enjoy them.

I found the speakers rather "slow", as if they had not been broken in, but it has taken us a few weeks to be able to carry out this review precisely because they were busy with other reviews. So this difficulty in reproducing a fast, punchy sound must surely lie with the speaker itself. Of course, in return, some will like this slow response, very pleasant with gentle, less dynamic music.

They need power, and it is at high levels that they perform best.

Forgive me for perhaps being somewhat critical of these speakers, but since this is the brand's first venture into high fidelity, one has to go all out. By this I mean to say that, deep down, the Performance 6s are still good speakers, although precisely because this is their first venture, any criticism made will be seen as constructive.

Our guests may prove "critical" with music, but given that the brand plans to complete the series for a multichannel setup, and in view of the results, they will undoubtedly be a superb ally for those who want a home theater that sounds truly demanding and high in quality.

ALSO FOR MULTICHANNEL

All the brand's models form part of one multichannel configuration or another. The Performance series is expected to be completed shortly with three more models. On the one hand, the Performance 2 monitor, of very compact design. Also the Performance 5C center, with a symmetrical d'Appolito layout designed specifically for correct voice reproduction (precisely one of the strong points of the 6), and the compact Performance 9 active subwoofer, which aims to deliver up to 1,000 W through its digitally designed amplifier.

If we were to review our guests only in audiovisual applications, the final rating would be very different and, although we are extrapolating, we have no doubt that the result in this type of listening will surprise more than a few. But they also aspire to something more musical.

Mordaunt Short Performance 6, Round one

Specifications

Sensitivity: 89 dB/W/m. Frequency response: 35 Hz to 25 kHz. Nominal impedance: 4-8 ohms. Drivers: 2x165 mm third-generation CPC, 1x100 mm third-generation CPC, 1x25 mm aluminum tweeter. Crossover: Second order. Recommended amplifier power: 15-250 W. Dimensions: 240x1,210x370 mm.

Weight: 30 kg.

Distributor: Marantz (902888784, €0.15/min)

Price: €5,000