Arcaydis EB1s Review.

First of all, I would like to thank Jim at Arcaydis for sending out the EB1S’s
And for giving me the opportunity to spend some time with these speakers.
Jim has been the most helpful and friendly chap to speak to.

I was sent the EB1S model in Black Oak.

At time of publishing they are retailed at the introductory price of £499.99

Before I get started here is a quick look at the spec…

My First Impressions are of a pair of bookshelf speakers that have been very well constructed.
Binding posts are solid and well placed. Threads are nice and smooth and don’t threaten to thread on you. ( I really need to get some new banana plugs! )
The grills and the plugs that hold them in place are well made and a good fit.

In the looks department I find they are a subtly designed cabinet with good clean lines.

Their simplicity is what stands out to me and I like that Arcaydis went with this style.

Packaged well and with care but without needlessly wasting materials.
They are quite a hefty pair, So I would be making sure those Bookshelves were part of the foundations!

However, I am reviewing at my desktop due to time constraints and being in the early stages of redecorating our home, So please bare in mind my opinions are from a “Near-field” Ear level listening experience.

Amps –

Powering the EB1S’s is a Rega Mira amplifier.

Cables –

Chord Carnival Speaker Cable.
QED RCA Interconnects.
Crime Audio Snotora Dual USB interconnect.
Custom House Mains Cables.

Stands –

Newer NW-01 Foam Studio Monitor Stands.

Sources –

The Rega Mira is fed by a Schiit Jotunheim connected to my ROG Strix.
And a Technics SL1210 M3D running a Nagaoka MP10 Cartridge.
Using the onboard phono stage.

Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon on Amazon Music at 256kbps MP3.
Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon on 180 gram 12” Vinyl.

Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon on Foobar2000 at 4211kbps 96/24. FLAC.

Blue Coast Collection III on Foobar2000 at 6099kbps 192/24. FLAC.
Nelly Furtado’s Folklore on Foobar2000 at 192kbps MP3.

 

 

Folklore.

Vocals are up front and well emphasised. Nelly’s voice comes across very clearly, And well presented.
Backing singers are where they should be in the imaging department but still very clear and easy to make out.
String instruments are a pleasure to hear, Being very crisp and brought to the fore very well.

Lows are velvety smooth and have some punch to them though not overpowering.
No muddiness, and they don’t get lost or lose control during more lively moments in the album. But more on this a little later.

Mids are well extended but not overly so or anywhere near aggressive. Just enough to help vocals stand out in a clear & concise manner.

Highs are crisp and dry. Just how I like them. These tweeters really are very good at what they do.

The Dark Side Of The Moon.

The 180 gram Vinyl and Flac file were both really quite a joy to behold.
Anyone who knows me will know that I am a die hard Floyd Fan And as such am very critical in my listening to their albums in the various formats that I own.

Gilmour is the one I listen for the most here as I love the way he plays, His vocal range and diversity is essentially what draws me to Pink Floyd. I could really go on all day fawning over my delight at listening to this album and it’s siblings, But I am here to review, Not drool over one of my favourite bands. Sooo, Let’s move on.

The EB1S pretty much does to the album what a certain pair of my headphones do in that they pick it apart and bring all the little details to the front with sparkling precision.
What I am finding the more I listen to these speakers is the way they convey everything.
And I mean EVERYTHING.

I don’t know if this is a case of these being the best I have listened to so far and thus I am basing my opinions on that denominator or if they really are THAT good?
Either way, So far, Colour me impressed.

Blue Coast Collection III.

I want to take a quick moment here to again thank Cookie Marenco and the great folk at Blue Coast for sending me this album for free to review then keep.
It has been a pleasure to revisit this album and also to listen to it on a speaker system rather than my usual headphone only desktop system.

This is currently the best digital recording I own, In the sense that it is the highest quality and resolution one in my rapidly growing music library.

Meghan Andrews’ voice on “Johnny Colorado” is exquisite and soothing. I close my eyes and she is there almost in front of me. And the passion is there in those vocals as clear as day.

Tony Furtado’s  3 minute long “Angeline The Baker” is full of exiting and complex guitar riffs.
Every strum, pluck and pick is again there right in front, Every little artefact portrayed crystal clear to my ears. An exiting song that the EB1S not only keep up with but convey with accuracy and precision.

“Wicked Game” by Jenna Mammina & Rolf Sturm is full of plush silences that you could hear a metaphorical pin drop. Jenna’s vocals are articulate, Crisp and full of body, With a warmth that is both comforting and a joy to hear.
Rolf’s Guitar piece is sublime and so smooth.

I really need to come back to this album again. It’s so very fun to listen to.
There always seems to be something new in there I missed before.

To summarise,

The Arcaydis EB1S present a neutral, Almost clinical sound that mirrors the accuracy of my Sony MDR SA5000’s. I know these are headphones I am referring to, However it is the unforgiving nature of the SA5K’s that I remembered when listening to these speakers.

I listened to three versions of The Dark Side Of The Moon. The MP3 was not as joyous to listen to in this review, I believe that like the SA5K’s, The EB1S’s ability to convey with such precision revealed all the flaws in this particular recording. I found it fatiguing and could hear what was missing in comparison to the other recordings I had at hand.
Hence the reference to my Sony headphones.

Bass is not the EB1S’s strong point, However, I do not believe it is meant to be.
Don’t get me wrong, There IS bottom end, And enough to make these an enjoyable pair of speakers, But if you’re a bass head who enjoys chest pounding, Ear ripping low end with deep sweeping tones, These may not be for you. ( Although you could add a sub. *Notes at end of summary. )

Highs as I have stated are crisp, dry and clean, So much so that they are a pair of tweeters I am tempted to try sourcing for a DIY build I have planned later next year.
I really enjoyed them that much.

Mids are as I stated earlier also. Nicely extended without being aggressive.

All in all a very VERY nice pair of Bookshelf Speakers to listen to.
I had them spaced at almost 5 inches away from the surface behind them ( A Window in this case. )
Slightly Toed in and about a meter apart.
I found them to be an ideal desktop “Near-Field” solution that is well suited to a diverse variety of music. Apart from maybe EDM.

Thank you again Jim and Arcaydis for allowing me to have these on loan to review.

*Note –

During my time with the EB1S’s I took the opportunity to install my Cambridge Audio SR80 Sub, As the Mira has a pre-out and this sub a stereo pre-in.

When I said “MAYBE” apart from EDM, This was as I switched to adding a sub into the fray. It’s not for everyone I know, However if you have a sub that has good control and tightness, I dare you to try these out in a 2.1 configuration.

It was a very good combo and the sub didn’t drown out or take away from the finer points of these speakers.

Do I recommend them? Absolutely!
Who do I recommend them to? Anyone who enjoys accuracy and fine detail and willing to sacrifice a little bottom end.

http://www.arcaydis.com/?page_id=10

In fact I enjoyed them that much, I’m thinking of not sending them back!
Haha no, Obviously I will purchase them like everyone else. And may I add that I feel they are more than worth their price tag.
My Monitor Audio Bronze BR2’s were £400 new, But with only £100 difference, The EB1S’s are in another League.

Thank you for taking the time to read my first official review.

Paul.