AudienceClairAudient 1+1 V5 Speakers - Priced per pair

"I wrote three words in my initial listening notes: "This is crazy!" I wasn't just amazed by the clarity and coherence of the sound but also by the sheer scale of what these small speakers could accomplish and how they defied the typical assumptions about what a compact loudspeaker can achieve. " - Ken Redmond, The Tracking Angle

Reviews

• Tone Audio
• The Tracking Angle
• HiFi + (PDF)
• February 2024 Sixmoons V5 Review
• July 2022 Dagogo V5 review

What's New In The V5?

A "voicing circuit" has been implemented to address a slight rise in midrange response. Naturally, only Audience Auricap XO+M high-resolution capacitors are used in this circuit.

The ClairAudient 1+1 V5 is a bi-pole (front- and rear-radiating) design that is compact, yet provides surprisingly expansive sound. It is outfitted with 2 of Audience's own 3" full range, crossoverless drivers on the front and rear, with dual passive radiators flanking the sides. You won't find any crossover parts in the signal path to smear harmonics and blur transients.

What's New

The Audience 1+1-V5 speakers include the best of the previous V2+ versions in addition to some great new technologies. The improvements of the V5 loudspeakers are resulting from the implementation of improved voice coil technology. The V5 voice coil provides faster rise time and greater control of the driver.

Additionally, the V5 loudspeaker internal wiring includes metallurgic improvements represented in the wiring of the new Audience flagship frontRow cables.

The Audience Full Range driver

The Audience proprietary full-range driver, while just 3 inches in diameter, delivers extremely flat frequency response from 50Hz to 22kHz (depending on room placement), eliminating the need for a separate woofer, midrange driver, tweeter, and crossover network. As a result the inherent problems of integrating multiple sonically dissimilar drivers and the accompanying phase distortions, loss of resolution and transient response degradation of a crossover network are completely avoided. The dual side-mounted passive radiators augment the output of the 1+1 V5 drivers and enable it to deliver outstanding presence and dynamic contrast.

The ClairAudient driver incorporates numerous engineering refinements such as a large patented neodymium-magnet motor structure and voice coil that moves with a highly linear excursion of 12mm; an exclusive titanium alloy cone material with a curvilinear shape; a concave dust cap specially designed to control high-frequency cone breakup and provide optimum dispersion; a unique "S"-shaped surround that allows the driver to behave more like an ideal pistonic radiator, and many additional enhancements.

The 1+1 V5 also utilizes Audience's unique SSIT Sweet SpaceTM Imaging Technology that provides an expanded listening area rather than the usual single listener sweet spot.

The Sound

The sonic results of the 1+1 V5 are significant: better resolution, "speed", soundstaging, a more realistic timbre and natural quality to vocals and instruments.

The end result of the V5 improvements is not subtle. The V5 loudspeakers are notably better than V4 in just about every aspect. The resolution is greater and the background is quieter resulting in a dramatically more palpable and tonally rich presentation. Dynamics and sound staging are also improved.

A Word On Break-in

The ClairAudient 1+1 V5 needs 150 hours of break-in. It may sound colored right out of the box. Please do not lose heart. Be patient and allow them to break-in fully. You will be rewarded...

A Word On Placement

Since the ClairAudient 1+1 V5 is a bidirectional speaker, it needs to be placed far away from the back wall to avoid smearing of the image by early sonic reflections. To achieve the proper ambient balance of direct vs. reflected sound get them around 5 feet from the back wall if possible.

A Word On Amplification

To get the best sound out of the ClairAudient 1+1 V5, you will need a bit of power. Small amplifiers will not light these up to their potential. An amplifier in the 100 watt range will really enable these to perform their best.

To Sub or Not To Sub?

If you listen to rock, electronica, hip-hop, etc. and desire some bass oomph below 40-50hz, a quality subwoofer may be necessary to fill in the bottom end. We highly recommend the KEF KC62 subwoofer to match the speed and clarity of the V5.