Review: Ultra 1600:

The Ambience stable continues to expand and the Super Slim Ultra 1600s fit in the middle of its latest range. It's proving a very successful outing for Ambience, which is concentrating most of its production on this latest series. For those unfamiliar with the Ambience design, it's a hybrid marriage of a crimped aluminium ribbon that delivers the upper mid-band and treble with a conventional driver-equipped bass 'box'. The idea has been tried before although it proved difficult to acoustically match the two elements. But, Tony Moore, the man behind Ambience has nailed it - his products deliver a seamless match across the sonic spectrum.

There's a lot of loudspeaker here standing 160 cm or a touch over five feet tall, the 1600s are an imposing looking speaker. The Super Slim Ultra design came about to be more aesthetically pleasing, with a sleeker line than their predecessors. The vast majority of the speakers' stature is the slim panel that contains the crimped ribbon that runs for nearly the entire speakers' height. Coupled at the base, a box contains a single driver that Ambience has custom-made by SEAS - a prolific Norwegian driver manufacturer. The bass compartment is a bass reflex design with a rear firing port whose plinth also accommodates adjustable floor spikes.With the 1600s, Ambience is aiming at the mid to larger sized listening room and it's definitely a requirement of these speakers to have a bit of space. In too small a room they are simply overpowering, accentuating their ample bass and losing out on the massive soundstage these speakers can create. The remainder of the audio system has to be up to scratch too. Any weak link in the system and the Ambience speakers will mercilessly show up any shortcomings, A good quality source in mandatory, as too is some capable amplification. Power output isn't the sole requirement to drive the Ultras, but the amp needs to muster sufficient current and deliver it in a controlled manner. The speakers aren't particularly sensitive and a demanding impedance places some demands on the amplifier.

You can still drive a pair with a modest amp, but just won't be hearing them at their best. Another thing that plays a big part in how the 1600s ultimately sound is room positioning, The first things to play around with are the spikes that allow you to tilt the speakers backward by raising the two front spikes. Because of the nature of the ribbon design all Ambience floorstanders are particularly directional in the vertical plane. Stand up and you will actually hear a marked loss in treble detail. Tilting them counteracts this and gives greater midrange and treble dispersion. Next, give them as much room behind as possible. If room boundaries are tight, too close to a wall accentuates the bass and things can sound bloated and loose. Give them bags of room and the incredibly deep and articulate bottom-end that the single 170 mm driver creates is soon apparent.

The same goes for the distance between the speakers. They are capable of creating a massive soundstage but need at least a couple of metres or more between them in order to do so. It's worthwhile having a play around with different positions and finding the right spot for the size and shape of the listening room - it makes a big difference with these speakers. Then it's time to bring on the music and let the Ambience speakers do their stuff. They take a lot of running in, especially the ribbon which, like a good wine, matures with age. They certainly settle down with increased use, becoming mellower and smoother compared to straight out of the delivery crate. The net result is an incredibly open and natural sounding loudspeaker. The 1600s handle all musical extremes with an effervescence and panache few loudspeakers come close to for the money. The bass extends deliciously low, so much so it's hard to believe such levels are possible from a single driver. It blends seamlessly with the mid-band and ever so sweet treble, making music flow, regardless of your tastes. Image focus is breathtaking, aided by a crisp treble and a wonderfully spacious midrange, ensuring a high quality recording like Everything But The Girl's newie Temperamental sounds spell-bindingly realistic. Tracey Thorn's vocals are full and expressive, instruments natural, and the entire sonic picture is engrossingly three-dimensional. So fluid is the music and so vivid, excuse the pun, the resultant ambience is so natural that the speakers themselves seem to melt away. The bass section and ribbon integrate so seamlessly that your attention is drawn purely to the music. Bass has weight and agility, treble is crisp and even, and midrange so open it's spellbinding. They enthral with rock too, taking bands like Supergroove in their stride. They rock along with the buzz-saw guitars, snapping delicate ambience into sharp focus and pushing close-miked vocals deep into the room. And they do this with jaw-dropping presence. The smoother tones of Sara K on her Play On Words disc are portrayed with equal freshness, and with Mahler's Fifth, they balance the resonance of the percussion with the soaring strings while ensuring the instruments are vividly placed and separated. Coherent, uncompromising and ohso musical, the Ambience 1600's are as at home with the seductive production of David Sylvian's Dead Bees On A Cake as with the drama of Don Giovanni. When the going's good, these speakers really get going. Voices are wide-open, close-focused and breathtakingly real, instruments are treated to natural timbres, snap attack and gorgeous resonance, and the soundstage is deep, wide and (not surprisingly) completely free of the cabinets. And 'hooo-boy', can they drive hard! Neighbours out, sofa lap-straps fastened and china dogs gaffer taped to the shelves, the 1600s thunder out dance and rock bass lines as easily as they convey the power of a full orchestra. Even with a simple yet dynamic track like The Chemical Brother's Surrender, the way they motor is more Dodge Viper than MGF, the limitless grunt seemingly on tap never failing to impress. The perfect all-rounder? Well, in my opinion the Ambience Super Slim Ultra 1600s come darned close. They'll make perfect front loudspeakers in an AV system, and with the amount of bass on offer, you can get away without a subwoofer (although Ambience is currently developing one for use with its ribbon designs). If it's scale and presence that spices up your movie viewing, these speakers deliver both in spades. A word of warning though because of the amount of magnets in each loudspeaker and the lack of shielding, keep them well away from sensitive equipment like the TV set, otherwise you may be faced with a repair bill to have the thing degaussed. Impressed? You bet. I've been singing the praises of the Ambience hybrid ribbon speakers for some time now, and with the release of the Super Slim Ultra 1600s, 1 just had to buy a pair! I've also already had my hands on the 1600's smaller and bigger brothers, both of which are equally impressive in the right room and system. And that's part of the key with these formidable loudspeakers - the conditions have to be right. As long as you've the room, the ,other-half' likes the look of them and three and half grand isn't going to leave you broke, it's hard to beat these Aussie gems. Let's face it, an imported equivalent in quality would probably set you back double. WLS2000 By Nick Tatham - Which? Loudspeakers