SILENT LABORATORIES Molliter

MJ15.06.2023

Stand mount monitors

Silent Laboratories Molliter impressed me even before I played my playlist, because they looked gorgeous and their finish was insanely good, a sort of a car detailing job if you want. The Lamborghini Yellow gloss made them show off and shine. On request, Silent Laboratories are ready to provide any coating you may crave for – Ferrari Red, Jaguar Green, Carbon plating, veneers, gloss or matte, the choice is yours.

100% reference

Funkce a forma

93%
Ergonomie
84%
Zvuk
98%
Zpracování

The colour is not conditioning good sound – the cabinets are – and the cabinets of the Molliter are dead and inert, for they are assembled in a very special way. I will be back to it later. The combination of the automotive finish and the deadness of the baffles remind me of Wilson Audio speakers in a good way. The Molliter sit on dedicated stands, from which they are decoupled by Isoacoustics Oreo pucks. Both the speakers and the stands have milled recesses in them, so the Oreos are practically invisible, and the gap between the speaker and the stand is about 3mm only. The Oreos must not touch the sides of the recesses to work. Once properly installed, the suction of rubber pads on the Oreos makes sure that the speakers don’t move or fall, no bolts needed. This tuned isolation system significantly contributes to the great performance of the Molliter. I tried also Stillpoints in the place of the Oreos and the result was disappointing and the sound lost its relaxing nature.

Another feature which is commented on the Molliter’s backplate: the internal wiring is copper-silver KrautWire, that ends in WBT NextGen binding posts; the attention to details continues - the posts are decoupled from the cabinet by a custom-made polymer plate to prevent any resonances.

The boxes are not made from MDF, they use 33mm thick plywood. The plywood boards are laid flat and cut on a CNC machine into ribs that are stacked vertically, one atop another, and pressed in a hydraulic press. The Molliter’s cabinets are a kind of a high-density vertical ship hull; similar approach is used by German Gauder Akustik. Once pressed and glued, the final shape is machined and coated. The internal bracing is calibrated to push the ribs apart, so the whole assembly is pre-tensioned for maximum rigidity and coated by bitumen damping from inside. No need to say that all surfaces, internal and external, are bent, slanted, or irregular, to suppress standing waves inside and diffractions outside. The result, especially in this rather compact stand-mounted format, is a superstiff design that is built like a safe and that looks elegant and chic at the same time.

Both OEM drivers are sourced from Danish Scan-Speak; the midbass driver is 18cm Revelator, the silk dome is 2.5cm Illuminator. The bass is supported by rear-firing reflex port. The crossover point is set at 2300Hz and optimized for phase alignment. The crossover components are top notch too, with foil in wax coils and Superior capacitors from Jantzen. There are no fastcons and bolts, all connections are cold-welded and hand soldered.

Nízké frekvence

Váha
65
Výbušnost
62
Artikulace
71

The impedance of the Silent Laboratories Molliter, according to the manufacturer, should never go below 4 ohms. Also, the specified sensitivity of 89dB is rather high, so the owner should not meet any issues when pairing these speakers with amplifiers. Still, we live in a Hypex-NCore age, so watts are cheap and the headroom in power is liked by every loudspeaker.

The Molliter excels in reconstructing the ambience of recordings. Although the spaciousness and ambient noises are not created by instruments and are the result of their interaction with the recording venue, they are indispensable for authenticity of the experience. Listening to music samplers is a real treat with the Molliter, for each track has its own acoustic signature and the Molliter can differentiate the rather dry studio from reverberant concert hall with ease. That’s why listening to such music collections is like a time-space travel, with each track your chair moves to a different venue. I liked it very much.

Čistota rozlišení

Detail
95
Vzduch
88
Transparentnost
85

Tonally, the Silent Laboratories are on the side of relaxing naturalness. Take, for instance, Pavane from The Treya Quartet (Divox Jazz) disc. This creative rephrasing of Fauré’s catalogue features piano, bass, drums and saxophone. All is nice at normal listening levels, but at the time of writing this I am slowly turning the volume knob up to achieve the realistic loudness – the one to hear the piano at the same SPL as it would be live in a same-sized (ca 40sqm) room. The Molliter keep composed and sound retains the firmness and dynamics. Will these speakers be good for symphonic orchestra too? Well, they are two-way standmounts and naturally they have their limits and cannot deliver the scale and grandness. But in Rubinstein’s Demon (Eiji Oue, Minnesota Orchestra, Reference Recordings) the string section was both smooth in a macro view and textured in the micro view. The cellos and double basses have enough substance and grunt and provide quite an accomplished bass fundament. The Molliter were fine-tuned by ears and it is good to know that the ears of the guys in Silent Laboratories know what to listen for.

Tonální věrnost

Témbr
70
Dynamika
80
Časování
89

I have not mentioned treble yet. When I look back at my listening sessions, I understand why. The highs are understated and superbly integrated, although the Revelators represent at about 30% of the loudspeaker musical output. The nuanced yet understated manner of presentation is why the Molliter is so easy on ears. This does not mean the highs are softened or rolled off. The ringing of a triangle is clean and clear clannggg that has fast transient and long trail off. The clang does not pierce the listener’s ears like an arrow, it does not show off the triangle on account of other instrumental sections of the orchestra; it is a distinct and articulated sound that is a part of the score, yet distinct on its own.

