Simply saying “because they sound fantastic”, would be too simple, though accurate.
“Tell me more” I hear you say. Well then…
Audio Physic began humbly in Germany in the mid 80’s with a mini-monitor. The logic was that a small woofer placed near the tweeter in a small, narrow cabinet would reduce phase abnormalities and maximize overall continuity. They were proven correct but the tonal balance was too lean for most systems and so it didn’t exactly take the world by storm. Over time, the sound was fleshed out and they became more popular. They later released what was possibly the first narrow baffle, floor-standing speaker that was essentially a mini-monitor incorporated into a larger cabinet with woofers. It established their presence in the market and still in Germany, they have been growing ever since. The newest models have more weight and authority with, as Audio Physic says, “no loss of fine detail”.
Not to diminish the superb sound quality, the extraordinary cabinetry and consistently unobtrusive design, their most notable quality is their imaging. You’ll hear everything in its place and, as though David Copperfield was there working his magic, your entire system (and with your eyes closed, your room boundaries) will disappear. From their smallest offering, the Step Plus, to the Avantera-lll, all of their speakers are eerie in their ability to recreate the recording’s sense of space while seeming like they’re not there.
Image: 2018 Audio Physic Lineup (Avantera III, Virgo III, Tempo Plus, & Step Plus)
Allow me a brief digression into the technical.
The baby of the clan, The Step Plus stands a mere 12.6” tall and 6.9” wide but when the 5.9” HHCM-ll (Ceramic coated Aluminum Hyper-Holographic Cone Midrange) and the 1.75” HHCT tweeter start to sing, the Steps are giant killers. As was the concept from the beginning, the driver placement results in truly astounding soundstage and the speakers simply disappear.
Image: Audio Physic Step Plus in Ebony High Gloss Finish (shown with optional Sherpa V Stands in Black)
Though they are rated to only 50Hz, people constantly ask “Is there a sub on?”
Speaking of woofers, the next bigger sibling, The Tempo Plus is a 39.4” tall floor-stander that has the same midrange and tweeter as the Step Plus but sports two side-firing 7” woofers. It is virtually the same width as the Step and thus incorporates beautifully into most any décor. The bass response is stunning. The arrangement of the midrange and tweeter is virtually identical to the Steps, resulting in the same stunning imaging but now with weight and authority. As you move up the line you keep getting more of the same; clarity, detail, imaging and bass response that belies their size.
From the Tempo Plus you progress to the Avanti, the newly announced Midex, Codex, Virgo lll and then to the Avantera lll, the current flagship. The Avantera lll stands merely 6” taller and is but 2” wider than the Tempo. The complexity of its design is too great to discuss in depth (any Audio Physic dealer would be happy to wax poetic on the subject) but a few points are worthy of mention. The two pair of mirror-image woofers transmits minimal energy to the cabinet. There is porous, ultra-stiff ceramic foam in the areas surrounding the woofers which helps smooth out impulse response. This design yields visceral, tight bass down to 27Hz and despite its larger size, the Avantera III images even more precisely than its smaller brethren.
Image: Audio Physic Avantera III in White High Gloss Finish Cutaway
Time and again people auditioning Audio Physics with their own selections will say “I never heard that before”. It happens to me all the time as well. If you’re near Audio Den, stop in with some music and see what you discover. If you’re near another Audio Physic dealer, make it a point to pay them a visit and have some fun. That is what this hobby is really about after all…fun, and Audio Physic delivers.