High End 2019 • Hot Product

First glimpsed last year, when the company was canvassing partners on the subject of final aesthetics, Vienna Acoustics' heavily revised Concert Grand Reference series has finally reached the market -- but not before the institution of yet another, in this case profound, change. On the face of it, the slim enclosures, flat-faced drivers and elegantly executed (and extremely efficient) outriggers and spikes are all familiar, but look a little closer and you’ll notice an all-new and extremely unusual midrange driver. Rather than the simple flat diaphragm you might be expecting, instead you will find a composite cone constructed from a flat outer ring molded from a fiberglass/polymer mix, with the large voice coil masked by a deep inward dome formed in coated silk and shaped by a rigid substrate.

With the speakers on static display, it was impossible to say how effective this new driver is, but given Vienna’s well-established reputation for delivering a natural, open, unforced and tonally accurate midband, we are expecting great things. There are two models in the range, the Concert Grand Reference (left two speakers, €9900 per pair, including tax), which use three 6.5” bass drivers, and the Baby Grand Reference (right two speakers, €7500 per pair including tax), which use two 5.25” bass drivers. Both models are available in four different finishes: black or white lacquer, cherry or rosewood veneers.