Frank Fazzalari has been in the speaker building business for years, manufacturing enclosures for many Canadian companies. It wasn’t until 2007, however, that he decided to create his own line of loudspeakers.  His first was the Model 6 which I had reviewed in TIE’s final print magazine, Vol. 17, No 4; and Frank is obviously not finished, continuing with the speakers under review, the Model 7s.

Appearance:
Although the CLs are basically small loudspeakers, they differ from the customary six-box designs. The woofer-midrange section, is housed in an incised, rounded section of the cabinet, while the tweeter, is in a top-mounted, round enclosure. The crossover resides in an external rectangular box, mounted on each speaker’s rear. The cabinets are finished in cherry veneer on all sides, and each enclosure is 19 inches high, 12 inches deep, 6.5 inches wide and weighs 20 pounds.

The Sound:
I have often stated that a loudspeaker should be a mirror of the electronics to which it is connected and, though this may be an unrealistic dreaming on my part, some designs do achieve this. Most loudspeakers have a personality, which they impose onto the sound, and it is the hope of designers that people like what they hear. Those who know sound as it should be, i.e that it reflects the electronics, or better yet, reproduces accurately the live sound of music, are delighted when such a design comes along at an affordable price. Here is what I found while testing the Model 7:

After connecting the speakers to my newly arrived Wyetech Labs’ prototype Ruby monoblocks, my ears were treated to crystal clear music, without the obtrusive presence of the loudspeaker. The speakers set up a wide and deep sound stage, handled high frequencies with complete continuity and presented an entirely real midrange presence, not unlike some good electrostatic designs, which limit bass to 40Hz. While bass resolution was good to the specified 40Hz, it didn't achieve lower notes. I heard enough harmonic integration and energy down to about 37Hz, which was sufficient for most of the evaluation material I used. While organ pedal notes didn’t completely finish, the loudspeakers didn’t allow the notes to drone on and on, resulting in false or unnatural sound. Personally, I prefer this to exaggerated or distorted bass. 

With the solid- state Bryston 14BSST amplifier in mix, I clearly heard the amplifier’s capabilities. I am familiar with its sonic makeup, after reviewing it a few years ago. Its awesome dynamics, smooth top frequencies and clear midrange, were realistically reproduced. Lack of deep bass, however, was even more apparent.

Both amps showed the most noticeable benefits of small enclosures, namely the ability to recreate space and image. 
My auditioning cables were combinations of Nordost interconnects, JPS Labs speaker cables, and BIS AC cords. The source component was an Audio Aero Capitol Classic CD player. Auditioning CDs to die for, included Gene Harris’ Listen Here (Concord CD 1006-6), The Ultimate Mancini (Concord CCD-2237-2) Jimmy Smith’s reissue of the Organgrinder Swing (Verve 314 543 831 -2) and Carmen McRae’s Fine And Mellow (Concord CD 1005-6) — a good cross-section of music to evaluate any audio gear.

Synopsis & Commentary:
As I have indicated earlier, the industry offers a lot of different sonic flavours to consumers of audio gear, knowing and hoping that folks accept (and buy) the designs deemed accurate.  Fact is, however, that consumers buy what they like which is why they may prefer one design to another.  As some consumers may not be able to determine accuracy in a loudspeaker, mistakes, sometimes costly, are continually made.

Enter, the Model 7s. Most loudspeaker designs have some deficiencies, yet the Model 7s mirror the electronics’ sonic makeup. This is a characteristic usually found only in more expensive speakers. It is surprising to see and hear a pair of small enclosures reflect the sonic might of a single ended pair of amps from Wyetech Labs; or the power and dynamics of a Bryston 14B SST. The Coherents deliver on both counts and that folks, translates to good sound at a great price. I believe that Frank’s design has a lot more value than the asking price, which is likely low, because of direct-to-consumer marketing. In my conversations with Frank I found out that he builds each pair of speakers with hand-selected components and attention to detail. Frank's love of his job and respect for music is reflected in his designs and this, of course, benefits the consumer. Bottom line: the Coherence speakers are very good designs and present an excellent foundation for the aspiring, music lovers and audiophiles.