Clements 107di Floorstanding Speakers

Clements 107di Floorstanding Speakers 

DESCRIPTION

CLEMENTS 107di

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-5 of 5  
[Feb 08, 2009]
Logan B.
AudioPhile

The Clements 107di's are a fantastic pair of speakers. At first they seemed a little bright and forceful, but over time they have mellowed down. Through a Harmon/Kardon reciever the low end was a little lacking, but as soon as i upped the amp to a B&K ST1400(running with a Proceed AVP) the bass became much more powerful and defined, and the treble became much cleaner. Overall an absolutely wonderful pair of speakers.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Mar 30, 2002]
drew91105
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

1. Price is amazing. 2. Sound quality is clear and full.

Weakness:

1. Could be finished a little more carefully--ie. cheap foam sorround covering metal speaker edges. 2. It would be nice to have alternate woods to choose from.

What a wonderful set of medium-size speakers these Clements are! I compared many different models and brands for many months in the under about $800 range and kept coming back to these unpretentious black-only speakers. I think they look fine in black though some nicer woods would have been a bonus. But, what matters is their sound and that is just superb. I cannot believe these speakers have not become an instant hit. And, at their amazingly low price, you will never regret purchasing them. Maybe their marketing is too low-key or their distribution too limited? I keep waiting from some audio reviewer to discover that really wonderful sound exists in these speakers at an amazingly low price. I have mine mounted on a pair of very nice speaker stands GNP sold me for about $150. Their sound is clear and transparent. They have a rich, detailed sound and enough bass oomph to really fill a medium-sized room. I use mine largely for Classical music, but I also listen to jazz, rock, and other music at times. These Clements speakers make all the music I listen to sound as if it is coming directly from the instruments. You forget these are even speakers involved. I have listened to many speakers lately up to the $5,000 range and while the more expensive speakers are often wonderful, I have never regretted paying the incredibly low (cheap!!) price for these babies. If you want to keep your audio budget well under control, but you must have clear rich detailed sound, get a pair of Clements.

Similar Products Used:

1. Legacy Classics 2. Clements 308 (larger Clements) 3. Celestion

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 26, 2001]
Ron Dollete
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Economics, versatility

Weakness:

Requires proper placement for good imaging and frequency depth

For its price, you really can't beat the 107's. I remember buying them and asking about the warranty in case I didn't like them. The salesmen responded, "Nobody returns these."

For the longest time, the 107's were powered by my Marantz SR-63 and sounded fine, but lacked bass. The amazing thing was that the lack of bass was not a limitation of the 107's, but rather it was highlighting a limitation of the Marantz. If you go one more step up to a Rotel, you'll do fine. However, I say that the 107's are versatile in the sense that, while the Rotel seems to be a floor for the product, it doesn't seem to have a ceiling. (Or rather, I've never been in the same room as expensive enough equipment to find that ceiling).

The rearfiring port means that it cannot be placed directly against a wall without affecting its low-end depth. However, once in place, the imaging and sound are fantastic.

All this really means is that you've got to have ample space in your listening room. This product is a definite must for "entry-level" audiophiles.

Similar Products Used:

Infinity, Clements 308

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 02, 1999]
PriceW
a Casual Listener

Great value for the money. Check out the review by Greg Weaver at Soundstagewww.soundstage.com, it was pretty much a rave with him. I compare them side by side with the Tannoy M2 (which is around the same price $350 List). The Tannoy M2 was more accurate and natural with its sound reproduction, but the Clements brought out the excitement from the recordings that we were auditioning with. Might be a good idea if anyone in the market for Polks, Klipsch, B&W or Boston Acoustics bookself speakers to give Clements 107di (as well as the Tannoy M2)a listen, before purchasing the more well known brands.
Pro: lively sound, solid bass, good depth and 10 year warranty.
Con: Not well known, so who knows if the 10 year warranty will be of any use.
Needs a good amount of space (3'-4'feet)away from the front wall.

4 stars for the sound and 5 stars for the value.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
[Jun 15, 1999]
George Miller
an Audiophile

I've had a pair of the Clements 107di speakers for over one year and listen primarily to classical and contemporary instrumental music. The clean, rich, and well balanced sound that these speakers produce is simply astounding, especially considering their modest size and price. Rossini Overtures (Chicago Symphony - Fritz Reiner conductor) contain some of the most pounding bass drum pieces that I've ever heard and these speakers re-produce the sound with incredible realism without distortion. Violins and horns are clean without any high frequency annoying edge.
I am also a big fan of Nouveau Flamenco guitar pieces (Liebert, Jesse Cook, Armik, Govi, etc.) and this music is re-produced very accurately. The speaker's detail and clarity are impressive. The soundstage is large and if the speakers are properly placed within the listening room (away from walls and in front of TV's, furniture, etc.) they seem to disappear. The speaker's exterior appearance is somewhat plain, as they will never be confused with Sonus Faber. However, the 107di looks very much like comparable Pinnacle and Paradigm models. Judging by the speaker's superior sound qualities, Clements more than makes up for this cost saving measure with high quality components inside the box.