Some speakers are smooth and soothing. They often lack spark and transparency and are a kind of boring. Then there are speakers that are sparkly and transparent and that make you rejoice and grab your wallet, only to find out days later that this effervescence can be unbearable long term. The best speakers are skillfully balanced and provide deep insights into the recorded material, without forcing the listener turn down the volume. The Molliter are such speakers.

Prostorovost

Trojrozměrnost
81
Šířka scény
81
Hloubka scény
81

In the rather small local market the Silent Laboratories Molliter intrude the territory of another local predator, the AQ Passion Orca. The Orca cost about the same amount of money, and they have about the same dome tweeter. The midbass driver of the Orca is Illuminator, but it is smaller in diameter (15cm vs 18cm). The Molliter provide stiffer baffles, the Orca are more compact and sculpted in a fresh and modern look. Both the speakers are transparent and coherent, but there are differences in the overall voicing. The Orca are a racing car, tuned for speed on tarmac, the Molliter is a comfier limousine that irons small bumps on the road. The non-conflicting nature of the Molliter is a sign of maturity, not a flaw. Similar voicing is offered by Marten Designs or by Tidal, if you want some examples. It is the voicing that does not grab attention and that is sorely missed if it is replaced by a competitor. If you seek maturity and confidence, The Silent Laboratories Molliter are a good and much cheaper alternative of some ultra-expensive speakers.

Cena v době recenze:171 000,- Kč

Doporučení prodejci

Mareka Audio, Horoměřice, +420 603 259 667

Připojené komponenty

  • Sources: Ayon CD-35 HF Edition
  • Amplifiers: Apollon Audio PET 950, Ayon Epsilon Evo mono
  • Interconnects and speaker cables: Synergistic Research SRX IC, SRX SC
  • Loudspeakers: Legacy Audio Whisper XDS, Synergistic Research Black Box, Perlisten S7t Special Edition, Silent Laboratories - a prototype floorstander
  • Power conditioning: Synergistic Research PowerCell SX, Synergistic Research SRX, Nordost QPoint, Roth Audio, RD Acoustic RD EMI Neutralizer Power Filter, RD Acoustic RD EMI Neutralizer Power Filter 4,6 kW

Galerie

AQ Passion Orca

The Passion Orca is an improved version of the Acoustique Quality’s flagship stand-mounted speaker. Alike any other top model the Orca received meticulous attention to detail with only one exception: it was not designed as a ...

Doporučení prodejci

AQ s.r.o., Červenka, tel. +420 585 342 232

Zvuk
84%

ATOHM GT 1.0

These Atohm monitors are like a magnifying glass that lets the listener look deep into music. Despite their size they provide explosive dynamics against clear and quiet backdrop - not unlike premium headphones that let you hear a ...

Doporučení prodejci

Nisel SK, Bratislava, tel. +421 905 203 078

Zvuk
59%

AURUM CANTUS Leisure 3SE MkII

The craftsmanship is immaculate - the glossy finish is spotless and seamless, this Aurum Cantus monitor is like a supersmooth monolith. There are several layers of hand-polished lacquer on the cabinet that is assembled from extremely ...

Doporučení prodejci

Hifi studio MeLissa, Brno, tel. +420 777 04 1313

Zvuk
60%

BOWERS & WILKINS 805 Diamond

Unlike the previous generations of B&W’s the new Diamonds are real diamonds. Within its price range they rank amongst the best available loudspeakers and in certain aspects (airy detail, excellent soundstaging, responsiveness and ...

Doporučení prodejci

Eurostar Ostrava, Dobřejovice u Prahy, tel. + 420 323 606 877

Jasyko, Brno, 541 210 108

Profimedia, Opava, 553 759 017

Zvuk
75%

BOWERS & WILKINS PM1

The PM stands for "Prestige Monitor". Bowers & Wilkins ventured into Bugati and Bentley's world with the timeless and luxurious design, sleek aerodynamic curves and premium technologies. It has been long since I had such a exquisite ...

Doporučení prodejci

Eurostar Ostrava, Dobřejovice u Prahy, tel. + 420 323 606 877

Jasyko, Brno, 541 210 108

Zvuk
57%

DALI Katch

The Dali Katch is a piece of beauty. The reviewed Cloud Gray unit with its smoky pink-beige finish was an ultimate eye-catcher for any female visitors. VThe visual appeal of a luxury handbag easily overcomes any objections of your ...

Doporučení prodejci

CZ: Horn Distribution, Praha, +420 272 656 485

Zvuk
12%

DEFINITIVE TECHNOLOGY Demand D9

The size of the D9 does not allow to pair the dynamic abilities of these small monitors with a sense of scale and weight, yet they can play impressively loud without any stress. And you bet I played them loud. Add crystalline highs ...

Doporučení prodejci

CZ: Horn Distribution, Praha, +420 272 656 485

Zvuk
47%
Zpět do kategorie