I’ve been completely blown away by Gingko Audio’s ClaraVu 7 MkII. My listening room is a difficult space for many conventional speakers, but the Gingkos excelled in this tough environment. While tolerant of less-than-ideal placement, they really sang when I took the trouble to get their positions just right. This was when the ClaraVu 7 MkII became not merely a very good loudspeaker, but one of the most interesting I’ve heard in a long time. It combines many of the best qualities of some of my favorite speakers, while avoiding many, potentially troubling issues of room interaction. Top that with the fact that it’s consummately tube-friendly, and I can’t recommend this one highly enough.

The ClaraVu 7s, in contrast, are designed to mainly please those with ears, equipment, and musical recordings commensurate with high-end audio. You don’t miss any detail, and there are sparks aplenty, but these newest Gingko Audio speakers really shine when given a chance to show off… Anyone can appreciate stellar sound, of course, and excellent speakers always appeal to a wide audience, but for those who live for high-end performance these speakers deliver an audiophile experience at a price that’s hard to beat.