Price Paid:  $600.00 from eBay

Summary:
After 30 years of using my Sonab V1's I decided to revitalize my sound system, starting with a pair of Duntech Ruby's. Listening to these speakers was a series of surprises. First surprise was that silence has a presence and the spaces between notes can have as much impact as the music itself. Obvious to most people perhaps but the first time I've ever really noticed it! Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" and "Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye" - a few simple layers woven together with elegance and delivered by the Ruby's with a clarity that was as exciting as the first hearing 30 odd year ago. Likewise with the Adagio movement of Beethoven's "5th Piano Concerto", single piano notes dropped onto a bed of strings with a gentleness that made the heart ache. I don't think I'd had this much fun with music in a long time. Next surprise was Leonard Cohen again. I'd read that Duntech's gave extremely accurate reproduction but I hadn't understood how disconcerting this could be. It seemed the drumming in "So Long, Marianne" was disappointingly flat, lacking in bass. But on repeat hearings this became far more satisfying as I realised that this was what a small drum kit actually sounds like in real life - took me a while to appreciate this though. Another surprise was the way individaul elements of music suddenly had greater impact than in previous listenings. The bass organ notes in Albiononi/Giazotto's "Adagio for Organ and Strings" still seem as if they are only half as audible as they aught to be but the Ruby's seem to deliver more of the bass spectrum than I'm used to. I suspect my ears are letting me down more than the speakers now. A similar experince with The Fureys "Green Fields of France". I've always liked the way the Uillean Pipes come in at the end but now they have a little extra prominence that definitely adds to the poignant sweetness of the song. The only disappointing surprise I can think of is with the Allegri "Miserere". I've always loved this piece when I've heard it on a tabletop radio but for some reason it has always been a disappointment when listening to a CD. I had high hopes that the Ruby's would change this. Surprisingly, they didn't. Whilst it definetly sounds a lot better through the Ruby's it is still a disappointment - what is it about this piece of music?

Strengths:
The Duntech Ruby's seem to bring out complexity in music but with a clarity that has made listening exciting again even after decades of famiiarity with a piece. I think these speakers will appeal to the sort of person who finds negative space to be as important in the music you listen to as it is in the art you hang on your walls.

Weaknesses:
The Ruby's are basically entry level Duntechs and I've always tried to avoid entry level anything, but affordablity rules these days. I'm sure that compared to Duntech Emeralds or Opals these speakers have their faults but I'm not aware of them - I love these little buggers.

Similar Products Used:
Sonab V1's