The Clements 107di speaker is very efficient but handles 75 watts of power with ease. I highly recommend these high performance modestly priced speakers for all types of music for use in any room that is 25' by 15' or smaller. I have recently upgraded my speakers to the new Clements 207di which is larger and produces a much more articulate airy sound with richer low bass response and less emphasis on mid-bass. I will submit my review on these speakers at a later date.

My system components are: Nakamichi Receiver 1, Marantz Model 17 CD player, AudioQuest Quartz interconnects, Tara Labs "Missing Link" jumper cable, and AudioQuest Crystal Speaker cables. I mount the speakers on 20" speaker stands that are 7 feet apart and two feet in front of the back wall.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
[Feb 05, 1999]
Chris Wynn
an Audiophile

This speaker was recommended to me by a friend. I recently had the chance to audition it. Let me start by saying that it will not win any awards for beauty. Clements has decided to economize on its appearance in order to concentrate on the quality of the speaker's engineering. The 107di is described by the company literature as incorporating sound enhancing features not commonly found at the price point. In my opinion, appearance does matter. Having lived with attractively styled British speakers that cost about the same as the Clements 107di, I find the black vinyl and plain design dreadfully ugly. Of course sound is the most important factor when judging a speaker.
Before I could get a disc of my own on, the dealer put on a rock track that blew me away. The little 107di with its six-inch woofer displayed tremendous slam and physical force. The size and muscularity of the bass bore no relation to the diminutive bood-shelf sized cabinet. Bass like that of the 107di not only fills, but pressurizes the room, so that its effects can be felt in one's chest, legs, and inner ears. It was almost more than I could bear. The bass sounded whipcrack fast. I had to stand back. The pressure rattled my chest.

Wondering what the 107di would do with classical music, I put in Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde." It's opening chords roared from the 107dis. In order to assess the quality of the strings, I reduced the volume. The delivery was tremendously muscular, but seriously lacking in subtlety. "Tristan und Isolde" sounded suitably hysterical, but too much so. I found the delivery raucous and overbearing.

When I put in a disc of Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony, it sounded much the same, tremendously exciting but over the top, with a forcefully projected mid-range and well integrated treble.

A disc of Liszt piano works revealed a tremendously muscular and vibrant piano tone that for once did not sound like a miniature. The 107di revealed the true dynamics of a concert grand piano. I could have listened all day. The notes sounded clear and undistorted and had a lovely liquid quality. This type of piano tone puts my baby speakers in the shade. In comparison piano reproduced by my speakers sounds more like a harpsichord. The 107di's piano reproduction sounded life-like and natural.

A disc of Motown hits revealed good voice and bass reproduction marred only by a lack of subtlety. Again, the delivery sounded over the top, more so in the bass than with vocals which had correct scale.

After having been spoiled by refined, transparent, and articulate designs, the muscularity of the Clements 107di's was difficult to take. I believe that they might grow on me with time. At $400 per pair, they occupy the same price point as the Tannoy Mercury M2s and Mission 771s that I currently own. The Missions sound so fundamentally different that comparison with the 107di is not particularly useful. The Tannoy Mercury M2s though occupy somewhat of a middle ground between the other two models. They are physically larger than the 107di, but their bass does not slam quite so forcefully. While possessing much of the 107di's extension, the M2s are probably a little easier to live with and are clearly more at ease with the reproduction of musical subtleties. The M2s lack the scale, weight, and drama of the 107di when it comes to reproducing piano. In fact the M2s are much weaker with piano, sounding under-damped and inconsistent. Yet, the Clements 107di are far less assured than the M2s with orchestral music, jazz, acoustic music, small ensembles, and any genre requiring subtlety and intimacy. Choosing between the two speakers is a matter of taste. Yet in my opinion the M2's finesse will suite more palettes than the 107di's big, but heavy handed delivery.

1. Upper orchestral strings (Wagner, Schubert) ***
Big, dramatic, and exciting but lacking in refinement.

2. Piano (Liszt) *****
Big, weighty, and dramatic. Accurate with a liquid quality.

3. Vocals (Motown) ***
Dramatic, over the top bass, but life-sized vocals.

Build Quality ****

Appearance **

Value ****


OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
Showing 1-5 of 5  

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